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Ten diabetic children supplemented their normal diets with 0.45 g/kg/day guar gum for 4 weeks. They experienced a decrease in (1) plasma fibrinogen, (2) insulin requirement, (3) serum osmolality and (4) plasma viscosity; and an increase in serum albumin and total serum protein concentrations. The decrease in plasma viscosity, which was statistically significant, depended on the increase of albumin and the decrease of fibrinogen and may have some significance to the development of diabetic microangiopathy. The sequence of events eventually leading to a decrease of plasma viscosity is possibly mediated by gip and glucagon, consecutively.

CCT was performed in 14 children/adolescents with juvenile ceroid lipofuscinosis (JNCL) at different stages of the disease. CCT was normal in 7 patients; mildly abnormal in 3, clearly abnormal in another 3 and severely abnormal in 1 patient. Characteristic findings were symmetrical enlargement of subarachnoid spaces and of the lateral and third ventricles. White matter showed no changes in density. In later stages also the fourth ventricle was enlarged and cerebellar atrophy was seen. CCT findings were not closely correlated with onset and/or severity of the neurological abnormalities. CCT findings were positively correlated with age of the patients: CCT was usually normal if patients were less than 10 years old, and usually abnormal if patients were more than 14 years old.

A gas chromatographic method on glass capillary columns for the determination of tetrahydro-11-deoxycortisol (THS) and tetrahydro-11-deoxycorticosterone (TH-DOC) in urine is described. Using this method, the excretion of THS was measured in 15 normal children and 18 normal adults as well as in 4 patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia. The range of THS excreted was 5–76 μg/24 h (mean 29 ± 22 μg/24 h) in normal adults and < 5–60 μg/24 h in normal children. After metyrapone, 4 normal adults showed a THS excretion of 990 to 8700 μg/24 h. In 3 patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to a 21-hydroxylase deficiency there was a slightly elevated and in 1 patient with 11β-hydroxylase deficiency a markedly raised THS excretion. TH-DOC was not detectable in the urine of normal subjects but was found in concentrations of 120–1100 μg/24 h after metyrapone. The identity of THS and TH-DOC was confirmed by mass spectrometry.

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