The role of dietary protein restriction in Indian patients with chronic renal failure.

OBJECTIVE: To determine dietary protein intake in Indian patients with chronic renal failure and the impact of prescribing protein restricted diets to these patients. METHODS: Baseline dietary protein intake was estimated in forty five patients with chronic renal failure on an unrestricted diet. Of these 45 patients, 27 were vegetarian and 18 were non-vegetarian. Then the patients were divided into 2 comparable groups. Twenty group I patients were allowed to continue unrestricted diet while 25 group II patients were advised 0.6 g/kg/day (50% high biological value) protein. Protein intake was estimated at 1 and 2 month follow up. RESULTS: The baseline dietary protein intake in 45 patients was 0.65 +/- 0.15 (mean +/- 1 SD) g/kg/day. There was no significant difference in protein intake of group I and group II patients at 1 and 2 month follow up. Also, the protein intake in group II patients was not different at 1 and 2 month follow up compared to baseline value. CONCLUSION: Protein intake of Indian patients with CRF is usually low even on an unrestricted diet. The usual practice of advising dietary protein restriction has no significant impact on the protein intake.

Assessment of vitamin A nutriture in preschool children--a multi-approach.

Previous studies suggest that impression cytology may be a reliable test to detect mild xerophthalmia in young children. The present study was conducted to assess Vitamin A nutriture in 150 preschool children through a multi-approach, wherein the correlation of impression cytology, with other indicators of Vitamin-A status was examined. A close correlation between keratinization of buccal mucosal cells and vitamin A deficiency even in subclinical states has been noted.

Antikinetochore antibodies interfere with prometaphase but not anaphase chromosome movement in living PtK2 cells.

Injection of CREST antikinetochore antiserum (AKA) containing antibodies to the kinetochore into living prometaphase PtK2 cells decreased chromosome velocity to near zero. Injection of either phosphate-buffered saline or CREST antiserum without antikinetochore antibodies (antikinetochore negative: AKN) had no effect on prometaphase oscillations. AKA antiserum injected into anaphase cells at the beginning of chromatid separation had no effect on anaphase chromosome velocity, spindle elongation, or cytokinesis. Visible binding of antikinetochore antibodies in prometaphase cells at room temperature occurred between 5 and 15 minutes after injection. Anaphase cells injected at the beginning of chromatid separation had bound antibody at the end of anaphase. AKA antiserum recognizes in Western blots proteins associated with the primary constriction: CENP-B, -C, and -D, as reported by other workers. The control antiserum, AKN, does not recognize these proteins. These results imply that the antigens recognized by CREST antibodies are important for chromosome movement. Whether or not these antigens are themselves motor molecules cannot be addressed by the present data. In addition, the results suggest that these antigens are not involved in an important way in anaphase movement.