Blood lactate levels during cardiopulmonary bypass for valvular heart surgery.

Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is widely used to maintain systemic perfusion and oxygenation during open-heart surgery. Tissue hypoperfusion with resultant lactic acidosis during CPB, may occur during hypothermia, extreme haemodilution, low flow CPB, and excessive neurohormonal activation. There has been no documentation of the correlation between blood lactate level elevations in the perioperative period, and its relation to preoperative New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification and the use of ionotropic support during weaning from CPB, duration of postoperative ventilatory support and perioperative mortality.

Impairment of mitochondrial respiratory chain enzyme activities in tetralogy of Fallot.

Background: During the last decade, disorders of the respiratory chain, so-called mitochondrial disorders, have emerged as a major clinical entity. Tetralogy of fallot (TOF) children>2 month of age are at risk for postoperative myocardial contractile failure. Myocardial ischemia is associated with a reduction in mitochondrial enzyme activity and have impaired metabolism resulting in decreased postoperative myocardial adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentrations and increased lactate levels.

Biochemical changes in erythrocyte membrane in uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The levels of lipid peroxidation and alterations in lipid composition and ATPase activities were determined in erythrocyte plasma membrane of uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients. The study groups consisted of 30 patients (16 males, 14 females) attending the Out Patients' Department of Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, Mumbai, and 23 age- and sex-matched control subjects (15 males, 8 females). Glycated haemoglobin (an index of long-term glycaemic control), erythrocyte membrane cholesterol, phospholipid and cholesterol to phospholipid molar ratio, lipid peroxidation products in the form of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), and Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity were found to be significantly increased, and Mg(2+)-ATPase activity significantly decreased, in the diabetic subjects, as compared to controls.