Chulalongkorn University

About: Chulalongkorn University is a education organization based out in Bangkok, Thailand. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Catalysis. The organization has 20156 authors who have published 34324 publications receiving 647815 citations. The organization is also known as: Chula & CU.

A scoring system for the classification of β-thalassemia/Hb E disease severity

Abstract: b-Thalassemia intermediate patients show a remarkable clinical heterogeneity. We examined the phenotypic diversity of 950 b-thalassemia/Hb E patients in an attempt to construct a system for classifying disease severity. A novel scoring system based on six independent parameters, hemoglobin level, age at disease presentation, age at receiving first blood transfusion, requirement for transfusion, spleen size, and growth and development, was able to separate patients into three distinctive severity categories: mild, moderate, and severe courses. This system, therefore, can increase the accuracy of studies of genotype–phenotype interactions and facilitate decisions for appropriate patient management. Am. J. Hematol. 83:482–484, 2008. V V C 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Heterozygous nonsense mutation SATB2 associated with cleft palate, osteoporosis, and cognitive defects.

Abstract: Studies of human chromosomal aberrations and knockout (KO) mice have suggested SATB2 as a candidate gene for a human malformation syndrome of craniofacial patterning and brain development. Of 59 unrelated patients with craniofacial dysmorphism, with or without mental retardation, one 36-year-old man had a nonsynonymous mutation in SATB2. The affected individual exhibited craniofacial dysmorphisms including cleft palate, generalized osteoporosis, profound mental retardation, epilepsy and a jovial personality. He carries a de novo germline nonsense mutation (c.715C>T, p.R239X) in the exon 6 of SATB2. Expression studies showed that the mutant RNA was stable, expected to produce a truncated protein predicted to retain its dimerization domain and exert a dominant negative effect. This new syndrome is the first determined to result from mutation of a gene within the family that encodes nuclear matrix-attachment region (MAR) proteins. Hum Mutat 28(7), 732–738, 2007. Published 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Knowledge about blood donation among a sample of Thai university students.

Abstract: Background and Objectives Blood banks in Thailand use only a voluntary donation system. Although this has been established for many years, the quantity of blood is still insufficient. Knowledge about blood donation and attitudes toward it are inadequate, especially in rural areas. The registry data of the National Blood Centre, Thai Red Cross Society, indicate that most voluntary blood donors are university students. The present study was therefore conducted among the students of Chulalongkorn University to assess their knowledge of voluntary, non-remunerated blood donation. Materials and Methods Four hundred students participated in this study. A self-administered questionnaire and face-to-face interview on various aspects of blood donation were used for data collection. Results Although most participants (80%) knew about blood donation, only 11% (44 subjects) had ever donated blood voluntarily. We found no significant correlation between demographic data (gender, age, educational level of subjects studied) and such knowledge or actual blood donation. Among the non-donor respondents, fear (305 cases) was the most common reason for not donating blood. Conclusions Greater knowledge about blood donation does not lead to donation. Therefore, specific campaigns are needed to convert this into actual voluntary donation.

Specific bone cells produce DLL4 to generate thymus-seeding progenitors from bone marrow

Abstract: Production of the cells that ultimately populate the thymus to generate α/β T cells has been controversial, and their molecular drivers remain undefined. Here, we report that specific deletion of bone-producing osteocalcin (Ocn)-expressing cells in vivo markedly reduces T-competent progenitors and thymus-homing receptor expression among bone marrow hematopoietic cells. Decreased intrathymic T cell precursors and decreased generation of mature T cells occurred despite normal thymic function. The Notch ligand DLL4 is abundantly expressed on bone marrow Ocn+ cells, and selective depletion of DLL4 from these cells recapitulated the thymopoietic abnormality. These data indicate that specific mesenchymal cells in bone marrow provide key molecular drivers enforcing thymus-seeding progenitor generation and thereby directly link skeletal biology to the production of T cell–based adaptive immunity.

Observation of the associated production of a single top quark and a $W$ boson in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt s = $8 TeV

Abstract: The first observation of the associated production of a single top quark and a W boson is presented. The analysis is based on a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 12.2 fb^(−1) of proton-proton collisions at √s=8 TeV recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC. Events with two leptons and a jet originating from a b quark are selected. A multivariate analysis based on kinematic and topological properties is used to separate the signal from the dominant tt background. An excess consistent with the signal hypothesis is observed, with a significance which corresponds to 6.1 standard deviations above a background-only hypothesis. The measured production cross section is 23.4±5.4 pb , in agreement with the standard model prediction.