Lactate, indispensable substrate of mammalian intermediary metabolism, allows shuttling of carbons and reducing power between cells and organs at a high turnover rate. Lactate is, therefore, not deleterious, although an increase in its concentration is often a sensitive sign of alteration in energy homeostasis, a rise in it being frequently related to poor prognosis. Such an increase, however, ...

To the editor: The article by Manara and colleagues reminds us of a rare but significant adverse effect of salmeterol. Although the precise mechanism for elevated lactate levels (type B lactic acidosis) in patients with b2-agonist overdose is not known, different hypotheses have been suggested. The explanation given by the authors is supported by an earlier observation made from healthy volunte...

Aim: Our aim in this study is to consider the relationship between arterial blood gas (ABG) parameters and prognosis severe head trauma children.
 Material Methods: Patients younger than 17 years of age with a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) 8 below history were retrospectively analyzed. The relation ABG taken at time admission mortality was examined. Independent sample T-test used for pH, PCO2 b...

Blood lactate concentrations reflect the balance between lactate production and clearance. During glycolysis in resting state, most glucose is converted to pyruvate. Pyruvate is metabolized through the aerobic pathway, to acetyl-CoA by pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) to enter the tricarboxylic acid cycle that is the main source of energy for cellular metabolism. In times of stress, tissue oxygen (...

BACKGROUND As stavudine remains an important and widely prescribed drug in resource-limited settings, the effect of a reduced dose of stavudine (from 40 mg to 30 mg) on outcomes of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) remains an important public health question. METHODS We analyzed prospectively collected data from the Themba Lethu Clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa. We assessed the...

INTRODUCTION Although the prognostic value of persistent hyperlactatemia in septic shock is unequivocal, its physiological determinants are controversial. Particularly, the role of impaired hepatic clearance has been underestimated and is only considered relevant in patients with liver ischemia or cirrhosis. Our objectives were to establish whether endotoxemia impairs whole body net lactate cle...