Background: Sickle Cell Anemia (SCA) is the most common genetic disease worldwide caused by a single mutation in the gene . The disease severity is very variable and depends on many factors. We evaluated the clinical and biological profile of sickle cell anemia children in rural Central Africa.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Hôpital Saint Luc de Kisantu, located 120 km away from Kinshasa-DR Congo in an area of 35 km around Kisantu with a population of roughly 80 000 individuals. We included SCA patients aged 6 months to 18 years. We collected clinical and hematological data. The SCA scoring system proposed by Adegoke et al. in 2013 was applied to determine the disease severity. We searched for factors associated to the disease severity.
Results: This study included 136 patients, 66 males and 70 females (sex-ratio M/F 0.94). The mean severity score was 8.21 ± 5.30 (ranges 0-23). Fifty-nine (43.4%) children had mild disease, 62 (45.6%) moderate and 15 (11%) severe disease. Girls had higher levels of HbF than boys ( = 0.003). An inverse correlation was observed between fetal hemoglobin and the disease severity ( = 0.005, r -0.239, IC -6.139; -1.469). Some factors such age influence the occurrence of certain chronic complications such as avascular bone necrosis.
Conclusion: In conclusion, the disease severity of SCA depends on multiple factors. In this study, fetal hemoglobin was the main modulator of the disease severity. These data may also serve as a baseline to initiate HU treatment in this setting.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16078454.2023.2193770 | DOI Listing |
J Environ Manage
January 2025
Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA; Department of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA; Department of Health, Society, and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA; Department of Population Health and Disease Prevention, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
This study investigates the complexities faced by emergency managers in wildfire-prone areas to uncover pressing issues and potential solutions. Four themes are discerned through three focus group discussions with emergency managers from nine counties across California. First, there is unequal access to resources for both risk assessment and response, with counties that have fewer resources facing significant challenges in effectively managing wildfire risks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Occup Environ Med
November 2024
Objectives: Chronic skin diseases (CSD) may lead to productivity losses. This mixed-methods study investigated symptom severity, social challenges, need for workplace accommodation, sick leave and their association with perceived impaired work performance (IWP) among workers with CSD.
Methods: Data were collected from April to June 2023.
Ann Intern Med
January 2025
Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (S.M.J.A., M.L.).
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the most common chronic liver disease in the United States. It is characterized by steatosis in the liver and is potentially reversible. Risk factors include obesity, type 2 mellitus, and other metabolic disorders.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Neuroophthalmol
November 2024
Ophthalmology Department (AC-C, MF-R, SA-A, RA, BS-D), Seu Maternitat, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (AC-C, SA-A, BS-D), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Fundació Per La Recerca Biomèdica-IDIBAPS (MF-R, SA-A, BS-D), Barcelona, Spain; and Ophthalmology Department (MS-G), Consorci Mar Parc de Salut de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Background: Autosomal Dominant Optic Atrophy (ADOA) is a hereditary optic neuropathy characterized by retinal ganglion cell degeneration and optic nerve fiber loss. This study examined the correlation between clinical and structural parameters in patients with ADOA using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and explored potential clinical biomarkers.
Methods: A cross-sectional, case-control observational study included 27 patients with ADOA and 27 age- and sex-matched healthy controls.
Neurology
February 2025
From the Autonomic Medicine Section, Clinical Neurosciences Program, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, MD.
Background And Objectives: Lewy body diseases (LBDs) such as Parkinson disease (PD) feature increased deposition of α-synuclein (α-syn) in cutaneous sympathetic noradrenergic nerves. The pathophysiologic significance of sympathetic intraneuronal α-syn is unclear. We reviewed data about immunoreactive α-syn, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH, a marker of catecholaminergic fibers), and the sympathetic neurotransmitter norepinephrine (NE) in skin biopsies from control participants and patients with PD, the related LBD pure autonomic failure (PAF), the non-LBD synucleinopathy multiple system atrophy (MSA), or neurologic postacute sequelae of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (neuro-PASC).
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