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Sociocultural factors affecting malnutrition in over one thousand under fives living in villages and towns located in northeastern Nigeria were examined. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire and through examination of the children. The study showed that about a third of the children were malnourished. The observed malnutrition was higher among females. The age group most affected was 25-36 months. Poor weaning and food supplementation exerted the strongest influence on the nutritional status of the children whose diet consisted mainly of cereals. It is suggested that local but largely ignored protein sources should be given more attention. Adequate health education to mothers is essential especially in providing information on appropriate nutrition for the child that has just been weaned.

The renal effect of the daily administration of gentamicin to male albino rats (20 mg/kg body weight) for 6 consecutive days on some biochemical systems of the kidney was examined. Urine volume and urinary protein levels were found to be progressively raised following gentamicin. Urinary alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase, muramidase and glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) activities were found to be markedly elevated. Acid phosphatase and GDH activities in urine were raised 24 h and 48 h, respectively, from the onset of gentamicin administration. The sequence in which some regions of the renal cells were involved in gentamicin nephrotoxicity was determined and the probable mechanism of interaction of gentamicin antibiotic with the renal tubular cells is proposed.

Gentamicin has been shown to induce renal tubular damage in man and laboratory animals and to result in elevated urinary excretion of some enzymes associated with specific cell regions in the kidney. In the present investigation, the possible protective effect of selenium against gentamicin-induced renal damage was tested by measuring the urinary excretion of some enzymes in the presence and absence of selenium. Our results show that a prior subcutaneous injection of selenium to rats for two days followed by a simultaneous S.C. injection of gentamicin and selenium resulted in a marked reduction in the excretion of such biochemical systems as the urine volume, urinary proteins, alkaline and acid phosphatases, beta-glucuronidase, muramidase, and glutamate dehydrogenase. Renal functional studies revealed that selenium-treated rats suffered less adverse effects compared to rats treated with gentamicin alone. Urinary acid phosphatase, beta-glucuronidase and muramidase, the three lysosomal enzymes tested, appeared to respond most readily to protection by selenium.

The administration of chloroquine to rats resulted in a significant elevation of serum enzymes and a corresponding decrease of these enzymes in the tissues. The changes in serum and kidney enzymes were most marked, thus indicating a primary renal dysfunction.