Growth hormone [GH] insulin like growth factor-1 [IGF-1] axis in children with controlled IDDM

To study the growth hormone-insulin like growth factor-1 [GH- IGF-I] axis in children with IDDM who had fair to good metabolic control, 20 seven prepubertal and pubertal patients having HbA1c less than 10% were investigated in addition to 30 healthy nondiabetic subjects of matched age and sex served as a control group. All subjects were evaluated clinically with thorough anthropometric measurements. In conclusion, patients with IDDM with fair to good metabolic control showed normal growth parameters and normal GH-IGF-I axis with heightened GH release in response to stress

significance of bile acid determination in latent hyperbilirubinaemia

This work was conducted on 1540 apparently healthy personels and blood donors. Individuals with total serum bilirubin 1.4 mg/dl or more were subjected to haematological investigations to exclude haemolysis, biochemical investigations including conjugated and unconjugated bilirubin, serum transaminases [AST and ALT], alkaline, phosphatase [ALP], albumin and prothrombin time and post prandial serum bile acids as well as serological markers for viral hepatitis. Liver biopsy was performed in selected cases. Serum bilirubin was found to be elevated [1.9 mg/dl] in 56 cases [3.63%]. 39 of these cases were found to be positive for serological markers of viral hepatitis [11 HBV and 28 HCV] and 17 cases were seronegative. The latter group had no evidence of haemolysis with normal hepatic enzymes as well as normal serum bile acid level. In HBV positive cases, 4 of them had elevated hepatic enzymes and 7 had elevated serum bile acids while in HCV positive cases there were 6 cases with elevated hepatic enzymes and 23 cases had elevated serum bile acids. Abnormal histopathological changes in liver structure were reported in seropositive cases. Serum bile asid determination should join the common liver function tests, its level correlates with liver histopathological findings better than aminotransferases

Plasma T[3] and T[4] in patients with major depressive disorders

The material for the present study comprised 12 patients suffering from Major Depressive Disorders, 9 Normal healthy volunteers with matched sex and age served as controls. All patients and control group were subjected to thorough clinical psychiatric and medical examinations, psychometric study using Raskin's depression rating scale was also done. Determination of plasma T[3] and T[4] were done for control group and also for patients before and one month after antidepressive therapy with amitriptyline 150 mg/day. The results were discussed in light of previous literature and we concluded that low plasma T[3] levels in patients with major depression will induce a deficit in brain nor-adrenergic activity which forms the psychobiological bases of depressive symptoms