Effect of passive smoking on pulmonary functions in children

The effect of passive smoking on static lung volume, flow rates and arterial blood gases [ABG] have been studied in 50 healthy children whose age ranged between 5-10 years and the results were compared with those of 20 controls. Subjective reaction to cigarette smoke inhalation included: 405 suffered from eye irritation and lacrimation, 22% from sneezing and cough and 30% of headache and dizziness. In passive smoker children, FVC, FFV1, MVV and FER 25-75 were 80.4%, 79.45, 79.8 and 80.7% of their predicted values respectively compared to 97.1, 96.3, 97.29 and 95.9% for the controls. The differences were statistically significant [P<0.001]. Meanwhile the mean values of T.V. FEV1/FVC% and FER 200-1200 for passive smoker were 436.8, 84.5% and 129.2 L/min respectively compared to 435.5 ml. 91.7% and 145.8 L/min for controls. The differences were statistically insignificant. Classification of children into male and female revealed that there were statistically significant difference in pulmonary function tests between male, female passive smoker and the corresponding male, female controls. Meanwhile. Passive smoker female showed lower values for FER 25-75 and FER 200- 1200 than those of male passive smoker. The differences were statistically significant. ABG analysis were within the normal range and demonstrated no significant difference between the two groups. So this cross sectional study offers evidence that passive smoking constitutes a real threat to respiratory systems of our children

Study of the radiological picture of the lungs in rachitic infants

This work aimed at studying the pulmonary radiological findings in infants suffering from vitamin D deficiency rickets. It included fifty cases with a mean age of 14 months. A high percentage [74%] of the cases presented with acute respiratory illness confirming the strong association between rickets and respiratory problems. All the infants who had clinical evidence of respiratory disease [37 cases, 74%] showed also radiologic pulmonary abnormalities, the most frequent of them were bronchopneumonia [in 24%], lobar pneumonia [in 12%] and pneumonitis [in 12%]. Other infants had atelectasis [in 10%]. Over aeration of the lung [in 8%], increased basal markings [in 4%] and partial hypo aeration [in 4%]. The occurrence of respiratory complications in rachitic infants was found to be significantly associated with the presence of chest deformity, high levels of alkaline phosphatase, and moderate to severe rickets

Evaluation of cases of hematuria in children by the use of phase-contrast microscopy

The present study included 61 males and 39 female, children aged 18 months to 13 years. The aim of our study was to detect the source of haematuria through the examination of red blood cell morphology, and urinary casts using phase contrast microscopy. The result of our study revealed that glomerular bleeding results in dysmorphic red blood cells, while red blood cells from the lower urinary tract are uniform in appearance