Publication at Third Faculty of Medicine |
2005
Abstract
Objective: To establish the trends and prognostic value of plasma levels of the free apoptotic (aDNA) and genomic DNA (gDNA) in patients with failure of vital functions. 94 critically ill patientts were evaluated. The contribution of aDNA to the total plasma DNA in the critically ill was ~16fold greater than the contribution of gDNA.
Apoptotic DNA levels were highest on the day of admission and declined thereafter (P < 0.001), whilst the opposite was true for gDNA (P < 0.001) The difference in trends and the aDNA and gDNA levels in correlation to normal levels was found statistically significant (P < 0.001). Apoptotic DNA on the day of admission significantly differs in survivors and non-survivors (P < 0.05).