Zinco na desnutricao proteico-calorica.I. Concentracao no soro de criancas com os tipos clinicos kwashiorkor e kwashiorkor-marasmatico. / Zinc in protein-calorie malnutrition. I. Concentration in serum of children with clinical features of kwashiorkor and marasmatic kwashiorkor

Foram determinadas as concentracoes sericas de zinco em 10 criancas com desnutricao proteico-calorica (oito com tipo clinico kwashiorkor e duas com o tipo kwashiorkor-marasmatico), no primeiro, decimo quinto e trigesimo dias de internaco. Nestes pacientes os niveis de zinco, no primeiro dia foram significativamente inferiores aqueles observados em criancas com bom estado nutricional. Durante o periodo inicial de recuperacao do estado nutricional, nao houve aumento significativo da concentracao deste oligoelemento no soro. E discutida a possibilidade de suplementacao deste cation durante a recuperacao de criancas desnutridas

Esvaziamento gastrico em criancas. I.Influencia da temperatura de uma solucao hidratante de uso oral. / Gastric emptying in children. I. Influence of temperature of a hydration solution of oral administration

Em 16 criancas (8 lactantes e 8 recem-nascidos de baixo peso) recebendo, temporariamente alimentacao por sonda naso-gastrica, realizaram-se duas provas de esvaziamento gastrico de solucao hidratante: uma mantida em "temperatura ambiente" (mais ou menos 27oC) e outra em "temperatura de refrigerador" (mais ou menos 4oC), utilizando-se como substancia marcadora a fenolsulfanftaleina (PSP). Todas as provas foram realizadas as 12 horas, 3 horas apos a ultima mamadeira, com intervalos de 24 horas entre uma prova e outra. O volume utilizado em cada prova foi de aproximadamente 20 ml de solucao por kg de peso. Conhecido o volume injetado, o retirado apos 10 minutos e as respectivas concentracoes de PSP, calculou-se a retencao gastrica. Os resultados demonstraram que a solucao hidratante, com baixa temperatura, determinoi retencao gastrica significativamente maior que aquela mamntida em temperatura ambiente. Este fenomeno refuflitiria o efeito moderador da baixa temperatura sobre o peristaltismo gastrico explicando, pelo menos em parte, a sua acao inibidora sobre os vomitos

Acute inflammatory responses in rats with protein-calorie malnutrition.

An animal model of protein-calorie malnutrition (PCM) was produced by keeping rats on a protein-free diet during the 13-day interval which followed the period of normal lactation. Malnutrition was characterized by reduction in body weight, in plasma proteins, cholesterol, haemoglobin and leucocyte counts, relative to controls from the same litter receiving a balanced diet. Acute inflammatory responses induced in these animals by carrageenin or staphylococci suspensions, differed markedly from those evoked in matching controls: the resulting oedema developed more slowly and yet persisted for longer intervals; Evans blue, injected i.v., leaked into the inflamed areas in smaller quantities; reduced cell migration to the site of the lesion was observed. The slow development of the response was attributed to the decreased levels of circulating proteins and its persistency to a defective drainage of exuded material. It is concluded that PCM can impair the capacity of response to noxious stimuli, thus rendering the animals more susceptible to infections.

[Saliva secretion and concentration and secretion of salivary amylase in low-birth weight infants]. / Secreção de saliva, concentração e secreção da amilase salivar em recém-nascidos de baixo peso.

Saliva samples were collected in the first day of life from 22 newborn infants, weighing between 1,22-2,26 kg and 27 newborn infants, weighing between 2,60-3,80 (controls). After 30 days new samples were obtained from 11 children from the first group and 16 children from the control group. Related to capacity of saliva secretion from the control group, no significant difference was observed between both groups. Contrary what is observed for other enzymes of the digestive tract, secretion and concentration of salivary amylase is not affected in low birth weight infants.

[Salivary amylase in kwashiorkor. III. Investigative study of salivary concentration and secretion in 4 patients presenting complications during nutritional recovery]. / Amilase salivar no kwashiorkor. III. Estudo evolutivo da concentração em quatro pacientes apresentando complicações durante a recuperação nutricional.

In four kwashiorkor children with ages between 20 and 36 months, the salivary volume (ml), the amylase concentration (U/ml) and secretion (U/Kg/5 min.) was studied, since the first day in the hospital until the discharge. These children had same diseases during the nutritional recuperation. The control group had eighteen children of the same age and eutrophic. The salivary secretion during 5 minutes was taken by special technic and in the same moment in each day. In one patient with serious kwashiorkor the level of the salivary secretion was slow while the nutritional state was bad. The levels of the salivary amylase secretion and concentration was slow while the disease was present making difficult the nutritional recuperation in each patient.

[Insulin and disaccharidases levels of the small intestine of the rat (author's transl)]. / Insulina e níveis das dissacaridases do intestino delgado do rato.

It was taken 32 male Wistar rats, weighting between 130 g and 150 g, free feeding, to study the total and specific activities of lactase, invertase and maltase of small intestine of rats. The animals were divided by chance in 3 experimental and 1 control group. 1. group--Aloxanic diabetes rats: treated with 1 unit of NPH insulin every day: after the 4th day of aloxane administration, all rats were killed. 2. group--Aloxanic diabetes rats--treated for 5 days with 1 unit of NPH insulin every day; after the 5th day until the 7th they were treated with 4 units of NPH insulin and were also killed. 3. group--Hyperinsulinism rats--Normal rats were treated for 4 days with 4 units of NPH insulin every day. After the 5th day they were killed. 4. group--Control group--Normal rats, free feeding. They were observed during 4 days and were also killed. The results showed that none difference was observed in the 4 groups of rats about the total and specific activities of lactase, invertase and maltase of the small intestine. In this study, all the animals with aloxanic diabetes were treated with insulin. Then, it is possible that the insulin inhibited the stimulator effect of the diabetes upon the dissacaridases of the small intestine of the rats.