Serum erythropoietin in severely malnourished infants

Anemia has been well documented in protein energy malnutrition [PEM], but the role of erythropoietin [EPO] in its production remains controversial. This work was carried out on 30 severely malnourished infants and 10 age and sex matched healthy controls. Anemia was moderate among all the malnourished cases who also had low serum ferritin levels. Kwashiorkor and marasmic kwashiorkor cases had more fragile red cells than marasmus and control infants did. Although EPO production was increased and appropriate for the degree of anemia in cases of PEM, there was no concomitant significant increase in the absolute reticulocyte count. So, anemia of PEM could be attributed to abnormal erythropoiesis and increased red cell osmotic fragility but not to EPO deficiency

Study of pancreatic endocrine function in children with thalassemia major

Serum immunoreactive insulin [IRI], GLUCAGON [IRG] and glucose were measured fasting and at 30 and 60 minutes after intravenous infusion of arginine hydrochloride [0.5 gm/kg 10% solution] in 20 thalassemic patients and 10 healthy age matched children. Hyperglucagonemia with normal circulating insulin and glucose levels, either during fasting or after arginine, were manifest in patients with thalassemia on repeated blood transfusion. A mechanism has been proposed to explain these findings

Hemoglobin patterns in healthy infants

The post-neonatal changes in the level of hemoglobin A,F and A[2] have been studied by different workers. Although there is general agreement about the pattern of these changes, still some controversy exists regarding the mean values at certain ages. The present study aimed at determining the levels of the different types of hemoglobin during the first two years of life in Egyptian infants. The tabulated and graphically presented results have been discussed and compared with the results given in the literature