Enzyme Activity in Fatty Livers in Human Infants

Biochemical Changes in Liver Associated with Kwashiorkor1

“…The finding of virtually unchanged levels of hepatic malic dehydrogenase and transaminase activity upon treatment of kwashiorkor agrees with Waterlow and Patrick (7). However, the absolute activity found by these investigators for transaminase is only one-fifteenth of the level reported here.…”

“…In the method used here, oxalacetate produced is immediately reduced to malate, which prevents approach to equilibrium and consequent slowing of the reaction. Without means for removing one of the products, larger samples as may have been used by Waterlow and Patrick (7) in their studies of rat liver would give lower relative values.…”

“…Later, Waterlow and Patrick (7,8) Jamaica on admission to the hospital and after treatment. For cytochrome oxidase, lactic, malic and glutamic dehydrogenases, succinoxidase, DPNH-cytochrome C reductase and transaminase they report unchanged activity following treatment.…”

The Fat, Protein and Nucleic Acid Content of the Liver in Malnourished Human Infants

“…ses investigated * On admission to hospital the babies were put for the first few days on a diluted skim-milk mixture calculated Range to provide about 8 grams of protein a day. It had been 12 found previously that an intake of this order seems just 12.25 (6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19) to maintain the status quo, and to produce neither im- American standards. Even if such babies existed in our hospital population, the pressure on bed space and the fact that liver biopsy is not a procedure entirely devoid of risk, would make it unjustifiable to admit them for investigation as a control group.…”

Effect of Weanling Malnutrition upon Hepatic Drug Metabolism

“…In man, protein malnutrition will also result in profound changes with impairment in intestinal absorption and kidney function, as well as lowering of serum albumin (14,33). The liver has been seen to accumulate fat along with depression of a few enzymes, i.e., pseudocholinesterase as demonstrated in biopsies (35). Several function tests were carried out on 107 consecutive cases of kwashiorkor and abnormal but quickly restorable bromsulphalein-retention test could be seen in all nonfatal cases (23).…”