Radiological, biochemical, and hormonal changes in malnourished children with rachitic manifestations.

We evaluated the radiological, biochemical and growth hormone (GH)/insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) changes in 10 children with severe protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) who had rachitic manifestations (group 1), 10 children with severe PEM without clinical signs of rickets (group 2), and 10 children with normal body weight-for-length and -age, suffering from vitamin-D-deficiency with signs of florid rickets (group 3) and 10 normal age-matched children (group 4). Serum calcium (Ca2+), phosphorus (PO4), and albumin concentrations were markedly decreased in the two groups with PEM. Malnourished children with rickets had significantly higher serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) concentrations compared to the malnourished group without rachitic manifestations.

Nocturnal growth hormone (GH) secretion and GH response to clonidine provocation in children before and after long-term prednisone therapy.

Glucocorticoids reduce growth hormone (GH) response to the majority of exogenously administered stimuli and can variably inhibit growth in man and animals. Recently, however, glucocorticoids have been shown to have varying effects on GH secretion depending on the time of administration and, furthermore, to be potent secretagogues. We evaluated growth parameters, GH response to high-dose clonidine and integrated (12-h) nocturnal and mean (12-h) nocturnal GH secretion in 10 prepubertal children before and after long-term alternate-day prednisone therapy (LTPT).

Smectite in acute diarrhea in children: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Dioctahedral smectite (DS) a natural adsorbent clay capable of adsorbing viruses, bacteria, and other intestinal irritants in vitro, is claimed to possess beneficial "antidiarrheal" properties. This study tested the effect of DS on the duration of diarrhea and the frequency and amount of liquid stools. Ninety well-nourished boys, aged 3-24 months, with acute watery diarrhea and mild, moderate, or severe dehydration were included in a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Evaluation of captopril versus reserpine and frusemide in treating hypertensive children with acute post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis.

We have evaluated the effect of oral captopril versus a combination of oral reserpine and frusemide in the treatment of 20 children with post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis (APGN) with hypertension. Captopril produced a significantly greater reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure in both the standing and supine positions than reserpine + frusemide at 0.75, 1, 1.

Study on some hepatic functions and prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigenaemia in Egyptian children with schistosomal hepatic fibrosis.

Several different hepatic parenchymal lesions, including chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis, have been increasingly reported in children with schistosomal hepatic fibrosis (SHF) despite the known mesenchymal nature of the disease. The prevalence of persistent hepatitis (B) surface (HBs) antigenaemia and some hepatic functions have been determined in 52 children with SHF as well as in 100 age-matched healthy children. High prevalence of chronic HBs antigenaemia (58 per cent) has been demonstrated in children with SHF, but only in 2 per cent of the normal children.