Cerebrospinal fluid amino acid levels in newborn infants with intracranial hemorrhage

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) amino acid levels including excitatory amino acids (i.e. glutamate and aspartate) in 25 preterm and 18 full-term newborn infants with no serious disease except intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) were measured. ICH was detected in 13 preterm and six full-term infants on the basis of the clinical, lumbar puncture (LP) and cranial ultrasonography (CraUSG) findings. Twelve preterm and 12 full-term infants who were neurologically healthy comprised the control group. The mean concentration of CSF amino acids did not differ between preterm and full-term infants. The CSF concentrations of taurine, threonine, glycine, alanine, valine, isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine and phenylalanine in preterm infants, and threonine, aspartic acid and alanine in full-term infants were significantly elevated in infants with ICH. These abnormalities, especially in preterm infants, are probably related to cerebral hypoxia in CSF amino acid concentrations in newborn infants with ICH.     

Evaluation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and vitamin D binding protein losses in thirteen children on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis

Thirteen children, 6 females, 7 males, aged 2 to 13 years were studied. At the time of study they were on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) for 1 to 22 months. 25-(OH)D loss in daily dialysate fluids represented 2 to 22 micrograms/day. A significant correlation was found between 25-(OH)D plasma concentration and 25-(OH)D dialysate concentration. 25-(OH)D clearance was correlated to 25-(OH)D binding protein clearance (p less than 0.001). These findings of important 25-(OH)D losses in the dialysate fluid of children on CAPD demonstrate the necessity of carefully adapted vitamin D intakes with such a treatment.     

Sarcoidosis of the upper respiratory tract in children

Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic granulomatosis of unknown etiology which mainly affects young adults. It is characterized primarily by bilateral hilar adenopathies, a pulmonary infiltrate and cutaneous and ocular lesions. It rarely occurs in children under the age of 16. Localization in the upper respiratory tract (URT) is infrequent and sarcoidosis of the URT in children is exceptional, with only 13 cases reported in the literature. In the present report we describe the clinical, diagnostic explorations, histological and therapeutic aspects of 2 new cases in children.     

Effets sur la protéolyse musculaire et générale du brûlé d'une solution enrichie en acides aminés ramifiés

In order to assess the effects of a branched chain amino acid (BCAA) enriched solution on urinary nitrogen loss and muscle protein breakdown, 22 burnt patients were randomly divided into two groups immediately after hospital admission : 11 patients received a 22% BCAA amino acid solution, 11 patients received a 41% BCAA amino acid solution. Nitrogen intake was 0.2 g per day during the first 4 days in each group. Urinary total nitrogen, urinary creatinine and urinary 3,methylhistidine (3,MeHis) were measured for 4 days. Nitrogen balance, 3,MeHis/nitrogen ratio and 3,MeHis/creatinine ratio were calculated in each group. The two groups were compared using Student's test. Nitrogen, creatinine and 3,MeHis urinary excretion, and nitrogen balance were not significantly different in the two groups, except for urinary nitrogen on day 3 which was slightly higher in the 41% BCAA group. The 3,MeHis/nitrogen ratio on day 1, day 2 and during the whole study period, as well as the 3,MeHis/creatinine ratio on day 2, were significantly lower in the 41% BCAA group. These results were in agreement with a decrease in muscle/whole body urinary nitrogen excretion. However, no beneficial effect upon nitrogen loss or nitrogen balance was shown by using the 41% BCAA rich amino acid solution.     

Surgical treatment of congenital aortic valve constriction with associated obstructive cardiomyopathy. Perioperative left intraventricular gradient treated with beta blockers. Apropos of a case

The authors report a case of congenital valvular aortic stenosis associated with echocardiographic and angiographic appearances of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. After valvular replacement and partial myotomy a high intraventricular pressure gradient (125 mmHg) with low intra aortic pressure was recorded. High dose intravenous propranolol (25 mg in 2 hours) reduced this gradient to 50 mmHg allowing cardiopulmonary bypass to be discontinued. This clinical combination is associated with a risk of aggravation of the intra-ventricular obstructive phenomenon when the obstacle to left ventricular ejection is relieved: surgical myotomy was performed in similar, previously published cases. High doses betablocker therapy can be performed in similar, previously published cases. High dose betablocker therapy can be useful in this association and it may also be instituted when right intraventricular pressure gradient increase after relief of pulmonary valvular stenosis.     

The effect of induced metabolic acidosis on vitamin D3 metabolism in rachitic chicks

Summary The metabolism of vitamin D₃ was studied in 3-week-old, vitamin D deficient chicks, fed since hatching with a diet containing 3% ammonium chloride, 1% calcium, and 0.7% phosphorus. When kidney homogenates were incubated in vitro with [³H]25-(OH)D₃, the production of 1,25-(OH)₂D₃ was reduced by 40% in acidotic birds. During in vivo experiments, after injection of [³H]D₃ (1220 pM/bird), the level of 1,25-(OH)₂D₃ was also reduced in blood plasma, intestine, and tibiae in acidotic chicks as compared with the controls. As a large increase in plasma phosphate was found during acidosis, these results are discussed in relation to the possible role of phosphorus in the control of 1,25-(OH)₂D₃ synthesis.     

Equilibrium and stability code for a diffuse plasma

A computer code to investigate the equilibrium and stability of a diffuse plasma in three dimensions is described that generalizes earlier work on a sharp free boundary model. Toroidal equilibria of a plasma are determined by considering paths of steepest descent associated with a new version of the variational principle of magnetohydrodynamics that involves mapping a fixed coordinate domain onto the plasma. A discrete approximation of the potential energy is written down following the finite element method, and the resulting expression is minimized with respect to the values of the mapping at points of a rectangular grid. If a relative minimum of the discrete analogue of the energy is attained, the corresponding equilibrium is considered to be stable.