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CORRESPONDENCE |
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| Year : 2011 | Volume
: 56
| Issue : 5 | Page : 603 |
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| Readers comments |
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Younis Abed EL-Wahhab Skaik
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Al-Azhar University-Gaza, PO Box (1277), Gaza, Palestine
| Date of Web Publication | 4-Nov-2011 |
Correspondence Address:
Younis Abed EL-Wahhab Skaik
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Al-Azhar University-Gaza, PO Box (1277), Gaza
Palestine
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/0019-5154.87173
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How to cite this article:
Skaik YA. Readers comments. Indian J Dermatol 2011;56:603 |
Sir,
I have read with interest the paper entitled "ABO blood groups, Rhesus factors and Pemphigus," published in "Indian Journal of Dermatology" 2007; 52 (4), 176-178.
I would like to point out some inadvertent mistakes. Firstly, the authors mention that "the A and B genes are found on chromosome 9 p," while the ABO genes (A, B and O) are located at q34.1-q34.2 [1] on chromosome 9. Secondly, Aird et al. (1954) [2] were the first to show that peptic ulceration was strongly associated with the blood group O. In 1955, 1956 and 1959, Clarke et al. found that most patients with peptic ulcers were non-secretors. [3],[4],[5] Hence, Valikhani et al.should replace reference four in the introduction part with Aird et al., 1954.
The authors confirm the absence of influencing environmental factors on the distribution of ABO blood groups. However, the environmental effect is questionable and may affect the frequency of ABO blood groups. [6] Notwithstanding the fact that the authors have investigated the possible relation between both the ABO and Rh factor and Pemphigus, they discuss in detail the importance of the A and B genes without pointing out to the Rh(D) gene. According to the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT), the Rhesus system should be written as Rh(D) and not Rhesus (D) as written in the study.
Regarding ''Material and Methods,'' the authors should mention the method they use (classical slide method, conventional tube method or gel technique). Did they use the forward or reverse grouping to detect the ABO blood groups? This plays a major role in the sensitivity and specificity of the results. The paper missed ethical clearance. Were all the patients aware that their blood was to undergo further investigation for research purposes? Finally, the use of the term "frequency" in the ''Result'' section of the paper is not apt. "The frequency of Rh-positive blood was 89.62%, while 10.38% of the donors were Rh-negative" should read "The percentage of Rh-positive blood was 89.62%, while 10.38% of the donors were Rh-negative". This is so because the definition of frequency in statistics is "the ratio of the number of times an event occurs in a series of trials of a chance experiment to the number of trials of the experiment performed".
 References | |  |
| 1. | Sandwalk. Human ABO gene. Available from; http://sandwalk.blogspot.com/2007/02/human-abo-gene.html. (last accessed on 2007 Dec 30) 
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| 2. | Aird I, Bentall HH, Mehigan JA, Roberts JA. The Blood Groups in Relation to Peptic Ulceration and Carcinoma of Colon, Rectum, Breast, and Bronchus. Br Med J 1954;2:315-21. [PubMed]
[PUBMED] [FULLTEXT] |
| 3. | Clarke CA, Cowan WK, Edwards JW, Howel-Evans AW, McConnell RB, Woodrow JC, et al. The Relationship of the ABO Blood Groups to Duodenal and Gastric Ulceration. Br Med J 1955;2:643-6. [PubMed]
[PUBMED] [FULLTEXT] |
| 4. | Clarke CA, Edwards JW, Haddock DR, Howel-Evans AW, McConnell RB, Sheppard PM. ABO Blood Groups and Secretor Character in Duodenal Ulcer. Br Med J 1956;2:725-31. [PubMed]
[PUBMED] [FULLTEXT] |
| 5. | Clark CA, Evand DA, McConnell RB, Sheppard PM. Secretion of blood group antigens and peptic ulcer. Br Med J 1959;1:603-7.
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| 6. | Khan MS, Subhan F, Tahir F, Kazi BM, Dil AS, Sultan S, et al. Prevalence of blood groups and Rh factor in Bannu region (NWFP) Pakistan. Pak J Med Res 2004;43:8-10.
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