Specific determination of cyanide in blood by headspace gas chromatography.

An improved method has been developed for the quantitative determination of cyanide in human blood by headspace gas chromatography with electron-capture detection. In this novel method, cyanide was detected after conversion of hydrogen cyanide into cyanogen chloride by a reaction with chloramine T. The advantage of this new procedure lies in the fact that hydrogen cyanide formation and chlorination are carried out in a single step and in the same reaction medium.

Glycosylation of gamma-glutamyltransferase is modified by ethanol in H5-6 hepatoma cell line.

The H5-6 cultured rat hepatoma cell line was used to investigate the post-translational maturation of gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and the effects of acute ethanol administration on the expression and glycosylation of this membrane-bound glycoprotein. We found that the two subunits of H5-6 GGT with molecular masses of 55 and 33 kDa were derived from a single glycosylated precursor of 80 kDa. In addition, signals of high molecular mass (more than 90 kDa) were detected.