Changes in Red Cell Volume and Osmotic Fragility of Erythrocytes in the Rat Following Acute Blood Loss; AFSWP-472, USNRDL-409 UNCLASSIFIED

San Francisco, CA: U. S. Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory, Biology Branch, 1953. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Wraps. Good. 22 pages. References. Tables. Figures. Distribution. Stamp and notations on front cover. Stamped for Internal Use Only. Not for External Distribution. E. L. Alpen was later associated with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. In this study of 25 animals changes in circulating red cell volume, reticulocyte level, and osmotic fragility following acute blood loss are reported. Significant decreases in the osmotic fragility of the red blood cells occurred coincident with the production of a new red blood cell population. The observed increase in osmotic resistance appears to be related not only to the increased number of reticulocytes but also to the large number of new erythrocytes present. It is apparent that this new red cell population, as measured or estimated, is greatly in excess of the reticulocyte level. these studies also demonstrate the sustained and rapid regeneration rate of red blood cells in the young rat subjected to acute blood loss. The United States Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory (NRDL) was an early military lab created to study the effects of radiation and nuclear weapons. The facility was based at the Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco, California. The NRDL was formed in 1946 to manage testing, decontamination, and disposition of US Navy ships contaminated by the Operation Crossroads nuclear tests in the Pacific. A number of ships that survived the atomic detonations were towed to Hunter's Point for detailed study and decontamination. The first use of radioactive materials at NRDL predated the issuing of licenses by the Atomic Energy Commission, but the AEC later issued licenses for a broad spectrum of radioactive materials to be used in research at the NRDL. Radioactive materials specific to nuclear weapon testing were exempted from AEC licensing.