[Epidemiological survey on urinary incontinence in school population in Verona (Italy)]. / Indagine epidemiologica sull'incontinenza urinaria nella popolazione scolastica del Comune di Verona.

The authors tried to estimate the prevalence of urinary incontinence in children between 6 and 13/14 years by administering an anonymous questionnaire to students of primary and secondary 1 degree schools of the City of Verona. The disorder is found to be present only at night in 1.9% (male)--0.6% (females) in the elementary school; also in daytime in 2% (males)--1.3% (females) in the elementary school and 0.7% (male)--1.2% (females) in the middle school; only in daytime in 2,7% (males)--3,5% (females) in the elementary school and 2% (male)--3,3% (females) in the middle school. These data may be underestimated by the low adhesion to the survey by adolescents.

[Assessment of breast feeding rates during compulsory vaccination: preliminary outcomes]. / Rilevazione dei tassi di allattamento al seno al momento delle vaccinazioni obbligatorie: dati preliminari.

AIM: In consideration of the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations on promoting and supporting breast feeding, a measurement of breast feeding rates was planned within Vercelli's Province (ASL 11, Piedmont, Italy) in order to compare the local situation to the national and international one, and to promote ideas and strategies for increasing the practice of breast feeding up to six months or beyond. METHODS: During Diptheria Tetanus whole cell Pertussis vaccination (DTP) vaccination a questionnaire about their children's feeding was handed out to all mothers. Preliminary outcomes were elaborated after a follow-up of six months. RESULTS: So far 1591 questionnaires have been collected. During the first DTP immunizations 31.63% of the children were exclusively breastfed and 15.81% were partially breastfed. At the second vaccination, 11.14% and 37.68% of infants were completely and partially breastfed, respectively. A 36.11% of partially breast feeding still emerged during the third DTP vaccination. CONCLUSIONS: The outcomes of this study are inferior compared to WHO expectation and to national statistics. Increasing breast feeding rates should consequently become a priority aim, pursuing it through the health workers training, the support of mothers who encounter difficulties during their hospital stay or at home, and making the public aware of breast feeding practices.

Genitourinary anomalies in Mowat-Wilson syndrome with deletion/mutation in the zinc finger homeo box 1B gene (ZFHX1B). Report of three Italian cases with hypospadias and review.

Hypospadias, when the urethra opens on the ventral side of the penis, is a common malformation seen in about 3 per 1,000 male births. It is a complex disorder associated with genetic and environmental factors and can be part of genetic syndromes. Mowat-Wilson syndrome (MWS) is a multiple congenital anomaly syndrome characterized by a distinct facial phenotype, Hirschsprung disease, microcephaly and mental retardation. It is caused by mutations in the zinc finger homeo box 1B gene, ZFHX1B (SIP1). To date, 68 deletion/mutation-positive cases have been reported. Genitourinary anomalies are common in MWS. Here we report that hypospadias is common in males with this syndrome. In 39 patients where this information was available, hypospadias was present in 46% of patients (18/39). In the 3 Italian male cases reported here, hypospadias was always present. MWS should be considered by endocrinologists in patients with hypospadias associated with developmental delays/mental retardation, in particular in the presence of a distinct facial phenotype.

Analytical methods for the monitoring of solid phase organic synthesis.

Solid phase synthesis (SPS) is a powerful technique to assemble compound libraries in high-throughput parallel and combinatorial synthesis. The widespread applications of these techniques required the development of analytical methods for both structural elucidation and reaction monitoring. This review covers some recently developed techniques for on-bead analyses together with solution-state ones. Particular emphasis is devoted to software and hardware improvements for automated high-throughput analysis.

Does waist circumference predict fat gain in children?

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify in a group of 8-y-old prepubertal children the anthropometric parameter with the highest prediction power of overweight, measured 4 y later. SUBJECTS: One-hundred and twelve Caucasian children (54 males, 58 females), aged 8.7+/-0.9 y, were studied. RESULTS: An analysis of the association between relative body mass index (BMI) at follow-up (%) and some indexes of adiposity like relative BMI (%), waist circumference, subscapular and triceps skinfolds, the sum of four skinfolds and percentage fat mass measured at baseline, showed that relative BMI (relBMI) at baseline had the highest association with relBMI at follow-up (r=0.77; P<0.001); waist circumference had a slightly lower significant association with relBMI at follow-up (r=0.74; P<0.001). In a multiple regression analysis, waist circumference (adjusted for age) accounted for approximately 64% of the variation of relBMI at follow-up (P<0.001). RelBMI measured at baseline accounted for approximately 59% of the variation of relBMI at follow-up (P<0.001). Multiple logistic regression analysis included waist circumference, adjusted for age, mother's BMI and relBMI measured at baseline as independent variables in the final equation. In particular, each centimeter increase of waist circumference at the age of 8 y doubled the risk of having a relBMI greater than 120% at the age of 12 y. CONCLUSION: The results of this study, the first which has approached this investigation in children, showed that waist circumference measured at the age of 8 y, which is simple to perform and easy to reproduce, may be a promising index to assess adiposity as well as to predict overweight at puberty.

Waist circumference and cardiovascular risk factors in prepubertal children.

OBJECTIVE: Intra-abdominal fat has been identified as being the most clinically relevant type of fat in humans. Therefore, an assessment of body-fat distribution could possibly identify subjects with the highest risk of adverse lipid profile and hypertension. Few data on the relationship between body-fat distribution and cardiovascular risk factors are available in children, especially before puberty. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: This cross-sectional study was undertaken to explore the relationship between anthropometric variables, lipid concentrations, and blood pressure (BP) in a sample of 818 prepubertal children (ages 3 to 11 years) and to assess the clinical relevance of waist circumference in identifying prepubertal children with higher cardiovascular risk. Height, weight, triceps and subscapular skinfolds, waist circumference, and BP were measured. Plasma levels for triacylglycerol, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1), and apolipoprotein B (ApoB) were determined. RESULTS: Females were fatter than males (5.8 [3.5] vs. 4.8 [3.3] kg of fat mass; p < 0.01). Males had higher HDL cholesterol and ApoA1/ApoB plasma concentrations than females (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively). Waist circumference had a higher correlation with systolic and diastolic BP (r = 0.40 and 0.29, respectively; p < 0.001) than triceps (r = 0.35 and 0.21, respectively; p < 0.001) and subscapular (r = 0.28 and 0.16, respectively; p < 0.001) skinfolds and relative body weight (0.33 and 0.23, respectively; p < 0.001). Multivariate linear model analysis showed that ApoA1/ApoB, HDL cholesterol, total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol, and systolic as well as diastolic BP were significantly associated with waist circumference and triceps and subscapular skinfolds, independently of age, gender, and body mass index. DISCUSSION: Waist circumference as well as subscapular and triceps skinfolds may be helpful parameters in identifying prepubertal children with an adverse blood-lipids profile and hypertension. However, waist circumference, which is easy to measure and more easily reproducible than skinfolds, may be considered in clinical practice. Children with a waist circumference greater than the 90th percentile are more likely to have multiple risk factors than children with a waist circumference that is less than or equal to the 90th percentile.

Meal-induced thermogenesis and obesity: is a fat meal a risk factor for fat gain in children?

Diet composition, in particular fat intake, has been suggested to be a risk factor for obesity in humans. Several mechanisms may contribute to explain the impact of fat intake on fat gain. One factor may be the low thermogenesis induced by a mixed meal rich in fat. In a group of 11 girls (10.1 +/- 0.3 yr), 6 obese (body mass index, 25.6 +/- 0.6 kg/m(2)), and 5 nonobese (body mass index, 19 +/- 1.6 kg/m(2)), we tested the hypothesis that a mixed meal rich in fat can elicit energy saving compared with an isocaloric and isoproteic meal rich in carbohydrate. The postabsorptive resting energy expenditure and the thermic effect of a meal (TEM) after a low fat (LF; 20% fat, 68% carbohydrate, and 12% protein) or an isocaloric (2500 kJ or 600 Cal) and isoproteic high fat (HF; 48% fat, 40% carbohydrate, and 12% protein) meal were measured by indirect calorimetry. Each girl repeated the test with a different, randomly assigned menu (HF or LF) 1 week after the first test. TEM, expressed as a percentage of energy intake was significantly higher after a LF meal than after a HF meal (6.5 +/- 0.7% vs. 4.3 +/- 0.4%; P < 0.01). The postprandial respiratory quotient (RQ) was significantly higher after a LF meal than after a HF meal (0.86 +/- 0.013 vs. 0.83 +/- 0.014; P < 0.001). The HF low carbohydrate meal induced a significantly lower increase in carbohydrate oxidation than the LF meal (20.3 +/- 6.2 vs. 61.3 +/- 7.8 mg/min; P < 0.001). On the contrary, fat oxidation was significantly higher after a HF meal than after a LF meal (-1.3 +/- 2.4 vs. -15.1 +/- 3.6 mg/min; P < 0.01). However, the postprandial fat storage was 8-fold higher after a HF meal than after a LF meal (17.2 +/- 1.7 vs. 1.9 +/- 1.8 g; P < 0.001). These results suggest that a high fat meal is able to induce lower thermogenesis and a higher positive fat balance than an isocaloric and isoproteic low fat meal. Therefore, diet composition per se must be taken into account among the various risk factors that induce obesity in children.

Distribution of food intake as a risk factor for childhood obesity.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study was to assess the relationship between nutrient intake, partitioning of food intake, parents' overweight and adiposity in a group of children. SUBJECTS: 530 7-11-year-old children: 278 males, 252 females. METHODS: Energy intake, nutrient intake and percentage distribution of the intake of energy among the different meals were assessed by means of diet history. Body composition was obtained by measuring skinfold thickness. RESULTS: We identified the relationship between the children's adiposity and their parents' body mass index (BMI) mother: r=0.12, P<0.01; father: r=0.13; P<0.01), carbohydrate (r=-0. 15, P<0.001) and fat intake (r=0.14, P<0.002), and the proportion of energy taken at dinner (r=0.1, P<0.05). A multiple regression analysis was run with a stepwise procedure using relative adiposity as the dependent variable and parents' BMI, dinner intake (percentage of energy intake), EI/BMR ratio (an index of energy intake validity), and sex (dummy variable) as independent variables. All the independent variables, except percentage of fat intake, were included in the final model. The equation was able to explain approximately 19% (R=0.44, P<0.001) of inter-individual fat mass percentage variability. CONCLUSIONS: Diet composition did not contribute to explain the children's adiposity when the parents' overweight (BMI) was taken into account. However, the percentage distribution of the intake of energy among the different meals, particularly at dinner, contributed to explain inter-individual variance of fatness in children of both sexes. International Journal of Obesity (2000)24, 75-80

Substituted analogues of GV150526 as potent glycine binding site antagonists in animal models of cerebral ischemia.

A series of analogues of the indole-2-carboxylate GV150526, currently in clinical trials as a potential neuroprotective agent for the control of the cerebral damage after stroke onset, was designed based on previous studies dealing with the electronic features of the north-east region of the glycine binding site associated with the NMDA receptor. In particular, the substitution of the para position of the terminal phenyl ring of GV150526 with suitable hydrophilic groups resulted in the identification of a new class of glycine antagonists. These compounds exhibited nanomolar in vitro affinity to the glycine binding site, high receptor selectivity, and outstanding in vivo potency. In particular, 3-[(E)-2-[(4-ureidomethylphenyl)aminocarbonyl]ethenyl]-4, 6-dichloroindole-2-carboxylic acid was found to be highly effective in the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) model in the rat, an animal model of focal ischemia, when given both prior to and after the occlusion of the middle cerebral artery. Notably, a significant neuroprotective effect was seen in this model postischaemia, when the administration of this compound was delayed up to 6 h from the occlusion of the middle cerebral artery, further confirming the wide therapeutic window seen for GV150526A.