Subject(s)
Bone Marrow Cells , Bone Marrow/enzymology , Kwashiorkor/enzymology , Child, Preschool , Female , Histocytochemistry , Humans , Infant , MaleABSTRACT
Antibody production in kwashiorkor and marasmic infants was studied by dividing them into three groups and giving the first group a single dose of trivalent live attenuated polio virus, the second group live attenuated measles virus and the third group diphtheriatoxoid. The production of antibodies was found to be deficient in PEM as compared to normals and diminished more in kwashiorkor than in marasmus cases. The individuals of the complement system were significantly lower in kwashiorkor than in normal controls. However, C3 was the only fraction which is significantly diminished in marasmic infants. The results are discussed and as a conclusion it is suggested that deficient production of antibodies and diminution in the complement system in PEM may explain the susceptibility of such infants to repeated attacks of infection.
Subject(s)
Antibody Formation , Complement System Proteins/analysis , Protein-Energy Malnutrition/immunology , Antibodies, Viral , Complement System Proteins/physiology , Female , Humans , Infant , Kwashiorkor/immunology , Male , Poliovirus/immunologyABSTRACT
7 infants diseased with Acrodermatitis enteropathica and 10 normal controls were included in this study. The values of anthranilic acid glucuronide, 6- aminohippuric, anthranilic acid, N-acetyl Kneurine, Kneurine and 30 H Kneurenine, were estimated in mg/24 hours urine, both basal and after tryptophane load. In addition, histopathological and histochemical studies for lactase, succinic dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase, and alpha-non-specific esterases activities were done for the intestinal mucosal biopsies. All the previous investigations were then repeated after two months treatment with 500 mg/day diiodohydroxyquinoline. The tryptophan metabolites were significantly low in the diseased infants, both basal and after tryptophan load. Moreover, the intestinal enzymes activities were altered. After 2 months treatment with diiodohydroxyquinoline the diseased infants became clinically improved, tryphtophan metabolites became normal, but the activities of the intestinal enzymes were not altered. The biochemical and histochemical findings were discussed, giving the possibility of competitive inhibition of the diiodohydroxyquinolines and the by-product 8 OH Quinololic acid resulting in more degradation of Kneurine and 3 OH Kneurenine to nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide.
