ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Ghrelin is an appetite and weight physiologic controller. The question is whether there is a relation between ghrelin and protein-energy malnutrition (PEM). Our aim was to assess serum ghrelin in these patients and its relation to different patient variables. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 30 PEM infants (12 marasmic=Ia, 10 kwashiorkor=Ib and 8 marasmic kwashiorkor=Ic) and 15 age and sex matched controls (II). Plasma ghrelin was measured in all subjects using radioimmunoassay with thorough medical history and clinical assessment. RESULTS: The mean serum ghrelin levels were significantly higher among the 3 patient subgroups than controls with no significant inter-subgroup differences. The presence of intestinal parasitic infestations or edema, type of milk feeding and gender had no significant effects on serum ghrelin levels. CONCLUSION: Serum ghrelin is elevated in PEM as an adapting consequence of the malnutrition rather than a primary event. Although this elevation may not be helpful to correct the growth failure because of deficient nutrients, it may prove to have a role in the catch up phenomenon after the recovery. Further research should be directed toward therapeutic trials of ghrelin in the recovery phase.
Subject(s)
Ghrelin/blood , Protein-Energy Malnutrition/blood , Anorexia/blood , Anorexia/diagnosis , Body Height , Body Weight , Case-Control Studies , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Ghrelin/analysis , Humans , Infant , Male , Nutrition Assessment , Nutritional Status , Protein-Energy Malnutrition/diagnosis , Radioimmunoassay , Skinfold ThicknessABSTRACT
Dehydration in set dental stone was studied by employing specific heat measurements. Dehydration proceeds in two steps in air. In the case of bulk samples, especially those made with a lower water-powder ratio, three endothermic reaction stages are observed; a reaction of the dihydrate to the hemihydrate is apparently separated in two, one of which is not inherent. It is thought that the occurrence of a new peak is due to the difficulty for the dehydrated water to escape, depending on the porosity of the set stone.
Subject(s)
Calcium Sulfate/chemistry , Calorimetry, Differential Scanning , Desiccation , Materials Testing , Thermodynamics , Water/chemistryABSTRACT
The electrical resistivity measurement to determine a critical temperature (Tc) in a stoichiometric CuAu alloy is discussed on the dependence of the current used. The temperature was measured on two ways: With the thermocouple connected to the specimen by spot-welding, and with them separated. In the latter case, the greater the current, the lower the apparent Tc because of the generation of Joule heat. To obtain a more precise Tc, the current should be as small as possible or the thermocouple should be located as close as possible to the specimen. It is highly desirable for the thermocouple and the specimen to be welded together, if the effects of some contamination can be ignored in measuring system.
