Reporting two hemoglobin J Iran cases, molecular follow-up, or is it insignificant?

Background: Hemoglobin J is one of the fast hemoglobin that has a more negative charge due to ß77His→Asp substitution. Acquisition of this hemoglobin is not associated with any specific clinical sign, but the combination of this hemoglobinopathy with beta-thalassemia and other hemoglobinopathies can cause challenges. Case Presentation: In this article, two cases with hemoglobin J are introduced; the first patient for premarital testing and the other for his fatigue. The hemoglobin electrophoresis was done by Sebia capillary zone electrophoresis and Hb J as heterozygote and homozygote were determined. Conclusion: It must be noted that although this hemoglobinopathy is not related to any problem alone but could be confusing in combination with other hemoglobinopathies or thalassemia. In this paper, these two cases are introduced and an attempt was made to investigate the importance of molecular follow-up.

Evaluation of Crocin Effect on Contrast-Induced Nephropathy Following Coronary Angiography or Angioplasty: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is the third cause of hospital-acquired acute kidney injury. The CIN prophylactic strategies adopted to date, although not highly efficient, are mostly based on antioxidant activity and hydration therapy. This study was designed and conducted to evaluate crocin's efficacy in the prevention of CIN in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients undergoing coronary angiography/angioplasty. In this randomized clinical trial, a total of 110 eligible CKD stage 3 patients requiring contrast agent administration for coronary angiography/angioplasty were enrolled and randomly assigned to either crocin (n = 57) or control (n = 53) group. The patients in both groups received standard hydration therapy; nevertheless, in the crocin group, the patients were also orally administered three consecutive oral doses of 30 mg crocin tablets 1 day before up to 1 day after contrast media (CM) exposure. The primary endpoint was CIN incidence defined as an increase in serum creatinine (SrCr) level by ≥ 0.3 mg/dL or any change in urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) from the baseline within 48 hours of CM exposure. During 4 months, 130 patients were recruited. The mean age of the patients was 65.62 ± 9.05 years, and the majority of them were male (64.54%). The SrCr in the crocin group did not significantly increase within 48 hours of angiography/angioplasty. The changes in the urinary NGAL level were not significant in both groups. The CIN incidence was significantly lower in the crocin group than in the control group (1.75% and 13.2%; P = 0.028). Crocin administration plays an important nephron-protective role in the prevention of CIN.