Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition 2006;91:F415-F418
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Intrauterine neutrophil activation is associated with pulmonary haemorrhage in preterm infants
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatal Medicine, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School-UMDNJ, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
Correspondence to:
Professor Mehta
Department of Pediatrics, MEB 238, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School-UMDNJ One Robert Wood Johnson Place, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA; mehtara{at}umdnj.edu
Background: Clinical and experimental studies showing lung damage associated with biologically active neutrophil derivatives suggests the possibility that intrauterine neutrophil activation may predispose to the development of pulmonary haemorrhage in extremely low birthweight infants early after birth.
Objectives: To assess neutrophil functional activity in cord blood from extremely low birthweight infants who subsequently developed severe pulmonary haemorrhage.
Methods: Neutrophil functional activity was evaluated in the cord blood of preterm neonates (gestational age <28 weeks and weight <800 g) who developed pulmonary haemorrhage (n = 6) and in controls who did not (n = 6). Infants with congenital abnormalities and noteworthy maternal complications such as diabetes, pre-eclampsia, haemorrhagic disorders, and connective tissue disease were excluded. Neutrophils isolated from cord blood immediately after delivery were tested to evaluate neutrophil chemotaxis, random motility, and chemiluminescence. Standard methodology was used.
Results: Chemotaxis and chemiluminescence of neutrophils from cord blood of infants with pulmonary haemorrhage was higher than in the controls (34.8 (2.0) v 28.6 (0.8) µm, p<0.001, and 95.8 (8.5) v 73.2 (3.6) cpm x103, p<0.001 respectively). Random motility of cord blood neutrophils was comparable in the two groups (28.6 (1.2) v 25.3 (1.2) µm, p<0.09).
Conclusions: Intrauterine induction of chemotactic activity and metabolic oxygenation of neutrophils may predispose to the development of pulmonary haemorrhage in extremely low birthweight infants with respiratory distress early after birth.
Abbreviations: ELBW, extremely low birthweight; PDA, patent ductus arteriosus; PH, pulmonary haemorrhage
Keywords: preterm; neutrophil functional activity; pulmonary haemorrhage; lungs
CiteULike 
Complore 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us 
Digg 
Reddit 
Technorati What's this?
- Full Text
- Full Text (PDF)
-
All Versions of this Article:
adc.2005.092288v1
91/6/F415 most recent - Submit a response
- Alert me when this article is cited
- Alert me when eLetters are posted
- Alert me if a correction is posted
- Citation Map
Services
- Email this link to a friend
- Similar articles in ADC Online
- Similar articles in PubMed
- Add article to my folders
- Download to citation manager
- Request Permissions
Citing Articles
Google Scholar
PubMed
Topic Collections
Bookmark with
Register for free content
The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.
Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.
