Clinical management of food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome.

Purpose Of Review: The article discusses the clinical management of patients affected by food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES), focusing on established therapeutic choices and future options.

Recent Findings: After FPIES has been diagnosed and avoidance of the culprit food prescribed, the most important management needs are as follows. First, recurrence of acute FPIES episodes due to accidental ingestion of culprit food.

Evaporation kinetics in swollen porous polymeric networks.

NMR is a fast, nondestructive, and noninvasive technique that can provide information about the pore structure of macroporous polymer beads and the dynamics of liquids confined in them. In this work, we describe the study of the pore structure of the macroporous polymer of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate [poly(EGDMA-co-HEMA)] in the dry but also in the swollen state by measuring relaxation times of liquids contained in the polymer network. The results show that the pore architecture differs from the dry to the soaked state.

"GIOCAMPUS" - An effective school-based intervention for breakfast promotion and overweight risk reduction.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a campaign promoting breakfast in primary school-children from the city of Parma, Italy, where 22 % of peer school-children had reported in 2005 to  skip breakfast. Two groups of children were interviewed by a multiple choice questionnaire on their breakfast habits. Group 1 counted only the children who  underwent the intensive campaign (n.

Prevalence of mixed cryoglobulinaemia syndrome and circulating cryoglobulins in a population-based survey: the Origgio study.

Mixed cryoglobulinaemia syndrome (MCS) is associated with a number of infectious, autoimmune and lymphoproliferative disorders, particularly chronic hepatitis C infection. Although circulating mixed cryoglobulins (cMCGs) are a frequent finding in HCV-infected patients, only a minority of them develop a frank MCS. The only available data concerning the prevalence of MCS, which is generally considered a rare disease, come from hospital records.

Single dilator vs. guide wire dilating forceps tracheostomy: a meta-analysis of randomised trials.

Background: Single dilator technique (SDT) and guide wire dilating forceps (GWDF) are the two most commonly used techniques of percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) in critically ill adult patients. We performed a meta-analysis of randomised, controlled trials comparing intraoperative, mid-term and late complications of these two techniques.

Methods: Pertinent studies were searched in BioMedCentral, PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Central Register of clinical trials.

Leptospira spp. in Domestic Cats from Different Environments: Prevalence of Antibodies and Risk Factors Associated with the Seropositivity.

Leptospirosis is an emerging zoonotic disease of worldwide distribution. A cross-sectional study was conducted in urban and rural environments in southern Chile (1) to detect domestic cats with serologic evidence of exposure to Leptospira spp.; (2) to determine the prevalence of anti-Leptospira antibodies; (3) to describe seroprevalences according to different characteristics of the animals, and (4) to identify risk factors associated with the seropositivity in the Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT).

Solid-state evaluation and polymorphic quantification of venlafaxine hydrochloride raw materials using the Rietveld method.

Venlafaxine hydrochloride (VEN) is an antidepressant drug widely used for the treatment of depression. The purpose of this study was to carry out the preparation and solid state characterization of the pure polymorphs (Forms 1 and 2) and the polymorphic identification and quantification of four commercially-available VEN raw materials. These two polymorphic forms were obtained from different crystallization methods and characterized by X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD), Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform (DRIFT), Raman Spectroscopy (RS), liquid and solid state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR and ssNMR) spectroscopies, Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) techniques.

Dissolution properties, solid-state transformation and polymorphic crystallization: progesterone case study.

Progesterone is a natural steroid hormone and a poor soluble drug which presents two polymorphs (forms 1 and 2). Different methods to obtain form 2 were tested and a complete solid-state characterization of both polymorphs (forms 1 and 2) was conducted. X-ray powder diffraction, hot stage microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, dispersive Raman, (13)C solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy techniques and intrinsic dissolution rates (IDR) were applied to investigate physical-chemical and dissolution properties of these two polymorphs.

Herd-level prevalence of Map infection in dairy herds of southern Chile determined by culture of environmental fecal samples and bulk-tank milk qPCR.

Paratuberculosis, an infectious disease of domestic and wild ruminants caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map), is an economically important disease in dairy herds worldwide. In Chile the disease has been reported in domestic and wildlife animals.

GHz properties of magnetophoretically aligned iron-oxide nanoparticle doped polymers.

We show that assembled domains of magnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) are effective at increasing the dielectric permittivity of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) nanocomposites in the GHz frequency range. The assembly has been achieved by means of magnetophoretic transport and its efficacy, as well as the electromagnetic properties of the nanocomposite, has been found to depend on IONPs diameter. Remarkably, the dielectric permittivity increase has been obtained by keeping dielectric and magnetic losses very low, making us envision the suitability of nanocomposites based on aligned IONPs as substrates for radiofrequency applications.

Single crystal structure, solid state characterization and dissolution rate of terbinafine hydrochloride.

Terbinafine hydrochloride (TH), a poorly water soluble antifungal agent, was characterized by solid state techniques including differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry, X-ray powder diffraction, optical and electron microscopies, Fourier transform infrared, Raman and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies and intrinsic dissolution rate (IDR). A colorless single crystal of TH was grown from an ethanol:water solution and its crystalline structure was determined through X-ray single crystal diffraction. Also, a new crystal habit of TH was obtained through the slow solvent evaporation technique revealing a needle-like shape.

Tolerability of donkey's milk in 92 highly-problematic cow's milk allergic children.

Objective: Not exclusively breastfed children with cow's milk allergy (CMA) require a formula or other alternative food, but past and present guidelines differ concerning the best choice. Our aim was to investigate the clinical tolerability, palatability and nutritional adequacy of donkey's milk (DM) in children with proven CMA. It was important to identify a CM replacement for these children, highly problematic from the feeding standpoint, in spite of their age.

Temporal lobe epilepsy exacerbation during pharmacological inhibition of endogenous neurosteroid synthesis.

We report the case of a woman who presented cryptogenic temporal lobe seizures from the age of 43 years. Antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment with carbamazepine was able to control seizures for 1 year, but seizures relapsed and an add-on treatment with lamotrigine was started without achieving seizures control. The patient's medical history was unremarkable except for a mild hirsutism for which she was taking finasteride since 45 years of age.

Factors related to the level of occurrence of bovine abortion in Chilean dairy herds.

The objectives of this study were (1) to estimate the frequency and dynamics of bovine abortion syndrome; (2) to identify groups of cows affected by abortion; and (3) to assess the characteristics of herd management and lactation associated with abortion rates. The study was performed using farmers' historical records for 77 dairy herds in the south of Chile (Bio-Bio, Los Lagos and Los Ríos Regions) collected between 2001 and 2005. These records included 44,959 lactations from 20,977 cows.

Toxicity on the luminescent bacterium Vibrio fischeri (Beijerinck). II: Response to complex mixtures of heterogeneous chemicals at low levels of individual components.

The toxicity of eight complex mixtures of chemicals with different chemical structures and toxicological modes of action (narcotics, polar narcotics, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides) was tested on the luminescent bacterium Vibrio fischeri. There were maximum 84 individual chemicals in the mixtures. Suitable statistical approaches were applied for the comparison between experimental results and theoretical predictions.

Solid-state characterization and dissolution properties of Fluvastatin sodium salt hydrates.

The present study reports the solid-state properties of Fluvastatin sodium salt crystallized from different solvents for comparison with crystalline forms of the commercially available raw material and United States Pharmacopeia (USP) reference standard. Fluvastatin (FLV) samples were characterized by several techniques; such as X-ray powder diffractometry, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry, liquid and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. In addition, intrinsic dissolution rate (IDR) of samples was performed in order to study the influence of crystalline form and other factors on rate and extent of dissolution.

Sulfonylurea-responsive neonatal diabetes mellitus diagnosed through molecular genetics in two children and in one adult after a long period of insulin treatment.

A permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus has finally been diagnosed through molecular genetics in two children and one adult after 9 to 35 years of uninterrupted insulin treatment. These patients developed diabetes before 6 months of age and were autoantibody negative. In one boy, a mutation in the KCNJ11 gene was identified at 9 years of age.

Children with type 1-diabetes from ethnic minorities: vulnerable patients needing a tailored medical support.

Background And Aim: Newly diagnosed children with type 1 diabetes from ethnic minorities are a growing presence in outpatient pediatric clinics, and are reported as a group at risk of poor metabolic control. In the present study we investigated the barriers affecting chances of minority diabetic children to achieve the same metabolic targets of native peers with type 1 diabetes.

Materials And Methods: The study investigated 35 children from ethnic minorities (group 1) admitted to the Children University Hospital of Parma, Italy, from 1st January 2000 to December 31st, 2011, and data concerning current age, gender, ethnicity, age at diabetes onset, HbA1c, DKA severity degree at diagnosis, insulin therapy, annual number of out patient clinic visits, number of admissions for acute decompensation, and treatment cost.

Efficacy of functional hemodynamic parameters in predicting fluid responsiveness with pulse power analysis in surgical patients.

Background: In this study we quantify the ability of dynamic cardiovascular parameters measured by the PulseCO™ algorithm of the LiDCO™plus monitor to predict the response to a fluid challenge in post-operative patients.

Methods: Surgical patients, admitted to the Intensive Care Unit from the operating theatre were monitored with the LiDCO™plus system. A number of static and dynamic cardiovascular measurements were recorded before and after a fluid challenge.

Performance of the preliminary classification criteria for cryoglobulinaemic vasculitis and clinical manifestations in hepatitis C virus-unrelated cryoglobulinaemic vasculitis.

Background: Cryoglobulinaemic vasculitis (CV) is often related to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, but it can develop in other diseases (e.g. other infections, connective tissue diseases, malignancies) in the absence of HCV infection.

Studies of pilocarpine:carbomer intermolecular interactions.

The interactions between pilocarpine (PIL) and the anionic polyelectrolyte carbomer (CBR) were investigated. The effects of the chemical interactions on the chemical stability of the drug also were evaluated. The binary system was characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance techniques, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermal analysis.