Background: Racecadotril, an enkephalinase inhibitor with antisecretory action is a safe and effective treatment for acute diarrhea for children and adults. As an adjunct to oral rehydration therapy (ORT) in Indian children, its efficacy and safety data are scarce. Methods: A total of 117 children with acute watery diarrhea for not more than 7 days were randomized into two groups. Group A (control group) received ORT and zinc only while Group B (study group) received a combination of racecadotril (1.5 mg/kg q8 h), zinc and ORT. Primary end point was the number of loose stools during first 48 h of treatment. Time to cure as well as total volumeof oral rehydration solution (ORS) consumed was also measured. Results: Baseline characteristics were not significantly different between the groups. Mean 48 h stool frequency in the study group was 10.47±3.2 episodes and that in control group was 15.87±4.6 episodes indicating a significant reduction of 34.1% with racecadotril (p=0.00016). The mean time for recovery in the study group was 37.98±6.1 h and 51.02±9.4 h in control group indicating a significant reduction of 25.6% with racecadotril (p=0.002). The  mean volume of ORS consumed before recovery in the study group was 162.72 ml as compared to 232.68 ml in control grouppointing to a significant reduction of 30.1% in the study group. Conclusions: Racecadotril is effective as an adjunct to ORT and early continued feeding in infants and children with acute watery diarrhea.

alnutrition is a general term and it most often refers to undernutrition resulting from inadequate consumption, poor absorption or excessive loss of nutrients but the term also encompasses overnutrition, resulting from excessive intake of specific nutrients. Malnutrition in children is widely prevalent in developing countries including India. More than 33% of deaths in 0-5 years are associated with malnutrition [1,2]. Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is defined by very low weightfor-height/length (z score below −3SD of the median WHO child growth standards), or a mid-upper arm circumference <115 mm, or by the presence of nutritional edema. SAM is both medical and social disorder. The medical problem is due to social problems at home. Lack of exclusive breastfeeding, late introduction of complementary feeds, feeding diluted feeds containing less amount of nutrients, repeated enteric and repeated respiratory tract infections, ignorance, and poverty are some of the factors responsible for SAM [1].Children with SAM are in danger of death from hypoglycemia, hypothermia, fluid overload, electrolyte mismanagement, and undetected infections. They cannot be treated like other children. Their feeds, fluids, and micronutrients must be carefully controlled to avoid complications during management [2]. Hence, biochemical and nutritional indicators in these children are important for management. They guide us to prevent mishappenings in the management of SAM children in causality and especially in nutrition rehabilitation centers (NRC) and help in giving proper correction of micronutrients [3,4]. Our study tried to find out the nutritional indicators at admission and also variations in the biochemical markers in these children at admission. This would help in further holistic management of these children. METHODS Thishospital based, prospective observational study, was conducted in Tertiary Care Institution of South India after obtaining approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee. Children aged 6-59 months admitted at NRC of Vanivilas Children hospital and Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital attached to Bangalore Medical College and Research institute were enrolled. After obtaining informed consent from parents or legal guardians, 100 consecutive SAM children admitted during

Introduction: Congenital heart defects are most common birth defects representing a major global health problem. So, early screening of high risk newborns for congenital heart defects is essential foe early intervention thereby help us to reduce morbidity and mortality. It is very important to screen all high-risk newborn for congenital heart defects, early identification and management to reduce mortality and morbidity in tertiary care neonatal intensive care unit. Pattern of CHDs is essential to predict management and outcome. Methods and Materials: A one year prospective study was carried out in a level III neonatal intensive care,