BACKGROUND/AIMS The exposure of phosphatidylserine (PS) on the outer membrane leaflet of red blood cells (RBCs) serves as a signal for suicidal erythrocyte death or eryptosis, which may be of importance for cell clearance from blood circulation. PS externalisation is realised by the scramblase activated by an increase of intracellular Ca2+ content. It has been described in literature that RBCs ...

Population-based investigations suggest that red blood cells (RBCs) are therapeutically effective when collected, processed, and stored for up to 42 days under validated conditions before transfusion. However, some retrospective clinical studies have shown worse patient outcomes when transfused RBCs have been stored for the longest times. Furthermore, studies of RBC persistence in the circulati...

This study aimed at investigating the effect of in vitro preservation on survival and oxygen-carrying capacity of RBCs and obtaining clear and definite function change of RBCs during their preservation. The transfusion of fresh red blood cells (RBCs) is recommended for transfusion-dependent patients. 0-dayand 35-day-stored RBCs are still equally used in clinical practice now, which may influenc...

Short-lived red blood cells (RBCs) might save you from malaria, but the iron that they dump out could kill you in other ways, say Roy et al. (page 2949). The extra iron seems to feed the bug that causes typhoid fever. Typhoid fever, which is caused by Salmonella, can be cured easily in most patients with simple antibiotics. But infected individuals who also suffer from sickle cell anemia or β-t...

The mercury concentration in red blood cells (RBCs) is one of the most useful indicators for people exposed to methylmercury. Sex- and age-related differences in mercury concentrations in red blood cells were studied by considering fish consumption in 1,253 adults (511 males and 742 females) participating in a mass health examination conducted in a town of Kumamoto Prefecture in 1989. The resul...

Storage of erythrocytes in blood banks is associated with biochemical and morphological changes to RBCs (red blood cells). It has been suggested that these changes have potential negative clinical effects characterized by inflammation and microcirculatory dysfunction which add to other transfusion-related toxicities. However, the mechanisms linking RBC storage and toxicity remain unclear. In th...

Red blood cell (RBC) clearance is known to occur primarily in the spleen, and is presumed to be executed by red pulp macrophages. Erythrophagocytosis in the spleen takes place as part of the homeostatic turnover of RBCs to remove old RBCs. It can be strongly promoted by immunoglobulin G (IgG) opsonization of RBCs, a condition that can occur as a consequence of autoantibody or alloantibody forma...

Thrombosis is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease, which can lead to myocardial infarction and stroke. Thrombosis may form in tortuous microvessels, which are often seen throughout the human body, but the microscale mechanisms and processes are not well understood. In straight vessels, the presence of red blood cells (RBCs) is known to push platelets toward walls, which may affect pla...

Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) due to warm-acting IgA autoantibodies is rare. We explored the pathogenic mechanisms underlying destruction of red blood cells (RBCs) in a patient with severe AIHA mediated exclusively by polymeric immunoglobulin A (pIgA) anti-Band 3 autoantibodies. The follow-up period was 17 months. RBCs were not destroyed by complement activation as no deposition of complem...

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is characterized by the abnormal deformation of red blood cells (RBCs) in the deoxygenated condition, as their elongated shape leads to compromised circulation. The pathophysiology of SCD is influenced by both the biomechanical properties of RBCs and their hemodynamic properties in the microvasculature. A major challenge in the study of SCD involves accurate characteri...