Akmaral K. Zhumalina

Intrauterine infections are an urgent problem of modern neonatology. One of the causes of intrauterine infective foetal lesions is physiological immunosuppression. The purpose of this study is to investigate the cytokine status in newborns infected with perinatal infections, depending on their body weight. The study examined 145 newborns. Taking into account their body weight, they were divided into 2 groups: main and secondary. The study was conducted in the immunological laboratory of the Medical Centre of Marat Ospanov West Kazakhstan Medical University in the city of Aktobe, with the determination of the level of IgM and IgG to the herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1, 2, cytomegalovirus (CMV), and chlamydia using the MULTISKANASCENT analyser with the “Chemo” T system. The main results of this study are the predominance of the anti-inflammatory component in both normal weight and underweight infants, which is evidence of the Th-cell-mediated immune response prevalence. The applied value of this study lies in the possibility of applying its results in practice to obtain effective methods to counteract the occurrence and development of intrauterine infections.

Environmental pollution in many regions of Kazakhstan poses a threat to the growth and development of local children. For children living the near the Aral Sea, chrome processing and gas processing regions, we undertook a medical examination, including physical and sexual development parameters, laboratory studies (complete blood count, urinalysis, blood chemistry), bone age, blood levels of microelements (chromium, manganese, nickel, lead, copper) and hormones [thyroid (T3, T4, TSH), sexual (LH, FSH), growth (STH, IGF-1)], in consultation with relevant specialist doctors. Statistical analysis showed a significant prevalence of short stature among children living, on average, 22.9 versus 7.8% in the control region. Children in these regions have high blood levels of toxic chromium, manganese, lead and nickel compounds. The main causes of short stature in children living in the Aral Sea, chrome processing and oil and gas processing regions are cerebral–endocrine pathologies, hereditary diseases, somatogenic diseases, constitutional growth delay, a toxic chemical load and ecologically determined short stature. A working classification of short stature in children living in the Aral Sea, chrome processing and gas processing regions, including ecologically dependent short stature, has been developed. The scheme of medical and recreational measures for children living in the Aral Sea, chrome processing and gas processing regions was proposed.