title: Muscle morphology in infantile protein malnutrition.
abstract: A study was made of the sartorius muscle in Jamaican infants dying of protein malnutrition. Total counts were made of muscle fibres and sub-sarcolemmal nuclei in transverse section and compared with controls.A striking pathology is found in severe cases. The muscle fibre is reduced to a size comparable with that of the foetus. Although there is a greatly increased concentration of cells, there is also degeneration and actual loss of fibres and of sub-sarcolemmal nuclei. The proportion of the area occupied by muscle bundles may be halved, and there is a marked relative increase in interstitial collagen. These changes profoundly affect the interpretation of the results of biochemical analysis.
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Cambridge, Jamaica.
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Montgomery