Evaluation of a particle-enhanced turbidimetric immunoassay for the measurement of ferritin: application to patients participating in an autologous blood transfusion program.

Objectives: To evaluate a turbidimetric immunoassay for the measurement of ferritin, and to assay this method in a group of patients undergoing an autologous blood transfusion program.

Design And Methods: We used an ILab 900 analyzer. This instrument automates a particle-enhanced immunoturbidimetric assay with an analysis time of 9 min.

Hemorheological, coagulative and fibrinolytic changes during autologous blood donation.

Background: Clinical data suggest that autologous blood donation may prevent postsurgical venous thrombosis. If confirmed, this is probably due to beneficial effects in rheologic and hematologic variables which may be changed in patients as a result of repeated bleeding.

Study Design And Methods: To ascertain this point, we studied variations in hematological, hemorheological, coagulative and fibrinolytic parameters in 30 patients undergoing autologous blood donation.

Lipoprotein alterations in liver cirrhosis: a possible contribution to changes in plasma oncotic pressure and viscosity.

Background/aims: To investigate whether physicochemical alterations in plasma lipoproteins are associated with changes in plasma oncotic pressure and viscosity in liver cirrhosis.

Methods: The study included 66 patients with cirrhosis (confirmed by liver biopsy) and 58 healthy volunteers. The constituents measured were: the concentration, density and composition of plasma lipoproteins; plasma oncotic pressure and viscosity; and the concentrations of albumin, total protein, haptoglobin, transferrin, immunoglobulin M and alpha2-macroglobulin.

Plasma protein abnormalities in nephrotic syndrome: effect on plasma colloid osmotic pressure and viscosity.

The concentrations of 25 plasma proteins were measured in 22 patients with membranous nephropathy. For some large proteins, the plasma concentrations were increased; there were also large proteins with low plasma concentrations, but small or medium-sized proteins showed uniformly lower plasma concentration than the controls. Plasma colloid osmotic pressure (pi) and viscosity (eta) were not interrelated but showed positive and significant correlations with plasma concentrations of small and medium-sized proteins (pi) and plasma concentrations of large proteins (eta), respectively.