This study investigated the potential contribution of nitric oxide (NOx) production to enhanced fetal hemoglobin (HbF) synthesis in patients with diabetes. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), HbF, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), plasma glucose levels, and serum NOx concentrations were measured in 350 diabetics and 125 healthy subjects. There were no significant correlations between HbF an...

Differences in the amount of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) that persists into adulthood affect the severity of sickle cell disease and the beta-thalassemia syndromes. Genetic association studies have identified sequence variants in the gene BCL11A that influence HbF levels. Here, we examine BCL11A as a potential regulator of HbF expression. The high-HbF BCL11A genotype is associated with reduced BCL11...

Extracellular fetal hemoglobin (HbF) and adult hemoglobin (HbA) are proinflammatory and generate ROS. Increased plasma levels of extracellular HbF have recently been reported to occur in early preeclampsia. α1-Microglobulin (A1M) is a physiological heme-binding protein and radical scavenger that has been shown to counteract vascular permeability increases induced by HbA in the perfused placenta...

The red blood cells of a patient heterozygous for the unstable Hb Saint Etienne (p92 His -‘ GIn) contained 19% of fetal hemoglobin (Hb). Study of his family suggested that the proband had inherited the Swiss type of hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPHF) from his father who had 1.2% of HbF and 8% of F cells. In order to gain further insight into the mechanism of the elevated producti...

In the phase I/II pediatric hydroxyurea safety trial (HUG-KIDS), school-aged children with sickle cell anemia receiving hydroxyurea at the maximally tolerated dose (MTD) had variable increases in the percentage of fetal hemoglobin (%HbF). To identify predictors of the HbF response to hydroxyurea therapy, baseline clinical and laboratory values (age, sex, hemoglobin concentration, %HbF, reticulo...

Augmentation of the fetal hemoglobin (HbF) levels is of therapeutic benefit in patients with sickle cell anemia. Hydroxyurea (HU), by increasing HbF, lowers rates of pain crisis, episodes of acute chest syndrome, and requirements for blood transfusions. For patients with no HbF elevation after HU treatment, augmentation of HbF levels by 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-aza-CdR, decitabine) could serve...

In this study, we investigated whether increases in hippocampal blood flow (HBF) by tooth pulp stimulation (TPS) are mediated via the activation of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). We measured mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) and HBF in urethane-anesthetized rats using laser Doppler flowmetry and examined the effects of etodolac, a specific COX2 inhibitor, on TPS-induced MABP and HBF responses. The...

Sickle transgenic mice expressing exclusively human globins are desirable for studying pathophysiology and testing gene therapy strategies, but they must have significant pathology and show evidence of amelioration by antisickling hemoglobins. Mice were generated that expressed exclusively human sickle hemoglobin with 3 levels of HbF using their previously described sickle constructs (cointegra...

BACKGROUND Haemoglobin variants, Sickle (HbS) and foetal (HbF) have been associated with malaria protection. This study explores epistatic interactions between HbS and HbF on malaria infection. METHODS The study was conducted between March 2004 and December 2013 within the sickle cell disease (SCD) programme at Muhimbili National Hospital, Tanzania. SCD status was categorized into HbAA, HbAS ...