Study of increased urinary nitrite excretion as a diagnostic marker for minmal change nephrotic syndrome

Urinary excretion of nitrite [a stable metabolite of nitric oxide] was estimated in children with nephrotic syndrome and healthy children as a control group. Urinary nitrite level was significantly increased in patients with nephrotic syndrome when compared with control group [p < 0.001]. It was significantly higher in patients with minimal change nephrotic syndrome than control group [p < 0.0001]. In contrast it showed no significant change in patients with non minimal change nephrotic syndrome when compared to control group [p > 0.05]. No significant difference could be detected in urinary nitrite level between the attack and remission in patients with minimal change nephrotic syndrome. We concluded that estimation of urinary nitrite level can be considered as a diagnostic marker for minimal change nephrotic syndrome. It is an easy rapid and non invasive test to discriminate it from other causes of nephrotic syndrome

Study of serum angiotensin converting enzyme activity in children with acute and chronic liver diseases

Serum angiotensin converting enzyme [SACE] was determined beside other biochemical hepatic markers in 34 children with liver disease. They were classified into 3 groups: group I: consisted of 12 children suffering from acute viral hepatitis, group II: consisted of 13 children with compensated bilharzial hepatosplenomegally and group III: consisted of 9 children with decompensated bilharzial liver fibrosis. 12 apparently healthy children represented the control group. A significant increase in serum angiotensin converting enzyme activity was observed in all patient groups. This increase was much marked in children of group III with good correlation with other traditional biochemical hepatic markers. We concluded that SACE activity increases in acute and chronic liver disease and could be used as an index of severity of liver impairments especially in chronic liver diseases