Hypoxia in childhood pneumonia: better detection and more oxygen needed in developing countries.

Even though hypoxia is a major risk factor for death in children with acute respiratory infection in developing countries, oxygen is not part of first line treatment. Because oxygen is not readily available in developing countries it tends to be given to the most seriously ill children, whose outcome is poor. Oxygen might be useful if given earlier in the course of the disease. Clinical signs are not clear cut, however, though the presence of cyanosis and grunting together with a raised respiratory rate can significantly increase the detection of hypoxaemia. A simple oximeter would make detection easier, and oxygen concentrators are more cost effective than bottled oxygen. Ideally oxygen should be given to children in the early stages of clinical pneumonia to prevent deterioration.     

The expression of plasmalemma transcobalamin-II receptors on human blood lymphocytes stimulated by mitogens]

The influence of mitogens on the expression of surface membrane TC-II receptors of human blood lymphocytes and internalization of (TS-II+57Co-CNCbl) complex into cytoplasm were investigated. Mature lymphocytes have a very small number of surface receptors to plasma TC-II but their expression is increased significantly by PHA or Con-A stimulation. CBl transport to cytoplasma is activated in definite sequence by two different mechanisms. Stimulated cells take free CBl without participation of TC-II in early hours of mitogen action (12-42 hrs) before maximal 3H-thymidine incorporation into DNA. On day 3 of cultivation, specific mechanism of CBl transport triggers and the number of lymphoblast receptors is increased manifold. Radioactive CBl enters cytoplasma due to interaction of TC-II-CN [57Co] CBl of the medium with surface membrane receptor of the cells. Thus, the definition of TC-II receptors as an important functional parameter may serve a marker of proliferating cells.     

Renal uptake and excretion of epidermal growth factor from plasma in the rat

The rat excretes around 2 nmol epidermal growth factor (EGF) in the urine per 24 h. The urinary EGF might be derived from plasma and/or might be synthesized in the kidneys. We have used the rat to study the renal uptake and excretion of homologous EGF from plasma. I.v. injected 125I-EGF was removed from the circulation within a few minutes. 5 min after the injection, the kidneys contained 12% of the 125I-EGF. The kidneys seemed to degrade most of the 125I-EGF which they accumulated from blood, as only 4% of the injected label was excreted as intact 125I-EGF in the urine. The amount of endogenous EGF in plasma was under the detection limit of our enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (0.03 nmol/l) and it remained so after bilateral nephrectomy. Even if plasma EGF was 0.03 nmol/l excretion of EGF from plasma could account for less than 5% of the urinary EGF. This study shows that the kidneys are able to accumulate EGF from plasma and excrete a part of it as intact EGF in the urine. However, excretion of immunoreactive EGF from plasma can only account for a minor part of the urinary EGF.