Good growth response to growth hormone treatment in the ring chromosome 15 syndrome.

Ring chromosome 15 syndrome is a rare condition in which severe growth retardation is a major finding. We report a 4 year old boy with the karyotype 46,XY, r(15)(p11.2q26.

Consequences of caustic ingestions in children.

A retrospective analysis of 98 patients, less than 15 years of age, treated for caustic ingestion during 1976-1990 was performed to evaluate the modern consequences of caustic ingestion in children and to set indications for esophagoscopies and radiographic and laboratory examinations. Dishwasher detergents were ingested by 56 children. There were no lye ingestions, since lye has not been freely available in Finland since 1969.

[Fever--friend or foe?].

Since the turn of the century intensive research has been carried out to ascertain whether fever is associated with the organism's defence against microbial agents, and evidence is now available concerning the beneficial impact of fever under certain circumstances. However, fever also often gives rise to risks and inimical sequelae. Antipyretics should be used in the correct manner, and when the fever constitutes a hazard to the patient or causes suffering.

Accidental astemizole overdose in young children.

6 cases of accidental astemizole poisoning in children have been reported to the Finnish Poison Information Center. The children were aged 1 year 7 months to 3 years 4 months and had taken doses of 2.5 to 16.

Ultrasonic features of the congenital nephrotic syndrome of the Finnish type.

Ultrasonic features of the kidneys of seven infants with congenital nephrotic syndrome of the Finnish type under active conservative treatment are described. In all cases the kidney were enlarged an the cortex more echogenic than the liver and spleen parenchyma. The pyramids were small with hazy borders resulting in an indistinct or lost corticomedullary border.

Finnish approach to the treatment of acute otitis media. Report of the Finnish Consensus Conference.

The theme of the first consensus conference to be held in Finland was the treatment of acute otitis media. The statements and recommendations accepted by the conference, which was organized according to the National Institutes of Health model, are presented in this report. On the basis of scientific knowledge, clinical experience, and conditions in Finland, the conference delegates concluded that penicillin V, in large doses, is still the drug of first choice in this disease.

Intrapair similarity of immunoglobulin levels in twins.

Levels of immunoglobulins IgG, IgA, IgM and IgE were determined in 8 MZ and 14 DZ twin pairs at the ages of 6-11 years, 12-17 years and 15-20 years. Intrapair similarity in immunoglobulin levels was found to be higher in the MZ than in the DZ twins, especially in the case of immunoglobulins IgA and IgM.

Insulinotropic activity in the serum of obese and nonobese infants and children.

The ability of a serum fraction, mol wt 1000-5000, to stimulate insulin release in vitro was studied in 123 obese and normal weight children aged 0-17 yr. The sera were fractionated by serial molecular filtration after treatment with urea. Stimulation of insulin release was determined with a bioassay using isolated rat islets in perifusion.

Levels of some purine metabolizing enzymes in lymphocytes from patients with Down's syndrome.

The activities of a number of purine metabolizing enzymes of erythrocytes and lymphocytes were determined in 18 subjects with Down's syndrome and in 18 age- and sex-matched control subjects. An increase of adenosine deaminase activity (adenosine or deoxyadenosine as substrates) was found in erythrocytes (P less than 0.001) as well as in lymphocytes (P less than 0.

Serum insulin-releasing activity and the Prader-Willi syndrome.

Pathogenesis and etiology of the various clinical features of the Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) are not completely understood. There is evidence suggesting a hypothalamic abnormality leading to hypogonadism in this syndrome. To test the possible hypothalamic involvement in the pathogenesis of obesity in these patients we studied the sera of 5 patients with PWS for insulin-releasing activity of possible hypothalamic origin.

Natural killer cell activity after elective cesarean section under general and epidural anesthesia in healthy parturients and their newborns.

We studied the influence of elective cesarean section, under general and epidural anesthesia, on natural killer (NK) cell activity in 12 healthy parturients and in their newborns. The results of peripheral blood samples taken from the mothers before anesthesia and from the newborns 3 h after birth served as basal values against which the results of samples drawn on the 1st and 5th days following delivery were compared. A significant (p less than 0.

Group A streptococcal peritonitis in infancy.

Primary peritonitis in infancy is a rare condition. It is usually associated with a severe pathological process, such as nephrotic syndrome. When it affects previously healthy infants it causes diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties.