Epilepsy and argininosuccinic aciduria.

Background: We have reviewed the occurrence of epilepsy in our patients with argininosuccinic aciduria (ASA) (OMIM 207900) and the possible relationship of late epilepsy to symptomatic seizures in the neonatal period, hyperammonaemia and treatments.

Methods: We retrospectively analysed 11 ASA patients (8 neonatal onset and 3 late onset), 6 of whom had developed epilepsy.

Results: Epilepsy in our sample was frequent (55 %).

Impact on respiratory tract infections of heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine administered at 3, 5 and 11 months of age.

Background: Medical and public health importance of pneumococcal infections justifies the implementation of measures capable of reducing their incidence and severity, and explains why the recently marketed heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-7) has been widely studied by pediatricians. This study was designed to evaluate the impact of PCV-7 administered at 3, 5 and 11 months of age on respiratory tract infections in very young children.

Methods: A total of 1,571 healthy infants (910 males) aged 75-105 days (median 82 days) were enrolled in this prospective cohort trial to receive a hexavalent vaccine (DTaP/IPV/HBV/Hib) and PCV-7 (n = 819) or the hexavalent vaccine alone (n = 752) at 3, 5 and 11 months of age.

Aetiology of acute pharyngitis: the role of atypical bacteria.

In order to establish the role of atypical bacteria and compare characteristics of different infectious agents in acute pharyngitis, 127 patients with acute pharyngitis (66 males; median age, 5.33 years; range, 6 months to 14 years) and 130 healthy subjects of similar sex and age were studied. Serology with paired samples and PCR on nasopharyngeal aspirates and throat cultures were used to identify bacteria and viruses.

Serum concentrations of pneumococcal anticapsular antibodies in children with pneumonia associated with Streptococcus pneumonia infection.

The levels of specific IgG antibody to pneumococcal capsular polysaccharides were investigated in 182 children, aged 2-5 years, who were hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia, including 55 (30.2%) with evidence of acute pneumococcal infection. Results show that children with concentrations of specific IgG antibody that would protect against invasive disease do not seem to be protected against pneumonia associated with pneumococcal infection.

[The dependence of alcohol abuse and psychiatric comorbidity].

Aim of this paper, based on data collected at the General Hospital Psychiatric Unit of Pavia (Italy), is to study comorbidity between alcohol abuse/dependence and other mental illness. Thirty-five out of 188 patients admitted during the study period received a (DSM-III-R) diagnosis of alcohol abuse/ dependence and an other psychiatric diagnosis. Data were collected through a questionnaire, from patients and relatives, about history of dependence, psychiatric history both in patients and relatives, about life style and drinking opinions.

[Levels of the training of psychotherapists and results of analytic psychotherapy].

The purpose of this study was to investigate therapists experience as predictor of psychotherapy outcome. We studied consecutive patients (n = 76) assigned to psychoanalytic psychotherapy after being referred to the Geneva University Psychiatric Center for psychiatric treatment. Fifty-seven subjects were treated by trainees and nineteen had certified psychotherapists.

[Possible relationship between childhood malaise and psychiatric disorders in adulthood. Preliminary study on an in-patient sample from the psychiatric unit of the general hospital in Pavia].

The authors report the preliminary data of a study which aims to identify the variables (socio-demographic, clinical and nosographic) which may be used to predict the evolution of psychiatric disorders. A retrospective follow-back study was carried out using the medical records and any other documentation available from medical and psychological centers in order to identify the evolutionary stages of disease and possible pre-disease antecedents. The sample group examined was selected from users attending the Diagnosis and Treatment Psychiatric Unit at Pavia Hospital who were found to have undergone infantile neuropsychiatric outpatient or hospital treatment during childhood.

[Premenstrual syndrome: review of literature].

This is a comprehensive review of recent studies on premenstrual syndrome. The specific purpose of the present paper was to update major premenstrual syndrome related research/clinical issues in the following areas: nosographic validity, diagnostic reliability, clinical assessment, psychobiology, treatment progress. Increasing consensus has addressed the development of both performant assessment instruments and prospective clinical studies as well as careful psychobiologic investigation of the affective disorders/premenstrual syndrome crossroad as valuable directions for future studies.

[Heart transplantation experience: Rorschach test five years after surgery].

This paper presents some reflections on the experience of heart transplantation on the basis of Rorschach tests, collected from fifteen patients who underwent cardiac transplantation five years before. We suggest the use of six criteria: responses to Card I; movement (M, MA, m) as a key determinant; importance of surfaces and middle line; responses to Cards IV and VI; responses to Card X; complexual response, if present. Performances show problems related to the integration of the acquired organ.