Seasonal effects on salivary testosterone levels among lese males of the Ituri Forest,Zaire

Salivary testosterone levels were measured in 33 Lese horticulturalist men in June and August 1989 in order to examine the effects of improved nutritional status on testicular function. The Lese experience an annual hunger season from March through June that varies in impact from year to year, and was particularly severe in 1989. Even before annual weight losses, the Lese are at the low end of the desirable range and are below the desirable population mean for the body mass index. Despite significant weight gain in August, both morning and evening testosterone levels declined, perhaps reflecting a lagged recovery period undetected in the 3-month interval of the study. Lese mean salivary testosterone levels are lower, in general, than average levels in healthy Western controls. Lese males, however, exhibit similar, albeit suppressed, diurnal variation compared to healthy Western males and comparable age-related decline in free testosterone levels. Chronic undernourishment and poor dietary composition are probably responsible for lower testosterone levels among the Lese and a lack of recovery in testosterone production following nutritional improvement. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Clustering of high density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in premenopausal and postmenopausal female twins

Previous family and twin studies indicate that genetic variation makes an important contribution to individual variation in high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) levels, even after adjustment for covariates (such as obesity and alcohol consumption) that also cluster in families. However, most studies assume that genetic mechanisms affecting variation in HDL level are the same in all subgroups of the population (e.g., men versus women, by age). Using data from the Kaiser-Permanente Women Twins Study, we found different patterns of clustering for monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins depending on menopausal status. Premenopausal MZ twins were more similar than postmenopausal MZ twins (r_i = 0.79 and r_i = 0.61, respectively, after adjustment for age, alcohol consumption, smoking status, degree of obesity, and leisure-time exercise); premenopausal and postmenopausal DZ twins were alike to the same extent (r_i = 0.31 and r_i = 0.32, respectively, adjusted as above). These data suggest that either postmenopausal MZ twins have a greater degree of shared environment than postmenopausal DZ twins (e.g., postmenopausal female hormone use) or that genetic mechanisms that affect individual variation in HDL level differ in pre- and postmenopausal women. Data were not available on postmenopausal female hormone use. If genetic mechanisms that influence variation in HDL levels differ between pre- and postmenopausal women, genetic epidemiologic methods that assume that genetic and environmental sources of variation are the same for all groups of individuals may lead to false conclusions. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Storage of platelet concentrates after high-dose ultraviolet B irradiation

Ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation of platelet concentrates (PCs) may prevent the development of posttransfusion HLA alloimmunization. As irradiation performed in a blood center or a hospital will probably be associated with a variable postirradiation delay before transfusion, the ability to store PCs after UVB irradiation becomes important. The effects have been studied of a UVB dose of 10,000 mJ per cm2, the dose used in our institution for UVB clinical trials, on PCs pooled and stored for up to 96 hours after irradiation. Results showed that after 96 hours of storage, though there were no changes in pH, platelet count, white cell count, percent discharge of lactate dehydrogenase, or beta-thromboglobulin, there were significant decreases in morphology score and osmotic recovery. These changes, however, were not evident after 24 hours of storage. Similarly, there was a 60-percent decrease in immunoreactive membrane glycoprotein (GP) Ib after 96 hours of storage, but these changes were not seen after 48 hours of storage. No changes were seen in levels of GPIIb/IIIa in either group during the 96 hours of storage. On computer-analyzed two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, PCs irradiated at 10,000 mJ per cm2 and stored for 72 hours had changes in over 50 platelet proteins as compared to those proteins in nonirradiated age-matched control PCs. It can be concluded that UVB irradiation of PCs at 10,000 mJ per cm2 does not lead to significant platelet deterioration after short-term storage (24-48 hours) but is likely to be deleterious after long-term (72-96 hours) storage.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Phagocytosis of liposomes by human platelets.

We have shown that platelets are capable of phagocytosing liposomes rather than simply sequestering particles as previously postulated. Incubation of human platelets with small neutral unilamellar liposomes (approximately 74 nm) resulted in uptake of the liposomes and retention of the lipid with rapid release of the aqueous-phase components. The lipid label [3H]-cholesterylhexadecyl ether and water-soluble [3H]inulin were used to study the fate of the liposome components. Uptake of liposomes was proportional to the number of liposomes added and to the incubation time. Approximately 250 liposomes per platelet were taken up within a 5-hr incubation period. Uptake of the liposomes occurred through the open-channel system, as evidenced by thin-section electron microscopy, and was followed by accumulation and degradation in acid- and esterase-containing vesicles, as determined by changes in fluorescence of the pH-sensitive probe, pyranine (1-hydroxypyrene-3,6,8-trisulfonic acid), and hydrolysis of the cholesteryl [14C]oleate membrane marker. Uptake was inhibited by the addition of EDTA, cytochalasin B, or 2,4-dinitrophenol and iodoacetate to the medium. Results from the serotonin release assay, micro-aggregation assay, fluorescein diacetate membrane integrity assay, and electron microscopy indicate that neither the conditions for loading nor phagocytosis of liposomes significantly alter platelet function or morphology.