Fig. 2.

Comparative release of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α from blood monocytes isolated from 36 rabbits divided into three groups. Group A: sham-operated; group B: animals administered anaesthetics; and group C: animals with acute pyelonephritis by multi-drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The latter group is further divided into two subgroups: subgroup CI with present and subgroup CII with absent activity of cytoplasmic caspase-3 of their monocytes at 3·5 h after bacterial challenge. P of comparisons between CI and CII: *0·039.