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We examined the effect of adult fresh frozen plasma (FFP) on neonatal neutrophil (PMN) motility (chemotaxis) using a micropore filter assay. Adult FFP was transfused into 13 neonates receiving FFP transfusion for suspected life-threatening sepsis. Blood was obtained from neonates before and after FFP transfusion for assessment of PMN chemotaxis. An increase in PMN chemotaxis was noted in 12 of the 13 neonates following FFP transfusion, with a mean percentage increase of 12 +/- 3% (p less than 0.01). PMN chemotaxis increased 13 +/- 2% (p less than 0.01) in four bacteremic infants and 11 +/- 5% (p = 0.06) in nine infants without bacteremia. Adult FFP transfusion may enhance impaired neonatal PMN motility and improve outcome from infection in newborn infants.

(Study Group 4) INTRODUC TION Some patients with lesions of the spinal cord may have substantial difficulty in thermoregulating under a heat s t r e s s considered mild by able-bodied persons. These patients easily develop heat exhaustion, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by cardiovascular i r r e g u l a r i t i e s , weakness and fatigue, headache, and sometimes syncope. Previous l i t e r a t u r e states that the skin of men or animals with spinal cord injury is g e n e r a lly anhidrotic in a r e a s below the level of the lesion (Leithead and Lind, 1964; Randall, W u r s t e r and Lewin, 1966;Rawson, 1963; Seckendorff and Randall, 1961). If anhidrosis is widespread, as is the case in the c e r v i c a l lesions, the patient may develop hyperthermia.Quantitative studies on spinal man r e v e a l a significant impairment of the t h e r m oregulatory sweat response over a wide area of the body. Guttmann, Silver and Wyndham (1958) observed the behavior of the c o r e t e m p e r a t u r e s of spinal man in the warm air of open wards. Patients with high c e r v i c a l lesions were largely anhidrotic over their body surface and had difficulty in maintaining normal body temperature. Nevertheless, Randall, Wurster and Lewin(1966) concluded that the isolated spinal cord is still capable of mediating a sweat reflex as did Cooper, F e r r e s and Guttmann (1951).We s u r m i s e d that quadriplegies might become hyperthermic when exposed to high ambient t e m p e r a t u r e s or to e x e r c i s e . Therefore, we studied quadriplegic subjects under a controlled heat s t r e s s and measured their thermoregulatory r esponses, thereby further c h a r a c t e r i z i n g quantitatively the quadriplegic disability. MATERIALS AND METHODS SUBJECTS:Six men, each having chronic spinal cord injury in the cervical region (CS to C3), participated in these experiments.Descriptions of their disability, age, and medications are given in Table 1. Nine control experiments were conducted on three able-bodied men under conditions identical to those in the quadriplegic experiments. Table 2 gives the characteristics of all the subjects. Each subject was tested every time at approximately the same time of the day. CONDITIONS:The subjects were submitted to total body heat exposure in an environmental chamber.Base line readings were taken at room temperature, prior to entering the hot chamber.Room conditions were T a 25°C and 50% rh, while those in the hot chamber were T a 38°C and 9% rh. Following base line readings for one hour the subjects were transferred into the environmental chamber for a maximum of 2½ hr. The subject sat inactive throughout the experimental period.

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