Osmophobia as an early marker of migraine: a follow-up study in juvenile patients.

BACKGROUND: Osmophobia is frequent in children with migraine (20-35%) but can also occur in up to 14% of cases with tension-type headache (TTH). So far, the prognostic role of this symptom in children with primary headaches has never been evaluated. METHODS: A longitudinal prospective study was conducted on 90 young patients with TTH (37 with osmophobia, 53 without osmophobia). We evaluated whether osmophobia could predict the diagnosis transformation from TTH to migraine after a 3-year follow-up. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: In our cases the rate of diagnosis change was significantly greater in cases with osmophobia (62%) than in those without (23%). Osmophobia persisted at a 3-year follow-up in the majority of our cases (85%) and it was found to be one of the major predictors for the development of migraine; other predictors of evolution to migraine were phonophobia, a probable rather than certain diagnosis of TTH and olfactory triggers (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our data confirm that osmophobia has an important diagnostic and prognostic role in children with primary headaches and should be systematically investigated at diagnosis and during follow-up.

Participation in ICZM initiatives: critical aspects and lessons learnt from the Mediterranean and Black Sea experiences.

Public participation is recognized as a necessary tool to ensure a successful implementation of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) strategies and plans. This paper, based on the experiences carried out in the Mediterranean and in the Black Sea within the EU FP7 project PEGASO, presents some critical aspects and lessons learnt regarding participation in ICZM projects. The research shows that data availability, the complexity of data interpretation, an inadequate legal and cultural framework and the difficulties in promoting integration of all the components of coastal management within short term projects are all elements that if not properly considered since the beginning of the participatory process may hinder public participation effectiveness. Moreover the definition of the spatial scale of coastal phenomenon as well as the discrepancy between the local scale of coastal governance and the complex multi-scale nature of coastal systems remain highly critical aspects to be addressed.

Investigation of an LDLR gene polymorphism (19p13.2) in susceptibility to migraine without aura.

We performed a genetic association study with the LDL receptor gene (LDLR) on chromosome 19p13.2 in 360 migraine patients, 220 with migraine without aura (MO) and 140 with migraine with aura (MA), and 200 controls, by analysing two polymorphic markers, a G142A transition in exon 10 and a triallelic (TA)n repeat in exon 18. The allelic distribution of the (TA)n polymorphism was significantly different between migraine without aura (MO) and both controls and migraine with aura (MA). We suggest a possible predisposition to MO in the studied population through this polymorphism or another polymorphism in linkage disequilibrium with (TA)n.

Circadian and seasonal variation of migraine attacks in children.

OBJECT: To investigate the rhythmicity of migraine episodes without aura in a pediatric population. METHODS: Time of occurrence of 2517 migraine attacks in 115 children was recorded, by means of a diary, both by hourly and monthly intervals. RESULTS: A significant circadian variation, characterized by a peak in the afternoon (P < .001) and one in the early morning (P= .002) was found. A seasonal peak was also observed between November and January, while a nadir was observed in July. CONCLUSIONS: The clustering of attacks in the morning and midday and in autumn-winter, with a minimum frequency in July, suggests that school activities may represent an important cause of migraine.