Retrospective long-term comparison of naturopathic fasting therapy and weight reduction diet in overweight patients.

In a follow-up study overweight and obese patients fasting according to Buchinger (modified) and a control group treated by a weight reduction diet in the context of an inpatient naturopathic complex treatment were compared using a questionnaire developed for a standardized phone interview 6.8 ± 1.1 years after inpatient treatment.

A population-based survey of sleep disturbances in middle-aged women--associations with health, health related quality of life and health behavior.

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of sleep disturbances and the contributing factors in middle-aged women.

Methods: In a cross-sectional design of the long-term, prospective follow-up study project of 1278 families from a random population sample, the mothers of 15 year-olds were asked to fill in a questionnaire about sleep, health, health related quality of life, and health behavior.

Results: Quality of sleep was reported by 32% of women as good, 43% quite good, 12% average, 10% quite poor and 3% as poor.

ProAct study: new features of insulin pumps improve diabetes management and glycemic control in patients after transition of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion systems.

Background: Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) patients experience switches of pump systems on a regular basis. We investigated the impact of transition from older pumps to the Accu-Chek(®) Combo system (Roche Diagnostics Deutschland GmbH, Mannheim, Germany) on a patient's glycemic control and diabetes management.

Patients And Methods: In total, 299 patients (172 female, 127 male; mean±SD age, 39.

Childhood diabetic neuropathy: functional impairment and non-invasive screening assessment.

Aim: Sensory diabetic neuropathy, determined by nerve conduction studies, is common in children with Type 1 diabetes. Diabetic neuropathy diagnoses are rarely made in paediatric daily care because they are asymptomatic, vibration detection is mostly normal and nerve-conduction testing is impractical. The present study aims to: (1) describe somatosensory dysfunction in children with diabetes, (2) test whether diabetes duration and HbA(1c) are related to somatosensory dysfunction and (3) identify the best screening test for large-fibre dysfunction, as indicated by nerve conduction studies.

Correlations between high level sport-climbing and the development of adolescents.

Over the last years concerns have been raised about the health effects particularly on young climbers due to the observation of short stature with low body weight and body fat in sports climbers. The aim of this study was to investigate anthropometric and hormonal data for climbers of the German Junior national team. 16 climbers were compared with 14-age matched nonclimbers with respect to several anthropometric variables, leptin level, and climbing characteristics.

Fertility-preserving measures for boys and young men with cancer.

Background: Some types of cancer treatment entail a risk of reduced fertility and infertility. Fertility-preserving treatment can reduce the risk for some. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the risk of infertility after treatment of boys and young men with cancer and of fertility-preserving measures.

Fertility-preserving measures for girls and young women with cancer.

Background: Children and young adults with cancer may be rendered infertile as a result of their treatment. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of fertility-preserving measures for girls and young women.

Material And Methods: The article is based on literature searches in the medical databases Medline, Pubmed and Scopus and the experience of a Nordic cooperative group on gonadal preservation in connection with cancer treatment.

Sleep disturbances in a community sample from preschool to school age.

Objective: To study the prevalence of various sleep problems at school age in a Finnish community sample and to evaluate the persistence of the sleep problems from the preschool age to school age in a 4-year follow-up.

Methods: Parents completed the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children questionnaire on their child's sleep during the preschool years (3-6 years) and again during the school years (7-11 years). At follow-up the parents also completed a questionnaire on family structure and socio-economic status.

Parent and self-report of sleep-problems and daytime tiredness among adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease and their population-based controls.

Study Objectives: to evaluate the frequency of sleep problems and daytime tiredness among adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in comparison with their healthy peers.

Design: Parent and self-reports of sleep problems and daytime tiredness.

Setting: questionnaire-based postal survey.

Sleep problems and daytime tiredness in Finnish preschool-aged children-a community survey.

Background: Sleep is important to the well-being and development of children. Specially, small children are vulnerable to the effects of inadequate sleep. However, not much is known about the frequency of all types of sleep problems and daytime tiredness in preschool-aged children.

Childhood polyarteritis nodosa in autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome.

Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) is an uncommon disorder of Fas-mediated apoptosis that results in impaired lymphocyte death and, therefore, disturbed immune homeostasis. Besides presentation with lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly, patients with ALPS have a high incidence of autoimmune phenomena. To our knowledge, this is the first description of polyarteritis nodosa that includes numerous arterial aneurysms in a child with ALPS.

Sex differences in pain intensity in adolescents suffering from cancer: differences in pain memories?

Unlabelled: Although sex differences have been investigated in chronic pain populations, little is known about sex differences in the pain experience of paediatric oncology patients and also whether their parents rate the pain experience differently for boys and girls. The aim of the present study was to determine if (1) boys and girls with cancer differ in current perception and past recollection of cancer-related pain and (2) if adolescents' and parents' pain ratings differ in relation to the sex of the adolescent. One hundred twelve adolescents with malignant diagnoses (12 to 18 years) and their parents participated in the study.

Effectiveness of a multimodal inpatient treatment for pediatric chronic pain: a comparison between children and adolescents.

Objectives: To evaluate short and long-term treatment outcome of children (7-10 years) in comparison to adolescents (11-18 years) with disabling chronic pain following multimodal inpatient pain treatment.

Patients And Methods: Thirty-three children and 167 adolescents underwent multimodal inpatient pain treatment. Standardized assessment of pain-related variables, disability, coping, and use of analgesics was performed at admission, 3- and 12-month follow-up.

Paroxysmal hemicrania in children--symptoms, diagnostic criteria, therapy and outcome.

Whereas paroxysmal hemicrania (PH) is studied extensively in adults, even case reports of PH in children are rare. We present the first prospective follow-up study on PH in children. Our aim was to investigate whether differences exist between paediatric and adult patients.

Postnatal respiratory distress in a dichorial twin with congenital thoracic neuroblastoma after assisted reproduction by intracytoplasmatic sperm injection.

We report on the case of a female twin with congenital thoracic neuroblastoma after conception via intracytoplasmatic sperm injection (ICSI). Birth occurred at 37 + 1-week gestation per primary sectio caesarea. Acute respiratory distress necessitated intubation and mechanical ventilation.

The role of IL-4 and IL-12 in the regulation of collagen synthesis by fibroblasts.

Chronic sclerodermifomic graft versus host disease is a rare but important complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation that especially occurs in patients who are treated with donor lymphocyte infusions for relapse of a malignant disease. Today most knowledge about the pathogenesis of chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease is based on mice models. In this report we describe the development of an allogeneic in vitro model that allows studying the pathogenesis of chronic sclerodermifomic Graft-versus-Host Disease in the human setting.

Adolescents' beliefs about marijuana use: a comparison of regular users, past users and never/occasional users.

A questionnaire investigating adolescents' opinions and experiences regarding marijuana use was administered to 163 adolescents and young adults (96 boys and 67 girls) aged 13 to 20 (mean age = 16.8, s.d.

Prospective multicenter registration of major late sequelae in sarcoma patients using the Late Effects Surveillance System (LESS).

Background: Late effects become progressively more important for the evaluation of therapeutic success in paediatric oncology. Thus, in 1998, the Late Effects Surveillance System (LESS) started to register and assess multicentrally, prospectively and longitudinally late effects of treatment for the group of Ewing's, soft tissue- and osteosarcoma patients.

Patients And Methods: The yearly results of the follow-up examinations of 785 Ewing's, soft tissue- and osteosarcoma patients, who were treated from 1.

Prognostic value of T-1 cell numbers prior to allogeneic stem cell transplantation in patients with severe graft-versus-host disease.

Assessment of risk factors for acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD) might help in tailoring the intensity of prophylactic immunosuppression after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT), thereby decreasing the relapse rate in leukaemia patients. In this study, we analysed whether the number of recipient blood T cells and plasma levels of different cytokines were correlated with the risk of aGvHD after allogeneic SCT. Analyses were performed in 23 patients receiving pSCT immediately before or during the first 2 days of the conditioning regimen.

Terminal differentiation in vitro of patient-derived post-TMD megakaryoblastic AML cells.

Differentiation induction is a therapeutic principle in acute promyelocytic leukemia (AML) using all- trans retinoic acid. In cell lines with properties of AML M6/M7 (K562 and CMK), differentiation towards megakaryopoietic and erythropoietic phenotypes can be induced in vitro. Transitory myeloproliferative disorder (TMD) is a self-limited disorder of newborn infants with Down syndrome, phenotypically resembling acute myeloid leukemia of megakaryoblastic lineage.

Synergistic effects of hypoxia and insulin are regulated by different transcriptional elements of the human leptin promoter.

Leptin is a regulator on placenta and conceptus during pregnancy. Hyperinsulinism and hypoxia induce partially overlapping pathophysiological disturbances during pregnancy. As insulin and hypoxia are known inducers of leptin secretion, we asked whether these two stimuli have synergistic effects.

Evaluation of the Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagnosis instrument in a Swiss sample of drug abusers.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate a French language version of the Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagnosis (ADAD) instrument in a Swiss sample of adolescent illicit drug and/or alcohol users.

Participants And Setting: The participants in the study were 102 French-speaking adolescents aged 13-19 years who fitted the criteria of illicit drug or alcohol use (at least one substance--except tobacco--once a week during the last 3 months). They were recruited in hospitals, institutions and leisure places.