The study was conducted to detect the effect of giardiasis on human disaccharidase levels. Forty patients attending the medical outpatient department of PGIMER, Chandigarh were enrolled. Twenty patients, positive for Giardia lamblia comprised the study group while 20 patients negative for Giardia lamblia were taken as controls. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was performed in all patients. Estimation of lactase, sucrase, maltase and trehalase was done in biopsies. Histopathological investigation was carried out in all biopsy specimens after Haematoxylin and Eosin staining. Complaints of pain abdomen and bloating occurred commonly in giardiasis. Four biopsy samples in study group showed mild increase in lymphomononuclear infiltrate. Giardia lamblia was detected in 7 biopsies. Lactase levels were decreased significantly (p < 0.05) in giardiasis. Rest of the enzymes were comparable to the controls. No differences in the enzyme activities were observed between males and females in either group and with the duration of symptoms.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Pulmonary function tests in healthy male Punjabi children [10-19 years of age].

We performed spirometry on 177 male healthy children from Patiala, North India between 10 to 19 years age. The best fit regression equations for different functions were determined for each parameter. A linear relationship of lung function was observed with age, height, weight and BSA. Our results have been higher than the South Indian studies but closer to other North Indian studies. Similar comparison with western studies reveals that their subjects have higher lung function values than our subjects. It is clear that grossly erroneous conclusions may be reached unless prediction equations for lung function tests for a given ethnic group are derived from studies upon the same ethnic group.

Adolescent↗