Thrombopoietic activity in newborn infants.
Platelet count and thrombopoietic activity were investigated in newborns and in infants during their first 4 months of life. Four-day-old newborns, although not thrombocytopenic, showed a significantly reduced platelet count as compared to that of control adults. Furthermore, a significantly lower thrombopoietic activity was found in the sera of newborns compared to that in the sera of adults. In addition, the thrombopoiesis-stimulating factor (TSF) activity in cord serum was significantly lower than that in the mothers' sera. Since 7 of 37 newborns examined in the present study showed a very low TSF activity, lower than that found in the saline controls, the possibility that an inhibitor for thrombopoiesis exists in the newborns is suggested and discussed. The follow-up study revealed a low TSF activity in the sera of 1-month-old infants followed by a gradually increased activity, reaching in the 4th month levels similar to those of adults. Concomitantly with the rise in TSF activity in the serum, an increased platelet count was observed.
Bessler
H
H
Sirota
L
L
Weissman
Z
Z
Dulitzky
F
F
Djaldetti
M
M
D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010976:Platelet Count; D013926:Thrombopoietin / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology
D013926:Thrombopoietin