Interleukin 1b (IL-1b) and interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) contribute to the development of ulcerative colitis (UC) and concentrations of these interleukins in serum and colonic mucosa are increased in children with UC [2,3]. Nevertheless, except for one study on stool interleukin detection in adult UC patients [7], there are few data on stool IL-1b and IL-1ra concentrations and IL-1ra/IL-1b ratios in children with UC. We report the results of our study on measurement of IL-1b and IL-1ra concentrations in stools of children with active UC and during recovery and assessment of their correlations with UC activity.A total of 20 children with active UC (mean age 10.6 years, range 2-15 years) were prospectively included in the study. Active UC patients were divided, depending on perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (pANCA), into a pANCA positive subgroup (9 children, mean age 10.8 years, range 2-14.3 years) and a pANCA negative subgroup (11 children, mean age 10.4 years, range 3.5-15 years). They were compared to a control group consisting of 14 healthy children (mean age 11.0 years, range 3.5-16 years). UC was diagnosed based on clinical, serological, endoscopic and histopathological criteria. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Medical College, Jagiellonian University, Cracow. Informed consent was obtained from a parent of each child enrolled in the study.Interleukin concentrations were measured in the stool supernatants using commercial quantitative ELISA immunoassays (Quantikine IL-1b and IL-1ra Immunoassays, R and D Systems, USA). The clinical, endoscopic and histopathological UC activity were graded according to the Truelove-Witts clinical activity index, the Roths endoscopic scale and the standard histopathological scale respectively [1, 5, 6]. All results were presented as median values. Statistical analysis was performed with statistical software Stata 5.0 (Stata Corp., UK) using the Mann-Whitney U test and the Wilcoxon paired test. Correlation coefficients were assessed using the Spearman rank correlation test. A value of P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.The stool IL-1b and IL-1ra concentrations were higher in active UC patients than in the controls and decreased gradually during recovery, showing higher levels in the pANCA positive UC subgroup compared to the pANCA negative UC subgroup (Fig. 1A,B). The stool IL-1ra/IL-1b ratio was lower in active UC patients than in the controls and increased during recovery (Fig. 1C). The stool IL-1b and IL-1ra concentrations correlated significantly with clinical, endoscopic and histopathological UC activity, reaching in the pANCA positive UC subgroup, the highest correlation coefficients (0.75; 0.58; 0.53 and 0.48; 0.73; 0.74 respectively) compared to the pANCA negative UC subgroup and to the entire group of UC children. The IL-1ra/IL-1b ratio correlated significantly with endoscopic and histopathological UC activity, but did not correlate with clinical UC activity.The few previous data on stool tumour necrosis fac...

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Thirty-four children with Hodgkin's disease were treated during the years 1969--75. After radiotherapy, 7--15 cycles of MVPP were given within 24--53 months. In order to avoid chronic leukopenia, leukocyte counts were made frequently during chemotherapy, and the drug doses adjusted accordingly. A complete remission was obtained in 32 of the 34 children. Two patients died because of progressive disease. Twelve of the 32 survivors have been followed for at least 5 years, and a further 12 for at least 3 years. Three children are still on chemotherapy, whereas the remaining 29 being followed are in continued complete remission.

The case history of a 10-year-old boy with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) and gastric obstruction is presented. First abdominal symptoms occurred at 4 years of age when antral narrowing was detected. Due to unresponsiveness to antibiotic and steroid treatment, salazosulfapyridine therapy was initiated. Objective remission was observed within 3 months and salazosulfapyridine was withdrawn after a further 6 months of therapy. At 6 years of age clinical and radiological recurrence of gastric obstruction was observed. Salazosulfapyridine was reinstated and continued as maintenance therapy. The child has been well for more than 4 years. Salazosulfapyridine therapy can be recommended as safe conservative treatment of gastric obstruction in CGD.

Abetalipoproteinaemia (ABLP) was diagnosed in a brother and sister, 9 and 13 years old, presenting with symptoms of malabsorption during the neonatal period. Both children showed most of the main clinical features of ABLP, including neurological, and ophthalmic symptoms, and mental retardation. Acanthocytosis of erythrocytes was almost complete in the affected children, while in most of the remaining 11 members of their three-generation family, it was found in less than 50% of red blood cells. Absence of apoprotein B and low concentrations of apo A-I and lipids were found only in ABLP-affected children. Among five siblings only the two affected children had ABLP-characteristic lipid storage in enterocytes. The latter features correlated better with clinical symptoms than did the acanthocytosis of erythrocytes.