A new faecal chymotrypsin method for evaluating the exocrine pancreatic function in patients with different pancreatic diseases.

Using a new colorimetric method we measured the faecal chymotrypsin in 407 subjects, divided as follows: 252 adult subjects with a normal exocrine pancreatic function as shown by duodenal intubation, 24 adult patients with a mild to moderate pancreatic insufficiency, and 26 adult patients with severe pancreatic insufficiency. In addition, 40 healthy children, 50 children with chronic diarrhoea, and 15 with cystic fibrosis were studied before and after substituting enzyme therapy. Faecal chymotrypsin was found to be useful in evaluating the degree of exocrine functional insufficiency in subjects with diseases of the pancreas that had, already been clinically ascertained. The same cannot be said for its ability to provide an early diagnosis of subjects with a slight-moderate insufficiency in exocrine pancreatic function

Defective neutrophil motility in children with chronic liver disease

Neutrophil motility was assessed in 31 children with chronic liver disease to estimate the eventual increased susceptibility of these patients to bacterial infections. Twelve children had chronic hepatitis (seven with chronic persistent hepatitis and five with chronic active hepatitis), which was mostly related to hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Nineteen children had chronic intrahepatic or extrahepatic cholestasis. A total of six serious bacterial infections occurred in four of the 31 patients during the study. Twenty of the 31 children had a persistent defect of neutrophil chemotaxis. This defect was found in four types of childhood chronic liver disease: HBV-related chronic hepatitis and idiopathic intrahepatic cholestasis of infancy, in which the defect did not seem to predispose significantly to bacterial infection, and in Byler's disease and biliary atresia, in which this neutrophil defect was associated with an increased frequency of severe infection

Hepatitis B virus infection and Schönlein-Henoch purpura

Schonlein -Henoch purpura developed in two children in association with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The first child, an 8-year-old boy, first had a clinical picture of Schonlein-Henoch purpura and then was found to have HBV-related chronic persistent hepatitis. In the second child, a 6-year-old girl, characteristic skin lesions, arthralgia, and proteinuria developed during acute hepatitis B. Immunofluorescence demonstrated IgA deposition in the renal glomeruli of the first patient. We suggest that evidence of HBV infection should be sought in patients with Schonlein-Henoch purpura