Leucocyte suspensions, exposed to endotoxin in vitro, develop coagulant activity which has been identified as tissue factor. Pure suspensions of polymorphonuclear (PMN) neutrophils, lymphocytes and monocytes were exposed to endotoxin and tested for tissue factor activity after 4 h incubation at 37 degrees C. The results indicate that the monocyte is the cell primarily responsible for the endotoxin-induced coagulant activity of mixed leucocyte suspensions, the small amount of activity demonstrated in PMN neutrophil and in lymphocyte suspensions at high cell concentrations being accounted for by monocyte contamination of less than 1%.

aboral transit as pregnancy proceeded. Bueno and Ruckebusch,4 using chronically implanted electrodesin the small intestine of fetal sheep and dogs to measure myoelectric activity (in utero and after birth) showed quite clearly that motor activity developed according to a species specific gestationally dependent pattern. The first direct studies in the human using single lumen nasojejunal (NJ) silastic feeding tubes in infants born prematurely,5 showed that a similar gestationally dependent progression was present in the human neonate.Using a multilumen manometric technique we have assessed more fully the development of fasting small intestinal motor activity in a group of preterm infants. Methods SUBJECTSTwelve preterm infants (aged 28-42 weeks gestation, weight 800-3260 g) were studied, nine longitudinally (three subjects on four occasions, one on three occasions, five on two occasions) and three on a single occasion, with a total of 28 separate observations. All but the most severely ill infants were included in the study and no infant was studied on more than four occasions.

Summary. Twenty‐eight per cent of women investigated during pregnancy were carriers of group B streptococci (GBS). The use of broth enrichment was the most significant factor in determining GBS carriage rates. GBS carriage decreased during pregnancy. Transmission of GBS from mother to baby was related to vaginal carriage but rectal carriage in pregnancy was the best predictor of maternal carriage at term. Rectal and vaginal swabs taken at 28 and 36 weeks correctly predicted 92% of intrapartum GBS carriage. Although accurate prediction of intrapartum GBS carriage is possible, mass screening for GBS in pregnancy is unlikely to be cost‐effective in those countries with a low incidence of neonatal GBS sepsis.

No abstract

No abstract