Plasma fibronectin concentrations in healthy and septic infants

Abstract

The concentration of plasma fibronectin was determined by Laurell's electroimmunoassay in 75 preterm or term newborns within the first 2 days of life, in 97 healthy infants aged from 3 days to 12 months, in 40 septic infants and in 38 healthy adult subjects. The mean fibronectin concentration in citrated plasma of normal adults was 318 +/- 84 ml/l. Healthy eutrophic term newborns 1-2 days old had approximately one-third of the fibronectin concentration of adults. There was no significant difference in the values between healthy term and eutrophic preterm newborns or between eutrophic and hypotrophic newborns. The plasma fibronectin increased strongly over the 1st month of life. No significant difference was observed between fibronectin levels in infant boys and girls. The values in septic newborns and septic older infants were significantly lower when compared with those of age-matched healthy controls. It is speculated that this deficiency, because of linkage to fibrin in disseminated intravascular coagulation or due to increased utilisation as a nonspecific opsonin and sequestration at sites of tissue injury, may contribute to organ failure in septicaemia.

Fibronectin in Meningococcal Sepsis

“…It is well known that FN decreases in patients with sepsis. However, FN varies depending on the organism producing the sepsis and also on the stage of evolution of the disease (2). It decreases more in infections with gram-positive bacteria than in those caused by gram-negative organisms.…”

The shift towards multi‐disciplinarity in information science

“…An impaired function of the RES system accompanied by a fall in the level of circulating fibronectin has been found in burn and septic patients (Grossman et al, 1980). Furthermore, low levels of plasma fibronectin have been associated with an impaired immune defence during septic episodes in newborn infants (Domula et al, 1985; Topaloglu et al, 2001) and with an increased incidence of infections in patients with hepatic failure (Acharya et al, 1995).…”

Cytokines, chemokines and other effector molecules involved in meningococcal disease

“…It also stimulates platelet aggregation and the clotting cascade in DIC. In sepsis, it is generally lower in grampositive than gram-negative infections [88,89]. The levels are not consistently low, probably due to the difference in times between the onset of the infection and presentation.…”