R.W. Logan

REDUCED PREVALENCE OF RICKETS IN ASIAN CHILDREN IN GLASGOW

As judged by admissions to a childrens hospital, the prevalence of Asian rickets in Glasgow increased from 1960 to 1973 and then decreased gradually. 400 children born of Indian or Pakistani parents (200 in 1974 and 200 in 1979), from two schools, were examined for clinical, biochemical, and radiological evidence of vitamin-D deficiency. In 1974 there were 10 children with florid rickets and 15 with subclinical rickets, whereas in 1979 no child had florid rickets and only 9 had subclinical rickets. Most Asian children now receive vitamin-D supplements. In the short term, general practitioners, physicians, and obstetricians in the United Kingdom must try to ensure vitamin D supplementation not only by children but also by young adults (aged 13-18 years) of Asian origin. A particular target should be pregnant Asian women, to prevent osteomalacia, fetal hypovitaminosis, and congenital rickets. The long-term answer to Asian probably lies in health education and a change towards the Western diet and life-style.

The measurement of acid mucopolysaccharides (glycosaminoglycans) in amniotic fluid and urine

Abstract The purpose of the investigation was to find a routine laboratory method potentially suitable for the prenatal detection of the mucopolysaccharidoses. Samples of amniotic fluid from therapeutic abortions were treated with pronase, dialysed and the glycosaminoglycans precipitated by cetyl pyridinium chloride (CPC). The precipitates were subjected to quantitative determinations of hexuronic acid and neutral sugar, and the glycosaminoglycans were separated qualitatively by electrophoresis on cellulose acetate and differential staining in alcian blue-magnesium chloride mixtures. The same techniques were applied to routine urine samples. Evidence is presented to support the contention that these combined investigations offer a high probability of detecting abnormalities in glycosaminoglycan metabolism.

A new sensitive microassay for the measurement of erythrocyte glycogen

Conventional ethanol precipitation of sub-microgram amounts of glycogen leads to low yields (less than 50%). Quantitative recoveries of 90% were attained, however, when the isolation temperature was raised to 50 degrees C and ethanol was replaced by the less polar propan-2-ol. This improvement enabled development of an erythrocyte assay for glycogen which was both sensitive (0.1 microgram glycogen) and required only 1 ml of whole blood. 26 paediatric specimens were analysed and a reference range of values from undetected to 78 micrograms glycogen/g haemoglobin (Hb) was obtained.

Intrauterine Fetal Growth Retardation: A Comparison of Human Placental Lactogen Urinary Oestriol and Biparietal Diameter Measurements

Forty-two ‘at risk’ pregnancies were serially monitored by sonar biparietal cephalometry, 24 h urinary oestriol assays and determination of serum human placental lactogen. The results were assessed by a scoring system, and it was found that a combination of sonar cephalometry and 24 h urinary oestriol assays gave the most reliable prediction of intrauterine growth retardation.