Seasonal variation in blood components of reared Baltic salmon, Salmo salar L.

Ranges in the means of blood measurements from 121 Baltic salmon taken on nine occasions spread over an annual cycle were: packed cell volume or haematocrit; blood haemoglobin; red blood cell counts including immature erythrocytes; mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration; mean cellular haemoglobin content and mean cellular volume. Seasonal changes appeared in all blood variables. Ontogenetic differences occurred in RBC and mean cellular volume when comparing 1 + parr with 2 + smolts in August one year apart, and in haemoglobin, RBC and immature RBC when comparing 1 + parr with adults once in November 1976. This points to greater influence upon haematological variation by season than by age. Significant regressions found within age groups, between pairs of mutually independent blood variables, are presented.     

Changes in the nucleotide triphosphate/haemoglobin and nucleotide triphosphate/red cell ratios of rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri Richardson, subjected to prolonged starvation and bleeding

The nucleotide triphosphate/haemoglobin (NTP/Hb) and nucleotide triphosphate/red cell (NTP/cell) ratios of rainbow trout increased during prolonged starvation. A decline was noted in blood lactic acid concentration. Red cell count, haemoglobin concentration and haematocrit also declined. Changes in mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were found not to be significant. The NTP/Hb and NTP/cell ratios of both fed and starved trout rose seven days following a 15% reduction in blood volume by cardiac puncture. A rise in whole blood NTP concentration was found only in the bleeding response of fed animals. No significant change was noted in blood lactic acid concentration. The decline in haematocrit was significant only in the starved group. In both groups, however, red cell count and blood haemoglobin concentration fell. MCV rose whereas MCHC declined in all bled animals. Changes in MCH were not significant in either group. Negative correlations were noted between red cell count and both the NTP/Hb and NTP/cell ratios and between haemoglobin concentration and the NTP/Hb ratio. Positive correlations were seen between the two ratios and between red cell count and haemoglobin concentration.     

Effect in vivo of atrazine on haematology and O2 consumption in fish, Tilapia mossambica.

Studies were conducted on haematological constituents such as Red blood cells (RBC), White blood cells (WBC), Haemoglobin (Hb), Packed cell volume (PCV), Mean cell volume (MCV), Mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), Mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), Blood volume (BV), Blood water content (BWC) and Whole animal oxygen consumption (WAOC) in the fish exposed to sublethal concentration of atrazine. Significant changes were seen in the constituents of the blood and O2 consumption of fish suggesting the existence of respiratory distress in the fish as a consequence of atrazine toxicity.     

The haematology of triploid landlocked Atlantic salmon, Salmo solar L.

Triploid landlocked Atlantic salmon had a larger mean erythrocyte volume but lower erythrocyte count than diploids; the haematocrit was the same in diploids and triploids. Although the total blood haemoglobin content and the mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration were lower in triploids than in diploids, the actual mean corpuscular haemoglobin content of triploid erythrocytes was higher than that of diploids. The increase in triploid mean erythrocyte volume was mainly due to an increase in cell length; there was only a minor increase in cell width and no increase in cell height. The nucleus of triploid erythrocytes occupied a greater percentage of the corpuscular volume than did the diploid nucleus. Mean cytoplasmic haemoglobin concentration was found to be the same for diploids and triploids when this was taken into account     

FV blood group and haemoglobin type versus haematological and blood chemical parameters in young Swiss bulls

A relationship between the FV blood group phenotype and 4 out of 45 haematological and blood chemical parameters--red cell number, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and serum iron--has been demonstrated in young bulls of three Swiss cattle breeds. There was also a relationship between haemoglobin type and 7 out of 45 haematological and blood chemical parameters (haemoglobin concentration, red cell number, MCV, MCHC and red cell concentrations of K+ and Na+ and their sum). In addition to expanding the species in which there is an effect of haemoglobin phenotype on MCV to include cattle, these data also demonstrate a significant correlation between their FV phenotype and MCV.     

Blood adaptations to marine and freshwater environments in fish of the Family Sciaenidae (Perciformes)

In five species of fish from the Family Sciaenidae, collected from marine, brackish and fresh-water environments, the following parameters were studied: haemoglobin concentration, haematocrit, number of red blood cells, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration, blood pH, oxygen affinity of blood and stripped haemolysate, Root effect, the number of haemoglobins separated by polyacrilamide electrophoresis, iron concentration and osmotic pressure of the serum. Plagioscion squamosissimus , the only freshwater species studied, clearly separated from the other four species; it exhibited the highest haemoglobin number, haemotocrit, number erythrocytes, of oxygen affinity of the haemolysate, and the lowest oxygen affinity of the blood, iron concentration, pH and osmotic pressure.     

FV blood group and haemoglobin type versus haematological and blood chemical parameters in young Swiss bulls

A relationship between the FV blood group phenotype and 4 out of 45 haematological and blood chemical parameters — red cell number, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and serum iron — has been demonstrated in young bulls of three Swiss cattle breeds. There was also a relationship between haemoglobin type and 7 out of 45 haematological and blood chemical parameters (haemoglobin concentration, red cell number, MCV, MCHC and red cell concentrations of K⁺ and Na⁺ and their sum). In addition to expanding the species in which there is an effect of haemoglobin phenotype on MCV to include cattle, these data also demonstrate a significant correlation between their FV phenotype and MCV.     

Haemoglobin Rahere (beta Lys-Thr): A new high affinity haemoglobin associated with decreased 2, 3-diphosphoglycerate binding and relative polycythaemia.

A new haemoglobin with increased oxygen affinity, beta82 (EF6) lysine leads to threonine (Hb Rahere), was found during the investigation of a patient who was found to have a raised haemoglobin concentration after a routine blood count. The substitution affects one of the 2, 3-diphosphoglycerate binding sites, resulting in an increased affinity for oxygen, but both the haem-haem interaction and the alkaline Bohr effect are normal in the haemolysate. This variant had the same mobility as haemoglobin A on electrophoresis at alkaline pH but was detected by measuring the whole blood oxygen affinity; it could be separated from haemoglobin A, however, by electrophoresis in agar at acid pH. The raised haemoglobin concentration was mainly due to a reduction in plasma volume (a relative polycythaemia) and was associated with a persistently raised white blood count. This case emphasises the need to measure the oxygen affinity of haemoglobin in all patients with absolute or relative polycythaemia when some obvious cause is not evident.     

Haematological alterations in Rattus norvegicus (Wistar) experimentally infected with Echinostoma paraensei (Trematoda: Echinostomatidae)

Laboratory rats (Rattus norvegicus) were infected with Echinostoma paraensei (Trematoda: Echinostomatidae). The rodents received 150 metacercariae each and blood samples were collected weekly until the fifth week of infection. The blood samples were analyzed for determination of haematocrit, total red blood cells with their dimensions, haemoglobin and haematimetric index (mean corpuscular volume, MCV; mean corpuscular haemoglobin, MCH; and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration, MCHC) and platelets. Red blood cells, haematocrit and haemoglobin in the first week had significantly lower levels than those of uninfected (control) rats, suggesting the development of normocytic and normocromic anaemia with anisocytic alteration. The number of eosinophils did not increase significantly among the groups. We concluded that E. paraensei produces haematological alterations in R. norvegicus, causing regenerative anaemia. This system can therefore be a useful model to study the direct and indirect effects of gastrointestinal infections.     

Considerations of blood parameters of largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides

To evaluate physiological stress resulting from environmental influences, a haematological study of a natural population of largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides , was undertaken to establish a 'normal' blood profile. Several parameters including haemoglobin concentration, haematocrit, erythrocyte count, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration, plasma protein concentration and glucose levels were investigated. Haematocrit, haemoglobin, and total plasma protein were positively correlated with fish length. Haemoglobin and haematocrit were positively correlated with fish age while mean corpuscular haemoglobin, concentration was negatively correlated with fish age. Both haemoglobin and haematocrit values were related to erythrocyte counts.     

Effect of polychlorinated biphenyls (Delor 103) on haematological and enzyme parameters of the rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss

Rainbow trout at a weight of 223+/-12 g (mean+/-SD) were experimentally injected with a technical mixture of Delor 103 to evaluate the red blood cell indices (red blood cell count, haematocrit, haemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration) and some biochemical and enzyme parameters of the blood plasma (total protein, glucose, inorganic phosphate, total calcium, sodium, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase). Delor 103, administered by the i.p. route at a concentration of 0.24 g kg(-1) 120 h(-1), caused an increase in the red blood cell counts, haematocrit values, haemoglobin concentrations, inorganic phosphate, alanine aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase. The sodium level fell. The fish injected with Delor 103 showed a relative decrease in the lymphocyte count and a relative increase in the count of neutrophile band forms.     

Total body haematocrit iron kinetics and erythrocyte life span in pigeons (Columba livia)

1. The mean pigeon erythrocyte life span was found to be 17-25 days by Cr51-labeled erythrocytes and 21 +/- 3.4 days by iron kinetics. 2. Total red blood cell volume has been calculated by Cr51-labeled erythrocytes while total plasma volume was determined both by a dye method and iron kinetic data. From these results total blood volume and total body haematocrit were found to be 0.090 +/- 0.002 ml/g body wt and 36 +/- 4.3%, respectively. 3. Venous haematocrit, haemoglobin concentration, erythrocyte count, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration, plasma iron and red blood cell iron have also been measured. 4. A significant difference between total body and venous haematocrit and a short mean red blood cell life span, due to ageing and to random destruction of erythrocytes were shown. 5. The above observations are compared with analogous available data for human beings and their physiological significance is discussed.     

Some haematological responses of normal and splenectomized rainbow trout Salmo gairdneri to a 12% blood loss

Anaemia can be induced in Rainbow trout by removing 12 % of the blood volume by cardiac puncture. Recovery from such an anaemia has been monitored in both normal and splenectomized fish. After the bleeding there is a decrease in red cell numbers, haematocrit and blood haemoglobin concentration. Although recovery in normal trout was not complete within 27 days, which was the period of the observations, it was seen as a replenishing of red cell numbers, haematocrit and blood haemoglobin concentration. Mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), both depressed by the bleeding, did not appear to recover during the experimental period.
Splenectomy reduced erythropoietic intensity. After bleeding all the parameters studied were more depressed than those found in normal trout, and recovery was not noted. Blood haemoglobin and red cell numbers did not have the same post-bleeding pattern as normal individuals; MCH and MCHC values remained markedly depressed.
Splenic involvement was further demonstrated by bleeding trout for a second time from both normal and splenectomized groups. In contrast to the response of normal animals, there was a further deterioration of red cell numbers and blood haemoglobin concentration in splenectomized individuals.     

Effect of transient hypoxia on oxygenation of the developing rat brain: relationships among haemoglobin saturation, autoregulation of blood flow and mitochondrial redox state

Multi-wavelength, differential spectroscopy was used to examine the effects of transient hypoxia on oxygen delivery and intracellular utilization in the brain of developing rats. The in vivo redox status of cytochrome a,a3 was compared simultaneously with changes in relative haemoglobin saturation and blood volume in the cerebral cortex during lowered FiO2. During hypoxia, neonates maintained their intracellular cytochrome a,a3 redox state as well as did adults, but did so through unusual characteristics, including: (1) maintenance of haemoglobin oxygenation at lower FiO2; (2) regulation of cerebral blood volume at blood pressures below the point at which autoregulation would fail in the adult; and (3) the capacity to tolerate a greater reduction of cytochrome a,a3 relative to haemoglobin desaturation at lowered FiO2. These data suggest that mechanisms which protect the neonate from hypoxic insult involve preservation of oxygen delivery, increased respiratory compensation for metabolic acidosis, and maintenance of cellular energy requirements predominantly through anaerobic metabolism.     

Statistical relations of some blood parameters along recovery from imposed stress in dogfish

Selected blood parameters (arterial pH, O2 and CO2 tensions, oxygen content, bicarbonate and lactate concentrations, haematocrit, haemoglobin, red blood cell count, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration), oxygen consumption and ventilatory frequency were measured 0, 3 and 24 hours after cannulation of the dorsal aorta of 22 dogfish. Correlations were calculated between all pairs of variables along the post-operational recovery period. Results are discussed in terms of the integrated dynamics of the recovery process subsequent to handling, anaesthesia and surgery stress. It is suggested that erythrocyte swelling plays an important role in maintaining tissue oxygen supply during recovery from operational procedures.     

Changes in muscle oxygenation during weight-lifting exercise

The quantitative analysis of haemoglobin oxygenation of contracting human muscle during weight-lifting exercise was studied noninvasively and directly using near-infrared spectroscopy. This method was developed as a three-wavelength method which confirmed the volume changes in oxygenated haemoglobin (oxy-Hb), deoxygenated haemoglobin (deoxy-Hb) and blood volume (total-Hb; Oxy-Hb + deoxy-Hb). Nine healthy adult men with various levels of training experience took part in the study. Ten repetition maximum (10 RM) one-arm curl exercise was performed by all the subjects. Results showed that at the beginning of the 10-RM exercise, rapid increases of deoxy-Hb and decreases of oxy-Hb were observed. In addition, total-Hb gradually increased during exercise. These results corresponded to the condition of arm blood flow experimentally restricted using a tourniquet in contact with the shoulder joint, and they showed the restriction of venous blood flow and an anoxic state occurring in the dynamically contracted muscle. In three sets of lifting exercise with short rest periods, these tendencies were accelerated in each set, while total-Hb volume did not return to the resting state after the third set for more than 90 s. These results would suggest that a training regimen emphasizing a moderately high load and a high number of repetitions, and a serial set with short rest periods such as usually performed by bodybuilders, caused a relatively long-term anoxic state in the muscle.     

Changes in haemorheology in the racing greyhound as related to oxygen delivery

Arterial blood samples were obtained from six greyhounds during rest, immediately before, and after a 704-m (7/16th mile) race. Measurements were made of various haematological (red cell count, haemoglobin, packed cell volume, white cell count, plasma proteins) and haemorheological variables. Blood and plasma viscosity were determined at high wall shear stresses (67-200 dynes.cm-2, 670-2000 microN.cm-2) in a 20-microns glass capillary device which was designed to take the diameter dependence of blood viscosity (Fahraeus-Lindqvist effect) into account. Compared to values at rest, substantial haemoconcentration occurred before the race, mainly due to splenic discharge of red cells. Additional haemoconcentration was found after the race. The increase of effective blood viscosity caused by elevation of packed cell volume was greater than the increase in O2 binding capacity resulting from the elevated haemoglobin concentration, suggesting that the haemoconcentration observed in the exercising greyhound does not enhance O2 delivery to skeletal muscle. The main physiological effect of red cell discharge from the contracting spleen appeared to be a consequence of the volume rather than the composition of the circulating blood.     

Haematology of swordtail, Xiphophorus helleri. I: blood parameters and light microscopy of blood cells

The main blood parameters of the swordtail, Xiphophorus helleri , were studied. Morphology, granulation staining and cytochemistry of leucocytes in peripheral blood, kidney, spleen and gills were investigated by light microscopy. Blood parameters are similar to other fish species: Red blood cell count (4.5 × 10⁶μl), white blood cell count (15.2 × 10³μl), haema-tocrit (33.8%) haemoglobin (7.8 mg ml⁻¹), MCV (mean corpuscle volume, 75.1 μm³). MCH (mean content of haemoglobin, 17.3 pg), MCHC (mean percentage haemoglobin/erythrocyte, 23.1%/100 ml erythrocytes). Leucocytes can be classified into lymphocytes, thrombocytes, neutrophilic and eosinophilic gra-nulocytes, monocytes macrophages and melanomacrophages.
Morphological and cytochemical features of the cells are described and compared with results from other fish species.     

Screening cord blood for sickle haemoglobinopathies in Brent.

Between 1981 and 1983, 3165 consecutive specimens of cord blood were tested at the Central Middlesex Hospital for the presence of an abnormal haemoglobin: the incidence of sickle cell trait was 2.8%, of HbC trait 0.9%, and the overall incidence of an abnormal haemoglobin at birth was 6.9%. Five babies with homozygous sickle cell disease, three with HbSC, and three with either HbCC or HbC beta thalassaemia were detected. Twenty two per cent of the mothers were of Afro-Caribbean origin. The cost of the test was 30p. An H6000 blood count was carried out on 1000 consecutive cord blood samples. The mean red cell volume was 97.95 (SD 3.67) fl. Thirteen cord blood samples had a mean cell volume below 85 fl, and all contained Hb Barts. In addition, six samples with a mean cell volume between 86 and 92 fl also showed Hb Barts on electrophoresis. The overall incidence of Hb Barts was 2.1%. These results indicate that the incidence of HbSS and HbSC on neonatal screening in Brent is similar to that found in the urban areas of North America and that the number may be predicted from the number of births to mothers of Afro-Caribbean origin.     

Haematological changes in experimental hydralazine-induced collagen-like syndrome in guinea pigs.

Haematological studies were carried out in hydralazine-induced collagen-like syndrome in guinea pigs. 37.5 per cent of animals were found to be LE-positive. It was found that long-term administration of hydralazine caused a decrease of erythrocyte count, a decrease of haemoglobin concentration and a decrease of haemoglobin content in individual red blood cell as well as a decrease of a single erythrocyte volume. A significant leukopenia was shown in LE-positive subgroup of hydralazine-treated guinea pigs. The obtained results confirmed the similarity of hydralazine syndrome to systemic lupus erythematosus.