Ischemia-Modified Albumin and Antioxidant Protection in Newborns with Asphyxia of Varying Severity.

The content of ischemia-modified albumin (IMA), serum albumin, and antioxidant capacity of blood serum was studied in healthy newborns and in newborns with moderate and severe asphyxia on days 1-2 and 3-4 of the postnatal period. Changes in these indicators were found in both groups of newborns with birth asphyxia in comparison with the group of healthy newborns and were more pronounced in children with severe asphyxia. An increase in the IMA level (by 1.6 times; p<0.001) and antioxidant capacity of blood serum (by 2.4 times; p<0.001) and a decrease in serum albumin content (by 1.5 times; p<0.001) were found in severe asphyxia on days 1-2. Analysis of changes in these indicators by days 3-4 allows to talk about a decrease in the intensity of free-radical reactions in newborns with birth asphyxia during complex therapy.

The possibility of diagnosing intrauterine infection by the content of nitrite and non-thiolate nitroso compounds in maternal blood plasma.

The aim of the study is to develop a method for early diagnosis of intrauterine infection (IUI). A study of markers of inflammation in the venous blood of 60 pregnant women was conducted. The study was followed by a retrospective assessment of the outcomes of pregnancies and childbirth. Of these, 33 patients with a gestation period of more than 37 weeks (full-term pregnancy) and, accordingly, 27 patients from whom the blood sample was taken at a period of less than 37 weeks - patients with the threat of premature birth (PB). PB is the main factor contributing to the development of IUI. 27 patients were diagnosed with premature rupture of the membranes (PROM). Of these, 15 are with the threat of PB. 8 of them had a diagnosed IUI. In all cases of diagnosed PROM, including those with IUI, the concentration of nitrite and nontiolate nitroso compounds (NO2-+RNO) in the mother's blood plasma was 2.3±1.2 µM, while normally it does not exceed 0.1 µM (p<0.001). Regardless of the duration of pregnancy. The use of antibiotics in the case of PROM contributed to the normalization of the concentration (NO2-+RNO). Therefore, increasing of this indicator is result of bacterial infection. Indications of other markers of inflammation: the number of leukocytes in venous blood and in a smear of vaginal contents, the level of C-RB did not significantly change in both PROM and IUI (p>0.1). Since the concentration index (NO2-+RNO) increased in almost all cases of PREM, unlike all other clinical and biochemical indicators used in modern medicine, there is an obvious sense of its use for the current monitoring of the health of pregnant women. But it is still impossible to say unequivocally about the possibility of monitoring the fetal health by concentration (NO2-+RNO) in the mother's blood.

Blood coagulation changes in pregnant women at risk of developing preeclampsia.

OBJECTIVES: A group of 50 pregnant patients were studied with regard to the time of onset of hypercoagulation, its character and mechanisms of initiation in the development of preeclampsia. METHODS: The blood coagulation characteristics, antithrombin (AT)-III and endogenous heparin levels were studied. All of the patients were designated at risk of developing preeclampsia at the time of registration at the antenatal clinic. RESULTS: Retrospective evaluation shows that endogenous heparin levels and AT-III activity decreased by nearly 50% within 15 days of the development of preeclampsia and were particularly low 1-7 days before the onset of clinical signs of preeclampsia. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that abnormalities in AT activity are a marker of hypercoagulation and begin more than 2 weeks before the development of clinical signs of preeclampsia.

[Structural and functional aspects of erythrocyte membrane in children, delivered with asphyxia]. / Strukturno-funktsional'nye svoistva éritrotsitarnykh membran u detei, rodivshikhsia v asfiksii.

Serum and red blood cell membrane lipid peroxidation (LPO), antioxidative activity (AOA) of the ceruloplasmin/transferrin (CP/TF) system, and biophysical parameters of the structure of a red blood cell membrane lipid bilayer were examined in fetuses experienced acute hypoxia at birth and in babies born to healthy mothers with uncomplicated pregnancy. The intensity of LPO product accumulation in mild asphyxia was ascertained to be proportional to the duration of hypoxic exposure of a fetus. In severe asphyxia accompanied by lower formation of primary LPO products, the levels of secondary LPO products showed a rise. A slight increase of AOA in the CP/TF system was unable to adequately compensate a high intensity of LPO processes, which provides strong evidence for altered structural parameters in the lipid bilayer. It was concluded that it was essential to correct hypoxic states in children with antioxidants immediately after birth.

[An immunochemical analysis of the function of the hemato-encephalic barrier in acute fetal hypoxia and asphyxia neonatorum]. / Immunokhimicheskii analiz sostoianiia gematoéntsefalicheskogo bar'era pri ostroi gipoksii plodov i asfiksii novorozhdennykh.

The neurospecific protein alpha 1-globulin has been assayed in serum in order to evaluate the blood-brain barrier in newborns with acute intrapartum hypoxia. The study involved 35 term newborns with birth asphyxia of variable severity. The alpha 1-globulin levels correlated with severity of condition at birth, duration of intrauterine exposure to hypoxia and the presence of obstetric complications and clinical severity of cerebral circulatory disorders. A normal early adaptation and effective therapy reduced serum alpha 1-globulin levels 4-8-fold on the 3rd postnatal day and 6-16-fold on the 5th day. Deterioration of neurological symptoms was parallelled by a significant increase in protein levels (to 6400 ng/ml) at day 5. This evidence may confirm the fact that permeability of the blood-brain barrier is impaired by intrapartum hypoxia.

[The mechanism of the disorder in the cytoarchitectonics and structural organization of the erythrocyte membranes in gestoses]. / Mekhanizm narusheniia tsitoarkhitektoniki i strukturnoi organizatsii éritrotsitarnykh membran pri gestozakh.

Mechanisms underlying gestosis-associated changes in architectonics of the erythrocytes and structural pattern of their membranes have been identified. The changes were related to the rates of lipid peroxidation in the erythrocyte membranes. Phospholipase A2 activation and tissue hypoxia were identified as important determinants of cell membrane abnormalities in progressive and moderate-to-severe nephropathy.

[Antioxidant therapy in the complex treatment of late pregnancy toxemia]. / Antioksidantnaia terapiia v kompleksnom lechenii pozdnikh toksikozov beremennykh.

Lipid oxidation blood levels, activity of serum antioxidative system and erythrocytic membranes were investigated in the time-course of treatment of 145 pregnant females with nephropathies of various severity. More pronounced improvement of the parameters studied and elimination of late gestosis symptoms were revealed in the treatment with antioxidative preparations, lipostabil and solcoseryl. Regardless of treatment pattern in pregnancies complicated by severe nephropathy there were improvements noted, as a rule, in presence of pharmacological management but after its withdrawal the signs of the diseases relapsed (2-6 days after). Continuation of pregnancy up to the terms when the fetus was expected to be born viable was considered as the main target of the aforementioned treatment.

[Structural changes in erythrocyte membranes in nephropathy]. / Izmenenie struktury membran éritrotsitov pri nefropatii.

Spin probes were used to study alteration of red cell membranes in nephropathy of varying degree of gravity. Iminoxyl radicals of the lipid nature were applied as spin probes, in particular 2-(3-carboxypropyl)-4,4-dimethyl-2-tridecyl-3-oxazolidinyl (probe I). It was shown that in nephropathy, the orderliness parameter increases and the hydrophoby of probe I localized in a red cell suspension of nephropathy patients diminishes as compared with analogous parameters in healthy pregnant women. This attests to both immobilization of the fatty acid chains of phospholipids and to an increase in the polarity of the lipid bilayer in the area of probe localization. It was established that diminution of probe I hydrophoby is in a satisfactory agreement with the disease gravity and the degree of edema in patients. It was noted that alterations discovered in red cell membranes in nephropathy are similar to those seen during activation of lipid peroxidation in membranes. The possibility of lipid peroxidation involvement into the pathogenesis of nephropathy is discussed.