Almas Begum

Calcium balance studies on children accustomed to low calcium intakes.

1. Calcium balance studies were carried out on twenty-eight apparently normal preschool children who had been for several months on a low Ca intake of 200 mg/child per day. 2. Three-day balances showed that all subjects were in positive balance. The absorption was 50% of the intake. 3. When the dietary intake was increased to 280 mg/day there was a greater absorption and retention of Ca. Serum Ca, inorganic phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase were within the normal range for this age group. 4. Fourteen of the subjects were on wheat supplemented with lysine. The addition of a single amino acid to the diet was shown not to improve the absorption and retention of Ca over that of the controls.

Feeding trials with lysine- and threonine-fortified rice

I . The effect of fortification of rice with lysine and threonine (at levels of z g and I g/kg respectively) on the growth of preschool children was assessed in feeding trials at a residential orphanage and a village day-care centre. 2. In the first trial, the children at the orphanage were offered a diet based on rice, to provide the recommended allowances of protein and energy. For the children in the experimental group, the rice was fortified with lysine and threonine for the 6 months of the trial. 3. Statistically significant differences in final height and weight were not observed between the children in the control and in the experimental groups. 4. The children in the control group grew at optimal rates. 5 . In the second trial, the diet provided approximately 80 of the daily energy and protein intakes from rice and was offered ad lib. at four meals a day in the orphanage and at three meals a day in the day-care centre. 6. In the orphanage, most children ate enough of this high-bulk diet to ensure an adequate energy intake. The childrcn given the fortified rice and those who served as controls grcw at very satisfactory rates. 7. 4 t the village centre most of the children were unable to eat enough food to achieve an adequate intake of energy. The children given thc fortified rice did not grow taller than those given unfortified rice. 8. Fortification of rice with lysine and threonine did not improve rates of growth of preschool children.

Physical growth and neurointegrative performance of survivors of protein--energy malnutrition.

1. The anthropometric measurements and neurointegrative performance of seventy-nine children aged 6--12 years who had survived kwashiorkor in early childhood were compared to those of 142 children who served as controls. 2. For the boys the differences in height and weight between those who had survived protein--energy malnutrition (PEM) and the controls were significant (P less than 0.01). 3. For the girls the differences in height and weight between those who had survived PEM and the controls were not significant. 4. In the tests chosen, the performances of the survivors of PEM was significantly poorer than that of the controls. 5. There was no improvement in the performance when thirteen survivors were reassessed at 10 years of age. 6. There was a significant difference in scholastic performance between the survivors of PEM and the normal controls. The scholastic performance of the siblings of PEM survivors was also significantly better than that of the PEM survivors. 7. The dietary intakes at the time of reassessment were unsatisfactory in 25% of the survivors, but did not relate to their scholastic abilities.

Urinary excretion of β-glucuronidase in protein-calorie malnutrition

Abstract The β-glucuronidase activity in the 24-h urine of 19 children with protein-calorie malnutrition (kwashiorkor) was significantly higher than that of normal pre-school children who served as controls. On recovery, a significant reduction in the β-glucuronidase activity occurred. There was no correlation between the serum and urinary activity of the enzyme estimated in each patient.

Effect of high protein rice on nitrogen retention and growth of preschool children on a rice-based diet

The effect of high protein milled rices (IR480-5-9 and IR2153-338-3, 10% protein) on the nitrogen retention and growth of preschool Indian children was assessed in two feeding trials in a residential home. The children were offered, ad libitum, a rice-based diet in four meals daily without vitamin and mineral supplement. The children in the experimental group were given the high protein rice; those in the control group were given a local rice (7% protein). The groups had similar percent apparent digestibility and retention of dietary nitrogen. Statistically significant differences in increase in height and weight between the two groups were not consistently observed at the end of 4.5 to 5 months or 1 year. Possible factors contributing to these results are discussed.

A preliminary simulated iron fortification trial in south Indian preschool children.

1. The effect of fortification of food with iron to provide 10 mg elemental Fe/child per d was studied in preschool children maintained on a cereal diet, over a 5-month period. 2. The absorption of 5 mg Fe as ferrous sulphate mixed in one meal was 3.3% of the test dose and when 3.3 mg was given with each of three meals over a 2 d period the corresponding value was 4.8%. 3. The mean absorption of a test dose of ferrous ascorbate studied in twenty-four children midway through the trial was 42%. 4. The only beneficial effect of Fe fortification in this time-period in the experimental group was the prevention of the decrease in packed cell volume which occurred in the control groups.

Effect of vitamin A on cholinesterase activity in normal children and in children with protein-calorie malnutrition.

Abstract Serum cholinesterase activity has been estimated in normal preschool children and children with kwashiorkor on admission and throughout recovery. The mean serum cholinesterase value of normal preschool children was 198 units/ml and of the kwashiorkor patients 53 units/ml. There was a significant increase in the serum cholinesterase activity of the kwashiorkor children throughout recovery. Serum cholinesterase activity of normal children on low dietary intakes of vitamin A increased significantly on giving 10000 IU vitamin A orally. This rise was also observed on increasing the dietary vitamin A from 300 IU to 2500 lU/child/day. The mean red cell cholinesterase activity of 32 normal children was 72 units/ml and of the kwashiorkor children 48 units/ml. The level of red blood cell cholinesterase in children with kwashiorkor increased steadily throughout recovery. Significant rise in the level of red cell cholinesterase activity was observed on giving vitamin A to the children on low vitamin intakes.

Serum tocopherol levels of normal preschool children and children with protein-calorie malnutrition in south India.

Summary Serum tocopherol levels of 99 normal children, aged 2-5 years, and of 42 children with kwashiorkor were estimated. Of the 99 children, 57 from an orphanage had an average serum tocopherol value of 649 μ/100 ml whereas 42 children from a day-care creche had an average level of 470 μg/100 ml. The patients with kwashiorkor had an average value of 410 μg/100 ml when admitted to the hospital. The estimated dietary intake of α-tocopherol of the normal preschool children was 4 mg per child per day.