Birth weight and length of 122 surviving babies of diabetics, born in Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen 1926\p=n-\1947, was compared to a control group of 122 infants of non-diabetics (matched controls). The groups were comparable, especially as to foetal age and parity of the mother, severe complications in the mothers, etc.The average foetal age was 261 days (range 237\p=n-\301). The average weight and length for the infants of non-diab. controls was 3045 gm. and 49.5 cm., for infants of diabetics 3600 gm. and 51.0 cm. Thus on average infants of diabetics weigh 550 gm. more and are 1.5 cm. longer than are infants of non-diab. Differences of the same magnitude were found in primiparae and in multiparae with and without obesity.The frequency distribution curves for weight and length are nearly normal, but placed at higher levels than are those of non-diab. infants. Diabetics get big and small infants as others, but the whole population is bigger than that of non-diabetics' infants. There is an actual overgrowth.In a personal series from 1946\p=n-\1953 75 infants of long-term treated (1. t.) were compared to 91 infants of short-term treated (sh. t.) diabetics. The foetal age was 237 days or more, on average 260 days. Average weight and length for 1. t. infants was 3380 gm. and 50.5 cm., for sh. t. 3570 gm. and 51.3 cm.Thus the 1. t. infants on average weighed 190 gm. less and were 0.8 cm. shorter than sh. t. infants. So far these differences are not statistically significant, but an inverse correlation between the length of the last consecutive stay of the mother in Department B and the infants' weight and length could be demon-I. Published in extenso in Acta endocrinol. 16, 330, 1954.

Abstract:The most common complication to chronic liver failure is ascites. The formation of ascites in the cirrhotic patient is caused by a complex chain of pathophysiological events involving portal hypertension and progressive vascular dysfunction. Since ascites formation represents a hallmark in the natural history of chronic liver failure it predicts a poor outcome with a 50% mortality rate within 3 years. Patients with ascites are at high risk of developing complications such as spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, hyponatremia and progressive renal impairment. Adequate management of cirrhotic ascites and its complications betters quality of life and increases survival. This paper summarizes the pathophysiology behind cirrhotic ascites and the diagnostic approaches, as well as outlining the current treatment options. Despite improved medical treatment of ascites, liver transplantation remains the ultimate treatment and early referral of the patient to a highly specialized hepatology unit should always be considered.

Four weeks of treatment with rifaximin had no impact on the inflammatory state and only minor effects on BT and intestinal bacterial composition in stable, decompensated cirrhosis (NCT01769040).