Evidence Of Weight Loss Research Articles

Paradoxical Response of Intracranial Tuberculoma during Treatment

Paradoxical Response of Intracranial Tuberculoma during Treatment

What is the cause of benign transient hyperphosphatasemia? A study of 35 cases.

In a study of 35 children with benign transient hyperphosphatasemia, I found a marked seasonal clustering of cases after the summer months. Furthermore, plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations were almost twice those of controls matched for age and time of year. Many children had evidence of weight loss and one had idiopathic hypercalcemia of infancy. Activities both of liver and bone isoenzymes of alkaline phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.1) in plasma were increased. The liver and (to a lesser extent) bone isoenzymes had enhanced electrophoretic mobility, and both showed increased binding to wheat-germ lectin by affinity electrophoresis. For the liver (and probably also the bone) isoenzyme, these changes were due to an increased content of sialic acid. A possible etiology for the condition is proposed involving (a) increased synthesis of alkaline phosphatase, mediated by vitamin D metabolites, and (b) decreased hepatic clearance caused by the high sialic acid content and exacerbated in some cases by the effects of some drugs on the liver.

Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis in Saudi Arabia.

ABSTRACT A review of 162 patients with active tuberculosis seen at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre between January 1979 and April 1981 was carried out. Patients with classic...

Serum zinc, copper, and the Cu/Zn ratio in patients with benign and malignant breast lesions.

Serum zinc, copper, and the Cu/Zn ratio were evaluated in 80 patients with breast lesions prior to surgery. There were 37 patients with benign and 43 with malignant breast lesions. There was no evidence of weight loss, impaired appetite, or change in eating pattern in any of the patients. There was a statistically significant difference for the mean SCL and Cu/Zn ratio between controls, age 66-94, and patients with malignant breast lesions. This difference was also observed between the ages of 20-45 and 66-94 among controls, suggesting that this is age related rather than disease related. The range of distribution for SZL and SCL were similar for all groups studied. Neither SZL, SCL, or the Cu/Zn ratio were of value in discriminating between controls and patients with benign or malignant breast lesions. We were unable to demonstrate the value of these parameters as markers of disease activity in patient with benign or malignant breast lesions.

Carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater

The records of fifteen patients proved to have had carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater are reviewed. Jaundice, progressive or fluctuating, weight loss, absent or minimal pain, and nausea and vomiting were the important symptoms. Icterus, evidence of weight loss, palpable liver, and a palpable gallbladder were the significant physical findings. Laboratory data reveal the serum bilirubin levels to be high, the alkaline phosphatase elevated, the serum proteins depressed, the prothrombin time prolonged, the urinary urobilinogen absent, and the stool to be guaiac positive. Duodenal drainage not infrequently reveals the presence of occult blood. Radiologic studies are likely to demonstrate pressure defects in the duodenum due to a dilated gallbladder or common bile duct. The usual finding on cholecystography is nonvisualization. Distortion or a filling defect in the second portion of the duodenum may be observed. Enlargement of the duodenal loop may be seen whenever a large mass is present. T tube cholangiography may reveal a high degree of obstruction at the distal end of the common duct. Palliative operations have been disappointing, resulting in an average survival of five months in three patients. The two stage operation is reserved for elderly patients with concomitant disease and a high degree of biliary tract obstruction. The average survival time in three patients with two stage pancreaticoduodenal resection was sixteen months. The most impressive results are obtained whenever a one stage Whipple procedure is possible. The average survival in eight patients was fifty-nine months. Two patients died of other causes. Two others are living thirteen and seven years, respectively, without evidence of recurrent tumor. The historic evolution of the Whipple procedure is reviewed for better understanding of its rationale. We have presented our reasons for selecting the sequence of end to end pancreaticojejunostomy, end to side choledochojejunostomy, and gastrojejunostomy as the preferred method of reconstruction of the gastrointestinal tract.

Effect of tranquilizing agents on radioactive iodine uptake in the thyroid gland.

There are many patients who arouse clinical suspicion of having hyperthyroidism yet who do not suffer from true thyrotoxicosis. These patients usually have no enlargement of the thyroid gland and lack the true eye signs of toxic diffuse goiter (Grave's disease). They are nervous and insomnic, complain of palpitation of the heart, and have some degree of tachycardia. They may or may not show evidence of weight loss and may even be obese. A routine study of 24-hour uptake of radioactive iodine (I 131 ) by the thyroid gland in these persons will often show an uptake which is in the upper normal or even in the toxic range. 1 Further studies may reveal normal thyroid function by means of such tests as conversion ratios (ratio of inorganic to organic iodine in plasma) and plasma protein-bound iodine studies. It has been shown that oral administration of thyroid extract or triiodothyronine will