The role of developmental stimulation in nutritional rehabilitation.

Objective: To evaluate the role of developmental stimulation and nutritional supplementation in rehabilitation of malnourished children in the hospital and community settings.

Design: Prospective follow up study.

Settings: (i) Nutrition clinic of a teaching hospital; and (ii) Community Nutrition Project in coastal Kerala.

Furazolidone in typhoid fever--correlation of clinical efficacy with serum bactericidal activity.

Treatment of typhoid fever with furazolidone produces a high cure rate. This is a clinical curiosity, as furazolidone is described to be poorly absorbed. The present study examined whether furazolidone could produce unequivocal clinical response and, if so whether this was due to the drug producing bactericidal levels in the serum.

Risk factors for severe pneumonia in children in south Kerala: a hospital-based case-control study.

A case-control study was undertaken in 400 children under 5 years of age in South Kerala, India, to identify the risk factors for severe pneumonia. Cases were in-patients with severe pneumonia as ascertained by WHO criteria, while controls were out-patients with non-severe acute respiratory infections. Only four from many probable risk factors emerged as being significant, viz.

Breastfeeding and childhood cancer.

Total duration of breastfeeding and of exclusive breastfeeding was studied and compared in 99 childhood cancer cases and 90 controls. The difference between the average duration of breastfeeding in cases and controls was significant (p < 0.05), but when average duration of exclusive breastfeeding was compared in cases and controls the difference was highly significant (p < 0.