The distribution of Rh blood groups in the population of Puglia

The authors have conducted a study on the genic frequency within the Rh system in 3.000 subjects of certain Apulia ancestry. The results, in agreement with those of previous authors, have demonstrated that the frequency of the haplotypes containing "d" appears clearly lower than the national average value.     

Venous thromboembolism and AB0 blood groups in a Brazilian population

Summary The AB0 blood groups were determined in 125 patients suffering from venous thrombosis in a Brazilian population. There is a clear effect of the sex on the disease incidence, women being more frequently affected, but the mean age was not different regarding the sex. No differences were found in the disease incidence when Caucasians and Negroids were compared. An excess of blood group A and a decrease of blood group 0 was observed among the patients. The analysis of the combined data from ten different published series shows a A/0 relative incidence significantly higher than unity, but the heterogeneity was also significant in the series.     

ABO blood groups and fertility in an Indian population

A total of 589 compatible mating couples could be investigated against 432 incompatible mating couples in order to determine the selective mechanism operating on ABO blood groups. There appears to be no striking difference in the proportion of childless couples between the two groups. The mean number of living children presents a significant difference. There is 21% deficiency of 'A' children in the two groups. Similarly, there is 16% deficiency of 'B' children in the two groups. It appears that there is 31.9% fetal wastage in incompatible matings as compared with 17.15% in compatible matings.     

Distribution of blood groups in the East African Somali population

The results of a population survey on blood group distribution in Somalia, East Africa, are presented. Over 1,000 subjects were tested for most blood groups included in the survey. The sampling covered the whole country and was well in accordance with the population density as estimated by the recorded birth places of the subjects. Altogether, 46 blood group antigens were tested, partly common antigens within 11 of the major blood group systems, but also infrequent and very frequent antigens, some not tested before in Africa, were included. The results were compared with the available data for other related peoples and for populations from the same geographical area. The standard genetic distances were also applied in the comparison. The results suggest that only a minor component in the genetic constitution of the Somali population can be ascribed to Caucasian admixture. They are markedly in contrast with some earlier findings. During the survey we observed a previously unknown Rh gene complex occurring with a polymorphic frequency in Somalis.     

Interaction between haptoglobin subtypes and AB0 blood groups in a Bengalee population

Blood samples from 621 individuals of a Caste Hindu Population from West Bengal (India) were investigated in an attempt to find out an association between the AB0 blood groups and Haptoglobin (HP) subtypes. AB0 blood grouping was done on the basis of the agglutination test with standard anti-sera. Haptoglobin subtyping only for the HP*1 allele was done by Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (PAGE). A significant association was found with a significantly lower HP*1S allele frequency in blood group 0 versus other AB0 blood groups. A comparatively higher allele frequency of HP*1S was found in this population sample. An inverse relationship between HP*1S and HP*2 has been revealed in each blood group. It appears that the major portion of HP*1 alleles in the A, B, and AB blood groups belongs to the HP*1S allele compared to that of the 0 blood group.     

ABO blood groups in a natural population of black-handed tamarins (Saguinus midas niger)

Eighty-one black-handed tamarins from the Tucurui region were tested for human type ABO blood groups by salivary inhibition tests. Eleven belonged to the A group, 45 to B, and 25 to AB. The serum samples were tested for the presence of agglutinins having specificities like those of humans. The ABO system appeared to be polymorphic, with three alleles occurring at the following frequencies: A = 0.26, B = 0.66, and O = 0.08. The observed distribution fitted the expected on the basis of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.     

Identification of nine novel loci associated with white blood cell subtypes in a Japanese population

White blood cells (WBCs) mediate immune systems and consist of various subtypes with distinct roles. Elucidation of the mechanism that regulates the counts of the WBC subtypes would provide useful insights into both the etiology of the immune system and disease pathogenesis. In this study, we report results of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and a replication study for the counts of the 5 main WBC subtypes (neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, basophils, and eosinophils) using 14,792 Japanese subjects enrolled in the BioBank Japan Project. We identified 12 significantly associated loci that satisfied the genome-wide significance threshold of P<5.0×10⁻⁸, of which 9 loci were novel (the CDK6 locus for the neutrophil count; the ITGA4, MLZE, STXBP6 loci, and the MHC region for the monocyte count; the SLC45A3-NUCKS1, GATA2, NAALAD2, ERG loci for the basophil count). We further evaluated associations in the identified loci using 15,600 subjects from Caucasian populations. These WBC subtype-related loci demonstrated a variety of patterns of pleiotropic associations within the WBC subtypes, or with total WBC count, platelet count, or red blood cell-related traits (n = 30,454), which suggests unique and common functional roles of these loci in the processes of hematopoiesis. This study should contribute to the understanding of the genetic backgrounds of the WBC subtypes and hematological traits.     

The selenium status of Belgian population groups

The selenium state of 40 elderly Belgian people, residing in geriatric homes, has been evaluated. Data are presented on the selenium (Se) contents of their blood, plasma, and erythrocytes. The activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) has been assayed. All data were compared with those obtained for 164 young, working adults as presented in Part I of this study. Plasma selenium levels were significantly lower in the old (73 ng/mL) as compared to the young people (97 ng/mL), but erythrocyte Se levels (200 ng/mL) and GSH-Px activity were significantly higher. The selenium concentration in plasma during infancy has also been estimated. The results reveal a very low Se level during the first months of life, with a gradual increase with age. The results are discussed in the light of literature data.