title: Fibronectin in meningococcal sepsis. Correlation with antithrombin III and protein C.
abstract: Plasma fibronectin was measured with Laurell's immunoelectroassay in 44 patients with meningococcal sepsis. The average value (15.0 +/- 7.9 mg/dl) was lower than that in normal children (27.4 +/- 8.7 mg/dl) (p less than 0.001). Fibronectin in patients correlated positively with antithrombin III (AT-III) values (p less than 0.02), but not with protein C (0.05 less than p less than 0.1). The decrease of fibronectin had no prognostic value. The fibronectin levels were lower in patients with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC+), than in those without DIC (DIC-) (p less than 0.02), but were lower in both groups than in a normal control group. A negative correlation between fibronectin and protein C was only present in DIC- patients (r: -0.773 = p less than 0.01). Fibronectin varied independent of AT-III and protein C in DIC+ patients. The study was repeated in 11 patients 24 hours after admission when fibronectin had decreased in 7/11 cases (mean decrease: -2.7 +/- 8.7 mg/dl). This variation correlated in a negative way with AT-III (r: -0.659 = p less than 0.05). In meningococcal sepsis fibronectin decreases very early, even in DIC- patients and its relationship to AT-III and protein C is different, depending on the presence of DIC and on the stage of evolution of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital, Valladolid, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Blanco
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Guisasola
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Solís
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bachiller
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: González
mesh_terms: D000990:Antithrombin III / Q000032:analysis*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004211:Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D005353:Fibronectins / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008589:Meningococcal Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D011486:Protein C / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D005353:Fibronectins; D011486:Protein C; D000990:Antithrombin III