Accuracy of Weight Perception Among Urban Early Adolescents with Uncontrolled Asthma and Their Caregivers

Background

Obesity is associated with poor asthma outcomes; weight loss improves such outcomes. Inaccurate recognition of obesity may impede weight control.

Purpose

We examined perception of weight by early adolescents with uncontrolled asthma and their caregivers, and tested the relationship between medical visit frequency and accuracy of perceived weight status.

Methods

A total of 373 adolescents and their caregivers reported the adolescent’s height/weight and weight perception; caregivers reported healthcare utilization. We measured height/weight. Logistic regression modeled accuracy of weight perception.

Results

A total of 43.7 % of the overweight/obese adolescents and caregivers accurately perceived weight status. BMI percentile [odds ratio (OR)?=?1.19, confidence interval (CI)?=?1.10–1.28] and total medical visits (OR?=?1.18, CI?=?1.05–1.33) were associated with higher accuracy in caregivers. Total medical visits (OR?=?0.84, CI?=?0.74–0.96) was associated with lower accuracy in adolescents.

Conclusions

Accurate perception of weight status was poor for overweight adolescents with uncontrolled asthma and their caregivers. Frequent medical visits were associated with improved caregivers’ but not adolescents’ perceptions.     

Developmental quotient at 24 months and fatty acid composition of diet in early infancy: a follow up study

Accepted 11 December 1996
AIM—A follow up study of developmental quotient (DQ) at 24 months of toddlers whose diets in early infancy differed in fatty acid composition, and in whom an association between diet and DQ was observed at 4months.
METHODS—81 toddlers were distributed among three groups according to early type of diet: standard infant formula (SFo, n = 30); long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA) enriched formula (LCPFo, n = 26); human milk (HM, n = 25). DQ at 24 months was assessed by Brunet-Lézine''s psychomotor developmental test. A subgroup (n = 20; SFo 8; LCPFo 6; HM 6) was tested for erythrocyte phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine.
RESULTS—No DQ differences were found by analysis of variance. Neither DQ nor erythrocyte docosahexaenoic acid at 4 months were predictors of DQ scores at 24 months. Phosphatidylcholine arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acid correlated positively, and phosphatidylcholine linoleic acid and phosphatidylethanolamine eicosapentaenoic acid negatively, with DQ. Multiple regression analysis including these variables explained 52% of interindividual DQ variance. A strong association was found between the erythrocyte phosphatidylcholine arachidonic/linoleic acid ratio and DQ (r = 0.75; p = 0.0001).
CONCLUSIONS—The diet/DQ association found at 4 months was not predictive of DQ scores at 24 months. Irrespective of dietary or genetic factors, there appears to be a strong correlation between the LC-PUFA composition of the red cell membrane and higher neurodevelopmental performance.

     

Functional Dyspepsia Symptoms,Gastric Emptying and Satiety Provocative Test: Analysis of Relationships

Background: The correlation between symptoms and observed impaired function in functional dyspepsia is still inconsistent. The aims of the study were to obtain a measure of satiety by a meal test; to verify whether this compares with severity of symptoms assessed using a reproducible questionnaire; and to correlate the parameters of satiety test and gastric emptying with all the dyspeptic symptoms. Methods: Fifty-two functional dyspepsia patients reported their symptoms on a standardized questionnaire that considered belching, bloating, early satiety, epigastric pain and burning, nausea, postprandial fullness and vomiting. They were monitored for gastric emptying of a solid caloric meal using a radionuclide technique and underwent a test to quantify meal-induced satiety by a liquid caloric meal. Results:     

PICC-related upper deep venous thrombosis in patients with hematological malignancies. Management of anticoagulant therapy according to the platelet count

Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis - Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) for central venous access are frequently used in patients with hematological malignancies. Their use may be...     

Helicobacter pylori eradication and reflux disease onset:Did gastric acid get "crazy"?

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is highly prevalent in the general population.In the last decade,a potential relationship between Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) eradication and GORD onset has been claimed.The main putative mechanism is the gastric acid hypersecretion that develops after bacterial cure in those patients with corpus-predominant gastritis.We performed a critical reappraisal of the intricate pathogenesis and clinical data available in this field.Oesophagitis onset after H.pylori eradication in duodenal ulcer patients has been ascribed to a gastric acid hypersecretion,which could develop following body gastritis healing.However,the absence of an acid hypersecretive status in these patients is documented by both pathophysiology and clinical studies.Indeed,duodenal ulcer recurrence is virtually abolished followingH.pylori eradication.In addition,intra-oesophageal pH recording studies failed to demonstrated increased acid reflux following bacterial eradication.Moreover,oesophageal manometric studies suggest that H.pylori eradication would reduce-rather than favor-acid reflux into the oesophagus.Finally,data of clinical studies would suggest that H.pylori eradication is not significantly associated with eitherreflux symptoms or erosive oesophagitis onset,some data suggesting also an advantage in curing the infection when oesophagitis is already present.Therefore,the legend of "crazy acid" remains-as all the others a fascinating,but imaginary tale.     

Pharmacokinetics in rats of n-dimethylaminoacetyl-partricin a 2-dimethylaminoethylamide diascorbate (spk-843)

Single- and multiple-administration trials in rats were performed in this study to assess the serum and tissue concentrations of SPK-843 (N-dimethylaminoacetyl-partricin A 2-dimethylaminoethylamide diascorbate), a new polyene antibiotic with a heptaene structure. A dose of 1.25 mg/kg (roughly 1 mg/kg of free base) by intravenous route was used both for the single- and multiple-administration trials. The single-administration trial was carried out in comparison with amphotericin B (AmB) at intravenous doses of 1 mg/kg. Plasma samples were drawn at intervals from 15 min to 96 h after injection. The elimination half-lives were 22.15 and 18.15 h, and the area under the curve to infinity (AUC(0-infinity)) values were 35.52 and 10.33 microg.h.ml(-1), respectively, for SPK-843 and AmB. Both drugs showed an extensive tissue distribution, with higher uptake by the kidneys, followed by the liver, spleen and lungs for SPK-843, and higher uptake by the spleen, followed by the lungs, liver and kidneys for AmB. The multiple-administration trial (1.25 mg/kg/day for 7 days) led to sustained serum and tissue concentrations. On the seventh day, the rats were bled at intervals from 5 min to 96 h after dosing. The serum elimination half-life and AUC(0-infinity) values were roughly twice those of the single-dose study (41.4 h and 72.1 microg.h.ml(-1), respectively). Also, the half-lifes and AUCs from 0 to infinity of tissues were greater than those in the single-dose trial.     

The use of lipid emulsions for the i.v. administration of a new water soluble polyene antibiotic, SPK-843

Venous tolerance of a new water soluble polyene antibiotic, SPK-843, in 5% glucose solution for infusion is low in laboratory animals. The use of Intralipid 10% emulsion was therefore proposed, in which the antibiotic remained chemically stable for at least 2 h in a mildly acid or nearly neutral environment and at concentrations of 0.1-0.5 mg/mL, producing no alterations in the emulsion structure. Tolerance was assessed through repeated infusions in the ear marginal vein of rabbits and was found much more satisfactory than the tolerance observed when the vehicle used was 5% glucose solution. The study of the effect of some variables (concentration, volume infused, dose per kg) on venous toxicity offered the possibility to plan optimal administration conditions of presumed therapeutic doses.