Different reticulocyte volume in diabetes mellitus patients with and without hypercholesterolemia and/or hypertriglyceridemia.

Red cells and reticulocytes from patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) were analysed using laser and computer technology of H*3 hematology analyzer. Four groups of diabetes mellitus patients: diabetes with normolipemia (DM) (n = 12) and DM patients with excess triglyceride (DM-T) (n = 7) or cholesterol (DM-C) (n = 21) or both (DM-TC) (n = 21) were studied. Mean corpuscular volume of mature red cells (Mean +/- SD = 93.6 +/- 5.5 fl) and reticulocyte (119.1 +/- 12.3 fl) of patients with DM-T was not significantly increased from normal (red cell, 90.0 +/- 3.5 fl; reticulocyte, 115.2 +/- 7.3 fl). Plasma triglyceride levels had no significant correlation with red cell MCV, reticulocyte MCV and %Hb A1c. This suggests that high triglyceride levels in DM are not dose-dependent in producing increased MCV of red cells and reticulocytes. Comparing between DM-T and DM-C, red cells and reticulocytes from DM-C patients had significantly decreased MCV (red cell, 85.5 +/- 6.1 fL; reticulocyte, 103.8 +/- 7.4 fL). Plasma cholesterol levels were inversely correlated with MCV of red cells (r = -0.377, p = 0.003) and also MCV of reticulocytes (r = -0.418, p = 0.001). In addition, cholesterol levels showed considerable correlation with Hb A1c (r = 0.572, p = 0.004). The red cell volume change in DM-C patients may be partly due to the shift in balance of cholesterol exchange between red cell membranes and serum lipoproteins.

Measurements of cell volume and hemoglobin concentration of erythrocytes from hereditary ovalocytosis and hereditary spherocytosis.

Red cell analysis using the laser technique was done on erythrocytes from 11 cases of hereditary ovalocytosis (HV) and one case of hereditary spherocytosis (HS). Heterogeneity in red cell volume measured as red cell distribution width (RDW) and heterogeneity of hemoglobin concentration in the red cells as measured by hemoglobin concentration distribution width (HDW) were analyzed. All of the studied cases showed abnormal increase in both RDW and HDW. The patient with HS had decreased MCV 77.4 fL (normal range = 80-99 fL). The HS patient had microcytes 14.7 per cent with markedly increased RDW 22.3 per cent (normal range = 11.5-14.5%). Increased hemoglobin concentration was demonstrated in HS red cells as shown by increased CHCM 39.2 g/dl (normal range = 33-37) with 5.86 g/dl of HDW (normal range = 2.2-3.3 g/dl). The HV patients had slightly decreased cell volume, MCV = 84.1 +/- 11.8 fL, with 9.2 +/- 10.1 per cent microcytes and 17.5 +/- 5.7 per cent RDW. Decreased hemoglobin concentration was shown in HV red cells as shown by decreased CHCM (31.7 +/- 1.9 g/dl) with slightly increased HDW (3.3 +/- 0.9 g/dl). The HV patients had increased per cent hypochromic red cells (14.8 +/- 18.6%). The ovalocytic red cells in HV patients had obviously reduced hemoglobin concentration compared to the spherical red cells of HS patients.

Effect of vegetable oil intake on erythrocyte physical properties and hemorheology.

Effects of vegetable oil intake on red cell physical properties and blood flow condition were evaluated. The study was done on two groups of volunteers taking either soybean oil (6 volunteers) or palm oil (another 6 subjects) for a period of eight weeks. The continuous effects were followed up after continuing the vegetable oil intake for another four weeks. Significant reduction in red cell deformability was demonstrated by laser diffractometry in both groups. The palm oil had greater extent in causing reduced red cell deformability as early as four weeks after the oil intake, whereas, such effect was shown in eight weeks after the soybean oil intake. The reducing effect of red cell deformability by palm oil intake was more obvious than that by the soybean oil intake as indicated by the fall of deformability index from the control by 47.6 per cent in palm oil and 21.9 per cent in the soybean oil group. The decrease still persisted and could be investigated on the four weeks' followup. The hematologic parameters measured by the laser-based instrument, the H*1 analyser were all within the normal ranges in both groups. However, the group taking soybean oil showed decreasing hemoglobin levels, which may be a physiological response to facilitate blood flow condition. The platelet volume was increased in both groups, indicating the possibility of adjustment of thrombopoiesis in the subjects although no clinical indication related to this finding was shown. In conclusion, intake of vegetable oil had an effect on red cell deformability. Soybean oil had an advantage over palm oil in having less effect on reducing the red cell deformability.

Increased ovalocytic red cells and their low parasitemia in malaria infected subjects.

Ovalocytic red blood cells were significantly increased in the peripheral blood films of patients infected with P. falciparum (mean +/- S.D. = 6.3 +/- 8.4%) and P. vivax (8.3 +/- 14.0%), whereas, there was only 0.6 +/- 0.4 per cent ovalocytes in normal individuals. Per cent parasitemia of ovalocytes counted at least 100 ovalocytes of the blood films of malaria infected individuals was significantly reduced when compared with that of discocytes which revealed at least 100 discocytes in the same blood smears. Relative increase in ovalocyte and their low parasitemia might be the response of malaria infected individuals to cope with malaria multiplication in their circulation.