[Hypocaloric diet and normocaloric diet in outpatient treatment in a group of children and adolescents]. / Dieta ipocalorica e dieta normocalorica nel trattamento ambulatoriale dell'obesità infantile.

OBJECTIVE: The epidemic of obesity, mostly in pediatric age, is of increasing concern because of the impact of overweight on health status in adult life. We have evaluated the impact of two regimens (balanced hypocaloric diet or balanced normocaloric diet) in a group of children ad adolescents. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We have studied 260 patients seen at a community pediatric clinic. Of these, 45 overweight, 35 obese and 6 patients with normal weight were selected. The subjects were assigned to a hypocaloric balanced diet plus lifestyle changes or a normocaloric balanced diet plus lifestyle changes. MAIN RESULTS: In the obese patients on a hypocaloric diet, 64% of subjects remained in the "obese" category and 14% decided to shift to the "normocaloric diet". Also, the drop-out rate was 12%. In the obese patients on a normocaloric diet, 38% remained in the obese category, while 46% showed a reduction of their BMI to the "overweight" category. Moreover, the drop-out rate was lower (5%). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that a more gentle approach to obesity/overweight in pediatric patients, with less restrictive nutritional interventions, could achieve a better compliance of the family, with a consistent reduction of overweight.

Drug effect on bronchial response to PGF2 alpha and water inhalation.

A new method of challenge with H2O is described after summarizing the results of previous studies concerning the pharmacological prevention of bronchoconstriction induced by PGF2 alpha and by ultrasonic mist of distilled water (H2O). This provides a simple, rapid and reproducible way of obtaining linear dose-response curves by plotting times of exposures against absolute or percent increases in sRaw. The preventive activity of several drugs against this type of bronchospasm has been tested. Beta 2-stimulants (fenoterol) were the most effective, both in terms of intensity and duration of action (more than 6 hours). DSCG, tiaramide and nifedipine were also efficient. Oxitropium bromide was almost ineffective, in spite of the comparatively high doses used. The H1 and H2 antihistamines chlorpheniramine and ranitidine were ineffective. The possible implications of these results are discussed, mainly in order to try to understand the mechanism of H2O bronchospasms, for which airways cooling does not seem at work.

Intolerance to tartrazine in aspirin-induced asthma: results of a multicenter study.

One hundred and fifty-six German, Italian and Polish patients with confirmed aspirin-induced asthma underwent open oral challenges with increasing doses of tartrazine up to 25 mg. All positive challenges were repeated under double-blind conditions. Only 4 of 156 patients (all Polish) had positive reactions in a double-blind test, as evidenced by a fall in FEV1 greater than 25% from baseline and corresponding clinical symptoms. Sixty-five patients who tolerated 25 mg tartrazine well received 50-3,000 mg tartrazine and none showed adverse reactions. Thus, intolerance to tartrazine appears to be rare among Central-European and South-European patients with aspirin-induced asthma, its frequency amounting to about 2.6%.

Carcinoma de cuello: evaluación de la extensión locoregional mediante la RMI, ecografía transvaginal y ecografía transrectal, en pacientes tratadas con y sin neoadyuvancia / Cervical carcinoma: evaluation of the locoregional extension interceding the MR imaging, transvaginal and rectal ultrasonography, in patients treat with and without neoadjuvancy

Objetivos: Establecer la utilidad de la Resonancia Magnética (RMI), Ecografía transvaginal (EcoTV) y Transrectal (EcoTR), en la evaluación de la extensión del cáncer cervical. Métodos: Se estudiaron prospectivamente 57 pacientes: 36 recibieron poliquimioterapia neoadyuvante (PQT) y 18 se operaron directamente. Los estudios se realizaron en la semana previa a la cirugía y los resultados se compararon con la Anatomía Patológica. Resultados: Cuando se obtuvieron resultados positivos con RMI y EcoTR en la evaluación parametrial, la precisión fue de 81 por ciento (grupo PQT); y de 83 por ciento (grupo cirugía exclusivamente). La precisión de la EcoTV más RMI en la evaluación del tabique vésico-vaginal fue de 93,3 por ciento y de 86,7 por ciento respectivamente. Para las adenopatías la RMI tuvo una precisión de 66 por ciento y 33 por ciento. Conclusiones: La EcoTV debe ser utilizada en todas las pacientes en los que se necesite evaluar el septum vésico-vaginal y que no tengan cesáreas previas. La RMI debe ser utilizada en circunstancias seleccionadas como cirugías de invasión mínima o ultraradicales