Non-invasive carboxyhemoglobin monitoring: screening emergency medical services patients for carbon monoxide exposure.

Introduction: Carbon monoxide (CO) toxicity is a significant health problem. The use of non-invasive pulse CO-oximetry screening in the emergency department has demonstrated that the rapid screening of numerous individuals for CO toxicity is simple and capable of identifying occult cases of CO toxicity.

Objective: The objective of this study was to extend the use of this handheld device to the prehospital arena, assess carboxyhemoglobin (SpCO) levels in emergency medical services (EMS) patients, and correlate these levels with clinical and demographic data.

An insulator with barrier-element activity promotes alpha-spectrin gene expression in erythroid cells.

Understanding mechanisms controlling expression of the alpha-spectrin gene is important for understanding erythropoiesis, membrane biogenesis, and spectrin-linked hemolytic anemia. We showed previously that a minimal alpha-spectrin promoter directed low levels of expression only in early erythroid development, indicating elements outside the promoter are required for expression in adult erythrocytes. Addition of noncoding exon 1' and intron 1' conferred a 10-fold increase in activity in reporter gene assays.

Finding needles in a haystack: a case series of carbon monoxide poisoning detected using new technology in the emergency department.

Introduction: The diagnosis of carbon monoxide poisoning can be difficult because the symptoms are nonspecific and may mimic other illnesses. If carbon monoxide poisoning is suspected, the standard test at this time is venous or arterial carboxyhemoglobin levels. A new device, the Rad-57 pulse CO-oximeter (Masimo Inc.

Major erythrocyte membrane protein genes in EKLF-deficient mice.

Objectives: Mice deficient in the transcription factor erythroid Krüppel-like factor, KLF1 (EKLF) die approximately 14.5 days postcoitum of anemia, attributed to decreased expression of the beta-globin gene. The objectives of this study were to rescue EKLF-deficient embryos with mice expressing gamma-globin from beta-spectrin or ankyrin promoters and to characterize expression of the major erythrocyte membrane genes in EKLF-deficient cells.

Alterations in expression and chromatin configuration of the alpha hemoglobin-stabilizing protein gene in erythroid Kruppel-like factor-deficient mice.

Erythroid Krüppel-like factor (EKLF) is an erythroid zinc finger protein identified by its interaction with a CACCC sequence in the beta-globin promoter, where it establishes local chromatin structure permitting beta-globin gene transcription. We sought to identify other EKLF target genes and determine the chromatin status of these genes in the presence and absence of EKLF. We identified alpha hemoglobin-stabilizing protein (AHSP) by subtractive hybridization and demonstrated a 95 to 99.

A dinucleotide deletion in the ankyrin promoter alters gene expression, transcription initiation and TFIID complex formation in hereditary spherocytosis.

Ankyrin defects are the most common cause of hereditary spherocytosis (HS). In some HS patients, mutations in the ankyrin promoter have been hypothesized to lead to decreased ankyrin mRNA synthesis. The ankyrin erythroid promoter is a member of the most common class of mammalian promoters which lack conserved TATA, initiator or other promoter cis elements and have high G+C content, functional Sp1 binding sites and multiple transcription initiation sites.