Specific Agglutinability of Erythrocytes from Whole Blood Stored at 4 C

When whole blood is supplemented with adenine, the erythrocytes are suitable for transfusion after at least 35 days of storage at 4C, but information is not available as to whether such cells remain satisfactory for blood typing and pre transfusion tests for evidence of incompatibility. Accordingly, we designed experiments to evaluate by AutoAnalyzer the specific agglutinability of erythrocytes obtained from whole blood stored at 4C. Seven normal volunteer donors of both sexes, aged between 22 and 31 years, were chosen and bled periodically so that, over a three-day testing period, all blood specimens from each donor could be evaluated. Each donor provided at each bleeding sufficient blood to permit aliquots of 20 ml to be stored as clotted blood and 8 ml to be stored as citrated whole blood. Four kinds of citrate solution were used: ACD Formula A, CPD, ACD supplemented with adenine, and CPD supplemented with adenine. All clotted specimens were tested after 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 weeks of storage, while all citrated specimens were tested after 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10 weeks of storage. Six blood group systems were used for evaluation with the following reagents: anti-A or anti-B, anti-Rhl (Rh_o or D), anti-K2 (k or Cellano), anti-Jk^a, anti-Fy^a or anti-Fy^b, and anti-M. Each reagent was used at a dilution to support from 20 to 80 per cent agglutination with freshly drawn blood, and each reagent was tested under two conditions: low ionic and normal ionic. The results disclosed loss of specific agglutinability in association with the time of storage of whole blood at 4 C. The onset and degree of loss depended both on the kind of test used (normal ionic tests showed loss 2.8 weeks earlier than did low ionic tests) and the condition in which the blood was stored (loss occurred sooner and then progressed more with clotted blood than with citrated blood). Average losses of 25, 50, and 75 per cent were observed at 1.1, 2.1, and 4.0 weeks of storage for normal ionic tests of clotted blood, and at 4.1, 6.0, and 7.6 weeks for similar tests of citrated blood. Loss of specific agglutinability during storage was significantly less for the red blood cells of some donors than for others, but systematic differences between specific blood-typing tests were not observed. ACD and CPD solutions behaved similarly, while adenine supplementation exerted a slight preservative effect after 6, 8, and 10 weeks of storage. Loss of specific hemagglutinability of stored cells was not due to loss of specific antigenic sites because stored cells were as effective as fresh cells for the absorption of anti-B, anti-Rhl, and anti-M. Loss might, however, be related to an increase in the accumulation of IgG, fibrinogen, and albumin at the surfaces of erythrocytes.     

Microdetermination of Bilirubin Concentration by AutoAnalyzer

A microdetermination of neonatal serum bilirubin concentration by AutoAnalyzer consumes less than 100 _μliters of sample for two tests, requires less than 15 minutes to equilibrate the instrument and less than six minutes between time of sampling and time of read-out. It provides especially accurate data between 10 and 25 mg bilirubin/100 ml and useful data between zero and 40 mg bilirubin/100 ml. The instrument is sufficiently simple to permit its operation on a 24-hour basis by blood bank technologists not previously experienced in clinical chemistry.     

Relapsing polychondritis: reversible airway obstruction is not always asthma

Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is a rare disease characterized by recurrent inflammation of cartilaginous and other proteoglycan-rich tissues. Respiratory tract involvement is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in RP. We describe a patient whose clinical features at onset of disease were typical of asthma. Later, the patient developed symptoms and signs characteristic of RP. Tracheobronchomalacia necessitated airway support by stenting. The possibility that airway obstruction in the initial stages of RP is due to airway inflammation and that early, aggressive immunosuppressive treatment of RP may delay or prevent irreversible cartilaginous destruction and airway collapse are discussed.     

Evaluating imaging and computer-aided detection and diagnosis devices at the FDA

This report summarizes the Joint FDA-MIPS Workshop on Methods for the Evaluation of Imaging and Computer-Assist Devices. The purpose of the workshop was to gather information on the current state of the science and facilitate consensus development on statistical methods and study designs for the evaluation of imaging devices to support US Food and Drug Administration submissions. Additionally, participants expected to identify gaps in knowledge and unmet needs that should be addressed in future research. This summary is intended to document the topics that were discussed at the meeting and disseminate the lessons that have been learned through past studies of imaging and computer-aided detection and diagnosis device performance.     

Determination of malondialdehyde, reduced glutathione levels and APOE4 allele frequency in late-onset Alzheimer's disease in Denizli, Turkey

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to determine the Apolipoprotein E (APOE) 4 allele frequency of patients with late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) and to determine the effects of oxidant-antioxidant balance on AD. DESIGN AND METHODS: PCR-RFLP was undertaken in 62 cases with AD and 56 aged-matched controls. Activities of reduced glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration were measured in same groups. RESULTS: Patients with at least one E4 allele genotype were significantly different in patients with AD (21%) than controls (9%) (p=0.01). Serum MDA levels were significantly different between AD patients and Control group (p=0.0001). There was no significant difference in serum GSH levels between AD patients and C groups. CONCLUSION: These results confirmed that the APOE4 allele occurs frequently in late onset AD compared with normal controls. Also elevated MDA levels are likely an essential factor in the pathogenesis and neuronal damage of AD.     

Preservative solution for skeletal muscle biopsy samples

Context:

Muscle biopsy samples must be frozen with liquid nitrogen immediately after excision and maintained at -80°C until analysis. Because of this requirement for tissue processing, patients with neuromuscular diseases often have to travel to centers with on-site muscle pathology laboratories for muscle biopsy sample excision to ensure that samples are properly preserved.

Aim:

Here, we developed a preservative solution and examined its protectiveness on striated muscle tissues for a minimum of the length of time that would be required to reach a specific muscle pathology laboratory.

Materials and Methods:

A preservative solution called Kurt-Ozcan (KO) solution was prepared. Eight healthy Sprague-Dawley rats were sacrificed; striated muscle tissue samples were collected and divided into six different groups. Muscle tissue samples were separated into groups for morphological, enzyme histochemical, molecular, and biochemical analysis.

Statistical method used:

Chi-square and Kruskal Wallis tests.

Results:

Samples kept in the KO and University of Wisconsin (UW) solutions exhibited very good morphological scores at 3, 6, and 18 hours, but artificial changes were observed at 24 hours. Similar findings were observed for the evaluated enzyme activities. There were no differences between the control group and the samples kept in the KO or UW solution at 3, 6, and 18 hours for morphological, enzyme histochemical, and biochemical features. The messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) of β-actin gene was protected up to 6 hours in the KO and UW solutions.

Conclusion:

The KO solution protects the morphological, enzyme histochemical, and biochemical features of striated muscle tissue of healthy rats for 18 hours and preserves the mRNA for 6 hours.