The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation

Objectives: To simplify processing of RBCs, we compared RBC folate forms in washed and unwashed blood samples.Methods: We obtained fresh EDTA blood (10 blood bank donors; 3 tubes/donor) and generated RBCs (refrigerated centrifugation at 1500xg, 10 min) using no wash (with second centrifugation step), 1x wash, and 3x wash (conventional procedure).Cold saline (1:1) was used for the 1x and 3x wash conditions.We diluted RBCs (unwashed and washed) with saline (1:1), mixed well, prepared lysates (1:11 dilution) with 1% ascorbic acid, and stored samples at -70 C for 1 week.At the time of analysis (2 replicates/sample type over 2 days), we treated RBC lysates with recombinant exo -glutamyl hydrolase for folate polyglutamate deconjugation and conducted sample clean-up by solid phase extraction prior to HPLC-MS/MS analysis.We measured hemoglobin (Hb) in the same RBC lysates to correct for residual moisture in the packed RBCs and normalized the concentration of each folate form to Hb using the mean corpuscular Hb content.Results: Concentrations (meanAESD, nmol/L) of folate forms for no wash or 1x wash vs conventional showed excellent correlation (Pearson r !0.985) and correspondence for 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-methylTHF: 774AE270 or 766AE260 vs 761AE264), non-methyl folate (53AE68 or 55AE69 vs 51AE69), and MeFox (164AE39 or 158AE36 vs 159AE38), respectively.The Deming slope (95% CI) was not significantly different from 1 for 5-methylTHF (1.02 [0.95-1.09]or 0.99 [0.95-1.03]),nonmethyl folate (0.98 [0.95-1.01]or 0.99 [0.89-1.09]),and MeFox (1.04 [0.90-1.17]or 0.94 [0.82-1.06])and the Deming intercept was not different from 0. The mean relative difference (% [95% CI]) for no wash or 1x wash vs conventional was mostly small: 5-methylTHF (1.8% [-0.2% to 4%] or 0.82% [-1.54% to 3.2%]), MeFox (3.3% [0.4% to 6.2%] or 0.11% [-2.8% to 3.0%]), and non-methyl folate (13% [1.63% to 24%] or 14% [3.1% to 24%]), respectively.Conclusions: RBC folate form concentrations corresponded well across wash procedures but were slightly higher in no wash samples for minor folate forms.

Solid organ transplantation is the criterion standard treatment for many with end-organ failure and can offer a new independence from the burden of disease. However solid organ transplant recipients (SOTRs) remain at high risk of cardiovascular (CV) disease, and poor quality of life and physical functioning. Increasing physical activity and exercise can improve the health of the general population; however, the effects on those with a transplant remain unclear. Intensive exercise and sporting activity has the potential to be beneficial, although there remain concerns particularly around the effects on immune function and the CV system. This review summarizes what is known about the effects of exercise on determinants of health in SOTRs and then collates the available literature investigating the consequences of intensive exercise and sport on the health of SOTR. There is a paucity of high-quality research, with most evidence being case studies or anecdotal; this is understandable given the relatively few numbers of SOTRs who are performing sport and exercise at a high level. However, if suitable evidence-based guidelines are to be formed and SOTRs are to be given reassurances that their activity levels are not detrimental to their transplanted organ and overall health, then more high-quality studies are required.