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Biomedical subjects

D Brasseur

Publications and source records attributed to D Brasseur.

36 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

[Enzymes and histology of the intestinal mucosa of breast-fed African infants].

Weight gain and statural growth are slow in the Kivu area (Zaïre), as compared with international reference curves. One hypothesis put forward to explain this well-documented but poorly understood fact is inadequate breast-feeding with early intake of foods responsible for the introduction of microorganisms with deleterious effects on the digestive tract. A study of intestinal mucosa specimens from 90 at least partially breast-fed infants (4 to 22 months) showed that the appearance of the jejunal mucosa was consistently abnormal, as compared with histologic standards used in Europe. Furthermore, intestinal disaccharidase activities were always abnormal; lactase activities were extremely low and alpha-glucosidase activities were reduced by one-third to one-half as compared with European reference values. Age apparently influenced the magnitude of these modifications, whereas the correlation with nutritional status was less clear; only a correlation between the serum albumin level and the microscopic appearance of jejunal biopsy specimens was found. Intestinal alpha-glucosidase levels were lower in those patients with giardiasis. These findings demonstrate that in Kivu early atrophy of the intestinal mucosa contributes, together with the protein-calory malnutrition, to the lower growth rates in infants.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1988

[Validation of fast nutritional scoring. Application to 80 cases of "homing" diarrhea].

Pediatricians often have to assess the nutritional status of their patients from unprecise anamnestic information, unreliable clinical signs or biological data difficult to interpret. None of these parameters can be used alone to establish the nutritional status of a sick child. The validity of a simple and rapid nutritional score was tested. The score consisted of 3 anthropometric parameters (weight, height, triceps skinfold) and 4 biological analyses frequently used in pediatric practice (albumin, transferrin, alkaline phosphatase and ferritin serum determinations). The usefulness of the score was established through the important nutritional deficiencies observed in 80 children admitted for "homing diarrhea" requiring early nutritional support.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1985

Tick-borne relapsing fever in a premature infant.

Relapsing fever is caused by the Borrelia species of spirochetes. Louse-born epidemics of the disease may occur but the endemic disease is usually transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected tick (Ornithodorus). Transplacental infection was suggested more than 75 years ago (1) but has been rarely documented (2). We describe a case of neonatal relapsing fever where maternal infection was the probable cause of the premature delivery and infection in the infant.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Copper deficiency in infants with active celiac disease.

Celiac disease was diagnosed in two unrelated infants aged 7 and 7.5 months with severe malnutrition. They showed typical clinical, biological, and histological signs of the disease. Moreover, accompanying copper deficiency was suggested by severe hypocupremia and persistent neutropenia; bone radiographs were also compatible with this diagnosis. Rapid and complete correction of these anomalies could only be obtained after addition of oral copper sulfate to the gluten-free diet. Mechanisms possibly involved in the development of copper deficiency in young infants with celiac disease are: chronic malabsorption; high copper needs in rapidly growing infants; and possibly increased biliary and digestive losses. It is therefore suggested that young children with severe celiac disease should be monitored for their copper status.

Celiac Disease↗
PubMed1983

Enteropathogenic agents in children with diarrhoea in rural Zaire.

A systematic study of enteropathogenic agents in the stools of children was carried out in a rural area of Kivu Province in Zaire in June, 1979. 84 inpatients and 271 outpatients with diarrhoea were investigated together with 117 inpatient and 203 outpatient controls without diarrhoea. Campylobacter jejuni was the most frequently recovered pathogen in both inpatients (24%) and outpatients (13.7%). Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli was the next most common among children presenting as outpatients with diarrhoea (10.3%). Yersinia enterocolitica was isolated for the first time in this region. Rotaviruses were found only in outpatients with diarrhoea, and usually in children under two years of age. C. jejuni and Vibrio cholerae could also be isolated from the faeces of domestic animals living in close contact with these village families. Analysis of the clinical features did not lead to the recognition of a pattern typical of any particular pathogen. Salmonella, Shigella, and enteropathogenic E. coli did not play a significant role in the cases studied.

Bacterial Infections↗
PubMed1981

Shigella and shigellaemia.

Two cases of bacteraemia with Shigella flexneri 2a in children are described. They illustrate the wide variety of clinical manifestations of shigellosis, ranging from benign gastroenteritis to septicaemia associated with severe extra-intestinal manifestations.

Ampicillin↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Safe oral rehydration of hypertonic dehydration.

Eighteen infants with severe hypernatremic dehydration secondary to acute gastroenteritis were rehydrated during the 1st day with an oral glucose electrolyte solution containing 60 mmol sodium/L at a mean rate of 120 ml/kg/24 h. These 18 children were safely treated with oral therapy alone. No convulsions were observed during treatment. The mean decrease in natremia was 0.32 mmol/L/h, which compared favorably with the mean fall in natremia of 26 other infants in similar initial conditions who were treated intravenously. The present study lends additional support to the opinion that a slow decrease in plasma sodium (less than 0.5 mmol/L/h) helps to avoid seizures during treatment. As no other untoward effects were observed, this study also confirms that oral solutions given at a slow rate can effectively replace intravenous fluids in the majority of such children.

Administration, Oral↗