Neutrophil respiratory burst in term and preterm neonates without signs of infection and in those with increased levels of C-reactive protein.

Developmental immaturities in neonatal host defense predispose the neonates to an increased mortality rate during bacterial infections. Early diagnosis is of great clinical importance, but, especially in neonates, is sometimes very difficult. The ability to generate reactive oxygen species, the so-called respiratory burst, is essential for neutrophils to kill infectious microorganisms.

In vitro hydrolysis of gliadin and casein peptides: secondary defect in coeliac disease shown by organ culture.

Background: Small-intestinal organ culture was used as an in vitro model of coeliac disease, studying biopsy specimens from patients with coeliac disease, cow's milk allergy, and controls.

Methods: Organ culture incubations were done using the pure gliadin peptide B3144 (amino acid sequences 3-56 of alpha-type gliadins) and a control peptide from casein (amino acid sequences 152-193 of alpha s1-casein). The importance of using negative controls was stressed by non-specific tissue damage.

Inhaled nitric oxide during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for the treatment of severe persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn.

Inhaled nitric oxide (NO) as a complementary treatment was studied in 10 neonates during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy of various persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN)-associated diseases. At individually different levels of inhaled NO (20-80 ppm), the mean Pao2 increased by 59.7% in 6 responders, but it remained unchanged in 4 nonresponders.

Correlation between echocardiographic and morphological investigations of lesions of the tricuspid valve diagnosed during fetal life.

Objective: To assess the degree of agreement between the fetal echocardiographic and postmortem examination of hearts from fetuses with severe malformations of the tricuspid valve.

Design: A retrospective study to analyse echocardiographic recordings and make comparisons with postmortem findings.

Setting: Tertiary referral centre for fetal echocardiography.

Handling of gliadin peptides B1-B4 and of cow's milk proteins by rat jejunum gut sacs.

The rat everted gut sac was used as a model of intestinal protein and peptide handling to study small intestinal binding and uptake of different gliadin peptide fractions (B1, B2, B3, B4) in comparison with bovine serum albumin (BSA), alpha-lactalbumin (alpha-LA), and a BSA peptide fraction (BSA-P). Not only binding curves, but also uptake curves of BSA, alpha-LA, and BSA-P were run in parallel between 1 and 30 min. Binding and uptake obviously depended on molecular weight.

Food proteins and maturation of small intestinal microvillus membranes (MVM). II. Binding of gliadin hydrolysate fractions and of the gliadin peptide B3142.

To investigate in vitro interactions between gliadin peptide fractions that have been shown to be toxic to celiac small intestinal mucosa in humans and small intestinal microvillus membranes (MVM) from rats during postnatal maturation, MVM were prepared from newborn, 18-day-old preweanling, and adult rats. Partially hydrolyzed gliadin peptide fractions B1-B4, and the pure gliadin peptide B3142 were radioiodinated and used for binding assays. Miniature ultracentrifugation was used for separation of unbound material.

Food proteins and maturation of small intestinal microvillus membranes (MVM). I. Binding characteristics of cow's milk proteins and concanavalin A to MVM from newborn and adult rats.

To study maturational changes of food protein and lectin binding to rat small intestinal microvillus membranes (MVM), MVM were prepared from newborn and adult animals by a modified CaCl2 precipitation technique. Radiolabeled cow's milk proteins [alpha-lactalbumin, alpha-casein, beta-lactoglobulin, bovine serum albumin (BSA)] and the lectin concanavalin A (Con A) were used for incubations. Binding assays were done using miniature ultracentrifugation for separation of unbound material.

Selenium in total parenteral nutrition.

In clinical practice, selenium deficiency may arise under conditions of chronic malnutrition and especially after long-term total parenteral nutrition (TPN). In infants receiving long-term TPN, we observed plasma selenium levels as low as those previously reported in Chinese children with Keshan disease. Low plasma selenium levels were also usually associated with very low activities of glutathione peroxidase.

Effects of gliadin peptides B1-B4 in celiac disease. I. Organ culture studies.

Small intestinal organ culture was used as an in vitro system to study the enterotoxic effects of gliadin peptides. Measurement of enterocyte height proved to be a reliable and reproducible way of assessing mucosal change during organ culture. Enterocyte height decreases nonspecifically in normal cultured mucosa, whereas the height of enterocytes of celiac mucosa increases in vitro in controls.