Efficacy of dioctahedral smectite in acute watery diarrhea in Indian children: a randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects and safety of dioctahedral smectite (DS) on the duration of acute watery diarrhea in children. METHODS: A Randomized, open labeled, clinical controlled trial in a tertiary care hospital outpatient department (OPD) and emergency department. Participants were one hundred and seventeen children without any chronic illness between 2 and 5 years presenting to OPD, having acute watery diarrhea for <48 h with mild to moderate dehydration, not on antibiotics and requiring oral rehydration therapy. Intervention done was DS with a dose of 1.5 g thrice daily. RESULTS: Freshly dissolved DS in a dose of 1.5 g thrice daily for 5 days significantly shortened the duration of acute watery diarrhea in children aged 2-5 years. There were no adverse effects on the use of DS. DS was acceptable to the children, and its administration was not accompanied with any side effects. CONCLUSION: DS reduces the duration of diarrhea in Indian children and prevents a prolonged course, and therefore, may consistently reduce the costs in treatment of acute watery diarrhea.

Pycnodysostosis with unusual findings: a case report.

Pycnodysostosis is a rare clinical entity, first described in 1962 by Maroteaux and Lamy. The disease has also been named Toulouse-Lautrec syndrome, after the French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, who (it has been surmised) suffered from the disease. In 1996, the defective gene responsible for Pycnodysostosis was located, offering accurate diagnosis, carrier testing and a more thorough understanding of this disorder. It is an autosomal recessive osteochondrodysplasia, usually diagnosed at an early age with incidence estimated to be 1.7 per 1 million births. Pycnodysostosis is a lysosomal storage disease of the bone caused by a mutation in the gene that codes the enzyme cathepsin K. The syndrome has been frequently reported in history. This article reports unusual ophthalmologic findings, conductive hearing loss due to suspected otosclerosis and sandal gap deformity in a Pycnodysostosis patient.