The first case is about a man of 60 years old suffering of hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) developed since 1998. He presented chronic cough, insomnia, and negative parasitical test. We observed hypereosinophilia and fibroblastic hyperplasia at the bone marrow biopsy. Initially, hydroxyurea and α-interferon treatment failed. We proposed to him imatinib mesylate in May 2003. The FIP1L1-PDGFRA gene was detected. The second case is about a man of 34 years old seen in March 2002. First investigation concluded to CML. Progressively, eosinophil cells increased, and complications occurred as oedema syndrome, dyspnoea, and parietal chronic endocarditic fibrosis associated with pericarditis. In addition, a bowel obstruction happened and was cured by surgery. Bcr-abl fusion was negative, and FIP1L1-PDGFRA gene was detected after and imatinib mesylate was given. Actually, endocarditic fibrosis decreased. The two patients are in haematological and cytogenetic remission. We concluded that clonal HES is present in Africa, and imatinib mesylate is effective.
The gene frequency of the most important hemoglobin (Hb) abnormalities is reported in a population of 171 Togolese newborns. Hb phenotypes, hematological parameters, and the more frequently described ␣-gene deletions were analyzed. Structural abnormalities of -globin were observed in 35.7% of the children with a gene frequency of 0.105 for  S and 0.091 for  C . The frequency of the different ␣-globin genotypes was ␣␣/ = 0.71, −␣/ = 0.28, and ␣␣␣/ = 0.01. All of the individuals homozygous for the −␣/ genotypes, and most of the heterozygous individuals, carried Hb Bart's. Within the ␣␣/␣␣ and the −␣/␣␣ groups, several individuals with or without Hb Bart's were found; they did not differ from the others by their red blood cell (RBC) parameters but by their levels of fetal hemoglobin (Hb F). The African ␣2 polymorphism marker, characterized by the replacement of G by TCGGCCC at position 7238 (EMBL HSHBA4, 1993) and of T 7174 by G, was found in 21 newborns. The mean value of Hb F was calculated for each genotype, the mean G ␥ percentage was 69.4 ± 4.0%, and the gene frequency of the A ␥ T marker was 0.10; this marker was linked to the normal -globin cluster. Am.
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