Standard and buffy-coat-depleted red cell concentrates were filtered through a new cellulose acetate filter with a manual procedure. No residual leukocytes could be detected in 19 of the 21 filtered units. Extracellular hemoglobin after red cell filtration and concentration never exceeded 10 mg per unit. No transfusion reaction occurred in 10 recipients with potent lymphocytotoxic antibodies in their serum and histories of febrile transfusion reactions. This filter allows the preparation of leukocyte-poor red cell units with a safe, simple, and effective manual procedure.

Blood Transfusion↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Increased urinary excretion of hydroxyproline in runners training in urban areas.

In this study, the authors investigated urinary excretion of hydroxyproline in 120 subjects to test the hypothesis that physical activity is associated with increased exposure to pollution derived from traffic exhaust. The study population comprised active noncompetitive runners (i.e., 21.1% trained < 2.5 hr/wk, 20% trained for 2.5-5.0 hr/wk, and 54.4% trained > 5 hr/wk) who lived in Genoa, an urban area of Northern Italy. The mean hydroxyproline value (24.39 +/- 8.38 standard deviation] mg/24 hr x m2) in a group of 69 runners who trained in tracks and streets located in downtown Genoa was higher (p < .05) than the mean value recorded in a group of 21 runners (13.33 +/- 2.51 mg/24 hr x m2) who trained mainly in a rural environment of Genoa. The difference was even greater (p < .01) when a third comparable group of 30 nonrunners was considered (mean = 12.54 +/- 3.41 [standard deviation] mg/24 hr x m2). In the urban environment, urinary levels of hydroxyproline were correlated significantly with intensity and frequency of running, but they were unrelated to smoking status.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Increased blood lead levels in runners training in urban areas.

In an attempt to examine the hypothesis of whether physical activity causes increased uptake of lead in humans, blood lead levels were measured in 231 individuals. Included in the study were subjects who lived in Northern Italy and who practiced noncompetitive running in urban areas or along the countryside. The mean values (1.25 +/- 0.27 mumol/l) measured in a group of 28 runners who trained at tracks and on roads of a large town, characterized by heavy traffic and high atmospheric lead levels, were slightly higher than those recorded in a group of 10 runners of the same town who trained mostly in a rural environment (0.99 +/- 0.29 mumol/l) and, with a striking and significant difference, in a comparable group of 182 nonrunners (0.46 +/- 0.22 mumol/l). These background figures were similar to those found in 11 runners who lived in a smaller, less polluted urban area who trained in country roads (0.40 +/- 0.11 mumol/l). Blood lead levels were correlated significantly with the intensity and frequency of the running practice and were unrelated to smoking habits.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[A comparative study of skinfold thickness and bioelectric impedance analysis in the evaluation of body composition of children and adolescents].

A comparative study as carried out between skin-fold thickness tests and bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) to assess the validity of the latter as a method for evaluating body composition in childhood and youth. The percentage values of total body fat obtained using both methods in 117 boys and girls aged between 8 and 14 appear to be significantly correlated (p less than 0.01) in both sexes (males: r = 0.891; females: r = 0.830) and in each group of subjects subdivided according to stage of puberal development (8-11 years: r = 0.905; 12-14 years: r = 0.864) or the degree of physical activity performed (active: r = 0.880; sedentary: r = 0.915). The results of the study confirm that BIA represents a valid and reliable method to analyse body composition even during circumpuberal development in phase opposition. Moreover, BIA provides an estimate of total body fat which is independent of the differences in distribution between surface and deep deposits.

Adipose Tissue↗