Hemoglobin: normal values

Hematologists are not in agreement as to the "normal" amount of hemoglobin in the blood, nor is there agreement as to what amount of hemoglobin can be considered "a hemoglobin value of 100 per cent." Different hospitals base reports of hemoglobin on different standards, which obviously can be misleading. By biometric study of the great mass of data on hemoglobin content that has become available as a result of the blood procurement program, it should be possible to determine what "normal" values are and to provide a basis for uniformity in reporting.     

Factors affecting tissue volume measurements in normal and edematous dog lungs

To characterize further some of the factors affecting lung tissue soluble-gas rebreathing volume (Vlt), we determined the solubility of acetylene in blood and lung tissue, the influence of the presence of pulmonary edema on tissue solubility, the effects of varying tidal volume (VT), and the tissue volume actually measured in two groups of six anesthetized paralyzed dogs: controls (C) and oleic acid-induced pulmonary edema (OA). Each animal's solubility was used to compute Vlt for comparison with gravimetric lung weight (Ql) and extravascular lung water content (Qwl). Solubility at 37.5 degrees C in blood (0.125 ml X 100 ml-1 X Torr-1) exceeded that in lung tissue (P less than 0.005): C = 0.118 and OA = 0.112 ml X 100 ml-1 X Torr-1 (NS). Vlt, expressed as %Ql, increased with increasing VT (20, 35, and 50 ml/kg) in OA (62.2, 78.9, and 94.7%, respectively, P less than 0.0001) but not in C (92.4, 94.4, and 99.3%, respectively). We conclude that solubility differs in blood and lung tissue but not in normal and edematous lungs, Vlt is not affected by VT in normal dogs but is in those with pulmonary edema, and Vlt measures Ql rather than Qwl.     

Nasal provocation test with hyperosmolar solutions: normal values

Hyperosmolar solutions have recently been introduced as test-substances in the nasal provocation of vasomotor rhinitis subjects. In order to establish a norm, the test was carried out in 40 subjects without nasal pathologies, stimulating with solutions at increasing level of concentrations of NaCl (0.9% - 1.8 - 3.6% - 5.4% - 7.2% - 9%). In all subjects an increase in nasal secretion was verified in proportion to the concentration of the solutions and this increase was statistically significative, with respect to the base, from the concentration 3.6% (p less than 0.001) on words. The statistical analysis has not, however, evidenced any significant differences in secretion between male or female subjects. As far as the variation of nasal resistance is concerned, the rhinomanometric registration has revealed that the hypertonic solutions modify such resistances in a rather casual, absolutely irregular and unimportant way. These results lead to believe that the test is extremely useful in the study of the secretion component of vasomotor rhinopathy.     

Reference cardiopulmonary values in normal dogs

The purpose of this project was to collate canine cardiopulmonary measurements from published and unpublished studies in our laboratory in 97 instrumented, unsedated, normovolemic dogs. Body weight; arterial and mixed-venous pH and blood gases; mean arterial, pulmonary arterial, pulmonary artery occlusion, and central venous blood pressures; cardiac output; heart rate; hemoglobin; and core temperature were measured. Body surface area; bicarbonate concentration; base deficit; cardiac index; stroke volume index, systemic and pulmonary vascular resistance indices; left and right cardiac work indices; alveolar partial pressure of oxygen (pO2) ; alveolar-arterial pO2 gradient (A-apO2); arterial, mixed-venous, and pulmonary capillary oxygen content; oxygen delivery; oxygen consumption; oxygen extraction; venous admixture; arterial and mixed-venous blood CO2 contents; and CO2 production were calculated. In the 97 normal, resting dogs, mean arterial and mixed-venous pH were 7.38 and 7.36, respectively; partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2), 40.2 and 44.1 mm Hg, respectively; base-deficit, -2.1 and -1.9 mEq/liter, respectively; pO2, 99.5 and 49.3 mm Hg, respectively; oxygen content, 17.8 and 14.2 ml/dl, respectively; A-a pO2 was 6.3 mm Hg; and venous admixture was 3.6%. The mean arterial blood pressure (ABPm), mean pulmonary arterial blood pressure (PAPm), pulmonary artery occlusion pressure (PAOP) were 103, 14, and 5.5 mm Hg, respectively; heart rate was 87 beats/min; cardiac index (CI) was 4.42 liters/min/m2; systemic and pulmonary vascular resistances were 1931 and 194 dynes.sec.cm-5, respectively; oxygen delivery, consumption and extraction were 790 and 164 ml/min/m2 and 20.5%, respectively. This study represents a collation of cardiopulmonary values obtained from a large number of dogs (97) from a single laboratory using the same measurement techniques.     

Electrostatic forces in two lysozymes: calculations and measurements of histidine pKa values.

In order to examine the electrostatic forces in globular proteins, pKa values and their ionic strength dependence of His residues of hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) and human lysozyme (HUML) were measured, and they were compared with those calculated numerically. pKa values of His residues in HEWL, HUML, and short oligopeptides were determined from chemical shift changes of His side chains by 1H-nmr measurements. The associated changes in pKa values in HEWL and HUML were calculated by solving the Poisson-Boltzmann equations numerically for macroscopic dielectric models. The calculated pKa changes and their ionic strength dependence agreed fairly well with the observed ones. The contribution from each residue of each alpha-helix dipole to the pKa values and their ionic strength dependence was analyzed using Green's reciprocity theorem. The results indicate that (1) the pKa of His residues are largely affected by surrounding ionized and polar groups; (2) the ionic strength dependence of the pKa values is determined by the overall charge distributions and their accessibilities to solvent; and (3) alpha-helix dipoles make a significant contribution to the pKa, when the His residue is close to the helix terminus and not fully exposed to the solvent.