Micronutrients and anaemia.

Micronutrient deficiencies and anaemia remain as major health concerns for children in Bangladesh. Among the micronutrient interventions, supplementation with vitamin A to children aged less than five years has been the most successful, especially after distribution of vitamin A was combined with National Immunization Days. Although salt sold in Bangladesh is intended to contain iodine, much of the salt does not contain iodine, and iodine deficiency continues to be common. Anaemia similarly is common among all population groups and has shown no sign of improvement even when iron-supplementation programmes have been attempted. It appears that many other causes contribute to anaemia in addition to iron deficiency. Zinc deficiency is a key micronutrient deficiency and is covered in a separate paper because of its importance among new child-health interventions.

Octreotide (SMS 201-995) as an antisecretory agent in cholera toxin & bile acid induced intestinal secretion in an in vivo animal study.

The effect of Octreotide (SMS 201-995), synthetic somatostatin analogue on small intestinal and colonic fluid secretion induced respectively by cholera toxin (CT) and deoxycholic acid (DCA) was investigated in rabbits using in vivo isolated loops. After exposure to CT and DCA, marked fluid accumulation was observed in the small intestinal and colonic loops, along with elevation of jejunal and colonic mucosal cyclic AMP concentrations. Octreotide inhibited CT and DCA induced small intestinal and colonic secretion, dose-dependently. This anti-secretory effect was observed after both intramuscular and oral administration of octreotide. In contrast, octreotide did not affect the elevated mucosal cyclic AMP concentrations. These results suggest that octreotide inhibits CT and DCA induced intestinal secretion, and this anti-secretory effect is produced by affecting processes beyond cyclic AMP formation.

Biochemical lesions in liver and kidney after caecal amoebiasis in rats by Entamoeba histolytica and their reversal by antiamoebic drugs.

Levels of lipid peroxides in rat caecum, blood, liver and kidney and the capacity of tissue homogenates to form lipid peroxides in vitro was enhanced after caecal amoebiasis in rats produced by Entamoeba histolytica (IB-1). The activity of hepatic drug-metabolizing enzymes in post-mitochondrial fraction and the cytochrome P 450 contents in microsomal fraction decreased significantly, while lysosomal enzymes such as acid phosphatase, acid ribonuclease and cathepsin Β showed an increase in the liver homogenates of infected animals. These changes were reversed following treatment with the antiamoebic drug, metronidazole.