535 patients admitted to hospital with myocardium infarct which was confirmed in a determined period and within a 80 kilometers radius from a city of the East of France were compared to the meteorological parameters of the day when the infarct occurred and of the day preceding its occurrence. On one hand, climatic parameters were selected: atmospheric pressure, temperature of the air under shelter, relative humidity, wind speed and wind direction, hydrometeors and electrometeors; on the other hand, parameters of solar and planetary activity: daily flare index, AA index, Ap index or daily planetary index, phases of the moon. The analytic study concerning all acute vascular accidents (infarcts and cerebral accidents all together) enabled to us to notice a higher frequency of vascular accidents in various meteorological circumstances: atmospheric pressure lower than 990 mb, temperature lower than 12 degrees, wind of sector North to South-South West, hoar-frost with fog, rain, snow, first quarter of the moon, daily flare index lower than 530, magnetic activity lower than 6. A factorial analysis of correspondence enabled to us to understand the problem better and to determine "an infarct area" in which main meteorological factors appeared: low or decreasing atmospheric pressure, relative or increasing humidity, clear or increasing solar activity, steady magnetic activity; other factors could play an apparently less important role: low temperature, snow, decrease of wind speed, full moon, wind of sector East to North-East, South-South West. Consequently it appeared in that study that the occurrence of myocardium infarct corresponded to a climatic tendency corresponding to cold, bad or deteriorating weather.

Atmospheric Pressure↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Coagulation and hemorheology.

The application of principles of hemorheology on a process of blood coagulation was suggested by H.H. Hartert - inventor of the thromboelastograph which he introduced in 1947. These principles of applying of a mechanical force and detecting the response of coagulating blood enable to determine a functional evidence of the physiological process producing a hemostatic clot. The thromboelastography, as well as other rheological techniques used for this determination, are introduced evaluating the process in terms of the rate of coagulation, clot elasticity, deformability and permeability. Recent applications of the techniques to the diagnosis of disorders of hemostasis and the study of drug effects on coagulation are presented as well.

Blood Coagulation↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of glutaraldehyde on hemoglobin-dependent quenching of pyrene fluorescence. Application to oxygen diffusion in erythrocyte.

In the present study, we investigate the effect of glutaraldehyde incorporation on the erythrocyte deformability, membrane fluidity and process of molecular oxygen diffusion. The erythrocyte deformability variations were inversely related with the glutaraldehyde concentration incorporated. The membrane fluidity, as assessed by a method based on the kinetics of pyrene dodecanoic acid excimers formation, decreased as the glutaraldehyde concentration increased. So, we verified that glutaraldehyde incorporation was accompanied by membrane rigidification. In the presence of glutaraldehyde, decreased absorption of hemoglobin heme group (420 nm) and decreased hemoglobin-dependent quenching of pyrene butyric acid (PBA) fluorescence would result from hemoglobin polymerization. Using a technique of fluorescence intensity quenching by molecular oxygen (accessibility to oxygen), we showed that oxygen diffusion was decreased in the presence of glutaraldehyde. To conclude, membrane rigidification induced by glutaraldehyde incorporation would affect oxygen molecular process.

Butyrates↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Multicenter study of an erythro-aggregometer: quality control and standardization.

There is a need for quality assurance procedures in hemorheology, especially for clinical and pharmacological studies, which require reliable and well-calibrated instruments to be interpretable and comparable. Preliminary investigations allowed preparation of standardized SM (normal NS and hyperaggregable HS), and checking of storage conditions (in accordance with the guidelines of the SSC of ISTH) of RBC in nutritive SAG mannitol for at least 2 or 3 weeks with subsequent washings and resuspension in SM. In our study, we compared erythro-aggregometers of the same brand in 6 laboratories, using the same red blood cells (RBC) and suspending media (SM) for each series of tests. EA was measured by laser backscattering with determination of aggregation time (AT), partial dissociation threshold (PDT) and aggregation index (AI). Prior to the study, devices were set up on the same day with the same standardized blood, and calibration data were then analyzed. Within-assay precision (WAP) was assessed on 3 days for the 2 types of SM (n = 18 x 2). Between-assay precision (BAP) was assessed on 6 occasions, once every month (n = 6 x 2 x 6). Accuracy was studied with 3 series of RBC resuspended in 10 SM of "unknown" aggregability. Good agreement was observed between 5/6 centers for the 3 parameters of EA. WEP was good: CV of AT ranging from 1.4 to 2.5% for the NS and from 1.4 to 2.4% for the HS. In each center, BAP was slightly lower than WEP (CV: 8-11.8% for the NS and 3.8-4.7% for the HS over the 6-month study), with no drift, except for one center. Precision was always better with the HS than with the NS which seemed a better tool to assess it. As to accuracy, non-significant differences were generally found between centers, with similar data to the reference values. This work also stressed the importance of the RBC parameter itself in rheological data. For the first time, a protocol for standardization of EA has been developed and evaluated, permitting the Quality Control of this technique.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Red blood cell adhesion on a solid/liquid interface: comparison of two models.

Discoid red blood cells (RBCs) deposited irreversibly on a horizontal glass surface are studied by means of optical microscopy and image analysis. The relative surface covered by the RBCs, as well as the variance of this surface coverage as a function of the cell concentration, are analyzed and compared to the results derived from the ballistic deposition (BD) model. This model describes the irreversible deposition of spherical particles under the influence of an infinitely large gravitation force and does not allow for overlaps between adsorbed particles. In spite of these characteristics, the BD model permits, surprisingly, to reproduce our experimental observations on the deposition of RBCs on a flat surface. This finding is discussed, in particular in respect to a former study where a model was developed for colloidal particles of this particular geometric shape.

Cell Adhesion↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Rheologic characterization of vegetal lectins by dissociation of induced erythrocyte agglutinates.

Energy evolved from hemagglutination reaction or spent in dissociating erythrocyte agglutinates has been proved to be an excellent parameter for analyzing cell-cell interactions mediated by bridging molecules such as antibodies or lectins. We developed a new rheo-optical method to estimate the energy of dissociation of red blood cell agglutinates. In a Couette shear field agglutinates can be dissociated until a suspension of monodispersed cells is obtained. Intensity of light backscattered by suspended agglutinates increases during their mechanical dissociation. Variation of backscattered light intensity correlates with the energy spent in the process. The adhesive energy of erythrocyte agglutination induced by lectins has been estimated by applying this method. Two specific lectins (Dolichus Biflorus agglutinin and Ulex Europaeus agglutinin) and a new lectin obtained from Amarantus Cruentus seeds which specificity is unknown were studied. Results obtained in this work for Dolichus Biflorus lectin are comparable with values published by other authors. An asymptotic decrease of adhesive energy was observed when the mechanical dissociation was applied several times on the same sample. Our results suggest that the cell detachment is accompanied by the extraction of membrane receptors. This finding is consistent with results obtained by other authors.

Energy Metabolism↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The effect of rouleaux formation on blood coagulation.

The coagulation of whole blood resulting a blood clot is initiated in vitro for studying the effect of rouleaux formation on the kinetics of coagulation and clot formation. The clot formation is monitored in the rotational viscosimeter and in the erythroaggregometer using a light backscattered technique. The intensity of flow as well as hematocrit were changed in a way to determine a tendency in the effect of rouleaux size on the rate of coagulation. The results indicate that the clot formation is promoted when size of rouleaux is small at higher shear rates and low hematocrit in comparison with the coagulation at low shear rates and high hematocrit when the size of rouleaux is increased.

Blood Coagulation↗