Logarithmic quantitation model using serum ferritin to estimate iron overload in secondary haemochromatosis

Nineteen children and adolescents receiving repeated transfusions and subcutaneous desferrioxamine treatment were investigated in an attempt to quantitate iron overload non-invasively. Before patients were started on desferrioxamine individual relationships were correlated for 12 to 36 months between transfused iron, absorbed iron estimated gastrointestinally, and increasing serum ferritin concentrations. Patients with inflammation, increased liver enzymes, or haemolysis were excluded from analysis. The relationship between the variables could be described by a logarithmic regression curve (y = transfused iron [plus eventually gastrointestinally absorbed iron] = iron overload = a+b log [x = serum ferritin]) for each individual patient. All patients showed close correlation (R2) between x and y (median R2 of 0.909, 0.98, and 0.92 in thalassaemia, aplastic anaemia, and sickle cell anaemia patients, respectively). When started on desferrioxamine, current serum ferritin concentrations were used to derive the iron overload from each individual regression curve. The derived estimated iron overload ranged from 0.6 g to 31 g. Left ventricular dilatation was observed in three patients with beta thalassaemia and in one patient with aplastic anaemia with median iron overload of 20.7 (14.1-31.3) g and 24.0 g respectively. Hypothyroidism was found in four patients with beta thalassaemia and one patient with aplastic anaemia with iron overload between 14.7 (6.8 and 26.1) g and 15.1 g respectively. Human growth hormone deficiency was detected in three patients with beta thalassaemia with an iron overload of 4.2 (3.5-6.8) g; all three patients had excellent desferrioxamine compliance.     

Aortic aneurysm complicating bacterial endocarditis in childhood

Bacterial endocarditis is an uncommon diagnosis in childhood with significant morbidity and mortality. Aortic aneurysm as a complication is well described in adults but there are few reports in the paediatric literature. Two children with bacterial endocarditis are described, whose illnesses were complicated by aortic aneurysm formation requiring surgical intervention.     

Cardiac rhabdomyomas and their association with tuberous sclerosis

A search for children presenting with signs or symptoms of cardiac rhabdomyomas was made through members of the paediatric section of the British Cardiac Society in order to establish their birth incidence, presenting features, clinical course, and the frequency of a concurrent diagnosis of tuberous sclerosis. Fifteen children were identified and 12 had tuberous sclerosis (80%). Heart failure was the presentation in six, five of whom died; six presented because of a murmur and three because of arrhythmias. The prevalence of echocardiographic evidence of cardiac rhabdomyomas in a population of patients with tuberous sclerosis was established. Twenty individuals had echocardiography and eight had echodensities consistent with cardiac rhabdomyomas. It is concluded that the minimum birth incidence for children presenting because of the effects of cardiac rhabdomyomas is 1/326,000 and a minimum of 80% have tuberous sclerosis. In a population of patients with tuberous sclerosis a minimum of 60% under 18 years have cardiac rhabdomyomas.     

Fructosamine and glycated haemoglobin in the assessment of long term glycaemic control in diabetes

Fructosamine and glycated haemoglobin were measured simultaneously in 147 children with diabetes. If glycated haemoglobin is considered as the 'gold standard' for long term glycaemic control, then fructosamine is a poor indicator of actual glycated haemoglobin values, with wide 95% confidence (fiducial) limits. This shows that it is impossible to accurately predict glycated haemoglobin concentrations and therefore, by implication, longer term glycaemic control, from measurements of fructosamine. As the major studies on the prevention of microvascular complications in diabetes have used glycated haemoglobin levels to assess glycaemic control, it is suggested that this measurement should be used in all children with diabetes in preference to the measurement of fructosamine.     

Natural history of trisomy 13

The poor prognosis of patients with trisomy 13 has long been accepted and has been ascribed to brain and heart malformations. It has been suggested, however, that the long term survival is better than was previously thought and that cardiac surgery may be justified. This population based study reviews the incidence, antenatal diagnosis, spectrum of survival from congenital heart disease, and mode of death for patients with trisomy 13 in the Northern Health Region from 1985 to 1992. There was an observed prevalence at birth of 0.049/1000 live births and an expected prevalence, allowing for antenatal diagnosis, of 0.077. None of the cardiac lesions found would cause early death. The median survival in this series was four days; the longest survival was 3.5 months. The principal mode of death was apnoea in 14 of 16 children, irrespective of the presence of a cranial abnormality. In the light of these findings, cardiac surgery cannot be justified in patients with trisomy 13.     

Direct demonstration of transsynaptic degeneration in the human visual system: a comparison of retrograde and anterograde changes

Transneuronal degeneration of retinal ganglion cells was directly demonstrated in a patient who had unilateral removal of the striate cortex forty years prior to necropsy. For comparison, another case is presented showing anterograde transneuronal atrophy forty years after enucleation of one eye.