The effect of malnutrition on the in vitro production of interleukin-1 by lipopolysaccharide stimulated circulating monocytes has been investigated in children suffering from kwashiorkor and marasmus. The interleukin-1 activity was significantly lower in children with severe malnutrition. Furthermore, macrophages from children with kwashiorkor produced factors that suppressed mouse thymocyte pr...

The binding of thiopentone to normal and kwashiorkor serum has been investigated. It has been confirmed that thiopentone is bound to albumin predominantly. In kwashiorkor serum, less binding to albumin occurs, but secondary binding sites appear. The significance of these observations is discussed.

Kwashiorkor and marasmus are two clinical syndromes observed in severe acute malnutrition. In this review, we highlighted the differences between these by reviewing data comparing kwashiorkor literature, combined with recent microbiological findings meta-analysis. Depletion of antioxidants, vitamins minerals were more than marasmus. This was consistent uncontrolled oxidative stress associated d...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy of antioxidant supplementation in preventing kwashiorkor in a population of Malawian children at high risk of developing kwashiorkor. DESIGN Prospective, double blind, placebo controlled trial randomised by household. SETTING 8 villages in rural southern Malawi. PARTICIPANTS 2372 children in 2156 households aged 1-4 years were enrolled; 2332 completed th...

Edema is a typical sign in kwashiorkor, which is present in a subset of patients with protein-energy-malnutrition (PEM). The pathophysiology of this edema is not well established. One of the abnormalities found in kwashiorkor is reduced concentrations of antioxidants, suggesting a compromised capacity to neutralize free radicals, which are known to induce tissue damage. We have studied plasma c...

The purpose of these investigations is to describe the incidence and type of anaemia in marasmus and kwashiorkor, its aetiology and response to treatment. Marasmus and kwashiorkor and their associated anaemias in Kenya are complicated conditions. Besides the usual low serum proteins on admission, infections such as measles, pneumonia, diarrhoea, otitis and intestinal and blood parasites were ge...

Although uncommon, kwashiorkor continues to occur in developed, but mainly in developing nations. It is a type of protein-calorie malnutrition that occurs in the setting of insufficient protein intake in the presence of sufficient caloric intake. Skin and hair changes should prompt a thorough dietary history and appropriate dietary intervention. We report a case of a 12-month old girl in Belo H...

UNLABELLED The dual sugar test of intestinal permeability is a reliable non-invasive way of assessing the response of the small intestinal mucosa to nutritional rehabilitation. AIM To compare a local mix of maize-soya-egg to the standard milk diet in the treatment of kwashiorkor. DESIGN The diets were alternated three monthly in the sequence milk-maize-milk. There were a total of 533 kwashi...

BACKGROUND Severe malnutrition contributes up to 50% of childhood mortality in developing countries is frequently characterised by electrolyte depletion, including low total body phosphate. During therapeutic re-feeding, electrolyte shift from extracellular to intra-cellular compartments may induce hypo-phosphataemia (hypo-P) with resultant increased morbidity and mortality. This biochemical im...

I . The purpose of this paper is to propose the measurement of scalp hair diameter as a useful index of protein synthesis in the management of cases of malnutrition. 2. Observations on scalp hair from ten control infants showed that each hair tapered very gradually towards its free end. 3. Observations on scalp hair from twenty-six infants with kwashiorkor showed that each hair narrowed towards...