No abstract

The α₁-acid glycoprotein (orosomucoid) concentration in the serum of 34 uremic patients on chronic hemodialysis was measured twice at intervals of 3 months. In 80% of the cases the concentrations were above normal. Furthermore, the examination showed a correlation between the concentrations at the first and at the second measurement. No change in seorosomucoid concentration was observed during hemodialysis. We therefore conclude that orosomucoid cannot be used as an acute phase reactant among uremic patients in chronic hemodialysis neither is it very likely that the hyperlipidemia and accelerated atherosclerosis in hemodialysis patients are due to lack of orosomucoid.

1 The binding of bupivacaine (400 ng/ml) to isolated al-acid glycoprotein was studied at two protein concentrations. At 20 mg/10O ml the extent of bupivacaine binding was 31.0 ± 1.8% (mean + s.d., n = 4), and at a protein concentration of 60 mg/100 ml binding of bupivacaine was 85.8 + 1.5% (n = 4).2 Bupivacaine and a,-acid glycoprotein concentrations were measured in plasma samples collected from a maternal peripheral vein and the umbilical vein at delivery (n = 23). The ratio of the foetal:maternal bupivacaine concentrations ranged from 0.17 to 0.52, while the foetal:matemal ratio for al-acid glycoprotein concentrations ranged from 0.20 to 0.96. A positive relationship emerged between the two ratios (P < 0.01).3 The al-acid glycoprotein concentration gradient across the placenta, and interindividual variability in the gradient appear to contribute to the low and variable transplacental bupivacaine concentration ratio observed.