恶性肿瘤类白血病反应的中毒性中性粒细胞的MAXM血液分析仪分析

目的探讨恶性肿瘤伴类白血病反应患者的中毒中性粒细胞是否被MAXM血细胞分析仪误认为嗜碱性粒细胞。方法MAXM血细胞分析仪进行白细胞计数和分类;瑞氏染色镜检白细胞分类;过氧化物酶染色区分中性粒细胞和嗜碱性粒细胞;碱性磷酸酶染色区分类白血病反应。结果26例恶性肿瘤患者用MAXM血细胞分析仪进行白细胞计数为:(28.6±5.7)×109/L;分类为:中性粒细胞49.9%±10.6%,淋巴细胞15.2%±4.3%,单核细胞2.2%±1.2%,嗜酸性粒细胞0.4%±0.3%,嗜碱性粒细胞32.3%±10.2%。镜检分类为:中性粒细胞85.6%±11.8%,淋巴细胞12.9%±5.1%,单核细胞1.5%±1.4%,嗜酸性粒细胞0%,嗜碱性粒细胞0%,其中中毒中性粒细胞为36.5%±7.6%。过氧化物酶染色阳性率为:89.6%±12.3%。中性粒细胞碱性磷酸酶阳性率为83.1%±12.5%,积分395±63。结论MAXM血细胞分析仪把类白血病中毒中性粒细胞误认为嗜碱性粒细胞。     

Fluctuations in the peripheral blood leukocyte and platelet counts in leukocytapheresis in healthy volunteers.

Leukocytapheresis (LCP) for the treatment of patients with diseases that involve an abnormal autoimmune reaction aims to improve the condition of the patient's pathology and to correct imbalances in immunological regulation mechanisms by removing the responsible leukocytes from the peripheral blood. To clarify the mechanism of therapeutic effect, LCP was conducted in healthy volunteers to investigate changes in peripheral blood leukocyte and platelet counts over time during the treatment. The subjects were 10 healthy male volunteers. LCP was performed once in each volunteer for 3,000 ml of blood volume. The peripheral blood counts decreased significantly, reaching a minimum of 20.0% of the baseline number of leukocytes, 10.1% of the baseline number of neutrophils, and 40.3% of the baseline number of lymphocytes. The number of removed leukocytes was about 6.6 x 10(9) cells, including about 3.5 x 10(9) neutrophils, as well as about 5.0 x 10(11) platelets. After the completion of LCP, the peripheral leukocyte levels increased transiently (overshoot), and at 2 h after the completion of the treatment, they reached 193.4% of the baseline value. Since LCP is capable of reducing the peripheral blood leukocyte count over a short period of time, its impact on peripheral blood is great. In addition, in view of the overshoot phenomenon and the appearance of immature granulocytes, the LCP may affect not only the peripheral blood, but also the bone marrow pool, the marginal pool, and the leukocytes present in the tissues.     

失血性贫血小鼠骨髓间充质干细胞向成骨成脂分化的变化简

本研究旨在检测骨髓间充质干细胞（multipotent mesenchymal stem cells,MSC）向成骨、成脂分化的变化,探讨骨髓间充质干细胞的分化状态对骨髓造血功能的影响.先对实验小鼠每隔1-2d行内眦静脉取血0.3 ml,4周构建贫血模型,通过检测贫血小鼠外周血常规指标、网织红细胞比例、骨髓细胞造血集落形成以验证小鼠模型.通过检测贫血模型小鼠成纤维细胞集落形成、骨髓细胞和脂肪细胞的数量,并用实时定量PCR的方法检测骨髓成骨、成脂分化相关基因的表达来研究骨髓MSC分化潜能的改变.结果显示,与对照组相比,贫血小鼠红细胞数量和血红蛋白水平明显下降,网织红细胞比例增高,骨髓细胞造血集落形成单位数量增多;骨髓造血细胞增多,脂肪细胞减少;骨髓成纤维细胞集落形成单位增多并显著向成骨细胞分化;骨髓成骨分化相关基因Runx2和OSX的表达明显升高,而成脂相关基因aP2、PPARγ2的表达明显降低.结论：在骨髓造血功能活跃期小鼠骨髓间充质干细胞向成骨细胞分化能力增强,向脂肪细胞分化能力减弱.     

Immunological studies of aging. Decreased production of and response to T cell growth factor by lymphocytes from aged humans.

Human lymphocytes from elderly and young donors were cultured with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) or concanavalin A. Cultures from old donors produced less T cell growth factor (TCGF) and incorporated less tritiated thymidine (3H-Tdr) than did similar cultures from young donors in the presence of either mitogen. Furthermore, the response of lymphocytes from elderly donors to TCGF was impaired. Thus, PHA-activated T cells from aged donors showed no increase tritiated thymidine incorporation when incubated with exogenous human TCGF. In contrast, addition of exogenous human TCGF to PHA-activated peripheral blood leukocytes from younger individuals increased tritiated thymidine incorporation by 30-50%. The impaired response to TCGF was associated with decreased binding of TCGF by PHA-activated cells from old donors. TCGF production or responsiveness was not associated with the presence of "suppressor" activity in elderly T cell preparations. These studies suggest a possible molecular mechanism for the impaired proliferative response of elderly human T cells. These data lend support to the hypothesis that defects in the capacity to either produce or respond to TCGF may be a fundamental cause of immune deficiency.     

Selectins and neutrophil traffic: margination and Streptococcus pneumoniae-induced emigration in murine lungs

The roles of selectins in the pulmonary margination and emigration of neutrophils were investigated by using mice genetically deficient in both E- and P-selectins (E/P mutants) and/or by intravenous injections of fucoidin (inhibiting both L- and P-selectins). E/P mutants were neutrophilic (14.7 +/- 4.9 x 10(6) vs. 0.8 +/- 0.1 x 10(6) neutrophils/ml). This neutrophilia was associated with increased margination of neutrophils within pulmonary capillaries (39.7 +/- 9.4 vs. 4.6 +/- 1.1 neutrophil profiles per 100 red blood cell profiles) but no change in margination within noncapillary pulmonary microvessels. After intratracheal instillation of Streptococcus pneumoniae, lungs of E/P mutants displayed increased neutrophil emigration (564 +/- 92 vs. 116 +/- 19 neutrophils per 100 alveolar profiles), edema (5.3 +/- 1.5 vs. 1.5 +/- 0.4 microliter/g body weight), and histologic evidence of lung injury compared with those in wild-type (WT). Fucoidin treatment did not affect neutrophil emigration during streptococcal pneumonia in WT or E/P mice. During pneumonia, the number of white blood cells (WBC) tethered to or spread upon the noncapillary vessel endothelium increased in both WT and E/P lungs. These are the first data demonstrating that neutrophil margination in uninfected pulmonary capillaries does not require E- and P-selectins; that streptococcal pneumonia induces an E- and P-selectin-independent increase in WBC interactions with noncapillary endothelium; and that migration of neutrophils to alveoli can occur despite deficiency or inhibition of all of the known selectins.     

Methylcholanthrene-induced murine fibrosarcoma cell line BMT-11 secretes granulocyte colony-stimulating factor

Murine fibrosarcoma cell line BMT-11 was induced with 3-methyl-cholanthrene and maintained in culture. Transplantation of BMT-11 into syngeneic C57 BL/6 mice produced leukocytosis consisting of marked increments of neutrophils and monocytes associated with massive splenomegaly. In order to elucidate the mechanisms of this leukemoid reaction, we studied the changes occurring in hematopoietic progenitor cells in BMT-11-transplanted mice. The numbers of granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming units (CFU-GM), erythroid colony-forming units (CFU-E), erythroid burst-forming units (BFU-E), and mixed colony-forming units (CFU-Mix) in the spleen showed dramatic 216-fold, 18-fold, 64-fold, and 80-fold increases, respectively, relative to the value in the control mice 5 weeks after the BMT-11 implantation. In contrast, the levels of progenitor cells in the bone marrow remained within normal limits. The nature of the colony-stimulating factor (CSF) secreted from BMT-11 tumor cells was also studied. BMT-11-conditioned medium (BMT-11-CM), BMT-11 tumor extract, and sera from the mice bearing transplanted BMT-11 tumor contained CSF that stimulated mainly granulocyte and macrophage lineages. Furthermore, the expression of the granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) gene in BMT-11 cells were detected by Northern blot analysis.     

急性缺血性脑卒中患者白细胞粘附分子的表达及细胞内[Ca2+]变化的实验研究

目的探讨急性缺血性脑卒中患者外周血白细胞计数和粘附分子表达的变化,以及与中性粒细胞激活密切相关的细胞内游离钙离子浓度[Ca2+]变化,以期为脑卒中的发病机理和治疗提供有价值的理论依据.方法采用流式细胞术(FCM)检测白细胞粘附分子的表达及细胞内[Ca2+]的变化.结果脑卒中急性发作时,患者主要是中性粒细胞数增高明显,外周血白细胞CD11b、CD18的表达在发病24h内升高,同时,脑卒中患者中性粒细胞表面CD62L的表达在急性期明显降低,急性脑卒中患者中性粒细胞内[Ca2+]增加,中性粒细胞表面粘附分子CD11b、CD18的表达与细胞内[Ca2+]具有正相关性,CD62L的表达与[Ca2+]虽无明显的线性相关性,但随着[Ca2+]的增加,CD62L的表达具有下降的趋势.结论急性脑卒中发生时,白细胞被激活,粘附分子CD11b、CD18表达上调,介导白细胞与内皮细胞粘附增强,可能会加重缺血后迟发性神经元死亡的病理生理过程.同时,随着中性粒细胞的激活,细胞表面粘附分子CD62L的表达显著下调,细胞内[Ca2+]增加,在白细胞与内皮细胞的粘附过程中起重要作用.     

小儿白细胞及中性粒细胞减少症331例相关因素分析与探讨

目的探讨小儿白细胞及中性粒细胞减少的临床特点及相关因素,为其防治提供依据。方法收集2002年1月至2009年8月在我院儿科住院治疗的331例白细胞及中性粒细胞减少症病例,对其临床资料、实验室检查、治疗及预后进行回顾性分析。结果①婴幼儿及学龄前期发病占83．69％;男女发病比例为1．88：1。②白细胞和中性粒细胞减少有四种类型：a、白细胞总数和中性粒细胞数同时减少（54．68％）;b、白细胞总数正常,淋巴细胞比率明显增高〉75％,中性粒细胞数减少（25．98％）;c、白细胞总数减少,分类正常,中性粒细胞数可减少或正常（13．29％）;d、白细胞数减少,淋巴细胞比率降低,中性粒细胞数正常（6．04％）。③病程第1周内出现白细胞及中性粒细胞减少的占77．64％。白细胞总数减少者75．83％在1周内恢复,而中性粒细胞减少者一周内恢复者仅占59．52％。（垒）伴发疾病中呼吸道疾病占82．18%,幼儿急疹次之占5．44％。⑤病原体以病毒为主,其次为肺炎支原体。结论①男性婴幼儿、学龄前期患儿为高发人群。②病毒感染引起的呼吸道疾病多发。③白细胞及中性粒细胞减少类型与淋巴细胞有很大关系,外周血淋巴细胞比率增高可能是一种保护性的细胞免疫反应。     

Leukocyte adhesion in angiogenic blood vessels. Role of E-selectin, P-selectin, and beta2 integrin in lymphotoxin-mediated leukocyte recruitment in tumor microvessels.

Interaction of circulating leukocytes with tumor microvasculature is a critical event in the recruitment of effector cells into the tumor stroma. We have examined the ability of lymphotoxin (TNF-beta), to stimulate rolling, adhesion, and transmigration of leukocytes in angiogenic blood vessels induced by tumor spheroids of Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) implanted in dorsal skinfold chambers of nude mice. In the absence of cytokine stimulation, circulating leukocytes failed to appreciably interact with tumor microvessels (TMV), although significant rolling and adhesion was observed in normal vessels. However, stimulation with lymphotoxin (LT) resulted in a rapid increase in the number of fast and slow rolling leukocytes in TMV. Treatment with anti-P-selectin mAb 5H1 resulted in inhibition of fast rollers alone, while combination treatment with anti-P-selectin and anti-E-selectin (9A9) mAbs effectively blocked slow rolling of leukocytes. Superfusion of the lymphotoxin-stimulated neovasculature with leukotriene B4 (LTB4) resulted in stable cell adhesion followed by emigration of leukocytes into the tumor stroma. LTB4-mediated adhesion and transmigration was significantly inhibited by treatment with anti-beta2 mAb 2E6. These studies delineate a multistep cascade of leukocyte adhesion in TMV and demonstrate that stimulation of the neovasculature with cytokines and chemoattractants can result in P- and E-selectin-dependent rolling and beta2-dependent stable adhesion followed by transmigration into the tumor stroma.     

Failure of Nitro Blue Tetrazolium reduction in the phagocytic vacuoles of leukocytes in chronic granulomatous disease

The leukocytes of patients with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) may be identified by their failure to reduce Nitro Blue Tetrazolium (NBT) during phagocytosis. This reaction, normally detected in the phagocytic vacuole, is absent or delayed in CGD monocytes and eosinophils as well as in neutrophils, even though sonicates of normal and CGD leukocytes contain equal activities of a cyanide insensitive enzyme system capable of reduction of NBT in the presence of pyridine nucleotide.Enlargement of CGD phagocytic vacuoles appears to be inhibited. Histochemical estimates of the rate of release of alkaline phosphatase are normal in CGD cells. Peroxidase activity is released from CGD cells, but the rate appears to be somewhat slower than normal in some cases. The latter observation may be explained by the increased intensity of the peroxidase stain in resting and phagocytizing CGD cells.The severity of the defect in NBT reduction within the phagocytic vacuoles of the leukocytes of patients and carriers is more variable than was previously appreciated. Some female carriers have profoundly reduced dye reduction and others are nearly indistinguishable from normal. Three brothers with CGD demonstrated significant, albeit delayed, NBT reduction in phagocytic vacuoles during prolonged incubation of their leukocytes. No obvious relationship exists, however, between the rate of reduction of NBT in vacuoles and the clinical severity of the disease.     

Endothelium-derived Toll-like receptor-4 is the key molecule in LPS-induced neutrophil sequestration into lungs

The rapid and selective accumulation of neutrophils into the lungs is thought to underlie the pulmonary failure that leads to sepsis-related death. In this study we investigated whether neutrophil TLR4 is important in LPS-induced pulmonary neutrophil recruitment by creating chimeric mice (transferring bone marrow between TLR4(+/+) and TLR4(-/-) mice). In TLR4(+/+) mice receiving TLR4(-/-) bone marrow, 6 weeks after transplant TLR4 was absent in all circulating leukocytes as well as in resident macrophages (these mice were termed LeukocyteTLR4(-/-)), and these cells were completely nonresponsive to LPS. In TLR4(-/-) mice receiving TLR4(+/+) bone marrow, endothelial cells but not leukocytes were deficient in TLR4 (EndotheliumTLR4(-/-)). Surprisingly, systemic LPS (0.5 mg/kg) induced a dramatic increase in neutrophil sequestration into the lungs of LeukocyteTLR4(-/-) mice over the first 4 hours. Concomitantly, numbers of circulating leukocytes decreased by 90%. By contrast, EndotheliumTLR4(-/-) mice showed very little increase in neutrophil sequestration in the lungs, suggesting that endothelium rather than leukocyte TLR4 was important. Intravital microscopy of peripheral microcirculation in the cremaster muscle revealed about 30-fold more leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions in LPS-treated EndotheliumTLR4(-/-) mice than in LPS-treated LeukocyteTLR4(-/-) mice. This is consistent with less sequestration of leukocytes into the lungs of EndotheliumTLR4(-/-) mice. In conclusion, our data challenge the view that LPS directly activates neutrophils to trap in lungs and suggest a far more important role than previously appreciated for the endothelial cells.     

卡巴胆碱对肠缺血-再灌注大鼠外周血白细胞凋亡及细胞因子表达的影响

目的观察拟胆碱药卡巴胆碱对肠缺血-再灌注大鼠外周血淋巴细胞和中性粒细胞凋亡及细胞因子mRNA表达的影响，探讨拟胆碱药的抗炎作用机制。方法36只大鼠随机分为手术对照组、肠缺血1h组、肠缺血1h后再灌注1h和2h组、卡巴胆碱 肠缺血1h组及卡巴胆碱 肠缺血1h后再灌注2h组。复制大鼠肠缺血-再灌注模型；肠缺血前10min经肠袋给予卡巴胆碱。检测不同时间点大鼠外周血白细胞计数及分类、淋巴细胞和中性粒细胞凋亡率及白细胞中细胞因子mRNA表达水平。结果肠缺血1h，大鼠外周血白细胞计数减少，淋巴细胞比例增加，中性粒细胞比例减少，再灌注后上述指标均呈反向变化；卡巴胆碱可抑制肠缺血引起的外周血淋巴细胞凋亡率的增加，但增加中性粒细胞的凋亡率。外周血白细胞中致炎细胞因子肿瘤坏死因子-α(TNF—α)和抗炎细胞因子白细胞介素-10(IL-10)表达在肠缺血1h时均增加，但再灌注后2h，IL-10、IL-4和γ干扰素(IFN-7)表达则明显减少，与TNF—α表达明显增加的趋势相反；卡巴胆碱可改善这一变化。结论卡巴胆碱能减少肠缺血时淋巴细胞的凋亡，调节肠缺血-再灌注时外周血白细胞中致炎和抗炎细胞因子表达失衡，在防治失控炎症反应、脓毒症和多器官功能障碍综合征中具有潜在临床应用价值。     

类白血病反应动态观察1例及其分类分析

本文报道类风湿关节炎病人在药物治疗中发生类白血病反应1例。患者在抗风湿药物治疗中出现腹泻、发热及粒细胞缺乏等表现。外周血象表现为核左移，见2％早幼粒细胞，骨髓细胞学检查发现早幼粒细胞迭41％。分析病例及文献，本例属于急性早幼粒细胞型类白血病反应，也符合骨髓类白血病反应的特点。     

On the in vivo action of erythropoietin: a quantitative analysis

The composite response of the erythron to exogenous erythropoietin has been studied in normal, splenectomized, and polycythemic mice. After stimulation the normal animal doubled its marrow nucleated red cells by the 3rd day with little further change by the 5th. Nucleated red cells within the spleen began to increase sharply on the 2nd day and, by the 5th, exceeded those in the marrow. The total nucleated erythroid response represented a fourfold increase. Reticulocytes lagged behind the expansion of the nucleated red cell mass, but by the 5th day the original ratio was re-established. Hemoglobin synthesis was increased, but the ratio of hemoglobin synthesized in nucleated red cells and reticulocytes was basically unchanged. Early displacement of marrow reticulocytes into circulation and the production of a larger red cell also occurred. No evidence of a change in the number of erythroid mitoses was found; only a slight decrease in the average cell cycle time was demonstrated. Thus, whereas erythropoietin stimulation induced several changes in erythropoiesis, the increased number of cells entering into the maturing pool appeared to be of greatest quantitative significance.Splenectomy reduced the proliferative response of the erythron over 5 days stimulation to three-fourths that found in the normal animal. This difference, also reflected in a proportionately lower reticulocyte response and increment in circulating red cell mass, suggests that erythropoiesis within the mouse marrow is spatially or otherwise restricted and that the spleen provided a supplemental area of erythroid expansion.     

Escape from immune surveillance does not result in tolerance to tumor-associated antigens

Despite expression of tumor-associated or tumor-specific antigens by most tumors, evasion of protective T-cell immunity is the rule rather than the exception. Understanding whether tumor immune escape primarily represents T-cell neglect, anergy/tolerance, or quantitative limits of an existent immune response is central to developing new strategies to enhance antitumor immunity. The authors studied the immune response to MB49, a tumor that naturally expresses HY. Immune surveillance was effective following low-dose tumor inocula, since normal female mice showed a diminished incidence and slower growth rate of MB49 compared with T-cell-depleted female mice and male mice. Following high-dose tumor inoculation, females developed large, progressive tumors but continued to demonstrate immune responses to class I and class II restricted HY epitopes. The HY reactive T cells remained capable of executing HY immune responses since T cells adoptively transferred from MB49-bearing animals mediated accelerated HY skin graft rejection compared with those taken from naive mice. Thus, MB49 does not induce immune tolerance to HY but rather escapes immune surveillance largely due to quantitative limits of the immune response. Treatment of tumor-bearing animals with rhIL7 significantly increased the number of T cells responding to HY but did not alter tumor growth rate. These results demonstrate that escape from immune surveillance does not necessarily imply immune tolerance to tumor antigens and that immunotherapy need not overcome tumor-induced tolerance per se, and suggest that substantial opportunities remain in tumor-bearing hosts to amplify weak but persistent antitumor immune responses.     

CD4-expressing cells are early mediators of the innate immune system during sepsis

It is well established that the immune response to sepsis is mediated by leukocytes associated with the innate immune system. However, there is an emerging view that T lymphocytes can also mediate this response. Here, we observed a significant depletion of both CD4 and CD8 T cells in human patients after blunt trauma. To determine what effect the loss of these cells may have during a subsequent infection, we obtained CD4- and CD8-deficient mice and subjected them to cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). We observed that CD4 knockout (KO) mice showed increased CLP-induced mortality compared with CD8-deficient and wild-type (WT) mice especially within the first 30 h of injury. CD4 KO mice also exhibited significantly increased IL-6 concentrations after the CLP. The CD4 KO mice had an increased concentration of bacteremia as compared with WT mice. Antibiotic treatment decreased mortality in the CD4 KO mice as compared with no changes in the wild mice after CLP. Neutrophils isolated from septic CD4 KO mice showed decreased spontaneous oxidative burst compared with neutrophils taken from septic controls. We examined the role of IFN-gamma by using mice deficient in this cytokine and found these mice to have significantly higher mortality as compared with WT mice. Finally, we detected a 2-fold increase in CD11b+ cells that exhibited intracellular IFN-gamma staining in the peritoneum of WT mice after CLP. The data suggest that CD4+ cells may facilitate the early clearance of bacteria by regulating neutrophils function possibly through an IFN-gamma-dependent mechanism.     

The Purification of Red Cells for Transfusion by Freeze Preservation and Washing

Leukocytes were removed from washed, freeze-preserved red blood cells primarily by the clumping together of damaged cells. This agglomeration was associated with membrane and nuclear changes which were usually manifested after the removal of glycerol from the red blood cells. Washing glycerolized, freeze-preserved leukocytes with solutions containing deoxyribonuclease prevented the agglomeration. Polymorphonuclear granulocytes were preferentially damaged and removed. Of the residual leukocytes that were isolated by the dextran sedimentation method, 70 per cent were lymphocytes. The dye exclusion test showed that the majority of the agglomerated leukocytes were nonviable, while the majority of the leukocytes isolated by dextran sedimentation were viable. The agglomerated material ranged in size from macroscopic aggregates to microscopic particles with a minimum diameter of 40-50μ. HL-A antibody adsorption demonstrated that particulate antigenic material was present in the washed red blood cells which could he decreased by micropore filtration.     

Effect of low neutral endopeptidase expression on response to fMLP.

The effects of the low neutral endopeptidase (24.11/CD10) exhibited by cord blood neutrophils on response to the peptide mediator of cell function f-met-leu-phe (fMLP) were investigated. Oxidative radical release (superoxide and hydrogen peroxide) and chemotactic responses to fMLP were determined and compared to the responses of normal adult neutrophils. The effect of fMLP on CD10 expression as measured by flow cytometry also was evaluated. The data show that cord blood neutrophils produce increased amounts of O2- and H2O2 largely because of a prolonged reaction time to fMLP. In addition, adult polymorphonuclear neutrophil leukocytes increase the intensity of their expression of CD10 following fMLP stimulation, whereas cord blood CD10 expression does not change. Evaluation of chemotaxis demonstrated that cord blood neutrophils exhibited a shift in the fMLP dose-response relationship showing relatively better chemotaxis to lower concentrations. In support of this observation, the inhibition of endopeptidase on adult polymorphonuclear neutrophils leukocytes by phosphoramidon was associated with an augmentation of chemotaxis to 10(-9) and 10(-10) mol/L fMLP. These studies demonstrate that cord blood and adult neutrophils respond differently to fMLP and suggest that membrane endopeptidase plays a role in the observed response patterns. The low level of expression of CD10 on cord blood neutrophils and the failure to increase its expression after fMLP stimulation suggests that adult neutrophils have preformed intracellular CD10 that is not present in the newborn. We propose that the lack of endopeptidase on cord blood neutrophils together with other known features of immaturity may play a role in the overall compromised host defense exhibited by the newborn.     

The Purification of Red Cells for Transfusion by Freeze-Preservation and Washing

Red blood cells frozen on the day of collection showed differences in the residual number of leukocytes depending on the freeze-preservation technique. Red blood cells preserved with 40 per cent W/V glycerol and stored at — 80 C had four times more leukocytes per gram of hemoglobin than did washed red blood cells preserved with 20 per cent W/V glycerol and stored at -150 C. Red blood cell recovery was higher and supernatant hemoglobin lower for the red blood cells frozen with 40 per cent W/V glycerol and stored at -80 C, but the differences were small. Although the low glycerol concentration freezing method was more efficient in removing leukocytes, the clinical significance of this observation remains to be determined.     

Measurement of hepatocyte growth factor in serum and plasma

To investigate whether serum or plasma should be used for the measurement of blood hepatocyte growth factor, the levels were compared in 28 normal subjects and 30 patients who had undergone surgery. The serum level was significantly higher than the plasma level. The serum and plasma hepatocyte growth factor levels differed markedly depending on the subjects, although overall there was a significant correlation between levels (r=0.862, P=0.0001). In serum obtained by the clotting of platelet- or leukocyte-containing plasma with thrombin, hepatocyte growth factor increased in proportion to the number of leukocytes. The difference between serum and plasma hepatocyte growth factor levels also correlated with the number of leukocytes in the patients (r=0.642, P=0.0004). Such a correlation was not observed for platelets. These findings suggest that the serum hepatocyte growth factor level does not strictly reflect the in vivo blood level, due to the release from leukocytes during sample preparation (i.e., blood clotting ) and that plasma is more suitable for assay of blood hepatocyte growth factor.