Background: β-thalassaemia is a preventable disease. Iran has about 20,000 homozygote β-thalassaemia patients and 3,750,000 carriers. Objective: To assess the 10-year results of the screening programme, which has been operating in Southern Iran since 1995. Methods: All couples wanting to marry were required to be checked for β-thalassaemia by their red blood cell indices in order to receive a permit for marriage registration. The results were reported to the nearest counselling team. If the results were conspicuous, haemoglobin A2(HbA2) and, in some subjects, Hb electrophoresis was performed. Couples in which both partners were carriers received counselling. For those who, in spite of the recommendation, decided to marry, prenatal diagnosis and termination of pregnancy in case of an affected fetus was offered. The latter was offered only in the last three years. Results: In 1995, 1999 and 2004, 296, 94 and 56 β-thalassaemia homozygotes, respectively, were born (2.53, 1.07 and 0.82 patients per 1000 births). Discussion: This programme has decreased the birth prevalence of β-thalassaemia, but has unfortunately not eliminated the disease altogether. The reasons for the birth of new cases, in spite of the screening programmes, are: (i) premarital screening programme started in 1995; therefore, carrier couples who married before this did not receive counselling and gave birth to homozygote β-thalassaemia children; (ii) unwanted pregnancy among the carrier couples; (iii) the couples knew about their problem, but they married for cultural and religious causes (illegal marriages).

beta-thalassemia is considered a severe, progressive anemia, which needs regular transfusions for life expectancy. One of the most important complications of regular blood transfusions may be alloimmunization, which increases the need for transfusion. This study was performed to investigate the production of red cell alloantibodies in beta-thalassemia patients in Shiraz, southern Iran. Blood sampling was performed among 711 beta-thalassemia patients in Dastgheib hospital in 2002-2004. Direct and indirect coombs tests were performed to check the auto and alloantibodies and a panel test was conducted to detect the type of alloantibodies. Auto and alloantibodies were observed among 1.7% and 5.3% of patients, respectively. The most common alloantibodies were Anti-kell (50%) > Anti-Rh (D) (15.8%) > Anti-Rh (E) (10.5%). All the patients who had developed alloantibody were in the age group of 6 years or more. So for decreasing the rate of alloantibody synthesis, we should crossmatched the packed cells for minor blood groups especially for kell and Rh(E) in addition to major blood groups from the start of transfusion.

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Regarding the availability of special health services for thalassemia patients, this imaging study can be used for the accurate detection of hemochromatosis in joints of thalassemia patients.

Figure 1: We designed and carried out an experimental study using a memory task (c) to understand the effect of different interaction input systems such as hand tracking (a) and controller tracking (both with or without haptics) (b), has on user performance.