Blood ammonia level in the edematous group of protein

Mental changes and psychological disturbances are striking cardinal features of the edematous group of protein energy malnutrition [PEM]. This work was carried out to study the plasma ammonia level, in addition to determination of plasma proteins, blood urea and some liver function tests in these cases. It included 10 cases [7 kwashiorkor and 3 marasmic-kwashiorkor] with a mean age of 15.2 months and 10 healthy children of comparable age and sex as a control group. All PEM cases had mental and psychological changes in addition to the cardinal manifestations of PEM. Significant hyperammonaemia was a prominent finding in our PEM cases who showed also significantly lower plasma protein and blood urea levels. However, the liver function tests showed no significant changes. With treatment, all the laboratory disturbances revealed back to normal. These findings are discussed

Bacteraemia in acute leukemic patients

Bacteremic complications in patients with acute leukemia are the main concern in this work. Fourteen leukemic patients were studied. Eight bacteremic episodes caused by three different microorganisms, nine febrile episodes, seven overt foci of infection, eight granulocytopenic states and four deaths were recorded during this work. There was a higher tendency for bacteremia to occur during the early phases of the disease, in the febrile episodes, during the granulocytopenia states, especially of the severe degrees and when an overt focus of infection was present. The organisms recovered from the patients were Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeroginosa and Escherichia coli. The antibiotics to which these organisms proved to be sensitive were ampiclox, tobramycin, garamycin and carbenicillin