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Biomedical subjects

D Mahalanabis

Publications and source records attributed to D Mahalanabis.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Effect of an energy-dense diet on the clinical course of acute shigellosis in undernourished children.

To date there have been few reports on the impact of dietary intervention on the clinical course of acute shigellosis. Current management of acute shigellosis is primarily focused on antibiotic therapy with less emphasis on nutritional management. In a randomised clinical trial, we examined the role of an energy-dense diet on the clinical outcome in malnourished children with acute dysentery due to shigellosis. Seventy-five children aged 12--48 months with acute dysentery randomly received either a milk--cereal formula with an energy density of 4960 kJ/l (test group) or a milk-cereal formula with energy of 2480 kJ/l (control group) for 10 d in hospital. In both milk-cereal formulas, protein provided 11 % energy. In addition, the standard hospital diet was offered to all children and all children received an appropriate antibiotic for 5 d. The mean food intakes (g/kg per d) in the test and control groups were: 112 (SE 2.28) and 116 (SE 3.48) on day 1; 118 (SE 2.72) and 107 (SE 3.13) on day 5; 120 (SE 2.25) and 100 (SE 3.83) on day 10. The mean energy intakes (kJ/kg per d) in the test and control groups respectively were: 622 (SE 13.2) and 315 (SE 11.3) on day 1; 655 (SE 15.1) and 311 (SE 7.98) on day 5; 672 (SE 14.7) and 294 (SE 11.1) on day 10. The food and energy intakes were mostly from the milk-cereal diet. There was no difference between two groups in resolution of fever, dysenteric (bloody and or mucoid) stools, stool frequency and tenesmus. However, vomiting was more frequently observed among the test-group children during the first 5 d of intervention (67 % v. 41 %, There was an increase in the mean weight-for-age (%) in the test group compared with the control group after the 10 d of dietary intervention (6.2 (SE 0.6) v. 2.7 (SE 0.4), In addition, resolution of rectal prolapse was better (26 % v. 8 %, in the test group v. control group after 5 d, and 13 % v. 6 %, after 10 d of dietary intervention. Supplementation with a high-energy diet does not have any adverse effect on clinical course of acute shigellosis and reduces the incidence of rectal prolapse in malnourished children.

Acute Disease↗

Impact of zinc supplementation on subsequent growth and morbidity in Bangladeshi children with acute diarrhoea.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of zinc supplementation during acute diarrhoea on subsequent growth and morbidity in malnourished young children. DESIGN: Double blind randomized controlled clinical trial SETTING: International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh. SUBJECTS: Sixty-five children aged 3-24 months with acute diarrhoea for less than 3 d. INTERVENTION: Either elemental zinc (20 mg/d) in a multivitamin syrup or multivitamin syrup alone divided in three divided daily doses for a period of two weeks. Children were followed up weekly at home to assess subsequent growth and morbidity for a period of eight weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Gain in length and body weight and reduction in diarrhoea and respiratory tract infection. RESULTS: During the follow-up, zinc supplemented children showed significantly greater cumulative length gain (18.9 mm vs 14.5 mm, P <0.03) and comparable body weight gain than the children of the control group. Subsequent length gain was not correlated with initial height in the zinc-supplemented group (r=-0.13), P = 0.5), but was significantly correlated in the control group (r = -0.6, P < 0.0007). Zinc-supplemented and stunted children (< or = 90% length for age n = 18) experienced significantly fewer episodes of diarrhoea (0.07 vs 0.6, P < 0.05) and respiratory illness (1.0 vs 2.4, P < 0.01) compared to the control group. The underweight children (< or = 71% weight/age n = 38) receiving zinc-supplementation also had fewer episodes of diarrhoea (0.4 vs 1.0, P<0.04) and shorter duration of diarrhoeal episodes (1.0 vs 3.0d, P<0.04) compared to their counterparts in the control group. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that a short course of zinc supplementation to malnourished children during acute diarrhoea reduces growth-faltering and diarrhoeal and respiratory morbidity during subsequent two months.

Acute Disease↗

Sacolene in cholera: a double blind randomized controlled trial.

Methylated casein (Sacolene), a diarrhoea remedy used in Europe, has shown an antisecretory effect in cholera-induced secretion in animals and benefit in diarrhoea in humans. In this placebo controlled trial Sacolene was evaluated in 78 male adults with severe cholera who, after initial i.v. therapy received Sacolene or placebo, 4 g at start and 2 g 4 hourly until cessation of diarrhoea, along with oral rehydration therapy and repeat i.v. therapy if indicated. No antibiotics were given during the study. The purging rate and diarrhoea duration were similar in the 2 groups. The proportion of patients requiring repeat courses of i.v. therapy in the study group was 46% compared with 69% in controls (i.e. reduced by 23%, p = 0.04). While the severity of purging was not reduced, the proportion of patients requiring repeat i.v. therapy was reduced by Sacolene therapy. The latter finding may indicate some benefit from Sacolene in cholera, though this requires confirmation.

Adult↗

Double-blind, randomized, controlled trial of zinc or vitamin A supplementation in young children with acute diarrhoea.

In a double-blind, controlled trial with a factorial design, 684 patients (aged 6 months to 2 y; excludes 6 early dropouts) with acute watery diarrhoea of 3 d or less and some dehydration, who were attending a hospital, were randomly assigned to 4 groups to receive: (a) vitamin A 4500 microg retinol equivalent daily for 15 d; (b) 14.2 mg elemental zinc as acetate for the first 417 patients and 40 mg of the remaining 273 patients randomized to this group for 15 d; (c) both vitamin A 4500 microg retinol equivalent and zinc at the above doses daily for 15 d; or (d) placebo mixtures for 15 d. Patients were observed in the hospital for 24 h and followed up at home for 15 d. All received ascorbic acid 30 mg with each dose of medicine or placebo. Zinc supplementation was associated with a reduced duration of diarrhoea (13%, p = 0.03) and markedly reduced rate (43%, p = 0.017) of prolonged diarrhoea (>7 d). Vitamin A supplementation was associated with a nonsignificant trend for reduced rate of prolonged diarrhoea (p = 0.089). In conclusion, zinc supplementation as adjunct therapy had a substantial impact on the rate of prolonged diarrhoea and some impact on duration and may be beneficial in children with diarrhoea in developing countries.

Acute Disease↗

Killed oral Shigella vaccine made from Shigella flexneri 2a protects against challenge in the rabbit model of shigellosis.

The protective efficacy of an orally administered heat-killed virulent strain of Shigella flexneri 2a (5 weekly oral doses) was evaluated in 25 rabbits (14 immunized and 11 non-immunized controls) against challenge with the same strain of Shigella using the rabbit model of shigellosis. All 11 non-immunized rabbits developed bloody diarrhoea following challenge and 6 (54%) died. None of the 14 immunized rabbits developed diarrhoea (all had pellet stools) but 3 (21%) died from causes not associated with diarrhoea. Protection from diarrhoea and dysentery following oral immunization with a killed Shigella species was 100% and highly significant. Death following challenge was 2.5-fold higher in the non-immunized group (p = 0.115) but was not significant. These promising results suggest that further studies should be undertaken to develop a killed oral vaccine against shigellosis.

Administration, Oral↗

Use of the deuterated-retinol-dilution technique to assess total-body vitamin A stores of adult volunteers consuming different amounts of vitamin A.

BACKGROUND: The deuterated-retinol-dilution (DRD) technique provides a quantitative estimate of total body stores of vitamin A. However, it is not known whether the technique can detect changes in vitamin A pool size in response to different intakes of vitamin A. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to determine the responsiveness of the DRD technique to 3 different daily supplemental vitamin A intakes during a period of 2.5-4 mo. DESIGN: Two oral doses of [(2)H(4)]retinyl acetate [52.4 micromol retinol equivalent (RE)] were administered on study days 1 and 91 to 26 men (18-32 y of age) who were consuming controlled, low-vitamin A diets, and receiving daily either 0, 5.2, or 10.5 micromol RE of unlabeled supplemental retinyl palmitate during a 75- or 129-d period. Plasma isotopic ratios of [(2)H(4)]retinol to retinol on day 115 were used to estimate final vitamin A body stores per Furr et al (Am J Clin Nutr 1989;49:713-6). RESULTS: Final ( +/- SD) estimated vitamin A pool sizes were 0.048 +/- 0.031, 0.252 +/- 0.045, and 0.489 +/- 0.066 mmol in the treatment groups receiving 0, 5.2, and 10.5 micromol RE/d, respectively (P < 0.001). Estimated mean changes in vitamin A pool sizes were similar to those expected for the vitamin A-supplemented groups [estimated:expected (95% CI of change in pool size): 1.08 (0.8, 1.2) and 1.17 (1.0, 1.3)]. CONCLUSIONS: The DRD technique can detect changes in total body stores of vitamin A in response to different daily vitamin A supplements. However, abrupt changes in dietary vitamin A intake can affect estimates of total-body vitamin A stores.

Adolescent↗

Simultaneous vitamin A administration at routine immunization contact enhances antibody response to diphtheria vaccine in infants younger than six months.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of simultaneous vitamin A supplementation and diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus (DPT) vaccination on the antibody levels. Infants aged 6-17 wk (n = 56) were randomly given 15 mg oral vitamin A or placebo at the time of their DPT immunization. Three such doses were given at monthly intervals. Immunoglobulin (Ig) G antibodies to diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus were assayed on enrollment and 1 mo after the third dose. Baseline antibody concentrations to diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus did not differ between the vitamin A-supplemented and placebo-treated groups. The postdose antibody to diphtheria level was significantly greater in the vitamin A than in the placebo-treated group. The geometric mean +/- SEM antibody levels (mg/L) were 22.9 +/- 1.2 and 11.0 +/- 1.3 in the vitamin A and placebo groups, respectively (P = 0.029). The postsupplementation concentrations of antibodies to pertussis and tetanus did not differ between the two groups. These results suggest that antibody response to diphtheria vaccination was potentiated by simultaneous vitamin A administration and DPT immunization.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗

Long-term supplementation with iron does not enhance growth in malnourished Bangladeshi children.

To evaluate the effect of long-term oral iron supplementation on growth, 250 children aged 6-71 mo were studied in a randomized double-blind controlled trial. The intervention group received 125 mg of ferrous gluconate (15 mg elemental iron) plus multivitamins (vitamins A, D and C); the comparison group received only multivitamins daily for 12 mo. Weight (kg) and height (cm) were measured every month. Eighty three percent of the children continued the treatment for one year. The weight increment over the 12-mo period was 1.35 +/- 0.65 kg (mean +/- SD) in the intervention group and 1.39 +/- 0.54 kg in the comparison group. The height increments were 6.01 +/- 1.47 and 6.18 +/- 1.58 cm in the intervention and comparison groups, respectively. Mean weight and height increments did not differ; in an analysis stratified according to different age and nutritional categories, they also did not differ between the two groups, indicating that long-term iron supplementation does not increase growth in children.

Analysis of Variance↗

Case-control study of enteropathogens associated with childhood diarrhea in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, is a major center for research into diarrheal diseases. The center treats more than 100,000 patients a year. To obtain useful information representative of all patients, a surveillance system in which a 4% systematic sample of all patients is studied in detail, including etiological agents of diarrhea, was installed in October 1979. The first paper on etiology for the surveillance patients was published in 1982, which identified a potential enteric pathogen in 66% of patients. In subsequent years, several new agents of diarrhea have been identified. To assess the importance of a broader spectrum of diarrheal agents including the ones identified relatively recently, we studied 814 children with diarrhea. The children were up to 5 years of age and were part of the surveillance system. They were matched with an equal number of community controls without diarrhea. The study was conducted from February 1993 to June 1994. A potential enteric pathogen was isolated from 74.8% of diarrheal children and 43.9% of control children (P = 0.0001). Even though the first study was not a case-control study, it identified rotavirus, Campylobacter jejuni, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, Shigella spp. , and Vibrio cholerae O1 as major pathogens. The present study identified these pathogens as being significantly associated with diarrhea. In addition, the study also identified six additional agents, including enteropathogenic E. coli, Aeromonas spp., V. cholerae O139, enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis, Clostridium difficile, and Cryptosporidium parvum, as being significantly associated with diarrhea. Plesiomonas shigelloides, Salmonella spp., diffusely adherent E. coli, enteroaggregative E. coli, Entamoeba histolytica, and Giardia lamblia were not significantly associated with diarrhea. Enteroinvasive E. coli, enterohemorrhagic E. coli, and Cyclospora cayetanensis were not detected in any of the children. The major burden of diseases due to most pathogens occurred in the first year of life. As in the previous study, seasonal patterns were seen for diarrhea associated with rotavirus, V. cholerae, and enterotoxigenic E. coli, and infections with multiple pathogens were common. With a few exceptions, these findings are in agreement with those from other developing countries. This knowledge of a broader spectrum of etiological agents of diarrhea in the surveillance patients will help us plan studies into various aspects of diarrheal diseases in this population.

Bangladesh↗

Helicobacter pylori infection in infants and children of Bangladesh.

Helicobacter pylori is an important cause of chronic gastritis and plays important roles in the etiology of peptic ulcer disease, gastric cancer and non-ulcer dyspepsia. While H. pylori infections occur worldwide, the great majority of information is from the developed countries, and little is known about the epidemiology of H. pylori in the developing countries, particularly in children.

Bangladesh↗

Single dose vitamin A treatment in acute shigellosis in Bangladesh children: randomised double blind controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of a single large oral dose of vitamin A in treating acute shigellosis in children in Bangladesh. DESIGN: Randomised double blind controlled clinical trial. SETTING: Dhaka Hospital, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh. SUBJECTS: 83 children aged 1-7 years with bacteriologically proved shigellosis but no clinical signs of vitamin A deficiency; 42 were randomised to treatment with vitamin A and 41 formed a control group. INTERVENTION: Children were given a single oral dose of 200,000 IU of vitamin A plus 25 IU vitamin E or a control preparation of 25 IU vitamin E. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical cure on study day 5 and bacteriological cure. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics of the subjects in the two treatment groups were similar. Significantly more children in the vitamin A group than in the control group achieved clinical cure (19/42 (45%) v 8/14 (20%); chi 2 = 5.14, 1 df, P = 0.02; risk ratio = 0.68 (95% confidence interval; 0.50 to 0.93)). When cure was determined bacteriologically, the groups had similar rates (16/42 (38%) v 16/41 (39%); chi 2 = 0.02, 1 df, P = 0.89; risk ratio = 0.98 (0.70 to 1.39)). CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin A reduces the severity of acute shigellosis in children living in areas where vitamin A deficiency is a major public health problem.

Acute Disease↗

Association of a disease approximating cholera caused by Vibrio cholerae of serogroups other than O1 and O139.

One hundred and six patients suffering from severe dehydrating diarrhoea were studied of whom 36 patients were positive for Vibrio cholerae. Out of 36, 15 were positive for V. cholerae O1, 10 for V. cholerae O139 and 11 for V. cholerae non-O1 non-O139. O1 and O139 were positive for the 301-bp ctxA amplicon and 471-bp tcpA amplicon indicating that the strains possessed toxigenic capability whereas no non-O1 non-O139 strain possessed ctxA or tcpA genes. Post-admission severity of purging and amount of ORS required were less in the V. cholerae non-O1 non-O139 group (P < 0.05) compared to the V. cholerae O1 and O139 groups. It appears from this study that a cholera-like clinical condition can be caused in the absence of CT as exemplified by strains of non-O1 non-O139.

Adolescent↗

Efficacy of oral hyposmolar glucose-based and rice-based oral rehydration salt solutions in the treatment of cholera in adults.

BACKGROUND: Recent animal experiments and clinical trials have shown that both osmolarity and rice as the organic components are important factors for net intestinal absorption of an oral rehydration salt solution. METHODS: In a controlled clinical trial 123 male adult patients with severe cholera, after initial rehydration with intravenous Ringer's lactate solution, were randomly assigned to receive one of the four oral rehydration salt solutions: WHO ORS, ORS containing 70 mmol/l Na+ and 16.2 g/l glucose, rice ORS containing 50 g/l rice and 90 mmol/l Na+, and rice ORS containing 50 g/l rice and 70 mmol/l Na+. All patients received 300 mg of doxycycline as a single dose. RESULTS: Patients who received rice-low-sodium ORS subsequently had lower (P < 0.05) stool output, ORS consumption, and diarrhoea duration than the other three ORS groups. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that rice-based low-sodium ORS is superior for treating adult cholera.

Adult↗

Impact of zinc supplementation on persistent diarrhoea in malnourished Bangladeshi children.

To evaluate the impact of zinc supplementation on the clinical recovery and body weight of children with persistent diarrhoea, a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial was conducted in 190 children with persistent diarrhoea aged between 3 and 24 months. Children were randomly allocated to receive either zinc (20 mg d(-1)) syrup with multivitamin (2 x RDA) or multivitamin alone in three divided daily doses for 2 weeks. The trial was conducted in a diarrhoeal disease hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Duration until clinical recovery (d), impact on body weight and serum zinc level after 2 weeks of zinc supplementation were recorded. The duration of illness was significantly reduced (33%) with zinc supplementation among children who were underweight (< or =70% wt/age, p = 0.03). Supplemented male children also had a significant reduction (27%) in duration for recovery compared with unsupplemented children (p = 0.05). From baseline to convalescence, zinc-supplemented children maintained their serum zinc concentration (13.4 vs 13.6 micromol l(-1)), whereas unsupplemented children had a decrease in serum zinc after the 2 weeks of diarrhoea (13.6 vs 11.8 micromol l(-1),p < 0.03). The mean body weight of the children in the supplemented group was maintained (5.72 vs 5.70 kg, p = 0.62) during hospitalization, unlike that of the control group, in which there was a reduction in body weight (5.75 vs 5.67 kg, p = 0.05). Five children in the unsupplemented group and one child in the zinc-supplemented group died during the 2 weeks of supplementation (p = 0.06). Zinc supplementation in persistent diarrhoea significantly reduced the length of the recovery period in malnourished children and prevented a fall in body weight and serum zinc concentration, indicating that zinc is a beneficial therapeutic strategy in this high-risk childhood illness.

Bangladesh↗

Folic acid in the treatment of acute watery diarrhoea in children: a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial.

One-hundred and six male children aged 6-23 months with a history of acute watery diarrhoea of less than 72 h duration were randomized to receive either folic acid in a dose of 5 mg at 8-h intervals or placebo for 5 d. There were 54 children in the folic acid group and 52 in the placebo group. The admission characteristics were comparable between the two groups. No significant differences were observed in the intake of oral rehydration solution or stool output between the groups. The mean+/-SD of total stool output (g kg(-1)) was 532+/-476 vs 479+/-354 and the duration (h) of diarrhoea was 108+/-68 vs 103+/-53 in the folic acid vs placebo group, respectively. The findings, therefore, should have a positive influence on preventing the inappropriate use of folic acid in acute diarrhoea.

Acute Disease↗

Plasma kinetics of an oral dose of [2H4]retinyl acetate in human subjects with estimated low or high total body stores of vitamin A.

The deuterated retinol dilution technique is an indirect method for quantitatively estimating total body stores of vitamin A by using the postequilibration plasma isotopic ratio [2H4]retinol:retinol and the prediction model described by Furr et al (Am J Clin Nutr 1989;49:713-6). Limited data are available on the time required for an oral dose of labeled vitamin A to mix with vitamin A body stores in human subjects. This article describes the plasma retinol kinetics of an oral dose of [2H4] retinyl acetate in 4 healthy adults (2 men and 2 women) and 1 healthy female child in the United States and in 4 Bangladeshi women. After an oral dose of [2H4]retinyl acetate was administered, plasma samples were collected at 6, 12, and 24 h postdose during the first day and at 15 time points during the subsequent 90-d period for measurement of plasma [2H4]retinol:retinol. The mean respective plasma isotopic ratios on day 20 for US and Bangladeshi subjects (0.02 +/- 0.02 and 0.17 +/- 0.12, P = 0.03) and estimated total body vitamin A reserves (1.03 +/- 0.45 and 0.10 +/- 0.11 mmol, P = 0.003) were significantly different. The fraction of dose in plasma was plotted against time, and biexponential equations were fit to the kinetic data by using the time points from 24 h through day 90. The mean equilibration time (time required for the fraction of dose in plasma to reach a plateau) for all subjects was 16.6 +/- 3.8 d (11-23 d). There was no difference in estimated equilibration time between the group of US and Bangladeshi adult subjects (17.5 +/- 4.4 and 16.3 +/- 3.9 d, respectively, P = 0.69). Thus, the size of hepatic vitamin A reserves does not appear to affect equilibration time within the range of values observed.

Adolescent↗

Increased height gain of children fed a high-protein diet during convalescence from shigellosis: a six-month follow-Up study.

The impact of dietary supplementation on catch-up growth was evaluated in 69 malnourished children ages 24-60 mo after recovery from shigellosis. They were fed either a high-protein (HP) diet with 15% of energy as protein, or a standard-protein (SP) diet with 7.5% energy as protein, for 3 wk in a metabolic study ward. Children were followed up bi-weekly for 6 mo by trained health assistants when anthropometric measurements and information of any illness were collected. Thirty-one children in the HP group and 28 children in the SP group completed 6-mo follow-up. The increase in height (mean +/- SD) was 5.3 +/- 1.0 cm vs. 4.1 +/- 1.1 cm for HP and SP groups, respectively (P < 0.001), whereas increase in body weight was 1.39 +/- 0.58 and 1.29 +/- 0.72 kg for children fed HP and SP, respectively (P = 0.59). The proportion of children who were severely stunted (< -2 SD height-for-age) decreased from 45 to 29% in the HP group compared to 50 to 46% in the SP group (P < 0.05) at 6-mo follow-up. The number of diarrheal episodes per child tended to be lower in the HP vs. SP than in the SP group (1.9 vs. 2.3, P = 0.41). These results demonstrate that feeding an HP diet to the malnourished children during recovery from shigellosis enhanced linear growth with a modest reduction in diarrheal morbidity during the 6-mo follow-up period.

Amdinocillin Pivoxil↗