Subject(s)
Emergency Medicine/organization & administration , Emergency Service, Hospital , Medical Staff, Hospital/organization & administration , Personnel Staffing and Scheduling/organization & administration , Emergency Service, Hospital/organization & administration , Emergency Service, Hospital/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Medical Staff, Hospital/supply & distribution , Night Care , Time Management , United Kingdom , WorkforceSubject(s)
Clinical Competence , Emergency Service, Hospital/standards , Medical Staff, Hospital , Ventricular Fibrillation/therapy , Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation , Education, Medical, Graduate , Emergency Medicine/education , England , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Hospitals, District , Hospitals, Teaching/standards , Humans , Medical Staff, Hospital/education , Medical Staff, Hospital/psychology , Patient Care Team , Practice Guidelines as Topic , WalesABSTRACT
1. The sodium content, the rate and rate constant of ouabain-sensitive sodium efflux and the number of sodium pumps (indicated by the ouabain-binding capacity) were measured in erythrocytes from patients with hyperthyroidism and compared with values obtained in euthyroid patients and healthy control subjects. Erythrocyte zinc content was measured as a simple estimate of the content of carbonic anhydrase. 2. In the hyperthyroid patients, erythrocyte sodium content was increased, whereas the rate and rate constant of ouabain-sensitive sodium efflux, the ouabain-binding capacity and erythrocyte zinc content were all decreased. 3. The sodium pumps in hyperthyroidism had the same affinity for ouabain and the same rate constant per pump as those in healthy controls. 4. The decrease in the efflux rate constant could be entirely accounted for by the decrease in the number of sodium pumps. 5. Although the sodium efflux was decreased in the hyperthyroid patients, the change was less than expected for the decrease in the efflux rate constant. This suggests that there is an increase in the ground permeability of the erythrocyte membrane in hyperthyroidism. 6. In the hyperthyroid patients the number of sodium pumps and erythrocyte zinc content were inversely related to the plasma levels of thyroxine and tri-iodothyronine, but more closely to the latter. 7. These results suggest that the thyroid hormones may influence the erythrocyte's content of a range of proteins which happens to include the sodium pump.
Subject(s)
Erythrocytes/metabolism , Hyperthyroidism/blood , Sodium/blood , Adult , Binding Sites , Biological Transport, Active/drug effects , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Ouabain/pharmacology , Thyroxine/blood , Triiodothyronine/blood , Zinc/bloodABSTRACT
1. The sodium content, the ouabain-sensitive sodium efflux and efflux rate constant and the ouabain-binding capacity were measured in the erythrocytes of 53 patients with hypokalaemia and in 37 healthy controls. The sodium content alone was measured in a further 57 patients with hypokalaemia. 2. In the patients with hypokalaemia there was an increase in the average sodium content of the erythrocytes, which was entirely due to a reduction in the ouabain-sensitive efflux rate constant. 3. The ratio of the ouabain-sensitive efflux rate constant to the number of sodium pumps was decreased in the patients with hypokalaemia, and was directly related to the plasma potassium. 4. Many patients with moderate hypokalaemia had normal erythrocyte sodium and potassium contents and normal ouabain-sensitive efflux rate constant. These patients had an increased number of sodium pumps, which compensated for the inhibitory effect of hypokalaemia on each sodium pump. 5. This increase in the number of sodium pumps was common even in patients who had probably had hypokalaemia for less than 2 weeks. This finding suggests that there are latent sodium pumps within the circulating erythrocytes.
