Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Using LIBS as a diagnostic tool in pediatrics beta-thalassemia

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Lasers in Medical Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Beta-thalassemia major is a common inherited single-gene disorder. Thalassemic patients are at risk of changes in some important trace elements. To detect alteration of iron, copper, zinc, and calcium serum levels in beta-thalassemia major patients, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was used. This study was conducted on 40 beta-thalassemia major and 40 healthy young patients (age: 12–18 years old; male:female = 1:1). Venous blood samples were collected from both groups and analyzed for the serum levels of iron, calcium, zinc, and copper by exposing the samples to LIBS. The intensities of the tested elements were detected using the Kestrel Spec computer software and analyzed with an SPSS 25 program. Thalassemic patients had significantly higher serum iron (p = < 0.001) and copper (p = < 0.005) while they had significantly lower serum zinc (p = < 0.005) and calcium (p= > 0.005) when compared with control. Also, thalassemic patients had significantly lower body weight and height as they were less than the 3rd percentile by 82.5% and p < 0.001. LIBS is a safe and efficient tool to detect alteration of some serum trace elements in beta-thalassemia patients.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Taher AT, Weatherall DJ, Cappellini MD (2018) Thalassaemia. Lancet 391(10116):155–167

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Kountouris P, Lederer CW, Fanis P, Feleki X, Old J, Kleanthous M (2014) IthaGenes: an interactive database for haemoglobin variations and epidemiology. PLoS One 9(7):e103020

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Mettananda S, Higgs DR (2018) Molecular basis and genetic modifiers of thalassemia. Hematol Oncol Clin North Am 32(2):177–191

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Mettananda S (2017) Thalassaemia in a quest towards an ultimate cure. Sri Lanka J Child Health 46(3):203–210

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Samarakoon PS, Wijesuriya AP (2011) A clinical audit of thalassaemia management at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children, Colombo. Sri Lanka J Child Health 40:48–53

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Kajanachumpol S, Tatu T, Sasanakul W, Chuansumrit A, Hathirat P (1997) Zinc and copper status of thalassemia children. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health 28(4):877–880

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Shamshirsaz AA, Bekheirnia MR, Kamgar M, Pourzahedgilani N, Bouzari N, Habibzadeh M, Hashemi R, Shamshirsaz AA, Aghakhani S, Homayoun H, Larijani B (2003) Metabolic and endocrinologic complications in beta-thalassemia major: a multicenter study in Tehran. BMC Endocr Disord 3:4–13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Shazia Q, Mohamed ZH, Rahman T, Shekhar HU (2012) Correlation of oxidative stress with serum trace element levels and antioxidant enzyme status in beta-thalassemia major patients: a review of the literature. Anemia, Article ID 270923

  9. Yazdideha MS, Faranosh M (2004) Evaluation of serum zinc in children affected with beta-thalassemic patients. Respir Med 24(1):7–9

    Google Scholar 

  10. Mehdizadeh M, Zamani G, Tabatabaee S (2008) Zinc status in patients with major beta-thalassemia. Pediatr Hematol Oncol 25(1):49–54

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Karimi M, Rasekhi AR, Rasekh M, Nabavizadeh SA, AssadsangabiR AGH (2009) Hypoparathyroidism and intracerebralcalcification in patients with beta-thalassemia major. Eur J Radiol Jun 70(3):481–484

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Lopez-Moreno C, Palanco S, Laserna J (2007) Stand-off analysis of moving targets using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy. J Anal tSpectrom 22:84–87

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Yanwu Chu, Tong Chen, Feng Chen, Yun Tang, Shisong Tang, Honglin Jin, Lianbo Guo, Yong feng Lu and Xiaoyan Zeng (2018) Discrimination of nasopharyngeal carcinoma serum using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy combined with an extreme learning machine and random forest method. J Anal At Spectrom, (33): 2083-2088

  14. Sahu A, Dalal K, Naglot S, Aggarwal P, Murali Krishna C (2013) Serum based diagnosis of asthma using Raman spectroscopy: an early phase pilot study. PLoS One 8(11):e78921

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. MuhammedShameem KM, Chawla A, Mallya M, Barik BK, Unnikrishnan VK, Kartha VB, Santhosh C (2018) Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy-Raman: an effective complementary approach to analyze renal-calculi. J Biophotonics11(6):e201700271

  16. Giardina PJ, and Forget BG (2008) Thalassemia syndromes. In: Hoffman R, Benz EJ, Shattil SS, et al, editors. Hematology: basic principles and practice.5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; chap 41

  17. World Health Organization (2007) Growth references data for 5–19 years. World Health Organization, Geneva

    Google Scholar 

  18. Marcdante K, Kliegman RM, Jenson H, Behrman R (2015) Pediatric endocrinology in essentials of pediatrics. 7th Edition Elsevier, Philadelphia 11 (14):231

  19. Mahyar A, Ayazi P, Pahlevan A-A, Mojabi H, Sehhat M-R, Javadi A (2010) Zinc and copper status in children with beta-thalassemia major Iran J Pediatr. Sep 20(3):297–302

    Google Scholar 

  20. AbolfazlMahyar, ParvizAyazi, Ali-AsgharPahlevan, HoshyarMojabi, Mohammad-Reza Sehhat, Amir Javadi (2010) Zinc and Copper Status in Children With Beta-thalassemia Major Iran J Pediatr, Sep;20(3):297-302

  21. Al-Allawi N.S, Hassan K.M, Sheikha A.K, Nerweiy F.F, Dawood R.S, and Jubrael J (2010) ß–Thalassemia mutations among transfusion dependent thalassemia major patients in Northern Iraq. Molecular Biology International 1–4 Article ID: 479282

  22. Hashemi A, Ghilian R, Golestan M, Ghalibaf MA, Zare Z, and Dehghani MA (2011) The study of growth in thalassemic patients and its correlation with serum ferritin level. Iran J Ped Hematol Oncol 1(4):147–151

    Google Scholar 

  23. Fahim M. Fahim, KhaledSaad, Eman A. Askar, Eman Nasr Eldin, and Ahmed F. Thabet (2013) Growth parameters and vitamin D status in children with thalassemia major in Upper Egypt. Int J Hematol Oncol Stem Cell Res 7 (4): 10–14

  24. Wonke B, De Sanctis V (2001) Clinical aspects of transfusional iron overload. ClinExpHematol 12:322–334

    Google Scholar 

  25. Soliman AT, Khalafallah H, Ashour R (2009) Growth and factors affecting it in thalassemia major. Hemoglobin 33:S116–S126

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Widad NM, Al-Naama LM, Hassan MK (2003) Trace elements in patients with P-thalassemia major. Haema 6(3):376–383

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Khaleel K.J, Ahmed A.A, Alwash M.M, Yaseen N.Y, and Hamza A.M (2013) Biomarkers and trace elements in beta-thalassemia major. Iraqi J Cancer Med Genet

  28. Sherief L.M, Abd El-Salam S.M, Kamal N.M, Elsafy O, Almalky M.A, Azab S.F, et al (2014) Nutritional biomarkers in children and adolescents with beta–thalassemia major: an Egyptian center experience. Bio Med Research International Article ID 261761

  29. Karunaratna AMDS, Ranasingha JGS, Mudiyanse RM (2018) Zinc status in beta-thalassemia major patients. Biol Trace Elem Res 184(1):1–6

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Erdogan E, Canatan D, Ormeci AR, Vural H, Aylak F (2013) The effects of chelators on zinc levels in patients with thalassemia major. J Trace Elem Med Biol 27(2):109–111

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Fung EB, Gildengorin G, Talwar S, Hagar L, Lal A (2015) Zinc status affects glucose homeostasis and insulin secretion in patients with thalassemia. Nutrients 7:4296–4307

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Milne DB, Canfield WK, Mahalko JR, Sandstead HH (1984) Effects of oral folic acid supplements on zinc, copper, and iron absorption and excretion. Am J Clin Nutr 39:535–539

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Kosarian M, Valaee N, and Mahdyyanee (2000) Do the desferal receiver thalassemic patients have zinc deficiency? J MazandaranUniv Med Sci 26 (10): 1–6

  34. Al-Samarrai AH, Adaay MH, Al-Tikriti KA, Al-Anzy MM (2008) Evaluation of some essential element levels in thalassemia major patients in Mosul district, Iraq. Saudi Med J 29(1):94–97

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Eshghi P, Alarvi S, Ghavami S, Rashidi A (2007) Growth impairment in beta-thalassemia major: the role of trace element deficiency and other potential factors. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol 29(1):5–8

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Kassab Chekir A, Laradi S, Ferchichi S et al (2003) Oxidant/anti-oxidant status and metabolic data in patients with beta-thalassemia. ClinChimActa 338(1–2):71–86

    Google Scholar 

  37. Faranoush M, Rahiminejad MS, Karamizadeh Z, Ghorbani R, Owji SM (2008) Zinc supplementation effect on linear growth in transfusion dependent Beta-thalassemia. IJBC 1:29–32

    Google Scholar 

  38. Eithar EK, Salama KM, Nagwa ME (2013) An updated study of some trace elements in patients with thalassemia major. World J Med Sci 9(2):97–101

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Goyal M, Abrol P, and Lal H (2010) Parathyroid and calcium status in patients with thalassemia. Ind J Clin Biochem 25 (4): 385–387

  40. Eren E, Yilmaz N (2005) Biochemical markers of bone turnover and bone mineral density in patients with b-thalassemia major. Int J Clin Pract 59(1):46–51

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Kassab-Chekir A, Laradi S, Ferchichi S, Khelil AH, Feki M, Amri F, Selmi H, Bejaoui M, Miled A (2003) Oxidant, antioxidant status and metabolic data in patients with beta-thalassemia. Clin Chim Acta 338(1–2):79–86

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Alsharnoubi J, Alkharbotly A, Waheed H, Elkhayat Z, Hussein DY (2019) Could we diagnose childhood asthma by LIBS technique?. Lasers Med Sci. Aug 28

  43. Cunningham M.J, Mackin E.A, and Nenfield E.J (2004) Complications of beta-thalassemia major in North America 104 (1): 34–39

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pediatrics Department, National Institute of Laser Enhancement Sciences, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt

    Jehan Alsharnoubi

  2. Child Health Department, Egypt Medical Research Division, National Research Center, Cairo, Egypt

    Yasser Nassef, Reham F. Fahmy & Mohamed Gamal

Authors
  1. Jehan Alsharnoubi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yasser Nassef
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Reham F. Fahmy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Mohamed Gamal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jehan Alsharnoubi.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Alsharnoubi, J., Nassef, Y., Fahmy, R.F. et al. Using LIBS as a diagnostic tool in pediatrics beta-thalassemia. Lasers Med Sci 36, 957–963 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-020-03117-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-020-03117-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation