BACKGROUND Red blood cell (RBC) n-3 fatty acid status is related to various health outcomes. Accepted biological markers for the fatty acid status determination are RBC phospholipids, phosphatidylcholine, and phosphatidyletholamine. The analysis of these lipid fractions is demanding and time consuming and total phospholipid n-3 fatty acid levels might be affected by changes of sphingomyelin con...

It is hypothesized that membrane-associated iron in the sickle red cell is of pathophysiologic importance, but the actual existence of such iron in the intact cell has been questioned. Using a strategy whereby membrane iron can be detected through its bioavailability for catalyzing peroxidation, we used phospholipid exchange protein to load membranes of intact erythrocytes (RBC) with approximat...

BACKGROUND The duration of storage of transfused red blood cells (RBC) has been associated with poor clinical outcomes in some studies. We sought to establish whether prolonged storage of transfused RBC in cancer patients influences overall survival (OS) or cancer recurrence. METHODS AND FINDINGS Patients diagnosed with cancer at The Ottawa Regional Cancer Centre between January 01, 2000 and ...

In a number of clinical circumstances it would be desirable to artificially conceal cellular antigenic determinants to permit survival of heterologous donor cells. A case in point is the problem encountered in transfusions of patients with rare blood types or chronically transfused patients who become allosensitized to minor blood group determinants. We have tested the possibility that chemical...

Human erythrocytes (RBC) from whole blood were separated according to their specific densities by centrifugation on a polyvinyl-pyrrolidine-coated colloidal silica matrix (Percoll) into four major subpopulations. By indirect immunofluorescence assay, the most dense RBC subpopulation, with specific density greater than 1.110 g/ml (3%-5% of total RBC), was positive for membrane-bound immunoglobul...

INTRODUCTION Red blood cells' (RBC) rheological properties are disturbed in chronic venous disease (CVD). The aim of the study was to compare deformability and aggregation of erythrocytes taken from the varicose vein and the antecubital vein of patients with chronic venous disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS Blood samples were taken from twelve CVD patients presenting clinical, aetiological, anato...

acid, or both and after cessation of such supplementation, which would, by necessity, involve dynamics between RBC kinetics and whole-body folate kinetics. Quinlivan further comments that a steady state of RBC folate may have been reached between weeks 16 and 24. In our intervention study, blood drawings were performed every 4 wk, and RBC folate significantly increased between week 16 and week ...

Although sickle erythrocytes (RBC) undergo excessive autooxidation, investigators have not found evidence for abnormal oxidation of protein thiols in sickle RBC membranes (e.g., protein aggregates linked by intermolecular disulfide bonds). However, the conventional techniques heretofore used cannot detect more subtle changes in thiol status such as abnormal intramolecular disulfide bonds. We ex...

The past two decades have witnessed increased scrutiny regarding efficacy and risk of the once unquestioned therapy of red blood cell (RBC) transfusion. Simultaneously, a variety of changes have been identified within the RBC and storage media during RBC preservation that are correlated with reduced tissue oxygenation and transfusion-associated adverse effects. These alterations are collectivel...

Advancing age alters the structural and functional determinants of convective and diffusive muscle oxygen (O(2)) flux. However, capillary red blood cell (RBC) hemodynamics have not been investigated during contractions in muscles of old animals. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that aging induces significant capillary hemodynamic alterations during electrically-induced contractions in the sp...