BACKGROUND Patients with sickle cell disease cope with their disease in various ways, such as psychological counseling, hypnosis, medication, and prayer. Spirituality is a coping mechanism in a variety of diseases. This study evaluates the role of spirituality in patients coping with the pain of sickle cell disease. METHODS Seventy-one patients from the Georgia Sickle Cell Clinic completed a ...

A large proportion of sickle erythrocytes is removed from the circulation by the macrophages of the reticuloendothelial system. In view of the proposed role for natural antibodies in the destruction of normal senescent erythrocytes, we looked for a possible similarity in the antibodies that bind in situ to senescent and sickle cells. Bound IgG molecules were detected by a highly sensitive roset...

PURPOSE To identify systemic risk factors for sickle cell maculopathy, and to analyze the microstructure of the macula of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) patients by using automated segmentation of individual retinal layers. METHODS Thirty consecutive patients with SCD and 30 matched controls underwent spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and automated thickness measurement for eac...

Gadolinium (Gd), an element that possesses a character similar to that of calcium or magnesium, is known to have a strong hemolytic effect on erythrocytes (RBC) at even very low concentrations. 3, 5 One of the major characteristics of sickle cell disease is hemolysis of the abnormal RBC. Therefore, concerns have been raised that Gadolinium, as an MRI contrast agent for clinical use, should not ...

BACKGROUND Sickle cell intrahepatic cholestasis is a potentially catastrophic complication of sickle cell anemia Once acute liver failure develops, transplantation is the only option. We describe a patient with sickle cell intrahepatic cholestasis who underwent liver transplantation. METHODS Data were obtained from the chart. Serial hemoglobin S levels were monitored, and measures were taken ...

BACKGROUND Reactive oxygen species have been shown to mediate inflammatory process and may be involved in lipid peroxidation. METHODS This study evaluates superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, malondialdehyde, C- reactive protein and fibrinogen in the serum of patients with sickle cell disease and their correlation with renal insufficiency. Superoxide dismutase, glutathione ...

included. References 1. Almeida A, Roberts I. Bone involvement in sickle cell disease. Br J Haematol 2005;129:482-490. 2. Booth C, Inusa B, Obaro SK. Infection in sickle cell disease: a review. Int J Infect Dis 2010;14:e2-e12. 3. Atkins BL, Price EH, Tillyer L, Novelli V, Evans J. Salmonella osteomyelitis in sickle cell disease children in the East End of London. J Infect 1997;34:133-138. 4. Bu...

• Inhibition of FXa or thrombin might be considered to reduce thrombotic complications and vascular inflammation in sickle cell patients. • PAR-2 could be a potential target to inhibit vascular pathology associated with sickle cell disease. Activation of coagulation and vascular inflammation are prominent features of sickle cell disease (SCD). Previously, we have shown that inhibition of tissue...

In red cells from patients with sickle cell anemia, hemoglobin S denatures and forms Heinz bodies. Binding of Heinz bodies to the inner surface of the sickle cell membrane promotes clustering and colocalization of the membrane protein band 3, outer surface-bound autologous IgG and, to some extent, the membrane proteins glycophorin and ankyrin. Loss of transbilayer lipid asymmetry is also found ...

Studies of splenic function were carried out on patients with sickle-cell diseases by the measurement of the clearance of autologous heat-damaged 99mTc-labelled erythrocytes from circulation and into the spleen, the spleen area by a scintillation scanning, the enumeration of pitted erythrocytes by direct-interference microscopy, and the percentage of irreversibly sickled cells (ISC) and of cell...