Genotype and functional correlates of disease phenotype in deficiency of adenosine deaminase 2 (DADA2).

BACKGROUND: Deficiency of adenosine deaminase 2 (DADA2) is a syndrome with pleiotropic manifestations including vasculitis and hematologic compromise. A systematic definition of the relationship between adenosine deaminase 2 (ADA2) mutations and clinical phenotype remains unavailable. OBJECTIVE: We sought to test whether the impact of ADA2 mutations on enzyme function correlates with clinical presentation. METHODS: Patients with DADA2 with severe hematologic manifestations were compared with vasculitis-predominant patients. Enzymatic activity was assessed using expression constructs reflecting all 53 missense, nonsense, insertion, and deletion genotypes from 152 patients across the DADA2 spectrum. RESULTS: We identified patients with DADA2 presenting with pure red cell aplasia (n = 5) or bone marrow failure (BMF, n = 10) syndrome. Most patients did not exhibit features of vasculitis. Recurrent infection, hepatosplenomegaly, and gingivitis were common in patients with BMF, of whom half died from infection. Unlike patients with DADA2 with vasculitis, patients with pure red cell aplasia and BMF proved largely refractory to TNF inhibitors. ADA2 variants associated with vasculitis predominantly reflected missense mutations with at least 3% residual enzymatic activity. In contrast, pure red cell aplasia and BMF were associated with missense mutations with minimal residual enzyme activity, nonsense variants, and insertions/deletions resulting in complete loss of function. CONCLUSIONS: Functional interrogation of ADA2 mutations reveals an association of subtotal function loss with vasculitis, typically responsive to TNF blockade, whereas more extensive loss is observed in hematologic disease, which may be refractory to treatment. These findings establish a genotype-phenotype spectrum in DADA2.

Treatment of acute infectious purpura fulminans with activated protein C.

Infectious purpura fulminans is associated with high mortality and morbidity despite standard antimicrobial therapy. We report satisfactory clinical outcome in two children with sepsis associated purpura fulminans who were treated with activated protein C (APC). There is need for proper evaluation of the efficacy of this extremely expensive therapeutic modality by randomized controlled trials before it is made standard of care in childhood infectious purpura fulminans.

Studies of blood lead levels in children by proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE).

Blood lead levels of children admitted to Sion Hospital, Bombay (India), from the adjoining Dharavi slum areas have been determined by proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE). Blood samples were collected from 36 children with suspected lead poisoning and from 20 control children. The analysis showed that the lead concentration of the patients varied from 0.1 to 6.0 micrograms ml-1. In addition to lead, K, Ca, Fe, Cu, Zn, Se, Br and Rb were also detected simultaneously, of which the concentrations of Fe, Cu, Zn, Se, Rb and Pb were determined. The high blood lead levels of the children from this area may be ascribed to environmental pollution due to heavy vehicular traffic and industrial sources.

Hemorheological changes in blood transfusion-treated beta thalassemia major patients.

Beta thalassemia major is an inherited impairment of haemoglobin structure, in which there is partial or complete failure to synthesize a specific type of globin chain. The study was undertaken to assess the hemorheological changes in beta thalassemic major patients. We studied hemorheological parameters in thalassemic patients (n = 37) immediately after blood transfusion. The parameters studied were whole blood viscosity (WBV), plasma viscosity (PV), red cell rigidity (RCR) and hematocrit (Hct). Blood samples from age-and sex-matched normal controls were also analysed for comparison. Statistical analysis was done using Student's t-test and p values were recorded. The results showed a significant decrease in level of WBV and Hct in patients when compared to normal controls. However, the red cell rigidity was higher when compared to normal controls. Increase in RCR should show an increase in WBV. But in our study cases there was a significant decrease in WBV which was probably due to the significant decrease in level of hematocrit.

Anemia in the newborn.

In neonatal period anemia is a complex problem owing to the unique blood picture. The erythrocytic system undergoes serial adaptation to meet progressively changing demands of oxygen in the embryo, the fetus and neonate. This leads to rapid change in normal hematological change in post-birth period. Definition of anemia is difficult because as described earlier, several important factors influence normal blood in the newborn infants. The etiology of neonatal anemia can be classified into i) hemorrhage (ii) hemolysis (iii) failure of red cell production. Severe fetal hemorrhage may accompany various placental anomalies like placenta praevia, abruptio placenta and accidental incision of placenta during the caesarian section. It is reported that 10% of all infants born following placenta praevia and 4% of infants born following abruptio placenta present with severe anemia. The passage of fetal erythrocytes in maternal circulation occurs commonly during pregnancy. In 50% of pregnancies some fetal cells are passed in maternal circulation sometimes during gestation or during birth process. Treatment of a neonate with anemia due to blood depends on the degree of hypovolemia or anemia and whether the blood loss has been acute or chronic. Newborn with pale skin should be differentiated from an asphyxiated baby.

Anemia in newborn.

Various blood indices vary in a newborn as compared to older child or adult. It depends on the gestational age, day of life, maternal factors, mode of delivery and site of blood collection. Hemoglobin, HCT & MCV tend to be higher in newborns. They further increase in first 2 days of life. Reticulocytosis and presence of nucleated red cells are normally seen in first week of life. Neonatal anemia is a common problem in NICU. It is usually caused by either hemorrhage or hemolysis and rarely due to decreased production. Hemorrhage can be ante or intra or post natal and it could be external or internal. It could be acute or chronic. Management of acute severe hemorrhage includes packed cell transfusion. Hemolysis is usually due to isoimmune hemolysis, G6PD deficiency or rarely due to the hemoglobinopathy like alpha-thalassemia or due to spherocytosis. Usually patients will have indirect hyperbilirubinemia which needs phototherapy or exchange transfusion. Rarely congenital pure red cell aplasia can present at birth with physical anomalies and anemia. Treatment of neonatal anemia depends on the arteriology.

Diamond-Blackfan anemia: report of 6 cases.

Diamond-Blackfan anemia is a rare congenital hypoplastic anemia. We report 6 children diagnosed as Diamond-Blackfan anemia at our clinic. All had severe pallor at presentation, with mild hepatomegaly and just palpable spleen in one child. Thumb anomaly was present in one of them. All of them had macrocytic or normocytic anemia with reticulocytopenia, and bone marrow examination revealed marked erythroid hypoplasia. All of them were treated with oral steroids with a good response.

'NESTROFT'--an effective screening test for beta thalassemia trait.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of NESTROFT (Naked Eye Single Tube Red Cell Osmotic Fragility Test) as a screening tool for detection of beta thalassemia trait. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Field camps in various parts of Gujarat and Maharashtra States. METHODS: A total of 2525 subjects were screened. NESTROFT, complete hemogram including red cell indices and calculation of Mentzer's Fraction (MF) and discriminant functions (DF1-4) were done in all subjects. HbA2 was performed in 830 initial subjects to compute sensitivity, specificity and predictive values for various parameters. RESULTS: NESTROFT (sensitivity 94.4%), as a single screening parameter was superior to any of the other evaluated parameters individually, besides being cost effective. Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) < 80 fl followed NESTROFT closely (sensitivity 93.7; p > 0.05). MCV < 75 fl had a significantly (p < 0.001) lower sensitivity (87.3%) in comparison to both of these parameters. In contrast, MF, DF1, DF2, DF3 and DF4 did not meet the requirements of a good screening test with sensitivity values of 66.2%, 54.9%, 47.2%, 64.1% and 55.6%, respectively. NESTROFT in combination with MCV < 80 fl proved 100% sensitive. However, the combination was not cost effective. CONCLUSION: NESTROFT is a sensitive, cost effective, rapid and reliable screening test for detection of beta thalassemia trait in a population.

Immunogenicity study of Haemophilus influenzae type B conjugate vaccine in Indian infants.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the immunogenicity in Indian infants to Haemophilus influenzae b oligosaccharide conjugate vaccine (HbOC). DESIGN: Prospective multicenter study. SETTING: Pediatric Out Patient Department of general hospitals in Pune and Mumbai. SUBJECTS: 124 full term healthy infants brought for routine DPT/OPV immunization. METHODS: Infants were administered 3 doses of 0.5 ml of HbOC, on the same day as their DPT/OPV immunization, injected intramuscularly on the limb opposite to that where DPT vaccine was administered. Data on local reactions and general symptoms was collected for three days after every dose. The children had their blood collected for assay of anti PRP (polyribosil ribitol phosphate) antibody titers, along with the first injection and one month after the third injection. One hundred and three infants completed the study protocol with two blood collections. RESULTS: The initial geometric mean titers (GMT) of 0.124 mcg/ml rose by 37 times to 4.552 mcg/ml. Ninety eight children (95.1%) had a final titer of > or = 0.15 mcg/ml, the minimum level associated with protection, and 77 children (74.8%) had a final level of > or = 1.0 mcg/ml, a level associated with long term protection. CONCLUSION: HbOC is immunogenic in Indian infants when used as per the locally recommended DPT/OPV immunization schedule.

Evaluation of naked eye single tube red cell osmotic fragility test in detecting beta-thalassemia trait.

The Naked Eye Single Tube Red Cell Osmotic Fragility Test (NESTROFT) was applied to 4 groups of subjects: (i) Normal; (ii) Proven beta-thalassemia trait carriers; (iii) Iron deficiency anemia; and (iv) other hemoglobinopathies, to evaluate its effectiveness as a screening test for beta-thalassemia minor. The test was successful in detecting 105/110 subjects with beta-thalassemia trait. The sensitivity of the test was 95.5% and specificity was 87%. The predictive value of the positive test was 70.5% and that of the negative test was 98.3%. NESTROFT was also positive in 9/17 subjects with HbS trait, in 3/3 subjects with HbD trait and in 1/1 subjects with HbE trait. The test proved to be simple, cheap, easy to perform and adaptable for field surveys, coming close to an ideal screening test for beta-thalassemia minor.

Age related seroprevalence of antibodies to varicella in India.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the age related prevalence of Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) antibodies in India. SETTING: This was a cross sectional multicentric study performed in 4 major cities of India: Calcutta (outpatients), Mumbai (outpatients), Lucknow (walk-in patients to a diagnostic laboratory, orphanage and factory workers) and Bangalore (outpatients and walk-in patients to a diagnostic laboratory). METHODS: A total of 1609 volunteers from birth to 40 years of age were included into the study. IgG antibodies against VZV were determined using commercial kits (ELISA-Enzygnost). RESULTS: Overall seroprevalence of anti VZV antibodies was 68. 22percnt. The age related seroprevalence rate of anti VZV antibodies was 29percnt in the age group of 1-5 years, 51.1percnt in 5-10 years, 71.7percnt in 11-15 years, 79.8percnt in 16-20 years, 88.1percnt in 21-30 years and 91.1percnt in 31-40 years. CONCLUSION: A significant proportion of adolescents and adults are susceptible to varicella in India, as in other tropical countries

Immunogenicity and safety of the pentavalent human-bovine (WC3) reassortant rotavirus vaccine (PRV) in Indian infants.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of a pentavalent rotavirus vaccine (PRV) in Indian infants. STUDY DESIGN: Open-label, single-arm multicentric study. SETTING: Hospital facilities (out patients): SUBJECTS: One hundred and ten (110) healthy Indian infants were enrolled between the ages of 6 weeks and 12 weeks. INTERVENTION: Three doses of oral pentavalent rotavirus vaccine (PRV) were administered with an interval of 4 to 10 weeks (28 to 70 days). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Immunogenicity of PRV was based on the proportion of infants exhibiting a > 3-fold rise in serum anti rotavirus IgA antibodies (from pre dose 1 to 14 days post dose 3). Safety was evaluated for 14 days after each dose. RESULTS: Of the 110 infants enrolled, 83% exhibited at least a 3-fold rise (seroconversion) in serum anti rotavirus IgA antibodies. There were no clinically significant adverse events reported. CONCLUSIONS: A 3-dose regimen of PRV was found to be immunogenic and well tolerated in healthy Indian infants. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov; NCT00496054:

Sinus Pericranii: a case report and review of literature.

Normally, there is no obvious communication between the intracranial and extra cranial venous drainages in the head. In Sinus Pericranii, there is an abnormal communication, either from the extra cranial system to the intracranial venous sinuses or from the intracranial venous system to the extra cranial draining veins. Venous anomaly is a collection of non muscular venous blood vessels, adhering tightly to the outer surface of the skull and directly communicating with an intracranial venous sinus through diploic veins. The varicosities are intimately associated with the periostium, are distensible, and vary in size with changes in intracranial pressure Sinus pericranii is not a single clinico pathologic entity, rather a symptom complex with diverse clinical manifestations.In this article,the authors present a case of 8 mo old boy having Sinus Pericranii.

Kearns Sayre Syndrome--case report with review of literature.

Kearns-Sayre Syndrome is form of rare mitochondrial cytopathy, first described by Thomas P. Kearns and George Pomeroy Sayre in 1958 and is characterized by progressive external opthalmoplegia, cardiac conduction block, pigmentary retinal degeneration, variable number of red ragged fibers on muscle biopsy. It presents before the child reaches the age of twenty. Kearns-Sayre syndrome may affect many organ systems and additional features may include myopathy, dystonia, bulbar symptoms in the form of dysarthria and nasal regurgitation and bilateral facial weakness. Endocrine abnormalities (e.g., diabetes, growth retardation/short stature, and hypoparathyroidism), bilateral sensorineural deafness, dementia, cataracts, and proximal renal tubular acidosis, skeletal muscle weakness (proximal more than distal) and exercise intolerance are additional features. Kearns Sayre Syndrome occurs as a result of large-scale single deletions (or rearrangements) of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which is usually not inherited but occurs spontaneously, probably at the germ-cell level or very early in embryonic development. No disease-modifying therapy is available for Kearns-Sayre syndrome (KSS). Management is supportive vigilance for detection of associated problems. In the future, potential treatment in patients with Kearns-Sayre syndrome may attempt to inhibit mutant mtDNA replication or encourage replication of wild-type mtDNA.

Prevention of iron deficiency anemia (IDA): how far have we reached?

Anemia is a global problem of immense public health significance. Iron deficiency anemia is the most common nutritional disorder seen all over the world, more in the developing countries, particularly, affecting young children of 6-24 months of age, adolescents, women of reproductive age group and pregnant/ lactating women. Basic approach in prevention of IDA should include education and associated measures to increase the dietary intake of iron, dietary modification to enhance the iron absorption, fortification of food articles, in addition to control the infection and worm infestations. Supplemenldelim 1, of medicinal iron is key to success which can be achieved by daily or intermittent (biweekly/weekly) administration of oral iron to the target group. Reduction of nutritional anemia should receive top priority through proper planning by using better utilization of existing health infrastructure.