Plasma renin activity in children with protein energy malnutrition (Kwashiorkor)

Plasma renin activity was measured by bio-assay in 100 children with kwashiorkor and in 20 healthy children, and also by radio-immunoassay in another 26 children with kwashiorkor and in another 20 healthy children. Both methods showed that (compared with healthy children) renin activity was significantly increased in children with kwashiorkor; and also that the activity was significantly higher in the patients who subsequently died in hospital, than in those who survived. Increased renin activity probably contributes to the retention of water characteristic of protein energy malnutrition.S. Afr. Med. J., 48, 499 (1974)

Plasma Renin Activity in Children with Protein Energy Malnutrition (Kwashiorkor)

Plasma renin activity was measured by bio-assay in 100 children with kwashiorkor and in 20 healthy children, and also by radio-immunoassay in another 26 children with kwashiorkor and in another 20 healthy children. Both methods showed that (compared with healthy children) renin activity was significantly increased in children with kwashiorkor; and also that the activity was significantly higher in the patients who subsequently died in hospital, than in those who survived. Increased renin activity probably contributes to the retention of water characteristic of protein energy malnutrition.S. Afr. Med. J., 48, 499 (1974

Renin Activity In Black Hypertensive Patients in Rhodesia

Effective plasma renin activity was measured in 103 Black hypertensive patients admitted to Harare Hospital. Renin activity was found to be increased in all groups of hypertensive patients, and to be particularly high in patients with hypertensive or obstructive renal disease, or with cirrhosis. In the 70 patients. with primary hypertension, 51% had a high renin activity which was found to be associated with renal failure, retinopathy, hyponatraemia and hypochloridaemia, but not with cardiac failure or with cerebrovascular disease. Despite the prevalence of 'high renin' hypertension in this population, ischaemic heart disease very rarely occurs

The effect of protein energy malnutrition on plasma renin and oedema in the pig

CITATION: Van Der Westhuysen, J. M., et al. 1977. The effect of protein energy malnutrition on plasma renin and oedema in the pig. South African Medical Journal, 51(1):18-20.The original publication is available at http://www.samj.org.zaFive litter mate male pigs, aged 7 days and fed a standard Pig Industry Board diet containing 190 g/kg dry mass of digestible protein, were compared with 10 male pigs from two litters fed a protein deficient diet (50 g/kg) for a period of 70 days. The 10 experimental animals developed oedema between the 42nd and 70th days of the study and 4 of them became lethargic. Although the 10 experimental animals showed the typical biochemical changes characteristic of protein energy malnutrition (PEM), including changes in muscle electrolytes, liver fat and plasma albumin, the 4 lethargic animals showed a significant increase in effective plasma renin activity (EPRA) only by the 70th day of the study. Since oedema preceded any increase in EPRA in some pigs and developed in others without any change in EPRA, it is suggested that the increased renin activity is not responsible for the initial fluid retention and oedema.Publisher’s versio

Improving Health Equity Among the African Ethnic Minority Through Health System Strengthening: A Narrative Review of the New Zealand Healthcare System

Background: In New Zealand, health equity is a pressing concern and reaching disadvantaged populations has become the goal to close the inequity gap. Building and strengthening health systems is one way to secure better outcomes. However, the discourse to date has predominately focussed on inequities in health outcomes for Māori. This study has interest in the African ethnic minority community in New Zealand. It undertakes a narrative review of the New Zealand health system which aims to identify literature around the attainment of health equity of African minority by: (i) providing a critical overview of the healthcare delivery system using World Health Organization's six inter-related building blocks of health system strengthening; (ii) developing a summary and discussions of the research results and; (iii) identifying priorities and recommendations for future research. Method: A narrative review of 27 articles published between January 2010 and June 2019 were selected from CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar. Grey literature also informed the review. Articles excluded studies: (i) non-related to New Zealand; (ii) with no focus on equity on ethnic minority in the delivering of healthcare; (iii) had no full text available. Findings: Literature on Africans health outcomes were scarce regarding the six building blocks. However, findings show inequities in accessibility of health services, a non-ethnic inclusive health workforce, a leadership and governance which lack political will on migrant health and resultantly an under-performing health information system which influences resource allocation. Recommendation and conclusion: An improvement and well-functioning health information system is pivotal to capture the unmet needs of the African population. There is a need for research and political will to invest in African minority health and diverse workforce that understands the background of the African population; and action to address structural and institutional racism and white privilege to address root causes of inadequate access and care processes for ethnic minorities