A common genetic polymorphism for thiopurine S-methyltransferase (TPMT) is a major factor responsible for individual variation in the toxicity and therapeutic efficacy of thiopurine drugs in humans. We set out to determine whether inheritance might also influence the level of TPMT activity in the domestic cat, Felis domesticus. As a first step, red blood cell (RBC) TPMT activity was measured in...

BACKGROUND We used sensitive spectroscopic techniques to measure changes in Band 3 oligomeric state during storage of packed red blood cells (RBC); these changes were compared to metabolic changes, RBC morphology, cholesterol and membrane protein loss, phospholipid reorganisation of the RBC membrane, and peroxidation of membrane lipid. The aim of the study was to temporally sequence major bioch...

BACKGROUND Red blood cell (RBC) alloimmunization is a major immunologic risk of transfusion. However, RBC storage facilitates white blood cell (WBC) apoptosis and apoptotic cells have immunomodulatory properties. We investigated the behavior of WBCs, and apoptosis in particular, in RBC units during storage and then studied the impact of WBC apoptosis on the modulation of posttransfusion alloimm...

Optimizing folate status requires continued monitoring of erythrocyte (RBC) folate and folate intake. The accuracy of RBC folate assays remains a concern. Therefore, we measured RBC folate with 4 different assays, examined the interassay correlations, and compared RBC folate with folate intake as measured by an abbreviated folate-targeted food/supplement screener. The screener had 21 questions ...

Spherocytic deer mice provide a model of human spherocytosis. Their erythrocytes are abnormal in shape and are more rigid than normal red blood cells (RBC). Like their human counterparts, spherocytic mice are anemic. Measurements of RBC velocity in microvessels on the cerebral surface failed to reveal a difference between the velocity of cells in spherocytic as compared to normal deer mice. How...

Sickle red blood cells (RBC) are subject to a number of important cellular changes and selection pressures. In this study, we validated a biotin RBC label by comparison to the standard 51Cr label, and used it to study changes that occur in sickle cells as they age. Sickle RBC had a much shorter lifespan than normal RBC, but the two labels gave equivalent results for each cell type. A variable n...

BACKGROUND The impact of the storage process on oxygen-carrying properties of red blood cells and the efficacy of red blood cell (RBC) transfusions concerning tissue oxygenation remain an issue of debate in transfusion medicine. Storage time and leukocyte content probably interact since longer storage duration is thought to cause greater accumulation of leukocyte-derived cytokines and red blood...

Simultaneous assay of blood lead (Pb-B) and red cell lead (Pb-Rbc) in 123 samples from 104 urban and suburban students, ages 10-18, shows the ratio of concentration (Pb-Rbc)/(Pb-B) to increase as the hematocrit decreases. On direct assay in 40 samples, plasma lead (Pb-P) was fixed in a narrow range. In 28 students with Pb-Rbc >40 mug/100 ml, the mean red cell 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG) wa...

Transfusion of red blood cells (RBC) and other blood products in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. We retrospectively analyzed data of patients who underwent an isolated coronary bypass graft operation between January 1998 and December 2007. Mean follow-up was 1696+/-1026 days, with exclusion of 122 patients lost to ...