In communications to the British Paediatric Association in 1952, Lightwood and Payne described a group of 10 infants between the ages of 3 and 7 months presenting with anorexia, vomiting, failure to thrive, constipation and sometimes polyuria and polydipsia. They had hypercalcaemia, azotaemia and normal alkali reserves and in two of them radiographs showed nephrocalcinosis. There was no obvious...

Three women with hypoparathyroidism are described who developed severe symptomatic hypercalcaemia while being treated with alphacalcidol (1 alpha-hydroxycholecalciferol; One-Alpha). One sustained permanent renal damage. Alphacalcidol may have advantages over calciferol in its speed of action but poisoning may be more likely to occur. Frequent follow-up checks on the plasma calcium is needed for...

A 57-year-old woman presented in November 1978 with a two-month history of intermittent fever, an evanescent non-pruritic rash, loss of 10 kg, and generalised lymphadenopathy and hepatosplenomegaly. Haemoglobin concentration was 7 8 g/dl, white cell count 316 x 109/1 (31 600/mm3), and platelet count 142 x 109/1. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate was 102 mm in first hour (Westergren), and Coombs te...

OBJECTIVE To see whether parathyroid hormone related protein has a humoral role in breast cancer. DESIGN Plasma concentrations and tumour expression of parathyroid hormone related protein were determined (by two site immunoradiometric assay and immunohistochemistry respectively) in women with breast cancer and related to the presence of bone metastases and serum calcium concentrations. SUBJ...