[Plasma L-carnitine levels in children with celiac disease]. / Concentrazioni plasmatiche di L-carnitina in bambini celiaci.

Carnitine is a very important co-factor for the metabolism of fatty acids, because it is the necessary carrier for the passage of acyl groups inside the mitochondria, where beta-oxidation takes place. In the human body the total pool of carnitine is made by two fractions, one being endogenous and the second exogenous. The absorption of exogenous carnitine takes place mainly at duodenal-jejunal level by an active transport mechanism based on amino acid carrier. Plasma L-carnitine concentrations have been measured in 66 coeliac patients (mean age: 7 years and 4 months). Thirty three of them were on a free diet and the other 33 were on a gluten-free diet for at last six month. In 10 patients we studied plasma L-carnitine levels both on a free diet and on a gluten-free diet. As controls we examined 33 healthy children comparable for age. Plasma L-carnitine concentrations have been measured by a spectrophotometrical method according to Marquis and Fritz's technique and subsequently modified by Pearson and Seccombe. In the 66 coeliac patients the mean values of serum L-carnitine were significantly lower than those in the controls (p < 0.001). The levels were significantly lower in patients a free diet with respect to those on gluten-free diet (p < 0.01). The 10 subjects who were examined both on free diet and on gluten-free diet showed an increase of plasma concentrations in the latter condition.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

CD5+ B lymphocytes and T-cell subsets in a case of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

Recent research has demonstrated that CD5+ B lymphocytes have an important role in autoimmune and rheumatic diseases. In a case of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), we observed the behavior of these cells and other subpopulations of T lymphocytes of peripheral blood before and after therapy with thymopentin (TP5). All the lymphocyte subpopulations returned to normal range, except the CD5+ B cells, where the percentage remained abnormally high (60%). These data suggest that CD5+ B cells can be a useful monitoring index and confirm their important role in the pathogenesis of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

[Selenium in celiac disease]. / Il selenio nella malattia celiaca.

Statistically significant lower levels of selenium (p less than 0.001) have been found both in 37 celiac subjects at free diet and in 36 at gluten-free diet with respect to controls. In patients at free diet the deficit of selenium can be attributed to malabsorption, while in patients at gluten-free diet it may be due to the diet itself. Recently low serum levels of selenium have been observed in several neoplasias; furthermore it's known that celiac patients show an increased incidence of gastrointestinal tumors related to known levels in standard population. Long term monitoring is therefore necessary to integrate diet with selenium in patients showing persistent deficit of this element.

[Preliminary results on blood carnitine levels in children with hepatic pathology]. / Risultati preliminari sulla carnitinemia in bambini con patologia epatica.

A deficiency of exogenous and endogenous carnitine is present in those pathologies in which the most important clinical sign is represented by weakness and steatosis. We have studied the serum levels of carnitine in 14 children with hepatic disease (8 with acute HAV hepatitis, 2 with acute HBV hepatitis, 2 with toxic hepatitis, 2 with chronic hepatitis). In patients with acute, infective and toxic hepatitis we have found levels of carnitine (25.71 +/- 2.14 nM/ml) below normal (50.87 +/- 1.46 nM/ml). In 5 cases we have performed two blood tests, at admittance to the hospital and at the end of the illness. The variability in carnitine levels in these two blood exams shows a clear correlation with clinical improvement, decrease in aminotransferase and increase in serum carnitine. In chronic hepatitis we have found normal levels of carnitine. Probably it is correlated with the absence of steatosis seen at hepatic biopsy.