[Vitamin C concentrations in maternal plasma, amniotic fluid, umbilical cord blood, the plasma of newborn infants, colostrum and transitory and mature breast milk]. / Vitamin-C-Konzentrationen in maternalem Plasma, Fruchtwasser, Nabelschnurblut, im Plasma des Neugeborenen und in Kolostrum, transitorischer und reifer Frauenmilch.

Vitamin C concentrations have been measured in the plasma of 200 mothers and their newborns as well as in amniotic fluid and breastmilk. Out of this group 19 mother-infant-pairs were taken as normal control group with no risk factors, complications or diseases during pregnancy or delivery or in the newborn infant. Vitamin C concentrations in plasma showed great variability. This is true for both the entire study group and the normal control group. A positive correlation was found between the vitamin C concentrations in maternal plasma at the time of admission to the obstetric unit and that in the second stage of labor immediately before delivery. Cord blood and newborn plasma vitamin C concentrations were nearly twice as high compared to maternal concentrations. They too correlate with the concentrations in the maternal plasma. A further correlation was found between maternal plasma and amniotic fluid at the time of delivery (ratio about 1:3). No more significant correlations of vitamin C concentrations have been found in the normal control group. Various diseases or risk factors in mother and/or child were shown to be associated with lower vitamin C concentrations. Vitamin C concentrations were considerably lower in all biological fluids in smokers and mothers with diabetes. Other statistical correlations will be shown and possible casualties will be discussed. In this study vitamin C concentrations in groups with abnormal states are documented only with small numbers of cases and are therefore considered as a basis for further more specific investigations.

[Cerebrospinal fluid and plasma levels of vitamin C in children]. / Vitamin-C-Konzentrationen in Liquor und Plasma von Kindern.

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma from 67 children, in whom lumbar puncture had to be performed for medical reasons, are reported in this preliminary paper. 14 children of this group show normal CSF laboratory values and serve as controls. Vitamin C concentrations in CSF of controls are on average 2.5-3-times higher (30.1 +/- 6.3 mg/l) than the pertaining values in their plasma (12.2 +/- 4.9 mg/l). Significant differences are exhibited by premature and term babies, which have up to 16-times higher values of vitamin C in CSF than in plasma. Furthermore CSF vitamin C is 4-5 times higher in premature babies than in schoolchildren of our group (118.2 +/- 65.9 versus 28.3 +/- 3.0 mg/l). Another interesting finding in this study is a significant decrease of CSF vitamin C in cases of acute purulent meningitis (12.3 +/- 4.8 versus 30.1 +/- 6.3 mg/l, p less than 0.05). These results, in connection with reports about high vitamin C concentrations in brain tissue, particularly in prematures, make one suspect important functions of this vitamin in physiological and pathological mechanisms in the central nervous system.

[Glomerulonephritis following snake bite]. / Glomerulonephritis nach Schlangenbiss.

A snake bite may quite frequently lead to haemorrhagic symptoms ranging from hypofibrinogenaemia to disseminated intravascular coagulation. In rare cases acute renal insufficiency associated with tubular necrosis may occur due to a direct toxic lesion, shock symptoms or DIC. However, it is extremely rare that glomerulonephritis results from a snake bite. A thirteen-year-old girl develops gross haematuria, albuminuria and cylindruria without any shock symptoms two days after having been bitten by a European viper. Coagulation state and complement show slight changes, and the histological examination reveals proliferative nephritis with deposition of immune complexes. The clinical picture corresponds to recurrent haematuria; renal function is normal after follow-ups over a one-year-period.