102,002 research outputs found
Color-blindness in Calabria (Southern Italy): A north-south decreasing trend
No full textThe frequency of color-blindness (CB) in 13,072 males from 409 towns in Calabria is 5.42%. Regional variation in CB within the three provinces of Calabria was studied: Cosenza (northern), Catanzaro (central), and Reggio Calabria (southern). There is a decreasing trend of mean frequencies of CB from Cosenza to Reggio Calabria through Catanzaro: 6.23%, 4.65%, and 3.43%, respectively. The mean frequencies do not take into account the two ethnic minorities present in Calabria: Albanians and Grecanicans. The frequency of CB mean Albanians (7.40%) and the indigenous Calabrian population (5.25%) differs significantly. Moreover, the Albanians do not show the protoanomalous phenotype. The small sample size of Grecanicans does not permit an evaluation of mean CB frequency. Thus, from the perspective of CB, the Calabria region may be considered a mixture of "genetic isolates" reflecting its historical, sociocultural, demographic, and genetic features. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 12:17-24, 2000. Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc
G6PD/PK ratio : a reliable parameter to identify glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency associated with microcytic anemia in heterozygous subjects
No full textTo determine if measuring the ratio of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) to pyruvate kinase (PK) is more reliable than only measuring G6PD activity to identify heterozygous G6PD - individuals with associated microcytic anemia in the Calabrian population, which shows high frequencies of both the thalassaemia (thal) trait and G6PD deficiency.Measurement of G6PD and PK activities was carried out on 205 samples of whole blood from Calabrian subjects of both sexes (age range 10-50 years) using a double starter differential pH-metry technique.The G6PD/PK ratio is able to differentiate G6PD - heterozygous individuals from the normal population. G6PD/PK values also allowed us to easily identify the G6PD - heterozygous subjects with microcytic anaemia. Student's t test shows that G6PD/PK ratio is more reliable in both sample groups, relative to G6PD activity in normal subjects.G6PD/PK ratio is a reliable diagnostic parameter for mass screening for G6PD deficiency
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