Small intestinal disaccharidase activities in normal and abnormal Jordanian children

The diasaccharidase enzyme activities of the small intestinal mucosa and fluid were assessed in 31 Jordanian individuals. The group investigated comprised eight normal subjects and 23 patients with gastrointestinal disorders with an age-range of four months to 11 years. A significant reduction in enzymatic activity was observed in certain Intestinal disorders as contrasted from the normal. The enzymatic reduction was found to correlate well with the structural changes in the intestinal mucosa. The present investigations confirm the reliability of enzyme assessment in the intestinal fluid in replacement of the more hazardous intestinal biopsies. The method employed can be used both in paediatric research and in diagnosis of patients with malabsorption. It is for the first time that such investigations have been carried out in Jordan. Such diagnostic aids are of low cost and are free of complications

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in a randomly selected sample in Jordan

Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase [G6PD] is the first enzyme of the pentose phosphate pathway of glucose metabolism. It occurs in the form of a large number of variants which differ from each other. Many population studies have been reported on G6PD deficiency. In this study the range for normal level of G6PD among Jordanians of different ages were identified. Glucos-6-Phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency was detected in 25 subjects among a group of 496 selected Jordanian subjects, who were apparently healthy. In addition, 12 subjects from the same group were considered to be suspected with G6PD deficiency and needs further investigations