Detection of human red blood cell-bound nitric oxide.

Major disparities in reported levels of basal human nitric oxide metabolites have resulted in a recent literature focusing almost exclusively on methods. We chose to analyze triiodide chemiluminescence, drawn by the prospect of identifying why the most commonly employed assay in nitric oxide biology typically yielded lower metabolite values, compared with several other techniques. We found that the sensitivity of triiodide was greatly affected by the auto-capture of nitric oxide by deoxygenated cell-free heme in the reaction chamber.

Supine rest reduces platelet activation and aggregation.

Platelet activation and aggregation are central processes in acute coronary syndromes and myocardial infarction, and are stimulated by physical and mental stress. However, it is not known if and to what extent the "ordinary" stress inherent in a person's daily routine contributes to platelet activation and aggregation. We measured platelet activation and aggregation in 12 healthy non-smokers, before and after 45 min supine rest in a calm environment.