1. A method is described that allows for measurement of protein synthesis in liver and intestine in the rat. By injecting a massive amount of [14C]leucine (100 mumol/100 g body wt.) an attempt has been made to over come problems of precursor specific radioactivity and problems arising from the breakdown of labelled protein that are encountered when tracer amounts of amino acids are used. 2. Starvation for 2 days resulted in decline in the rate of total liver protein synthesis from 87%/day to 62%/day. 3. In jejunal mucosa the rate of protein synthesis was 136%/day. This declined to 105%/day after 2 days of starvation.

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Objective-To evaluate the impact of zinc supplementation on the clinical course, stool weight, duration of diarrhoea, changes in serum zinc, and body weight gain of children with acute diarrhoea. Design-Randomised double blind controlled trial. Children were assigned to receive zinc (20 mg elemental zinc per day) containing multivitamins or control group (zinc-free multivitamins) daily in three divided doses for two weeks. Setting-A diarrhoeal disease hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Patients-111 children, 3 to 24 months old, below 76% median weight for age of the National Center for Health Statistics standard with acute diarrhoea. Children with severe infection and/or oedema were excluded. Main outcome measures-Total diarrhoeal stool output, duration of diarrhoea, rate of weight gain, and changes in serum zinc levels after supplementation. Results-Stool output was 28% less and duration 14% shorter in the zinc supplemented group than placebo (p = 0.06). There were reductions in median total diarrhoeal stool output among zinc supplemented subjects who were shorter (less than 95% height for age), 239 v 326 g/kg (p < 0.04), and who had a lower initial serum zinc (< 14 mmol/l), 279 v 329 g/kg (p < 0.05); a shortening of mean time to recovery occurred (4.7 v 6.2 days, p < 0.04) in those with lower serum zinc. There was an increase in mean serum zinc in the zinc supplemented group (+2.4 v −0.3 µmol/l, p < 0.001) during two weeks of supplementation, and better mean weight gain (120 v 30 g, p < 0.03) at the time of discharge from hospital. Conclusions-Zinc supplementation is a simple, acceptable, and aVordable strategy which should be considered in the management of acute diarrhoea and in prevention of growth faltering in children specially those who are malnourished.

Objective: To assess the impact of zinc supplementation during acute diarrhoea on subsequent growth and morbidity in malnourished young children. Design: Double blind randomized controlled clinical trial Setting: International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh. Subjects: Sixty-®ve children aged 3 ± 24 months with acute diarrhoea for less than 3 d. Intervention: Either elemental zinc (20 mgad) in a multivitamin syrup or multivitamin syrup alone divided in three divided daily doses for a period of two weeks. Children were followed up weekly at home to assess subsequent growth and morbidity for a period of eight weeks. Main outcome measures: Gain in length and body weight and reduction in diarrhoea and respiratory tract infection. Results: During the follow-up, zinc supplemented children showed signi®cantly greater cumulative length gain (18.9 mm vs 14.5 mm, P`0.03) and comparable body weight gain than the children of the control group. Subsequent length gain was not correlated with initial height in the zinc-supplemented group (r À0.13), P 0X5), but was signi®cantly correlated in the control group (r À0X6, P`0.0007). Zinc-supplemented and stunted children ( 907 length for age n 18) experienced signi®cantly fewer episodes of diarrhoea (0.07 vs 0.6, P`0X05) and respiratory illness (1.0 vs 2.4, P`0.01) compared to the control group. The underweight children ( 717 weightaage n 38) receiving zinc-supplementation also had fewer episodes of diarrhoea (0.4 vs 1.0, P`0.04) and shorter duration of diarrhoeal episodes (1.0 vs 3.0 d, P`0.04) compared to their counterparts in the control group. Conclusion: These results suggest that a short course of zinc supplementation to malnourished children during acute diarrhoea reduces growth-faltering and diarrhoeal and respiratory morbidity during subsequent two months.