Effect of iron supplementation on development of iron deficiency anemia in breastfed infants.

This trial aimed to investigate the effect of iron supplementation on the development of iron deficiency anemia. The study encompassed 6-month-old infants who had been exclusively breastfed in the first 4 months of life. Infants in the supplemented group were given 1 mg kg(-1 )day(-1) ferrous sulfate for 6 months starting at 6 months of age. Blood samples were taken at age 12 months. A 3-day-diet was evaluated at 1 year of age. Data of 51 infants in the supplemented and 54 infants in the control group were analyzed. Mean hemoglobin values were similar in the two groups at the age of 12 months. Mean ferritin level of the supplemented group was significantly higher than that of the control. There was a significant positive correlation between dietary iron intake and hemoglobin levels. Nutrition might be more important than iron supplementation in preventing iron deficiency anemia during infancy.

Family-based group treatment versus individual treatment in the management of childhood obesity: randomized, prospective clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION: This study assessed the short- and long-term effects of a 3-month family-based group treatment in the management of childhood obesity versus individual treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty obese children, aged between 6 and 14 years, and their parents were included in this prospective controlled clinical study. Forty participants were randomly assigned for group treatment and the other 40 for individual treatment. A 3-month intervention program was focused on implementing healthy eating behaviors. The weight and height of the children were measured initially and at each treatment session and at follow-up visits. Body mass index was calculated and expressed as standard deviation score. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: At the end of 3-month treatment program, there was a significant decline in BMI SDS in both groups (p < 0.001). After 1 year of follow-up period, there was still a significant decrease in BMI SDS in the study group (p < 0.001), whereas the decrease in BMI SDS was not maintained over the follow-up period in the standard group. There was a significantly increased consumption of vegetable and fruit and reduced consumption of carbonated drinks and fruit juice in both groups (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate that the group treatment is more successful than the individual treatment in the management of childhood obesity.

The effectiveness of hyaluronan-carboxymethylcellulose membrane in different severity of adhesions observed at the time of relaparotomies: an experimental study on mice.

PURPOSE: This study was designed to evaluate the effect of Seprafilm use in the presence of different severity of adhesions encountered in relaparotomies. METHODS: A total of 110 male Balb/c mice were randomized into two experiment groups: Sepra and Control. All animals underwent cecal and small-bowel abrasions during the first operation. The severity of adhesions were evaluated as "slight" or"dense" at the time of relaparotomy performed 14days after the initial operation, and Seprafilm was applied to the animals in Group Sepra. Accordingly, the groups were documented as Sepra-slight, Sepra-dense, Control-slight, and Control-dense. All subjects were killed 14days later, the adhesion severity was evaluated with a scale scoring 0 to 5, and the results were compared between the groups. RESULTS: The death of 21 animals (19.1 percent) before (n = 10) and after (n = 11) the second operation left 22, 24, 26, and 17 animals in groups Sepra-slight, Sepra-dense, Control-slight, and Control-dense, respectively. Seprafilm significantly reduced the adhesion severity score (1.1 +/- 1.1 vs. 2.1 +/- 1.5 in Groups Sepra and Control, respectively; P < 0.05). Seprafilm did not significantly decrease the severity of adhesions in the presence of slight adhesions at the time of relaparotomy (P > 0.05). However, the analysis of groups revealed that Seprafilm was more effective when used during the observation of severe adhesions at the time of relaparotomy (1.7 +/- 1.4 vs. 2.7 +/- 1.5 in Groups Sepra-dense vs. Control-dense, respectively; P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Seprafilm is effective in preventing adhesions even if it is used at the time of relaparotomy, but the antiadhesive effect of product peaks when it is used during the observation of dense adhesions at the time of relaparotomy.

Food types in the diet and the nutrient intake of obese and non-obese children.

BACKGROUND: Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions world-wide. OBJECTIVE: To compare the types of food in the diet and the nutrient intake of obese children with those of non-obese children. METHODS: A total of 95 obese and 592 non-obese children aged between 6 and 10 years participated in the study. A body mass index (BMI) value exceeding the 95th percentile for age and gender was taken as the criterion for obesity. Three-day food consumption was recorded and evaluated according to standard international recommendations. RESULTS: Macronutrient intake was adequate in both obese and non-obese children. Energy intake of the obese children was significantly higher than that of the non-obese children. Micronutrient intake except fiber of both groups, calcium intake of obese children and vitamin A intake of non-obese children were higher than recommended amounts. The obese children consumed excessive fat and sugar, but less fruit and vegetables as compared to the non-obese children, and less than the recommendations of the food guide pyramid as adopted by the US Department of Food and Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services. CONCLUSION: The implementation of educational programs on nutrition may be important for promoting knowledge about healthy eating among obese children.

Education for expectant fathers in workplaces in Turkey.

Worldwide, there is increasing recognition that if family and reproductive health programmes are to be successful, the involvement of men is essential. As part of the problem, men also have to be seen as part of the solution. The reality is that in many countries, including Turkey, men generally do not accompany their partners to health facilities for family planning, antenatal and postnatal services and are not expected to attend the labour or birth of their child. Workplace programmes are a potential strategy for meeting the reproductive health education needs of men in industrial cities such as Istanbul. This intervention study was developed to test the feasibility and effects of expanding a special programme for expectant fathers to large workplaces in Istanbul, with the aim of improving the health of Turkish families during the pregnancy, birth and newborn periods. The findings indicate that it is possible to train workplace physicians in Istanbul to conduct regular educational programmes for expectant fathers on reproductive health, and that such programmes may have beneficial effects, especially in the areas of pregnancy nutrition, exclusive breast-feeding, and support behaviours. Considering the difficulty of getting men to attend hospital or clinic-based educational programmes in large urban areas, bringing such training programmes to men at their places of work has the potential to be an important strategy. Given that large workplaces in Turkey already have full-time physicians charged with the duty of health education for employees, this is also a feasible strategy.

Intra-abdominal use of taurolidine or heparin as alternative products to an antiadhesive barrier (Seprafilm) in adhesion prevention: an experimental study on mice.

PURPOSE: Seprafilm (Genzyme Biosurgery, Cambridge, MA) remains a widely used product in postoperative adhesion prevention. This study was designed to compare the antiadhesive effects of taurolidine, heparin, and Seprafilm in a murine cecal abrasion model. METHODS: Sixty male Balb/c mice underwent a cecal abrasion procedure and were randomized into four groups (n = 15 in each). Groups T, H, and S animals intraperitoneally received taurolidine, heparin, and Seprafilm, respectively, and Group C animals were reserved as control. Animals were killed on Day 21, and the severity of adhesions was evaluated with a scoring system ranging between 0 to 5. In addition, the localizations of the adhesions were questioned. RESULTS: Five (1 in Group S and 4 in Group H) animals died before they were killed. The deaths were related to intra-abdominal bleeding, and mortality rate was significantly higher in Group H than those in other groups (P < 0.05 for each comparison). The severity of adhesions was significantly less in the study groups than Group C, and in Group H than Groups T and S (P < 0.05 for each comparison). In addition, adhesions located cecum over itself were significantly less in the study groups than the control group, and those between small bowel and cecum were significantly lower in Groups T and S than the control group (P < 0.05 for each comparison). CONCLUSIONS: All products are effective in adhesion prevention. Heparin use provides the best results but may be associated with a higher mortality rate related to intra-abdominal bleeding. Taurolidine may be an alternative product to Seprafilm , but further studies are required.