Reticulocyte maturity indices in iron deficiency anemia.

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the reticulocyte maturity indices (low, medium, and high fluorescence ratios) in iron deficient 1- to 6-year-old children, and identify the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in this population.

Methods: The present study included 39 subjects, divided into two groups: control subjects (n = 33), and subjects with iron deficiency anemia (n = 6). The results were analyzed by Student's t-test for comparison of means.

Comorbid anxiety and affective disorder in alcohol-dependent patients seeking treatment: the first Multicentre Study in Germany.

The goals of this study were to describe demographic variables, drinking history, and the 6-month prevalence of Axis I comorbidity among alcohol-dependent subjects in GERMANY: The variables: amount of alcohol consumption, age at onset of the first alcohol consumed, age at onset of daily alcohol consumption, age at onset of withdrawal symptoms and number of detoxifications were related to the different comorbid disorders and gender. In this study, 556 patients from 25 alcohol treatment centres were enrolled between 1 January 1999 and 30 April 1999. After a minimum of 10 days of sobriety patients who fulfilled ICD-10 and DSM-IV criteria of alcohol dependence were interviewed for data collection using the Mini-DIPS (German version of the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule) and a standardized psychosocial interview.

Polymorphism in an HLA linked proteasome gene influences phenotypic expression of disease in HLA-B27 positive individuals.

Objective: To investigate the potential influence of the HLA-linked LMP (low molecular weight polypeptide) genes on disease susceptibility in HLA-B27 individuals with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

Methods: A polymorphic CfoI restriction enzyme site in the coding region of one proteasome gene was evaluated in 125 genomic DNA samples from B27 individuals with well documented AS, 55 of whom had had acute iritis, and 42 samples from normal, ethnically matched B27 blood donors where AS was excluded.

Results: Analysis of individuals with B27 AS with iritis revealed significant differences in allelic distribution of this biallelic locus compared to patients with B27 AS without iritis.

Short-term effect of whole milk and milk fermented by Pseudomonas fluorescens on plasma lipids in adult boars.

The short-term effects of whole milk and milk fermented by Pseudomonas fluorescens, of the amino acid composition of the diet and of feeding frequency on the level of plasma lipids, were investigated in six 1-year-old adult boars. The experimental diets contained equal amounts of protein, carbohydrates, fat and cholesterol. After an adaptation period of 5 d for each experimental treatment, blood was collected at regular intervals during 48 h and plasma levels of cholesterol, triacylglycerol, high-density-lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol and low-density-lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol were examined.

Intervention study on obese school-aged children.

Obesity is the visible result of a behavioral disease related to eating and drinking habits. Eating and drinking have to be considered as social activities, which means that an obese child cannot be treated separately but only as a part of his family. With respect to our programme, mother and father (usually one of them has some overweight, too) have to be prepared to join a 1-year therapeutic programme.

[Nutrition education in kindergarten: results of an intervention study].

The nutrition intervention in the case of the 3 target groups (children, kindergarten teachers and parents) with regard to knowledge, awareness of nutrition problems, efforts to make changes and the achieved improvement in eating habits met with partial success. Six months after the intervention, this partial success was already in some cases declining, a factor which with an extension of the programme to all kindergartens in the canton of Basel-Stadt will have to be taken into account.

[Evaluation of 2 school mediator courses on alcohol and tobacco problems. Collective analysis versus group analysis].

Secondary school pupils were trained to serve as mediators on alcohol and tobacco problems in their classes. Evaluation was based on danger in behaviour regarding tobacco and alcohol in their classmates. Classes without any influence of mediators served as controls.

[Effect of milk constituents on lipid metabolism].

The cholesterol lowering effect of various milk constituents was examined in six trials with growing pigs. Each trial is described. By means of main component analysis 44 factors were tested in order to see whether they influenced the lipid metabolism.

Gene conversion may be responsible for the generation of the alloreactive repertoire.

Meiotic gene conversion in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) appears to be involved in the generation of MHC polymorphism. Here the authors suggest that mitotic gene conversion of MHC may generate somatic variants which sensitize the immune system. This could lead to an MHC-skewed repertoire with a high background alloreactive potential crossreacting with foreign antigens in the context of self MHC.

[Nutritional references in primary-school textbooks used in Basle and Berne].

Since nutrition education is a topic to be introduced into primary teaching this study examines the contents of primary school books of the cantons of Basle and Berne regarding this matter. Direct nutrition education, knowledge on nutrition presented and indirect images of nutritional behaviour as given in the books are analysed. Only few direct contents concerning nutrition education were found and these were not in line with updated theories.

[Development conditions and development status of 10-year-old children in Basle].

Children from the "Basle Kindergarten Study" (born 1971-73) were re-examined during their 4th year of primary school, i.e. at the age of ten (1981-84) (Follow-up of a representative sample of 10% of all children in the first year of kindergarten).

Food patterns in modern society and their consequences on nutrition.

In conclusion we may state that a borderline vitamin deficiency exists in many population groups as well as in single persons even in industrialized countries. The reason for this fact is mainly the low education which is often associated with a low socioeconomic status and certain food patterns which derive from tradition, emotion or from other reasons not yet well understood. We have proved that the avoidance of pork and whole-wheat bread leads to a borderline vitamin B1 deficiency and the avoidance of citrus fruits, fruits, vegetables, viscera and potatoes to a broderline vitamin C deficiency.

[Nutrition behavior, eating habits and mass index of 4 Swiss cities].

As part of the Swiss National Research Program for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, body weight and length of the participants were recorded and eating habits were assessed by the 24-h-recall method and dietary history. The body mass index was found to increase with age, pointing to excessive energy intake. The lower the socioeconomic group, the higher the index.

[Factors influencing dental caries in school children in a city with fluoridated water].

In a joint study by the school health and the school dental health service 4386 children were examined and their nutritional habits recorded. Analysis shows that mainly the consumption of sweets between regular meals and insufficient dental hygiene are responsible for the presence of caries. While health education for dental hygiene is presently given at school nutrition education is still a neglected subject.

[Forensic-psychiatric evaluation of affective crimes (author's transl)].

Affective crimes constitute a difficult and important problem in forensic psychiatry. After a short historical overview, a number of important problems are discussed and controversial notions frequently used in psychiatric-psychological practice are critically assessed in a postulate-like manner. Finally, some basic propositions are outlined in order to facilitate evaluation of affective crimes.