Pulsed wave Doppler tissue echocardiography assessment of the long axis function of the right and left ventricles during the early neonatal period

OBJECTIVE

To assess the long axis function of both ventricles during the early neonatal period by using pulsed wave Doppler tissue (PWDT) echocardiography.

DESIGN

PWDT echocardiography was recorded from the lateral sites of the mitral and tricuspid annuluses and the tip of interventricular septum in 130 neonates within 24 hours after birth (day 0 group), in 135 neonates 1-7 days after birth (day 1-7 group), and in 131 healthy children (children group).

RESULTS

Peak systolic motion velocity (Sw) of the three ventricular walls positively correlated with the number of days after birth (p < 0.005). Compared with the children group, in neonates Sw in the right ventricle and peak early diastolic motion velocity (Ew) and peak atrial systolic motion velocity in the interventricular septum were lower than in the remaining two walls (p < 0.0005, p < 0.0001, and p< 0.0001, respectively). Although peak mitral and tricuspid flow velocities during early diastole (E) correlated with the number of hours after birth in the day 0 group, there was no significant change in the Ew of either ventricle. The E:Ew ratio of both ventricles was significantly higher in both neonate groups than in the children group (p < 0.001). The E:Ew ratio of the left ventricle was higher in the day 0 group than in the day 1-7 group (p < 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

The two ventricles differ in their normal PWDT echocardiographic values and in the parameter change after birth during the early neonatal period, which may reflect differences in ventricular adaptation after birth.

Cell surface C-reactive protein of rainbow trout lymphocytes

C-reactive protein (CRP) expressed on rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) lymphocytes was investigated to determine what role CRP might have on lymphocyte function. C-reactive protein was detected on the surface (S-CRP) of 25% of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) and 4% of head kidney lymphocytes (HKL) by flow cytometry of cells labelled with biotinylated rabbit anti-rainbow trout CRP IgG and fluorescent-coupled avidin. Purified CRP, when added to cells in culture, bound to both PBL and HKL. Stimulation of PBL and HKL by concanavalin A, phytohemagglutinin, or lipopolysaccharide increased the percentage of S-CRP-positive cells, which suggests the production of CRP by lymphocytes. Treatment of lymphocytes with anti-rainbow trout CRP IgG and complement decreased the number of S-CRP-positive cells.