Effects of a few food diet in attention deficit disorder

Seventy-eight children, referred to a diet clinic because of hyperactive behaviour, were placed on a 'few foods' elimination diet. Fifty nine improved in behaviour during this open trial. For 19 of these children it was possible to disguise foods or additives, or both, that reliably provoked behavioural problems by mixing them with other tolerated foods and to test their effect in a placebo controlled double blind challenge protocol. The results of a crossover trial on these 19 children showed a significant effect for the provoking foods to worsen ratings of behaviour and to impair psychological test performance. This study shows that observations of change in behaviour associated with diet made by parents and other people with a role in the child's care can be reproduced using double blind methodology and objective assessments. Clinicians should give weight to the accounts of parents and consider this treatment in selected children with a suggestive medical history.     

Effect of deprivation on weight gain in infancy

Weights were retrieved from child health records for an annual cohort of 3418 children, aged 18–30 months, to explore the relationship between deprivation and weight gain. Their level of deprivation was classified, using census data for their area of residence, as affluent (11%), intermediate (69%) or deprived (20%). Children from deprived areas were smaller at all ages with a widening gap: by one year of age, they were three times as likely as affluent children to be below the third centile for weight. The thrive index, a measure of the degree of centile shift, showed a slight gain over the first year in affluent and intermediate children, while in deprived children it decreased ( p = 0.001). Deprived children were 2.2 times more likely than intermediate children to have failure to thrive, as manifest by subnormal thrive index values ( p = 0.00008). Unexpectedly, children from affluent areas also showed slightly increased rates. We suggest that this may be explained by higher rates of breast feeding in affluent areas.     

Uterine leiomyomas in the infertile patient: preoperative localization with MR imaging versus US and hysterosalpingography

Eleven women with a history of infertility and uterine leiomyomas underwent magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the pelvis prior to myomectomy. Nine also underwent preoperative pelvic ultrasonography (US), and ten underwent hysterosalpingography. All studies were interpreted prospectively by independent observers. With each imaging modality, the location (one of 11 anatomic segments), size, and appearance of detected uterine leiomyomas were determined and compared with surgical and histologic findings. Among the nine patients who underwent both MR and US, the sensitivity (85%) and accuracy (94%) of MR imaging for abnormal segments was significantly better than that of US (sensitivity = 69%, P = .015; accuracy = 87%, P = .043). For the ten patients who underwent both MR and hysterosalpingography, the sensitivity (91%) and accuracy (96%) of MR imaging was better than that of hysterosalpingography (sensitivity = 18%, P = .0005; accuracy = 72%, P = .0005). The specificities of the three modalities did not significantly differ (100%, 97%, and 98% for MR, US, and hysterosalpingography, respectively). These data suggest that MR imaging is superior to US or hysterosalpingography for preoperatively locating uterine leiomyomas.     

Cardiac MRI in Congenital Heart Disease – Our Experience

A significant recent advance that has occurred world over in the continuously evolving field of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) practice is the introduction of Cardiac applications. Cardiac MRI has moved to the centre stage of clinical management strategy by non-invasively imaging the structure as well as function of the heart. It has a wide range of specific applications such as delineation of morphological anatomy, quantification of flow and pressure across cardiac valve dysfunction, evaluation of myocardial function, assessment of infarcts, mapping coronary arteries and so on. Evaluation of congenital heart disease (CHD) is an important application of Cardiac MRI since the morphological details of chambers, septum, defects and anomalous connections are depicted accurately. Besides, flow information across valves, chambers, outflow tracts and shunts are also provided. This article describes our experience in the use of cardiac MRI in congenital heart disease.Key Words: Cardiac MRI, Congenital heart disease, Cyanotic and Acyanotic heart disease     

Pulmonary artery balloon counterpulsation for right ventricular failure. An experimental evaluation

Right ventricular (RV) failure frequently occurs in patients undergoing correction of congenital cardiac defects, as well as in other clinical settings. RV hypertrophy was created in 10 neonatal lambs by pulmonary artery (PA) banding. Twelve months later RV hypertrophy was present (RV weight/body weight = 2.71 +/- 0.31 gm/kg); RV systolic pressures were elevated (65 +/- 9 mm Hg) and the average gradient across the PA band was 38 +/- 9 mm Hg. RV failure was produced in all animals by performing a right ventriculotomy. Four unassisted (control) animals died shortly after separation from bypass. Six experimental animals underwent pulmonary artery balloon counterpulsation (PABCP). A Dacron graft anastomosed to the proximal PA served as a reservoir for a 40 ml intra-aortic balloon pump system. PABCP effectively reversed RV failure, low cardiac output, and systemic arterial hypotension. Periods with PABCP on and off in each animal were compared. PABCP increased cardiac output from 1.45 +/- 0.16 to 2.03 +/- 0.13 L/min (p less than 0.0001) and increased aortic systolic pressure from 78 +/- 7 to 99 +/- 6 mm Hg (p less than 0.0004). PABCP produced a significant reduction in RV peak systolic pressure from 56 +/- 5 to 41 +/- 3 mm Hg (p less than 0.0001). PA peak pressure distal to the band increased from 31 +/- 2 to 40 +/- 1 mm Hg (p less than 0.0001). Right atrial pressure decreased from 14 +/- 1 to 11 +/- 1 mm Hg (p less than 0.0001) with PABCP, and RV end-diastolic pressure fell from 15 +/- 1 to 11 +/- 1 mm Hg (p less than 0.0001). RV stroke work index increased 49% from 0.081 +/- 0.011 to 0.121 +/- 0.017 gm X m/kg/beat (p less than 0.01), and RV systolic pressure time index decreased 38% from 1140 +/- 79 to 710 +/- 65 mm Hg sec/min (p less than 0.0001). Thus PABCP in the presence of RV dysfunction can produce substantial improvement in RV function and in overall cardiac function and may prove clinically useful in managing patients in refractory RV failure.     

Home nocturnal hemodialysis in children

OBJECTIVE: To describe the effect of home nocturnal hemodialysis (NHD) in North American children. STUDY DESIGN: Four teenagers underwent NHD for 8 hours, 6 to 7 nights/week, using either central venous lines or fistulae for periods of 6 to 12 months. Blood flow approximated 200 mL/min, and dialysate flow was 300 mL/min; the dialysate contained potassium and phosphate. The procedure was remotely monitored. RESULTS: The children had unrestricted diets and fluid allowance and did not require phosphate binders. Persistent relative hypotension developed in 2 of 4 children. Weekly Kt/V urea values were consistently >10; other biochemical measures varied. Quality of life and school attendance improved in 3 of 4 children. The workload and reported emotional burden of NHD was substantial. No significant complications occurred. Dialysate losses of calcium, phosphate and carnitine required supplementation. The annual cost per patient was dollar 64,000 Canadian, which represented a 27% savings compared with thrice weekly in-center hemodialysis. CONCLUSIONS: NHD is feasible in selected children, allows free dietary and fluid intake, and improves patient wellbeing. The burden on the family is substantial, and NHD requires support of a dedicated multidisciplinary team.     

Thoracoamniotic shunting for fetal pleural effusions with hydrops

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate perinatal outcome after thoracoamniotic shunting for fetal pleural effusions with hydrops. STUDY DESIGN: This was a retrospective study. RESULTS: Shunting was performed immediately after diagnosis and was successful in all 54 of the cases that were attempted. There were 7 pregnancy terminations, 9 in utero deaths, and 38 live births, of which 7 children died in the neonatal period and 31 children survived. Among the liveborn infants, 27 infants were delivered preterm (71%), of whom 7 infants (15%) had preterm premature rupture of membranes and 4 infants (8.5%) had chorioamnionitis. Perinatal death (23/54 infants; 43%) was related to underlying anomalies (7 cases), pulmonary hypoplasia (5 cases), chorioamnionitis (2 cases), or treatment failure for unknown reasons (9 cases). All 31 survivors had chylothorax; for 28 of the survivors, the chylothorax was primary, and for 3 survivors, the chylothorax was the result of right congenital diaphragmatic hernia, pulmonary sequestration, or Noonan syndrome. CONCLUSION: After the shunting, pleural effusion with hydrops has a 57% survival rate; premature delivery is the leading source of morbidity.     

Axillary lymphadenectomy with muscular padding, without drainage

OBJECTIVE: Axillary padding without drainage appeared to be a valuable alternative technique to vacuum drainage. The technique employs local muscles or the axillary aponeurosis for padding. We report here the clinical evaluation of muscular padding without drainage. The analysis of these results prompted us to also do a literature search for other alternatives aimed at reducing morbidity due to vacuum drainage. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Muscular padding was prospectively performed by 8 different surgeons on a total of 152 patients at the Centre Rene-Huguenin (Saint-Cloud, France). Follow-up has attained 3.5 years. A comparative assessment of pain was conducted in 30 patients operated on with vacuum drainage. RESULTS: This technique is easy to learn and reproducible. It facilitates post-operative follow-up, always allowing discharge at the 2nd or 3rd post-operative day without any home nursing. The late sequels are not increased. In contrast, pain was twice more intense during the first post-operative weeks compared with vacuum drainage, and the seroma rate was also increased. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Despite good efficacy, this worsening of pain is a major obstacle to the routine use of muscular padding. A technical improvement has been published very recently where the axillary aponeurosis was used to pad the axilla. It seems to be equally efficient but less painful than muscular padding. This technique is under clinical evaluation and could appear as a valuable option to vacuum drainage. Other alternatives are discussed. Most studies lack a direct comparison with vacuum drainage and a satisfactory evaluation of quality of life is also omitted. New studies with quality of life scales are ongoing. They should allow us to choose options that take this aspect into account in the future.     

Solution structure of amyloid beta-peptide (25-35) in different media

The design of molecules able to interact with the amyloid peptides either as inhibitors of fibril formation or as inhibitors of amyloid membrane pore formation represents one of the most relevant approaches in the development of anti-Alzheimer therapies. Abeta-(25-35), sequence GSNKGAIIGLM, is a highly toxic synthetic derivative of amyloid beta-peptides (Abeta-peptides), which forms fibrillary aggregates. Here, we report the NMR and CD investigation of Abeta-(25-35) in a membrane-mimicking environment and in isotropic mixtures of water and fluoro-alcohols to scan its conformational properties as a function of the medium. The analysis of the 3D structures in the mentioned conditions indicates a propensity of the peptide to behave as a typical transmembrane helix in the lipidic environment. In media characterized by different polarity, it loses the structural regularity at specific points of the sequence as a function of the environment. Furthermore, a comparison with the solution structure of full-length amyloid peptides suggests a role for the 25-27 kink region, which appears to be a general feature of all peptides under the solution conditions explored.