BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE Liver cirrhosis is associated with gastrointestinal haemorrhage and oesophageal variceal bleeding. Altered platelet functions has been reported to be a cause of bleeding complication. We carried out this study to find out the level of oxidative stress in the red blood cells of patients with liver cirrhosis. METHODS Fifty patients admitted with the complication of liver ...

Erythrocyte NADH-cytochrome b(5) reductase reduces methaemoglobin to functional haemoglobin. In order to examine the function of the enzyme, the structure of NADH-cytochrome b(5) reductase from human erythrocytes has been determined and refined by X-ray crystallography. At 1.75 A resolution, the root-mean-square deviations (r.m.s.d.) from standard bond lengths and angles are 0.006 A and 1.03 de...

Haemoglobin initiates free radical chemistry. In particular, the interactions of peroxides with the ferric (met) species of haemoglobin generate two strong oxidants: ferryl iron and a protein-bound free radical. We have studied the endogenous defences to this reactive chemistry in a rabbit model following 20% exchange transfusion with cell-free haemoglobin stabilized in tetrameric form [via cro...

The nicotinamide nucleotide dimers (NAD)2 and (NADP)2, obtained by electrochemical reduction of NAD+ and NADP+, are able to reduce such single-electron acceptors as the proteins cytochrome c, azurin and methaemoglobin, though at different rates. Under the same conditions the reduced nicotinamide coenzymes NADH and NADPH are not able to reduce these proteins at measurable rates unless a catalyst...

In idiopathic methaemoglobinaemia, of which we have investigated'some cases, the occurrence of an atypical form of methaemoglobin' abnormally resistant to reduction has been postulated by Lian, Frumusan & Sassier [1939] as an aetiological factor. It thus became of interest to examine the evidence which has been put forward by Vestling [1942] against the unitary view of methaemoglobin. This auth...

Introduction Subdural haematoma (SDH) is a form of traumatic brain injury that can be classified as acute, subacute or chronic, based upon time from injury. When acute, it is a medical emergency in which surgical decompression is the only option to prevent mortality. Small subdurals and those that are no longer actively bleeding may be left to re-absorb spontaneously and clinical decision-makin...

The time course of methaemoglobin reduction in human erythrocytes treated with nitrite was studied at pH 7.4, 37 degrees C, in the presence or absence of Methylene Blue, and the changes in methaemoglobin, intermediate haemoglobins and oxyhaemoglobin during the reaction were analysed by isoelectric-focusing on Ampholine/polyacrylamide-gel plates. In both cases, with or without the dye, the inter...