Effect of packing on changes in erythrocyte osmotic fragility and malondialdehyde concentration in donkeys administered with ascorbic acid

Experiments were performed with the aim of investigating the effect of packing on erythrocyte osmotic fragility (EOF) and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in donkeys, and the effect of ascorbic acid (AA). Twelve apparently healthy donkeys raised under the traditional extensive system served as experimental subjects. Six donkeys administered orally with AA (200 mg/kg) and subjected to packing were used as experimental animals, whilst six others not administered with AA served as controls. Blood samples were collected pre- and post-packing from all the donkeys for the determination of MDA and EOF. At 0.3% Sodium Chloride (NaCl) concentration, the percentage haemolysis was 93.69% ± 2.21% in the control donkeys and the value was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than the value of 71.31% ± 8.33%, recorded in the experimental donkeys. The post-packing MDA concentration obtained in the control donkeys was 39.62 µmol ± 4.16 µmol, and was not significantly different (P > 0.05) from the value of 35.97 µmol ± 2.88 µmol recorded in the experimental donkeys. In conclusion, the increase in haemolysis obtained in the donkeys suggested that packing induced oxidative stress, which was ameliorated by AA administration

A neurologic dysfunction scoring protocol for jaundiced neonates requiring exchange transfusion

<p><b>Aim:</b> To evaluate the performance of a neurologic assessment protocol among jaundiced infants requiring exchange transfusion (ET).</p> <p><b>Methods:</b> We identified infants in a referral children’s hospital who received ET and those who met the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) criteria for ET based on total serum bilirubin (TSB) levels. The performance of a bilirubin-induced neurologic dysfunction (BIND-M) scoring protocol for acute bilirubin encephalopathy (ABE) in detecting infants treated with ET in both groups was investigated by logistic regression analysis and <i>c</i>-statistic.</p> <p><b>Results:</b> A total of 438 late-preterm and term infants were enrolled, out of which 141 (32.2%) received ET, and 155 (35.4%) met AAP criteria for ET. Infants with BIND-M scores of 3–6 (intermediate ABE) or 7–12 (advanced ABE) were significantly associated with ET in both groups, but not scores of 1–2 (mild ABE), with or without adjustment for confounding neurotoxicity risk factors. However, the discriminatory ability of BIND-M regression models was modestly satisfactory (<i>c</i>-statistic range: 0.693–0.791).</p> <p><b>Conclusions:</b> Our findings suggest that BIND-M is a potentially useful decision-making tool for ET and support current recommendation for immediate ET for infants with intermediate-to-advanced stages of ABE regardless of the TSB levels.</p