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J Jarret

Publications and source records attributed to J Jarret.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

[Transcobalamins in megaloblastic anemias].

Transcobalamins are proteins which carry vitamin B12 and which are normally partly unsaturated. This study of transcobalamins was carried out in 17 subjects with megaloblastic anemia (12 true cases of pernicious anemia and 5 cases of folate deficiency). Among the latter, the transcobalamins were studied in 4 cases of pernicious anemia, before and after treatment with vitamin B12. The distribution of endogenous B12 was determined in four normal controls and two cases of pernicious anemia. This vitamin is normally distributed roughly equally between the three transcobalamins, whereas in B12 deficiency, T.C.2 is very unsaturated together with T.C.1 to a lesser degree. The latent fixation capacity of the serum is increased together with the latent fixation capacity of T.C. I and, above all, T.C. II but that of T.C. III is reduced in patients with pernicious anemia. In folate deficiency, only the latent fixation capacity of T.C. II is increased. When vitamin B12 is administered in physiological dosage, T.C. I becomes gradually saturated. In pharmacological dosage, total fixation capacity together with that of T.C. I and T.C. II become gradually reduced, but in spite of high levels of circulating B12, these proteins remain partially unsaturated. Various theories are suggested to explain the variations of these three transcobalamins in megaloblastic anemia but the problem is still unclear.

Anemia, Macrocytic

[Search for anti-intrinsic factor antibodies in the diagnosis of Biermer's anemia].

The diagnostic interest of a search for anti-intrinsic factor antibodies is emphasized from the authors research on more than 200 patients or controls. Antibodies of type I, so-called blocking antibodies, were detected in 66% of cases where the diagnosis of pernicious anemia was made. Type II, so-called precipitating antibodies, were found in 47% of patients with antibodies of type I and only in the latter. Certain etiological factors, already noted in the world literature, were found, in particular the link with the female sex and with blood group A. The specificity of these antibodies is very great and false positives are exceptional. We did not find them in any of the 104 controls. They were observed, however, in 5 of the 56 patients where the diagnosis of pernicious anemia was not definite, but it is likely that, in these 5 cases, pernicious anemia existed with some other disease. Our study also showed the limits of other methods of investigation of this disease; hypovitaminimia B12 is often corrected by treatment without proper inductions and B12 malabsorption on the Schilling test may not be corrected by the addition of intrinsic factor.

Anemia, Macrocytic