Relevant biochemical changes in hepatomegalic patients with diabetes mellitus

Serum enzymes including aminotransferases [ALT, AST], Alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, and gamma glutamyl transferase, beside cholesterol, bilirubin [total and conjugated], as well as total protein and its electrophoretic fractions were measured in 59 hepatomegalic patients with diabetes mellitus, 108 diabetic patients with no hepatomegaly, and 50 subjects as a normal control group. Significant increases in the level of all of the measured enzymes as well as cholesterol were found in diabetics with hepatomegaly as compared to those with no hepatomegaly and the control group. A significant difference was found between total serum bilirubin concentration in hepatomegalic diabetics and controls, but not with diabetic patients with normal liver size. The serum albumin level was significantly lower, while alpha 1-, alpha 2-, beta-, and total globulins were significantly higher in hepatomegalic diabetics than in the control group

Effect of parental smoking and social class on the children's pulmonary function

The effect of social class and parental smoking on forced expiratory volume in one second [FEVI], forced vital capacity and peak expiratory flow rate [PEFR] of children has been analyzed. Parental smoking did not appear to affect the children's pulmonary function. Furthermore, no significant difference in FEV1 and FVC values have been observed between children of the high and low social classes, but children of the low social class outperformed those of the high social class in PEFR values