LPI in sera from thalassemic patients and its correlation with MDCI. Sera from 57 β-thalassemic patients were assayed for LPI and MDCI as described in “Materials and methods.” The values of both parameters are displayed as a histogram in the main body of the figure, and one versus the other in the inset. The best linear fit yielded the following values: slope = 1.32 ± 0.11 and intercept = 0.31 ± 0.30 (r = 0.88), with 95% confidence limits as demarcated within the dotted lines.