bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Free Amino Acid Concentrations in Plasma, Erythrocytes, Granulocytes, and Lymphocytes in Umbilical Cord Blood, Children, and Adults
Authors: Fukuda Kiyotaka , Nishi Yoshikazu , Usui Tomofusa 
Published: February 2024

SummaryConcentrations of free amino acids were measured concurrently in plasma, erythrocytes, granulocytes, and lymphocytes in umbilical cord blood, neonates, children, and adults. In each age group, the patterns of free amino acids were fairly similar in plasma and erythrocytes except for aspartic acid which was more abundant in erythrocytes. Of the amino acids in granulocytes, 71–77% was taurine; in lymphocytes taurine, aspartic acid, and glutamic acid comprised 35–44%, 18–24%, and 20–28%, respectively, of the total in all age groups. Leukocytes may contribute to the interorgan transport of amino acids to about 10% of the erythrocytes' contribution. Postnatally, the levels of glutamic acid and tyrosine in plasma; threonine plus glutamine, serine plus asparagine, and tyrosine in erythrocytes; histidine in granulocytes; and glutamic acid in lymphocytes were significantly increased (p < 0.001); while the levels of phenylalanine and lysine in plasma; taurine in erythrocytes; valine and phenylalanine in granulocytes; and threonine plus glutamine, tyrosine, and phenylalanine in lymphocytes were significantly decreased (p < 0.001). After the neonatal period concentrations of taurine and aspartic acid in erythrocytes, taurine and valine in granulocytes, and tyrosine and phenylalanine in lymphocytes increased gradually with age; while concentrations aspartic acid in plasma, histidine in granulocytes, and glycine in lymphocytes decreased gradually with age. The levels of glycine and valine in plasma, alanine and valine in erythrocytes, serine plus asparagine, glycine, alanine, and tyrosine in granulocytes, and aspartic acid, serine plus asparagine, and alanine in lymphocytes remained constant in all age groups. The present data may be used as reference values for studies on nutrition, metabolic diseases, and blood cell disorders in children. Although further studies are obviously necessary, these results suggest that taurine, aspartic acid, and glutamic acid may play important roles in blood cells.
Comparison of Radionuclear Scintigraphy and Liver Biopsy in the Evaluation of Neonatal Cholestasis
Authors: Tolia Vasundhara , Dubois Reuben S. , Kagalwalla Amir , Fleming Sandra , Dua Veena 
Published: February 2024

SummaryTwenty‐eight patients with neonatal cholestasis were given appropriate tests to arrive at a definitive diagnosis. Comparison of the results showing total obstruction on scintigraphy but not on liver biopsy is presented. It is suggested that liver biopsy be performed to confirm the diagnosis prior to undertaking exploratory laparotomy when radionuclear scan suggests extrahepatic biliary atresia.
Hepatomegaly Following Short‐Term High‐Dose Steroid Therapy
Authors: Iancu Theodore C. , Shiloh Hanna , Dembo Leslie 
Published: February 2024

SummaryChildren treated with large doses of corticosteroids were found to develop hepatomegaly within a few days. No relationship could be established between the condition for which steroids were given and the liver enlargement. Liver biopsy was thought to be indicated, and thus was performed in three children because of diagnostic uncertainty. The light and electron microscopic examinations revealed normal liver architecture, without edema, sinusoid engorgement, or inflammatory changes. The hepatocytes were distended by increased amounts of glycogen. In a pattern reminiscent of some glycogen storage diseases, mitochondria and other cytosol components were displaced toward the cell membrane or around the nucleus, which occasionally contained glycogen. Moderate sinusoidal compression, interhepatocytic free glycogen particles, and mild increase in lipid droplets were also found. It is concluded that the hepatomegaly noted in patients given short‐term, high‐dosage steroid therapy is due to excessive glycogen accumulation within parenchymal cells. This finding is in accordance with observations in animals, as well as with biochemical studies demonstrating hepatocytic glycogen deposition after steroid therapy. Being benign and reversible, early hepatomegaly following administration of high‐dose corticosteroids should not influence the initial therapeutic plan required by the basic disease.
Gastric Acid Hypersecretion in Short Bowel Syndrome in Infants
Authors: Hyman Paul E. , Everett Susan L. , Harada Tokuzo 
Published: February 2024

Summary:To determine the frequency of gastric acid hypersecretion in infants with chronic malabsorption due to short bowel syndrome, acid secretory function was determined in 23 infants with malabsorption 2‐22 months following small bowel resection and in a control group of 14 chronically ill, age‐ and weight‐matched infants who did not undergo bowel resection. The prevalence of basal acid hypersecretion (defined as acid output 2 SD above the mean for the control group) was 17% (4 of 23). Basal gastric acid hypersecretion was associated with two factors: massive small bowel resection and initiation of enteral feeding. Basal acid hypersecretion was present on the initial study in 3 of 7 infants with less than one‐third of the small bowel remaining, but in only 1 of 16 with more than one‐third intact (p < 0.05). Hypergastrinemia was present in 3 of 6 infants following massive bowel resection, but in only 1 of 15 with more than one‐third intact (p < 0.05), but hypergastrinemia was not consistently associated with hypersecretion. In each of six previously unfed infants, a trial of enteral feeding resulted in increased basal and maximal acid output. Three infants developed basal acid hypersecretion during initiation of enteral feeding. There was no evidence of pentagastrin‐stimulated maximal acid hypersecretion in any of the infants.
Vitamin B12 Absorption Capacity in Healthy Children
Authors: Hjelt Karsten , Krasilnikoff Peter A. 
Published: February 2024

Summary:B12 absorption was investigated in 47 healthy children aged 7 months to 15.8 years (median 4.9 years). The patients had either recovered from giardiasis, the post‐gastroenteritis syndrome, or had celiac disease in remission (treated with a gluten‐free diet). The B12 absorption was measured by a double‐isotope technique using 57CoB12 and51CrCl3, the latter being the inabsorbable marker. The radiation dose was minimal. The results were presented as fractional absorption of B12 (FAB12). Within the different age groups, the absorption test was performed by means of the following oral amounts of B12: 0‐ < 1 year, 0.5 μg; 1‐3 years: 1.7 μg, 4‐6 years, 2.5 μg; 7‐10 years; 3.3 μg; and 11‐15 years, 4.5 μg. When using these oral amounts of B12, the medians (and ranges) of FAB12 were found to be: 1‐3 years (n = 18), 37% (16‐80%); 4‐6 years (n = 10), 27% (19‐40%); 7‐10 years (n = 9), 32% (21‐44%); and 11‐15 years (n = 8), 27% (19‐59%). The FAB12 in two children aged 7 and 11 months was 31% and 32%, respectively. These results may be interpretated as reference values for B12 absorption in children. Further absorption tests were performed in seven children representing the four age groups from 1 to 15 years. When a high oral amount of B12 was given (i.e., three times the saturation dose), the FAB12 ranged from 0 to 20% (median 9%), whereas a low amount (i.e., one‐ninth of the saturation dose) produced fractional absorptions from 65 to 82% (median 74%). These observations provide evidence that the saturation mechanism of B12 absorption in children is, in principle, similar to the one in adults. As the median FAB12 values for the above mentioned reference values for B12 absorption in children averaged about 30%, it may be concluded that the corresponding oral doses of B12 represent saturation amounts. Furthermore, our data show that children's absorption capacity makes it possible for them to absorb a considerable fraction of the amounts of B12 stated as Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for children in the different age groups. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first of its kind in children.
Folate Nutrition is Optimal in Exclusively Breast‐Fed Infants but Inadequate in Some of Their Mothers and in Formula‐Fed Infants
Authors: Salmenperä Leena , Perheentupa Jaakko , Siimes Martti A. 
Published: February 2024

Summary:Plasma concentrations of folate were studied in a group of exclusively breast‐fed infants and their mothers (their numbers gradually decreased from 200 at birth to 7 at 12 months) and in infants completely weaned to a cow's milk formula (containing 35 μg of folate/L) and solid foods. The exclusively breast‐fed infants were in no danger of folate deficiency; their plasma levels were elevated after the age of 2 months and, on average, were 2.0‐3.3‐fold higher than maternal levels throughout the study. None of these infants ?? whereas up to 5% of the mothers had values ≤ 3 μg/L, despite supplementation during lactation with 0.1 mg folate/day. In the formula‐fed infants, 69‐94% of the plasma folate concentrations lay below the lowest concentration for the breast‐fed infants. Although no infant had signs of anemia or macrocytosis in red cell indices, the infants weaned earliest had the lowest hemoglobin concentrations (p = 0.09) and the highest mean corpuscular volume (MCV) values (p = 0.06) at 9 months of age. Thus, an infant fed a formula containing the recommended amount of ??
Seasonal Differences in Serum Vitamin D Binding Protein in Exclusively Breast‐Fed Infants
Authors: Specker Bonny L. , Tsang Reginald C. , Ho Mona , Buckley Donna 
Published: February 2024

Summary:Vitamin D binding protein (DBP) is the major carrier for vitamin D and its metabolites in serum. DBP increases in pregnancy and decreases in cirrhosis; no seasonal variation has been reported in adults. We observed significant seasonal differences in 41 exclusively breast‐fed infants who were less than 6 months of age. Winter DBP concentrations exceeded summer DBP concentrations: 398 ± 22 versus 297 ± 20 μg/ml (mean ± SEM). The mean concentration for spring and fall was 329 ± 25 μg/ml. Maternal DBP concentrations did not differ by season. A sunshine exposure score, previously verified, was used to document time and body surface exposed to the sun. DBP was inversely related to sun exposure (r = −0.46, p = 0.005). Infant DBP was significantly and negatively correlated with 25‐hydroxyvitamin D concentrations (r = − 0.38, p = 0.02). We speculate that serum DBP fluctuations are a response to varying vitamin D needs: increased serum DBP occurs in low vitamin D status to maximize uptake of vitamin D from skin.
Abnormal Expression of Secretory Component in Term Newborns with Bowel Perforation—A Report of Two Cases
Authors: Arends J. W. , Walther F. J. , Forget P. P. , Huber J. , Bosman F. T. 
Published: February 2024

Summary:Expression of secretory component (SC) in intestinal resection specimens from two term newborns with bowel perforation due to necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) or an NEC‐like syndrome was determined and compared with the SC immunoreactivity in a panel of intestinal tissues from fetuses at different ages of gestation. Expression of SC was absent in one patient, whereas in the other patient, SC immunoreactivity was observed in the basal cell part of colonic epithelium only. SC was normally expressed in a follow‐up biopsy on one of these patients. In contrast, SC was present in the apical plasma membrane and brush border of colonic epithelium from 32 weeks of gestation onwards in fetuses without demonstrable intestinal disease. From these findings we conclude that the expression of SC was impaired in our patients, thus possibly playing a role in the development of the bowel perforation in these full‐term newborns with an NEC‐like syndrome or resulting from its pathogenesis.
Pseudomembranous Colitis in a Preterm Neonate
Authors: Singer Don B. , Cashore William J. , Widness John A. , Campognone Paul , Hillemeier Craig 
Published: February 2024

Summary:This preterm female infant abruptly developed diarrhea and bowel distention at 25 days of age and died within 60 h with fulminating pseudomembranous colitis and proctitis. Toxin‐producing C. difficile was recovered from the stool. The pseudomembranous colitis developed 12 days after the last dose of ampicillin was given to the baby. Necrotizing enterocolitis, a condition pathologically distinct from pseudomembranous colitis, was also present.
Ontogeny of EGF Receptors During Postnatal Development of Mouse Small Intestine
Authors: Gallo‐Payet N. , Pothier P. , Hugon J. S. 
Published: February 2024

SummaryThis study was aimed at characterizing epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors during postnatal development of the maturing mouse small intestine at a time when this tissue is in the constant presence of high levels of intraluminal EGF. Binding studies with [125I]EGF on isolated epithelial cells demonstrate the continued presence of EGF receptors along the entire length of the small intestine with minimal binding at birth (3.67 ± 0.30%/mg protein) and increasing steadily throughout postnatal life to reach adult values (10.39 ± 0.90%/mg protein) by the 26th day, with maximum binding on the 21st day (13.4 ± 2.2%/mg protein). This EGF binding pattern is similar for all three segments studied but was more pronounced for duodenum and jejunum, especially from day 14 on when binding capacity is more elevated in the proximal segments than in the ileum. Competition‐inhibition curves of [125I]EGF by EGF reveal the presence of two classes of binding sites for which the number of sites and affinity constants are lower at birth than in adults. The continued presence of EGF receptors in mouse small intestine throughout the postnatal period thus provides support for the possible role of EGF as a modulator in the functional development of the maturing gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
Immature Circulating Lymphocytes In Severely Malnourished Guatemalan Children
Authors: Keusch Gerald T. , Cruz Jose R. , Torun Benjamin , Urrutia Juan J. , Smith Harry , Goldstein Allan L. 
Published: February 2024

SummaryThe percentage of peripheral blood lymphocytes forming rosettes with sheep erythrocytes (E‐rosettes) was determined in 33 severely malnourished Guatemalan children, and in two groups of clinically well but mildly growth retarded children from the same environment. Mean E‐rosettes in the acutely ill patients was lower than the value observed in the mildly malnourished children, although there was considerable overlap between groups. These data differ from previously published studies of severely malnourished children from other parts of the world in that not all patients had decreased values for E‐rosettes, in contrast to the uniform depression reported by others. As all patients were clinically similar, the results suggest that there may be specific nutrient defects associated with protein‐energy malnutrition that particularly affect immune function. In addition, in vitro incubation of lymphocytes from the acutely malnourished children with the thymic factor, thymosin fraction 5, increased the percentage of E‐rosettes in a dose‐dependent fashion. These data suggest that immature, thymosin‐responsive T cells are present in circulation. It is possible that in vivo thymosin administration may be beneficial for malnourished individuals.
Ontogenic Development of Neurotensin‐Like Immimoreactivity in the Gastrointestinal Tract and the Influence of Dietary Changes in Rats
Authors: Muraki Koutarou , Nishi Yoshikazu , Okahata Hiroyasu , Arai Masaru , Yamada Hiroyasu , Fujita Susumu , Miyachi Yukitaka , Ueda Kazuhiro 
Published: February 2024

SummaryThe ontogenic development of neurotensinlike immunoreactivity (NTLI) in the gastrointestinal tract was studied in three groups of male rats on different diets. Group I rats were weaned physiologically. Group II rats received only mother's milk until 25 days of age. Group III rats were fed mother's milk alone for 20 days and then switched abruptly to laboratory chow. The NTLI concentration in the gastrointestinal tract from the esophagus to the small intestine was almost the same as that in adult rats before weaning. It increased after weaning to a peak on day 20 or 25, and then decreased to the adult level. The NTLI concentration in the cecum and large intestine, however, decreased from high neonatal level, reaching the adult level on day 20 or 25, and it remained constant thereafter. Prolonged mother's milk feeding alone enhanced neurotensin production in the esophagus and postponed the physiological decrement of NTLI concentrations in the duodenum and small intestine. The sudden change from mother's milk to laboratory chow accelerated the decrement of intestinal NTLI concentrations.
Immunohistochemical Localization of Lactoferrin in Duodenojejunal Mucosa From Celiac Children
Authors: Tedeschi A. , Tuccari G. , Magazzù G. , Arena F. , Ricciardi R. , Barresi G. 
Published: February 2024

SummaryThe immunohistochemical localization of lactoferrin (LF) was investigated in the duodenojejunal mucosa of children with untreated and treated celiac disease and in a control group of children of short stature and of children with postenteritis syndrome. In subtotal villous atrophy, LF was present in all epithelial cells of the luminal surface with a lower degree of positivity in crypts, whereas a variable degree of reactivity for LF was observed in epithelial cells of reconstituted villi and crypts. The LF mucosal distribution, however, was not specific for celiac disease since the LF pattern was similar in untreated celiac disease and also in postenteritis syndrome. Moreover, LF was detectable only in 7 of 18 duodenojejunal juice samples obtained from untreated and treated celiac patients and normal controls, the observed values being irrespective of the mucosal morphological status. We conclude that the immunohistochemical evidence of LF in the enterocyte may derive from an autochthonous production since our histochemical findings cannot be related to the concentration of LF in duodenal juice.
Lactose Malabsorption and Small‐Intestinal Lactase in Normal Chinese Children
Authors: Chang Mei‐Hwei , Hsu Hong‐Yuan , Chen Chien‐Jen , Lee Chung‐Hsian , Hsu Juei‐Yun 
Published: February 2024

SummaryA total of 852 healthy Chinese children from 1 month to 14 years of age were investigated for lactose malabsorption using the breath hydrogen test. A lactose load of 2 g/kg was administered to 528 children and 1 g/kg to another 324 children. The incidence of lactose malabsorption was significantly different among various age groups and between the two different lactose dosages. While the incidence of malabsorption increased strikingly from the age of 3 to the age of 5 years, the age effect remained constant after the age of 6 years. The lactose load of 2 g/kg induced a higher incidence of malabsorption in study subjects than 1 g/kg did, and the dose effect increased for those aged below 5 years and decreased above 5 years. Small‐intestinal lactase was also studied in 34 children aged from 2 months to 15 years. The lactase activity was highest in children 2 years old or younger, gradually decreasing with increasing age. In conclusion, lactase activity in Chinese children decreases gradually after 3 years of age, a finding that correlates well with the results of the breath hydrogen test.
Polymorphonuclear Neutrophil Leucocytes in Childhood Crohn's Disease
Authors: Lewis D. C. , Walker‐Smith J. A. , Phillips A. D. 
Published: February 2024

SummaryLight and electron microscopy was applied to surgical resections and endoscopic biopsies from the ileum and colon of 15 children with Crohn's disease in order to investigate the involvement of neutrophils in the disease process. Clear evidence was found of neutrophil infiltration of the lamina propria and epithelium, neutrophil migration into the gut lumen through epithelial breaks and intact epithelium, neutrophil phagocytosis of luminal and lamina propria bacteria, and the presence of intracellular neutrophils in enterocytes. Similar findings were seen in 5 of 6 children with ulcerative colitis and in a case of an E. coli colitis, but not in 8 controls. The observations demonstrate the involvement of neutrophils in Crohn's disease in childhood and suggest that the response is directed, in part, against luminal enterobacteria and enterocytes.
Portal Hypertension Secondary to Congenital Arterioportal Fistula
Authors: Iñon Alberto E. , D'Agostino Daniel 
Published: February 2024

SummaryAn infant boy with severe portal hypertension developed failure to thrive and malabsorption. Clinical findings and ultrasonography suggested the presence of an arteriovenous shunt, and hepatic angiography confirmed the diagnosis and outlined the anatomy of the vascular malformation, which was an intrahepatic arterioportal fistula. Ligature of the hepatic artery gave excellent results as demonstrated by disappearance of portal hypertension and malabsorption and subsequent growth catch‐up. Portal hypertension
Nonnutritive Sucking in Tube‐Fed Preterm Infants
Authors: Widström A. ‐M. , Marchini G. , Matthiesen A. ‐S. , Werner S. , Winberg J. , Uvnäs‐Moberg K. 
Published: February 2024

Summary:The present study investigated the way that sucking of a pacifier influences gastric secretory and motor functions in connection with tube feeding. Experiments were performed on eight preterm infants who were tube fed twice—once with and once without sucking of a pacifier. The time for tube feeding was significantly decreased and gastric retention decreased in five of seven infants when sucking a pacifier. Maternal milk was found to contain gastrin‐17, somatostatin‐14, and a somatostat‐in‐like peptide larger than somatostatin‐28. Somatostatin levels were significantly reduced in connection with nonnutritive sucking. Gastrin levels were increased in six of ten experiments 2 h and/or 3 h after bolus feeding, suggesting that these peptides were not only supplied by the milk, but were also released from the gastric mucosa. The presence of gastrin and somatostatin in gastric aspirates was established by use of chromatographic methods. The results indicate that somatostatin and gastrin are released into the gastric lumen in preterm infants and that sucking of a pacifier, in connection with bolus feeding, stimulates the gastric motor functions and facilitates the digestion process, probably via activation of vagal mechanisms.
The Bowel Habit of Milk‐Fed Infants
Authors: Weaver Lawrence T. , Ewing Gail , Taylor Linda C. 
Published: February 2024

Summary:A prospective study of the bowel habits of 240 infants aged 2–20 weeks was performed. Half of the infants were breast fed and half were fed cow's milk formula (CMF). Breast‐fed infants had a higher mean frequency of defaecation than did CMF‐fed infants at 2, 4 and 8 weeks (p < 0.02). By 16 weeks the mean frequency of bowel actions per day of infants of both feeding groups was 2. With increasing age, infants produced fewer stools of greater firmness (p < 0.05) though the breast fed tended to pass larger, softer stools than did the CMF‐fed infants until the introduction of weaning foods (p < 0.05). Stool colour was uniformly yellow in both feeding groups until the introduction of weaning foods, when it changed to brown. Weaning foods were introduced at an earlier age in the CMF‐fed infants (p < 0.05), though by 20 weeks 93% of all infants had received some. These data define the normal range of the bowel habits of milk‐fed infants and may reflect differences in gastrointestinal function between those fed on the breast and with CMF.