Serum-Cholesterin,ABO-Blutgruppen und Hämoglobintyp

Zusammenfassung Serum-Cholesterin, ABO-Blutgruppen (N=715), Glucose-6-PhosphatDehydrogenase (G-6-PD, Farbstoff-Reduktionstest, N=611) und der Hämoglobintyp (osmotische Resistenz und Cellulose-Acetat-Elektrophorese, N=469) wurden bei anscheinend gesunden, 20 Jahre alten Männern aus 12 Distrikten der Provinz Chiang Mai in Nordthailand bestimmt. Das Körpergewicht hatte keinen Einfluß auf die Cholesterinkonzentration. Probanden der Blutgruppe A hatten signifikant höhere Cholesterinwerte als die der Gruppen 0 und B. Gruppe B hatte höhere Werte als Gruppe 0, aber die Differenz war nur schwach signifikant. Der mittlere Cholesterinwert der Probanden mit -Thalassaemia minor war signifikant niedriger als der der Gruppen mit normalem Hämoglobin und mit -Thalassaemie oder abnormalem Hämoglobin. Zwischen den drei letzteren Gruppen bestand kein signifikanter Unterschied. Diese Befunde bestätigen für eine tropische Bevölkerung mit an Fetten armer Ernährung die Beziehung zwischen -Thalassämie (Fessas et al., 1963; Mayo et al., 1969, Griechenland) und ABO-Blutgruppen (Mayo et al., 1969; Oliver et al., 1969; Langman et al., 1969; Beckman u. Olivecrona, 1970) einerseits und der Serum-Cholesterin-Konzentration.

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Serum-cholesterol, AB0 blood-groups and haemoglobin typeGenetic influences on the serum-cholesterol level

Summary Serum-cholesterol, ABO blood-groups (N=715), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD, dye decolorization test, N=611) and haemoglobin type (osmotic fragility, cellulose acetate electrophoresis, N=469) were determined in apparently health, 20 years old males from 12 districts of the province of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. Body weight and G-6-PD deficiency did not seem to influence the serum-cholesterol level. Probands with blood-group A had significantly higher cholesterol concentrations than groups 0 and B. The difference between groups 0 and B, the latter having somewhat higher levels, was only weakly significant. Cholesterol levels were significantly lower in probands with -thalassaemia minor when compared with a normal control group. The difference between the control group and the probands with -thalassaemia and abnormal haemoglobins (mainly HbE trait) was not significant. These findings confirm for a tropical rural population with a diet low in fat the association between -thalassaemia and low cholesterol concentrations previously reported from Greece (Fessas et al., 1963; Mayo et al., 1969) and the association between blood-group A and high cholesterol levels found in several European populations (Mayo et al., 1969; Oliver et al., 1969; Langman et al., 1969; Beckman and Olivecrona, 1970).

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Beurlaubt von der Universitäts-Kinderklinik Bonn.

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Eingerichtet und unterstützt von der Stiftung Volkswagenwerk.     

ABO blood groups,leprosy, and serum proteins

Summary In 683 leprosy patients from Chiang Mai, Thailand, the associations between ABO blood groups, type and clinical features of leprosy, and electrophoretically identifiable serumprotein fractions (albumins: ₁-, ₂-, - and -globulins) were examined. Besides, the blood group frequencies in 388 leprosy patients were compared with suitable controls. Blood groups A and AB turned out to be somewhat more frequent in patients than in controls. Combined analysis with 31 series from literature reports gave X=1.0776; ²=1)=12.232. In comparisons within our group of patients which contained almost exclusively lepromatous and dimorphous patients a certain tendency towards more severe involvement of blood group A was observed within the lepromatous group and a higher frequency of eye involvement in group A was (weakly) significant (²=1)=6.188).As to serum proteins ₁- and ₂-globulins were decreased (weakly) significantly in blood group A patients who were at least 40 years old. Furthermore, a number of relationships of serum protein fractions with age, sex, and state of the infection, most of which are known from the literature, could be confirmed.     

Evidence against nutritional adaption of tolerance to lactose

Summary Controversy exists over the etiology of primary lactose intolerance with intestinal lactase deficiency. The low activity of lactase may be either due to a genetically controled reduction of enzyme activity or to an adaptive response to a lack of dietary lactose. Lactose tolerance tests in 24 subjects (9 persons who are offspring of marriages between Asians and Europeans, 6 lactose tolerant individuals from populations with a high incidence of lactose intolerance, and 9 lactose intolerant subjects with a history of prolonged milk consumption) are more easily interpreted by assuming genetic control of lactase activity as the main determinant of lactose tolerance. The findings in these 24 subjects contradict some of the commonly cited arguments supporting an adaptive origin of lactose intolerance.

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Zusammenfassung Die Ätiologie der primären Lactose-Intoleranz bei Lactase-Mangel in der Dünndarmschleimhaut ist ungeklärt. Die mangelnde Aktivität der intestinalen Lactase könnte durch eine genetisch gesteuerte Erniedrigung oder durch eine Anpassung an einen Mangel von Lactose in der Nahrung erklärt werden. Die Ergebnisse von Lactose-Toleranztests bei 24 Versuchspersonen (9 Kindern aus Ehen zwischen Asiaten und Europäern, 6 Personen mit Lactose-Toleranz aus Bevölkerungen mit einer großen Häufigkeit der Lactose-Intoleranz und 9 Probanden mit Lactose-Intoleranz, die lange Zeit größere Mengen von Kuhmilch genossen hatten) lassen sich leichter unter der Annahme einer genetischen Bedingtheit der Lactase-Aktivität als unter der Annahme der Adaptation interpretieren. Die Befunde bei diesen 24 Versuchspersonen widersprechen einigen der Argumente, die für eine adaptive Bedingtheit der Lactose-Intoleranz angeführt werden.

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Supported by Stiftung Volkswagenwerk.

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Supported by Landesamt für Forschung, Nordrhein-Westfalen.     

Lactose intolerance in Arabs

Summary A high incidence (minimum 20/26, maximum 24/26) of lactose intolerance was found in a group of adult Arab subjects. A selective reduction of intestinallactase activity was present in 4 subjects in whom a suction biopsy was performed.

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Zusammenfassung In einer Gruppe von arabischen Erwachsenen wurde eine große Häufigkeit der Lactose-Intoleranz (minimal 20/26, maximal 24/26) gefunden. Bei 4 Probanden, bei denen eine Saugbiopsie durchgeführt wurde, war die Aktivität der intestinalen Lactase erniedrigt.

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This work was supported by Stiftung Volkswagenwerk and Landesamt für Forschung, Nordrhein-Westfalen.     

Hemoglobin E: Distribution and population dynamics

Hemoglobin E, an anomaly of the -chain of human hemoglobin, is widely distributed in Southeast Asia and adjacent areas. In some populations of Southeast Asia the frequency of the gene responsible for the production of HbE reaches values near 0.3. In view of the probable disadvantage of the HbE homozygote and the certain disadvantage of the double heterozygote for the HbE and -thalassemia genes an advantage of the heterozygote has to be postulated in order to explain the high gene frequencies. There is some evidence for and against malaria protection being the factor conveying heterozygote advantage. Data concerning genotype fitnesses in the triallelic system involving HbA, HbE and -thalassemia are scanty. Crude fitness data based on clinical observations and equilibrium calculations indicate that the system is unstable. Dynamic models of the three genes suggest that the HbE gene is replacing the -thalassemia gene in most Southeast Asian populations. The distribution of HbE and that of the austroasiatic group of languages are similar. This and several other aspects of the geographic and ethnic distribution of HbE are discussed in the last section of this review.     

Chromosome breakage and blastic transformation of lymphocytes in ataxia-telangiectasia

Cytogenetic studies in two homozygous siblings with ataxia-telangiectasia show a high degree of endogenous chromosomal breakage in lymphocyte cultures. The responsiveness of the lymphocytes to phytohemagglutinin is impaired.Direktor: Prof. Dr. H. Hamperl Direktor: Prof. Dr. H. Hungerland