Pulmonary hypertension in a case of Hb-Mainz hemolytic anemia.

The development of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is the leading cause of mortality in patients with thalassemia and sickle cell anemia and was reported to occur in hemolytic anemias such as hereditary stomatocytosis, and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria. Here, we report for the first time on the development of PAH in a patient with Hb-Mainz hemolytic anemia. Hb-Mainz is an unstable hemoglobin variant resulting from mutations at codon 98 of the beta chain gene (Val>Glu) characterized by severe chronic hemolytic anemia.

Determination of alpha-1 acid glycoprotein in patients with Ph+ chronic myeloid leukemia during the first 13 weeks of therapy with STI571.

The tyrosine kinase activity of the BCR/ABL fusion protein is required for the transformation in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. The tyrosine kinase inhibitor STI571 inhibits the BCR/ABL and ABL kinase activity and consequently inhibits growth of BCR/ABL-positive cells. However, resistance to STI571 has been demonstrated in Ph+ cell lines and in CML patients and can be explained in some cases by point mutations within the ATP-binding pocket or amplification of the bcr/abl gene.