A Renewed Focus on GDF11 Level Fluctuation in Human Serum in Relation to Physical Examination Indicators.

Growth and differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) is a member of the transforming growth factor β superfamily. Previous studies have shown that GDF11 decreases with age and has antiaging effects; however, such reports are controversial. We choose 152 subjects covering a large age range (2 hours to 75 years) to measure serum GDF11.

Identification of a variation in the IVSII of α2 gene and its frequency in the population of Guangxi.

Objective: During thalassemia screening, a previously unidentified α2 gene variation in α-globin gene cluster was isolated. This variation was distinct from other variations known to confer thalassemia as assessed by conventional thalassemia genotype analysis. Because the sample in the thalassemia screening was positive (MCV=83.

Changes in hematological parameters in α-thalassemia individuals co-inherited with erythroid Krüppel-like factor mutations.

Phenotypic variations in α-thalassemia mainly depend on the defective α-globin gene number. Genetic modifiers of the phenotype of Hemoglobin H (HbH) disease were poorly reported, apart from β-thalassemia allele that was identified ameliorating the severity of α-thalassemia. Because erythroid Krüppel-like factor (KLF1) mutations can modulate the red blood phenotype, we evaluated its effect on the α-thalassemia phenotype.

Rapid diagnosis of aneuploidy in chromosomes 13, 18, 21, X and Y by quantitative fluorescence-PCR combined with short tandem repeat and fluorescence-labeled homologous gene quantitative‑PCR using 4-color fluorescently labeled universal primers.

The present study aimed to develop a rapid diagnostic test of aneuploidy in chromosomes 13, 18, 21, X and Y through a program combining short tandem repeat (STR) typing with fluorescence-labeled homologous gene quantitative‑polymerase chain reaction (fHGQ-PCR), which avoids misjudgment risks by using one method alone. Furthermore, fluorescently labeled universal primers not only ensure the accuracy of the results but also reduces the cost of fluorescent labels. The verification of DNA extracted from samples confirmed by karyotype analysis with quantitative fluorescence (QF)-PCR shows that the results obtained using the QF-PCR program are consistent with the results of karyotype analysis in rapidly diagnosing the aneuploidy of chromosomes 13, 18, 21, X and Y.