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Introduction. PDpoietin is a recombinant erythropoietin alfa that has been introduced by a manufacturer in Iran. We assessed the effectiveness and complications of PDpoietin in comparison with Eprex in anemic patients on hemodialysis. Materials and Methods. This clinical trial was performed in a multicenter setting. Patients with a hemoglobin level less than 12 g/dL were assigned into 2 groups in order to receive either Eprex (Janssen Cilag) or PDpoietin (Pooyesh Darou) for 3 months. Results. Forty-one and 34 patients completed the study in the PDpoietin and Eprex groups, respectively. The mean hemoglobin levels at baseline were not significantly different between the two groups of patients with PDpoietin and Eprex. In both groups, hemoglobin levels increased significantly, but there were no significant differences between the two groups at months 1, 2, and 3. At the end of the study, the mean hemoglobin levels reached 11.6 ± 1.7 g/dL and 11.8 ± 1.9 g/dL, respectively (P = .002; P = .01). The mean hemoglobin per cumulative of drug dose index (hemoglobin/[erythropoietin dose/1000 x injections per month]) was not significantly different between the two groups at different treatment stages, and it did not change significantly in each group during the course of the study. No serious complications were reported. Conclusions. Eprex and PDpoietin could equally increase the hemoglobin levels with no significant complication. Therefore, PDpoietin can be used for treatment of anemia in patients on dialysis, and the patients will have the advantages of its availability and low price. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

δβ-Thalassemia (thal) is a disorder, characterized by increased levels of fetal hemoglobin (Hb F) in adult life. A considerable number of deletions of variable size and position in the β-globin gene cluster are associated with the clinical manifestation of δβ-thal. In this study we have determined the presence of the eight most common deletions in Iranian patients. Thirty-two patients from 19 families were referred to the Kariminejad-Najmabadi Pathology and Genetics Center, Tehran, Iran (a private genetics center), within the past 3 years with elevated levels of Hb F and low mean corpuscular volume (MCV). After obtaining their informed consent, DNA was extracted from whole blood by the salting-out method. Detection of eight deletions was performed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). These deletions included the hereditary persistence of fetal Hb (HPFH) 1 (Black) and 3 (Indian), Spanish (-114 kb), Sicilian (-13,377 bp), Chinese Gγ(Aγδβ)0-thal (-100 kb), Asian-Indian inversion-deletion Gγ(Aγδβ)0-thal, and the Turkish form of inversion-deletion (δβ)0-thal, as well as the Hbs Lepore, which are characterized by unequal crossovers between the δ- and β-globin genes. We found the Sicilian (-13,377 bp) and Hb Lepore deletions as well as the Asian-Indian Gγ(Aγδβ)0-thal in 11 (57.89%), three (15.78%) and five (26.31%) families, respectively. None of the aforementioned deletions were found in one of the patients. This is the first study of the deletions involved in δβ-thal in Iranian patients. Our study highlights the importance of detecting these mutations for prenatal diagnosis carrier detection and genotype/phenotype prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]