Impact of experimental diabetes and chronic hypoxia on rat fetal body weight.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study is to determine the impact of the experimental diabetes and the chronic hypoxia on pregnancy development and rat fetal body weight. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The experiment was performed on female Wistar rats. Animals were divided into the experimen-tal groups. I - Controls, II - Untreated diabetes, III - Insulin-treated diabetes, IV - No diabetes with chronic hypoxia, V - Untreated diabetes and chronic hypoxia, VI - Insulin- treated diabetes and chronic hypoxia. Diabetes was induced in groups II, III, V and VI with intraperitoneal injection of streptozocin (STZ) at a dose of 40 mg/kg. Chronic hypoxia was induced by placing dams (groups IV, V and VI) in conditions of 10.5% oxygen and 89.5%. Insulin was administered subcutaneously at the dose of 9 IU/kg. Starting from the 6th day after STZ injection and chronic hypoxia conditions animals were caged together for 12 hours for 3 consecutive days to ensure fertilization. On day 21 of gestation the animals were decapitated, the fetuses were removed and weighted. RESULTS: Mean fetal body weight in separate groups were: I - 5.38 g, II - 6.04g, III - 5.32g, IV- 5.56 g, V - 3.45 g, VI - 6.23 g. CONCLUSIONS: Pre-existing type 1 diabetes does not affect fetal body weight compared to healthy newborn control rats. Pro-longed hypoxia does not impact on fetal body weight. Chronic hypoxia during pregnancy complicated with untreated type 1 diabetes mellitus leads to significant reduction of fetal body weight. Insulin treatment reversed the detrimental effect of chronic hypoxia on fetal development.

[Exposure to carbon monoxide toxicity as a cause for hospitalization of patients in the Children's Clinical Hospital in Lublin in the years 2006-2012]. / Narazenie na toksyczne dzialanie tlenku wegla jako przyczyna hospitalizacji pacjentów w Dzieciecym Szpitalu Klinicznym w Lublinie w latach 2006-2012.

Exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) accounts for a frequent cause for patient hospitalization in the Children's Clinical Hospital (DSK). The most common source of exposure includes the use of defective heating appliances operating on gas or coal and less frequently the fire toxic fumes. The purpose of the present study was to estimate the number of hospitalized patients in DSK in Lublin between the years 2006-2012 according to age, sex, urban-rural residence, season, carboxyheamoglobin (COHb) levels and hospitalization period. The subjects were assigned to three age groups: I - neonates and infants, II - children from 1 to 6 years of age, III - children aged between 7 to 17 years. In total 99 patients (50 female, 49 male) were admitted to hospital on account of carbon monoxide intoxication. Children aged 6 years and above constituted the most numerous age group. Furthermore 1 neonate and 5 infants (6.1%) and 43 children aged 1 to 6 years (43.4%) were hospitalized. The intoxications were visibly season-related. The highest frequency of CO poisoning lasted from October until March. The largest incidence was recorded in December and January. The majority of the children were urban residents - 67%, 33% were from rural areas. Carboxyhaemoglobin levels upon admission ranged from 0 to 26.7%. The average hospitalization lasted 2.4 days. Carbon monoxide intoxication remains a pressing health concern. The awareness of CO intoxication hazards among general public, application of appropriate first aid techniques, identification of clinical symptoms and treatment methods present the opportunity to save lives and reduce the long-term effects of CO poisoning.