Reversible switch from hemoglobin A to C in sheep and recovery from anemia following experimental infection with Anaplasma ovis

Anemia causes a change in the type of circulating hemoglobin (Hb) in sheep carrying the βA-globin haplotype, where the Hb A is replaced with Hb C, unlike Hb B. The effect of the substitution of Hb A with Hb C on the recovery from anemia was investigated by comparing the hematological picture of sheep, following experimental infection with Anaplasma ovis. The blood values were obtained from 3 AB and 3 BB Hb sheep after the development of the disease where anemia is a pathognomonic symptom. The expression of the silent gene encoding for Hb C was detected by isoelectric focusing and quantified by high performance liquid chromatography. Both Hb AB genotype and Hb C occurrence were involved in the lower recovery from anemia in the trial

Pre-operative radiochemotherapy with raltitrexed for resectable locally-advanced rectal cancer : a phase II study

Background: The aim of the study was to evaluate the response to and toxicity of pre-operative radiochemotherapy containing raltitrexed (Tomudex) for resectable rectal adenocarcinoma. Patients and Methods: From November 2000 to June 2002, 18 consecutive patients staged T3 N0/N+ were treated with pre-operative chemotherapy (3 mg/m 2 of raltitrexed on days 1, 19, 38) and concurrent radiotherapy (RT) (50.4 Gy) in 6 weeks, followed by radical surgery within 8 weeks. Results: The treatment compliance was high. No major acute toxicity was reported. Concerning late toxicity, genitourinary adverse effects were prevalent. A complete response was observed in one patient (6%), partial response in eight (47%), stable disease in seven (41%) and progression in one case. Three-year actuarial disease-free and overall survival rates were 37% and 87.5%, respectively. Conclusion: Raltitrexed did not increase the pathological response rate compared with the rates obtained with use of preoperative RT alone and reported in the literature. Acute morbidity was low and acceptable, while late toxicity was considerable, prevalently concerning sexual dysfunction and urinary complications

Insights into Hemoglobin Polimorphism and relate functional effects on Hematological pattern in Mediterranean cattle , Goat and Sheep

This report is a review of some of the results obtained over the course of 20 years spent investigating hemoglobin phenotypes and the related functional effects on hematological patterns in ruminant breeds. Tests included qualitative and quantitative analyses of hemoglobins and qualitative and quantitative analyses of á and â globins, as well as hemochromocytometric analysis. Understanding the adaptive significance of the hemoglobin variants was the goal of most of these investigations. The advances presented in this review and the previously unpublished findings included here provide evidence that Mediterranean breeds exhibit a fair number of positively charged variants, whose possible adaptive significance is discussed

The relationship between the presence of extra a-globin genes and blood cell traits in Altamurana sheep

Additional alpha-globin genes in sheep might produce extra alpha-globin chains and, consequently, the subject carrying triplicated (alphaalphaalpha) or quadruplicated (alphaalphaalphaalpha) haplotypes may exhibit different hematological phenotypes when compared to the normal duplicated (ace) homozygotes (NN). Both alphaalphaalpha and alphaalphaalphaalpha heterozygous (ND) and alphaalphaalpha and alphaalphaalphaalpha homozygous (DD) individuals were obtained by selection and inbreeding. Chromatographic RP-HPLC analyses of the globin chains of 65 subjects (15 DD, 20 ND and 30 NN) were performed. A highly significant linear regression (r(2) = 0.967) of the alpha/beta ratio on the number of alpha-globin genes was found, and the alpha/beta ratio ranged on average from 1.0 in NN individuals to 1.2 in the ND and 1.6 in the DD subjects. Values for blood fell within the range of normality but were rather peculiar as a whole. When the erythrocytes of individuals carrying normal arrangements were compared with those of subjects with extra alpha-genes, the latter had fewer erythrocytes that were bigger in size and had a higher Hb content and a greater osmotic fragility. This hematological picture is consistent with the existence of an unbalanced alpha/beta ratio