title: Reticulocyte maturity index reflects erythropoietin effects in hemodialysis patients.
abstract: Flow cytometric reticulocyte analysis is widely utilized because of its sensitivity, precision, and high throughput of analysis as compared to manual reticulocyte counting. With this automated method reticulocytes can be classified into three groups according to the fluorescence intensity that reflects maturity of reticulocytes. In this study, changes in red cell parameters, reticulocyte percentage, absolute reticulocyte count, and reticulocyte maturity index were evaluated 13 hemodialysis patients with renal anemia after single administration of recombinant human erythropoietin. The reticulocyte count and reticulocyte maturity index were elevated significantly (P < .01) 2 days after the single bolus of erythropoietin, and they reached the maximum value vn the fourth day, but other red cell indices could not detect the effects of erythropoietin during this early period. These results suggested that the reticulocyte maturity index could be an early indicator of the effect of erythropoietin in hemodialysis patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Osaka City University Medical School, Japan.
authors.forename: Y S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kishimoto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D012156:Reticulocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D004921:Erythropoietin