Sheldon Margen

Morphological Changes in Human Scalp Hair Roots during Deprivation of Protein

Human subjects were deprived of protein for 15 days, after which time hair from the scalp of each subject was plucked and examined. Both the bulb and the external root sheath showed morphological changes. This technique may therefore be useful in diagnosing proteincalorie malnutrition.

Ketosis, weight loss, uric acid, and nitrogen balance in obese women fed single nutrients at low caloric levels☆☆☆

Abstract Five obese women were fed for six successive 5-day periods 400 kcal from single energy sources and 800 kcal combinations of these. At 400 kcal/day, ketosis was least with carbohydrate and greatest with fat as the diet. Four hundred kcal exogenous protein per day, without any other dietary energy source, was found to reduce the degree of ketosis. The addition of 400 kcal exogenous carbohydrate to 400 kcal protein was found effectively to prevent the development of ketosis in the obese, but addition of 400 kcal as fat was not beneficial. As has been previously observed, serum uric acid was found to rise and urinary uric acid to fall in obese subjects on lowcalorie, high-fat diets. A low-calorie, high-carbohydrate diet had the reverse effect. Loss of weight, sodium, and potassium was much greater with diets based on fat than on carbohydrate. Four hundred kcal carbohydrate per day had a greater protein-sparing effect than 400 kcal fat per day in obese women. There appeared to be adaptation to continued low-calorie intake, evidenced by progressively less negative nitrogen balances in successive periods. In the last period, one subject maintained positive balance with only 400 kcal, as protein. We conclude that carbohydrate is necessary in the diet to prevent ketosis and loss of cations, to spare tissue protein and to promote adequate clearance of uric acid, when endogenous fat is the chief source of energy. Exogenous protein can fulfill part of this function, but it is less effective than carbohydrate at equivalently low calorie intakes.

Human intolerance to bacteria as food.

DEMANDS for new means to solve mans nutritional needs when the pressure of population intensifies or when he attempts to travel in space have suggested the use of single cell organisms as food. Hydrogenomonas eutropha, a hydrogen-fixing bacterium, could effectively control the atmosphere of a space cabin as well as providing nourishment1. The protein is of high biological value2 and is well tolerated even in high concentrations in rat diets3. Human feeding trials seemed warranted and were attempted.

DIETARY MODIFICATION OF THE METABOLIC AND CLINICAL EFFECTS OF ACTH AND CORTISONE

Excerpt The accumulation of knowledge and the development of concepts regarding the place of ACTH and cortisone in clinical medicine have followed an interesting pattern during the past three years...

Nutrition program evaluation: Methodology and inference problems

Summary We have provided criteria for critical comparisons of evaluations of intervention programs—either food supplementation or nutrition education. No evaluation is likely to meet all of the criteria. And because the severity of a shortcoming depends on the context in which it occurs, no general guidelines exist for determining how much a problem may influence the results. A shortcoming can be of little consequence or may bias the findings so strongly that it is almost impossible to interpret the results. Our intention here is to present the essential components of a proper evaluation and to give some insight into how a reader can think critically about the studies.

Use of a spectrophotometer for radiographic photodensitometry of bone

SummaryA conventional spectrophotometer was used to do radiographic photodensitometry of bone mass. An experiment to produce osteoporosis in guinea pigs required quantification of changes in bone mass. Lack of a densitometer necessitated finding another method for quantification. The method developed involved using industrial film in a closed X-ray system. Optical density of X-rays was then read in a spectrophotometer at nine femur locations. Highly significant correlations between optical density and femur calcium content and femur dry weight per millimeter were obtained. Histological sections from an animal with low optical density measurements confirmed bone loss by showing decreased cortical width and loss of trabecular bone. In addition to using readily available equipment, this method offers the advantage of being able to detect bone loss in specific areas of the bones. In addition, bones are left intact and can be used for other purposes.

Fluoride balances in pregnant and nonpregnant women.

In planning health protection for pregnant as well as nonpregnant women exposed to fluorides, information about their fluoride metabolism is essential. The authors determined fluoride balances in small groups of young women maintained on two different low-fluoride diets for one or two 21-day periods in a metabolic unit. One diet contained an average of 0.41 mg F/day, and the other contained an average of 0.27 mg F/day. Excretion of fluoride in pooled three-day collections for each subject was about 80% in the urine and 20% in the feces. Pregnant (last half of term) and nonpregnant women demonstrated small negative fluoride balances; the averages were about -0.32 mg F/day and -0.15 mg F/day, respectively. Similar values have been found for young males in other studies. Pregnancy in these subjects did not markedly alter normal fluoride metabolism.

Nutritional and health status and pesticide exposure of farmworkers’ children in Tulare County (California) 1969

The nutritional status of 191 rural, low‐income subjects from the Porterville‐Woodville area of Tulare County, California, was surveyed in 1969 at the request of, and in collaboration with, the medical staff of Salud Medical Clinic, Woodville, California. For comparative purposes, 28 middle‐income children from the city of Visalia were also studied. The results indicate that dietary intake was adequate for most nutrients, with the exception of iron. However, a high incidence of microcytosis and low or deficient serum folate levels was observed along with a high prevalence of short stature. Evidence suggestive of organophosphate pesticide exposure was found in the low plasma cholinesterase activity of a number of children. The levels of DDT and DDE in serum were also found to be respectively twice and three times the mean values reported for non‐exposed adult males.

839 INTEGUMENTARY LOSS OF CALCIUM

The amount of integumentary calcium loss has been generally considered very small and therefore, has rarely been included in calcium metabolic studies. During our study of calcium and protein metabolism, two conditions of integumentary calcium loss were measured. The first, collected over a six-day period represented dermal loss by an ambulatory but rather sedentary man. The second was collected over a 40 minute period of strenous exercise. The daily loss of 16 subjects in 52 determination of six-day periods each was 8.7 ± 1.9 mg/m2/day. The amount was not influenced by calcium intake (0.1 to 2.3 g/day). In contrast to urinary calcium excretion, which is directly related to protein intake, there was no significant change by varing protein intake (1 to 96 g nitrogen/day). No compensatory relationship between urinary and integumentary calcium excretion was noted. During strenous exercise calcium loss increased to to 25 mg (11 to 45 mg) in 40 minutes. There was no compensatory decrease in urinary excretion on the day of strenous exercise. It was also noted that this calcium loss was not affected by general calcium balance. The amount of integumentary loss may become even greater than the urinary calcium excretion. We conclude that integumentary calcium loss probably should be considered in calcium metabolic studies.

Local and systemic use of ethinyl estradiol in patients with acne and hirsutism.

The local application of estrogen in the management of acne was first reported by Simons in 1938 (1). Since then, multiple and frequently contradictory reports have appeared in the literature (2–8). In all instances so far reported, the estrogen has been used in an ointment or lotion base. Frequently the concentration of estrogen has been relatively low. In a fairly large series of patients, one of the authors (L.K.) in collaboration with Drs. Julian Lunsford and Herman Allington used an estrogen ointment. None of us was impressed by the results obtained. A number of patients complained of exacerbation of the acne. This was considered to be referable to blockage of the ducts of the sebaceous glands by the light ointment base which was used. For the reasons to be noted below, during the past five years two groups of patients, 47 whose major complaint was hirsutism and 38 who had acne of severe or of moderately severe degree, have been evaluated from the standpoint of effect of local and systemic estrogen. ...