rs660 polymorphism in Ro52 (SSA1; TRIM21) is a marker for age-dependent tolerance induction and efficiency of alloimmunization in sickle cell disease.

Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) who receive red blood cell (RBC) transfusions have a higher rate of anti-RBC (allo and auto) antibody development than other transfused subjects. We hypothesized that an incidence and/or kinetics of RBC-specific antibody formation in SCD patients is influenced by a linked inheritance of the hemoglobin beta S (HbbetaS) allele and a polymorphism rs660C/T in the neighboring Ro52 gene. We found that 75% of C/T heterozygous and only 30.

Retroperitoneal teratoma presenting as an abscess in childhood.

Retroperitoneal teratomas are rare, representing only 1% to 11% of primary retroperitoneal neoplasms. They typically present as an asymptomatic abdominal mass but can grow to enormous size. This case describes a patient who initially presented in childhood with an acute abdomen because of an abdominal abscess that was treated with surgical drainage and antibiotics.

Hydroxyurea therapy lowers TCD velocities in children with sickle cell disease.

Introduction: Hydroxyurea (HU) improves hematologic parameters and decreases adverse events in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). HU has been proposed as an alternative to chronic transfusions for secondary stroke prevention. Transcranial doppler (TCD) is an accepted method of stroke risk stratification in patients with SCD.