Breast feeding and acute lower respiratory infection.

The association between breast feeding and acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) was studied in a case-control study in southern Italy. Two groups of children were studied: the first group comprised 73 infants, aged 0-6 months, whose diagnosis was pneumonia or bronchiolitis; the second group included 88 infants less than 12 months of age with a diagnosis of pertussis-like illness. Control infants were two groups of infants admitted to the same ward.

Usefulness of neonatal eosinophil counts as a marker of atopy?

Eosinophil count (EC) were obtained from 312 newborns with and 172 without family history of atopy (FHA). The EC were higher in infants with than without FHA. Elevated EC were recorded in babies of parietaria sensitive mothers born in the spring, as compared to other seasons.

Breast-feeding and urinary tract infection.

A case-control study was conducted to study the association between breast-feeding and urinary tract infection. Case patients were 128 infants aged birth to 6 months with urinary tract infection. Control infants were 128 infants admitted to the same ward with an acute illness.

Antenatal and perinatal care in southern Italy. II. The clinicians' reactions.

One hundred obstetricians and 50 paediatricians engaged in public antenatal and perinatal care in southern Italy were interviewed about the provision of care in their facilities: 93% of the obstetricians judged the coverage of the target population to be insufficient and 53% of them considered the use of the risk approach to be unsatisfactory in public clinics. For example, no initiative was taken by 60% of public clinics when a woman at high risk failed to attend a booked antenatal visit. Bed rest during labour was prescribed by 72% of the obstetricians, a supporting relative was admitted to only 18% of the births and routine episiotomy was performed in 77% of primigravidae.