[Cow's milk allergy: guidelines for the diagnostic evaluation]. / Verdacht auf Kuhmilchallergie: Praktische Empfehlungen zum diagnostischen Vorgehen.

About 2% of the general population and up to 6% of children suffer from food allergy. Cow's milk is charged with a important role in infancy after weaning, since conventional formula are based on its procession. IgE-mediated and Non-IgE- mediated allergic reactions, which are different in manifestation and pathogenesis, can be distinguished. A special role play the exacerbation of atopic dermatitis and the gastrointestinal-food-hypersensitivity-reactions. Skin-prick-test and determination of specific IgE are important diagnostic tools beside medical history. The golden standard of diagnosis is the double-blind-placebo-controlled-food- challenge. The clear result from food-challenge allows to verify suspected food allergies or, on the other hand, to avoid unnecessary diets. Extensively-hydrolysed-formula or Amino-acidformula are a high nutritional value alternative in case of proved cow's milk allergy in infancy.

Melatonin production is similar in children with monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis or other forms of enuresis/incontinence and in controls.

PURPOSE: Monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis is a disorder, the precise etiology and pathomechanism of which remain unknown. An elevated sleep arousal threshold leading to deep sleep, and an amplitude disturbance in circadian arginine vasopressin secretion and urine production have been suggested as possible causes of the disease. The pineal hormone melatonin is allegedly implicated in the physiological sleep mechanism and circadian system. Melatonin serum levels are high at night and low during the day. The major metabolite of melatonin, 6-hydroxy-melatonin-sulfate (aMT6s), is excreted in the urine and is a good indicator of its production. We explore whether alterations in melatonin secretion assessed by its aMT6s excretion might be implicated in the pathomechanism of monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Urine was collected for 24-hour periods from 44 children with monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis, 10 children with other forms of enuresis/incontinence (nonmonosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis) and 25 controls, and its aMT6s concentration was estimated using a commercially available radioimmunoassay. The total amount of aMT6s excreted per day was calculated. RESULTS: We found no significant differences in the amount of aMT6s excreted in a 24-hour period among patients with or without monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis and controls with values of 17.6 microg. (1st to 3rd percentile 10.0 to 27.8) versus 13.4 (9.1 to 19.6) versus 21.5 (13.5 to 31.4), respectively. If aMT6s excretion was related to body weight, the result did not change. CONCLUSIONS: Our data do not indicate that alterations in melatonin production might be involved in the elevation of the sleep arousal threshold associated with deep sleep in children with monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis.

Measurement of urinary melatonin: a useful tool for monitoring serum melatonin after its oral administration.

The relevance of measuring urinary melatonin (MLT) for human pineal research is sometimes questioned, and the relationship among serum levels of MLT, urinary excretion of the unmetabolized hormone, and excretion of MLTs main metabolite, 6-hydroxymelatonin sulfate (aMT6s), is still uncertain. We applied a well established RIA for measuring MLT in serum to urine samples, characterized its criteria of performance in this body fluid, and used it for human studies. In 16 adolescents, the endogenous overnight MLT secretion, expressed as the area under the concentration time curve, correlated significantly with the amounts of urinary aMT6s (r = 0.86; P < 0.0001) and urinary MLT (r = 0.70; P = 0.0027) excreted during a 16-h observation period. Oral administration of 3 mg exogenous MLT in 17 healthy volunteers resulted in peak MLT serum levels differing 28-fold among subjects (940-27,240 pg/ mL; range). In this study urinary MLT, but not aMT6s, excretion was associated with blood MLT concentrations (r = 0.76; P = 0.0004 vs. r = 0.02; P = 0.93, respectively). Thus, endogenous MLT production can be assessed accurately by measuring either aMT6s or MLT excretion. After oral application of MLT, however, only measurement of MLT excretion is a reliable marker of serum concentrations. Determination of MLT in urine may prove to be a useful tool for drug monitoring after oral administration of the pineal hormone.

Treatment of nephrogenic diabetes insipidus with hydrochlorothiazide and amiloride.

Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) is characterised by the inability of the kidney to concentrate urine in response to arginine vasopressin. The consequences are severe polyuria and polydipsia, often associated with hypertonic dehydration. Intracerebral calcification, seizures, psychosomatic retardation, hydronephrosis, and hydroureters are its sequelae. In this study, four children with NDI were treated with 3 mg/kg/day hydrochlorothiazide and 0.3 mg/kg/day amiloride orally three times a day for up to five years. While undergoing treatment, none of the patients had signs of dehydration or electrolyte imbalance, all showed normal body growth, and there was no evidence of cerebral calcification or seizures. All but one had normal psychomotor development and normal sonography of the urinary tract. However, normal fluid balance was not attainable (fluid intake, 3.8-7.7 l/m2/day; urine output, 2.2-7.4 l/m2/day). The treatment was well tolerated and no side effects could be detected. Prolonged treatment with hydrochlorothiazide/amiloride appears to be more effective and better tolerated than just hydrochlorothiazide. Its efficacy appears to be similar to that of hydrochlorothiazide/indomethacin but without their severe side effects.