Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

P Bhaskaram

Publications and source records attributed to P Bhaskaram.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

BCG vaccination in malnourished child population.

The efficacy of BCG vaccination is still a subject of controversy. In the present study the protective role of BCG vaccination, the influence of nutritional status and justification for revaccination in children were investigated. Of the 504 preschool children suffering from tuberculosis who were registered for the study, 345 children did not receive BCG vaccine while the others had it during early infancy. Vaccinated children showed a significantly greater tendency to localise the tubercular lesions while most of the unvaccinated children suffered from progressive forms of the infection. Vaccination had similar effects even when there was associated malnutrition. Age did not seem to influence the severity of the disease in unvaccinated children while older children (greater than 3 yrs) had a greater tendency to localise the lesion in the vaccinated group. These data do not support the proposal of administering a booster dose of BCG to children who were vaccinated during early infancy.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗
PubMed1990

Malnutrition and childhood tuberculosis.

Cell-mediated immune status (CMI) of sixty-five children suffering from various clinical forms of tuberculosis and thirty age- and sex-matched healthy children aged between 1 and 5 years was investigated to understand the role of malnutrition in tuberculosis. A significant association between severe malnutrition and severe forms of infection was observed. Data on CMI showed immunosuppressive effect of tuberculosis per se in all children. Well nourished children had similar CMI status irrespective of the severity of the disease while malnourished children with severe forms of disease showed lowest CMI response. These data suggest not only the synergistic interactions of malnutrition and tuberculosis, but the contributory role of malnutrition in causing more severe immuno suppression. The results point out the importance of better nutritional status of the child in preventing the severe forms of the disease.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1990

Specific immune responses in typhoid fever & after TAB vaccination.

The specific immune responses to Salmonella typhi were investigated in 131 patients suffering from typhoid fever and 34 healthy individuals after TAB vaccination. A proportion of individuals failed to develop either specific humoral or cell mediated immune responses. About 5 per cent of the patients with natural infection and nearly 9 per cent of the vaccine recipients failed to develop both the responses. Frequent reinfection and carrier state, and lack of absolute protection following TAB vaccination could be due to the inability of a proportion of naturally infected and TAB vaccinated individuals to mount sufficient specific immune responses, due to the same mechanism.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Peripheral blood monocyte function in malnourished subjects with pulmonary tuberculosis.

The effect of associated malnutrition on the functional status of peripheral blood monocytes activated in vitro was tested in patients suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis, contacts and healthy controls. The capacity of the in vitro activated monocytes (MO) to generate hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), superoxide (O-2) and interleukin-1 (IL1) was tested. The results indicated that the patients and contacts were significantly malnourished compared to the controls. The MO functions, however, were comparable among the three groups indicating lack of in vivo activation of the MO in patients harbouring tubercular infection/disease. With the evidence available from the literature on the effects of malnutrition on cellular immune functions, it was speculated that the observed MO dysfunction could be due to lack of appropriate lymphokine elaboration due to associated malnutrition. The observed immunological defect might increase the risk of overt infection among the malnourished contacts.

Humans↗
PubMed1987

Urinary riboflavin excretion and erythrocyte glutathione reductase activity in preschool children suffering from upper respiratory infections and measles.

The urinary and blood levels of riboflavin and erythrocyte glutathione reductase (EGR) activity and its stimulation with FAD (EGR-AC) were examined in preschool children suffering from either measles or other upper respiratory infections and matched controls. Patients showed significantly higher levels of urinary riboflavin (per unit creatinine), erythrocyte riboflavin and EGR activity and lower EGR-AC values. This trend reversed after treatment. Mobilization of riboflavin from a labile tissue pool during infections may produce artefactual changes in the biochemical indices of riboflavin status. It would also prevent tissue saturation despite supplementation.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1986

Relationship between measles, malnutrition, and blindness: a prospective study in Indian children.

A prospective study was conducted in slum children to determine the incidence of post-measles corneal disease and to clarify its relationship with nutritional status. A total of 318 cases of measles were identified over a period of 15 mo; maximum incidence was observed for children between 1-2 yr. Most of the children showed weight loss and serum proteins decrease during the acute stage of measles. Corneal lesions were observed in 3% of the children, and the lesions responded well to treatment. Serum vitamin A and RBP levels were significantly depressed during the acute stage of measles but were restored to normal 8 wk after recovery. There were no significant differences in the serum levels for those with and without eye lesions, which suggests that these lesions may not be mediated simply through the effect of infection on serum concentration of vitamin A.

Blindness↗
PubMed1986

Interleukin-1 in malnutrition.

The effect of malnutrition on the in vitro production of interleukin-1 by lipopolysaccharide stimulated circulating monocytes has been investigated in children suffering from kwashiorkor and marasmus. The interleukin-1 activity was significantly lower in children with severe malnutrition. Furthermore, macrophages from children with kwashiorkor produced factors that suppressed mouse thymocyte proliferation. These observations show a significant impairment of macrophage function and provide a mechanism for the suppression of cellular immunity in malnutrition.

Cells, Cultured↗
PubMed1986

Pathogenesis of corneal lesions in measles.

The mechanism of pathogenesis underlying the development of corneal lesions in measles was investigated in 125 children suffering from measles and 66 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Forty age-matched children with bronchopneumonia were investigated on similar lines to delineate the role played by vitamin A and measles individually in the development of corneal lesions. The results indicate that the pathogenesis of corneal lesions in measles is indeed multifactorial. Vitamin A deficiency alone or measles keratitis per se may not explain the mechanism completely. The immunosuppression induced by the local proliferation of the measles virus in the eye might trigger the invasion of pathogenic microbes which damage the cornea. The structural integrity of the cornea is already compromised by vitamin A deficiency and lesions of measles keratitis.

Bronchopneumonia↗
PubMed1986

Immunological response to measles vaccination in poor communities.

Cell-mediated immune response, antibody titres and morbidity were measured among children residing in a slum area following measles vaccination. Effect of malnutrition on the development of protective levels of antibody titres was also investigated. Of the vaccinated children 87 per cent had antibody titres above 1:8 and nutritional status had no influence on this. Cell-mediated immune response was similar before and after vaccination. However, morbidity due to other infections was less in vaccinated children compared to the controls and could be due to stimulation of non-specific host resistance mechanisms.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1984

Effect of measles on the nutritional status of preschool children.

A total of 1426 children admitted to the hospital for measles were studied. Of these, 84 were followed up for a period of 6 months after they were discharged from the hospital. It was observed that about 23% of the cases developed secondary infection during the acute stage of measles. Diarrhoea and respiratory infection were the common complications. Some children developed corneal lesions during the acute stage. Serum vitamin A levels were significantly low in these children and they showed a good clinical response to vitamin A therapy. During the follow-up period the children suffered from frequent episodes of infections for nearly 6 months after the attack of measles and the weight gain was significantly lower compared to normal children. These observations suggest that measles plays a significant role in precipitation of malnutrition and blindness due to vitamin A deficiency in preschool children.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1981

Bactericidal activity of human milk leukocytes.

Breast milk samples obtained from 74 women, at different stages of lactation, were analysed for leukocyte concentration and their bactericidal activity. The total leukocyte count in colostrum was 5 000/mm3 a concentration which is similar to that in circulation. As lactation became established, there was a drop in leukocyte concentration and the average count in mature milk was around 2 000/mm3 after the first 3 months. Polymorphs and mononuclear leukocytes together constituted 90--95% of the cells and the rest were lymphocytes. Bactericidal activity of milk leukocytes was similar to that of circulating leukocytes, irrespective of the stage of lactation. These results indicate that breast milk is rich in living leukocytes and that these cells may have a protective role against infection in the infant. The total leukocyte concentration as well as their bactericidal capacity were similar in well nourished and undernourished women suggesting that the protective factors in milk are not influenced by nutritional status of the mother.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1980

Sister chromatid exchanges in protein-energy malnutrition.

The frequency of sister chromatid exchanges in children suffering from severe protein-energy malnutrition was investigated by the fluorescent-plus-Giemsa method. Children suffering from kwashiorkor had significantly higher mean SCEs per circulating lymphocyte than did normal children. A small but statistically significant decrease in these levels was observed following nutritional rehabilitation.

Child, Preschool↗