Hepatic succinic dehydrogenase in marasmic Egyptian infants.

In a group of 15 marasmic infants, the activity of the liver enzyme "succinic dehydrogenase" (SDH) was studied. This was compared with the activity of that enzyme in the livers of 10 normal infants, taken as controls. Histologic changes were found in only one third of the marasmic cases studied while abnormal liver functions were noted in two thirds of them and diminished SDH activity in all of them. The presence of diminished activity of SDH in 100% of the cases may explain the discrepancy between the occurrence of histologic hepatic changes in about 33% only and the occurrence of disturbed liver functions in about 66% of the cases.

Histopathology and histochemistry of the kidney in marasmic Egyptian children.

Percutaneous renal biopsy was done in 15 infants and children with third degree marasmus and in five normal controls. All the cases were free from infection. Histopathological changes as shown in sections stained with hematoxylin and cosin include patchy areas of colloid degeneration and thickening of the walls of some blood vessels in 10 out of 15 marasmic cases. Some proximal convoluted tubules appeared small or atrophic, others are somewhat dilated with decreased thickness of their walls, while others showed necrotic changes. The distal convoluted tubules in the medulla appeared vacuolated and distorted. The activity of the enzyme succinic dehydrogenase (SDH) is markedly inhibited especially in the distal convoluted tubules in all the patients studied.

Intrinsic innervation of the urinary bladder of kangaroo and albino rats.

A comparative study of the intrinsic innervation in desert rodents (kangaroo rats) and others (albino rats) was carried out in an attempt to understand the functional anatomy of the bladder in these animals which are known to sustain severe water restraint. The bladder of the albino rat was innervated by predominantly thin nerves, more numerous beaded endings and few ganglia. That of the kangaroo rat had more numerous thick nerves (pre-ganglionic), large verve trunks, and ganglia which were extensively distributed in the wall. These findings indicate that the bladder of the albino rat depends mainly on the intrinsic innervation and facilatory micturition reflexes, while that of the kangaroo rat is intrinsically regulated, depending on a short neuron system. It was concluded that all the structural differences found might be essential for constant urine retention.