Toxic psychosis due to chloroquine--not uncommon in children.

Toxic psychosis due to Chloroquine is a relatively uncommon occurrence in childhood. This entity must be kept in differential diagnosis in a case of unexplained psychosis, before resorting to a sophisticated array of detailed investigations. The purpose of this is to familiarize pediatricians with this relatively uncommon entity. The authors encountered four cases of psychosis with a wide variety of symptomatology over a period of the past 18 months.

Somatotype, physical growth, and sexual maturation in young male smokers.

One thousand school boys aged 8 to 16 were examined for their somatotype, physical growth, sexual maturation, and smoking habits. Fifty-two boys were found to be smokers, of whom 30 were regularly smoking between two and 20 bidis or cigarettes a day for a mean duration of 2.5 years. The mean height and weight of the smokers was significantly lower than that of the non-smokers at all ages, more so in regular than occasional smokers. Sixty-nine per cent of the smokers had mesomorphic type of body build; about 65% of the non-smokers had ectomorphic somatotype (P less than 0.001). Onset of puberty occurred significantly earlier among smokers compared with non-smokers, as was evident from the early appearance of genital stage 2, and an early and rapid increase in testicular size. Genital stage 2 appeared at a mean age of 11 years in smokers and 11.6 years in non-smokers. However, the appearance of pubic, axillary, and facial hair was delayed. The possible significance of this is discussed.

Congenital asymmetrical crying facies.

Congenital asymmetrical crying facies, a minor congenital anomaly due to hypoplasia or the absence of the depressor muscle of the angle of the mouth (musculus depressor anguli oris), manifests as lower lip asymmetry during crying. In a prospective study of 1,600 neonates born at the J.L.N. Medical College in Ajmer, India, during the period from January 1979 to August 1979, 10 infants (6.3 per 1,000 infants) had asymmetrical crying facies. Two of the 10 affected neonates had congenital heart disease (1 ventricular septal defect; 1 tetralogy of Fallot), compared with three out of 1,590 members of a control group (p < 0.001). Five babies had other minor congenital malformations. Four of the 10 mothers of probands and three of twelve siblings had the same anomaly, suggesting a familial etiologic factor. No noxious obstetric or prenatal factor could be identified. At a follow-up examination (3 to 6 months later), all of the infants showed normal growth and development, although the effects of the anomaly persisted. We suggest that asymmetrical crying facies is a commonly occurring minor congenital malformation, and in its presence, a thorough search for other congenital malformations, especially of the cardiovascular system, should be made.