Screening for developmental disorders in 3- and 4-year-old italian children: a preliminary study

BACKGROUND: The "Osserviamo" project, coordinated by the Municipality of Rome and the Department of Pediatrics and Child Neuropsychiatry of Sapienza University, aimed to validate an Italian version of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3 and to collect, for the first time in Italy, data on developmental disorders in a sample of 4,000 children aged 3 and 4 years. The present paper presents the preliminary results of the "Osserviamo" project. METHODS: 600 parents of children between 39 and 50 months of age (divided in two age stages: 42 and 48 months) were contacted from 15 kindergarden schools. RESULTS: 23.35% of the whole sample scored in the risk range of at least one developmental area of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3rd Edition (ASQ-3) and 7.78% scored in the clinical range. Specifically, 23.97% of the children in the 42-month age stage scored in the risk range and 5.79% scored in the clinical range. Males scored lower than females in the fine motor skills and personal-social development domains. Moreover, 22.79% of the children in the 48-month age stage scored in the risk range, while 9.55% scored in the clinical range. Males scored lower than females in fine motor skills. CONCLUSION: Italian validation of the ASQ-3 and recruitment of all 4,000 participants will allow these data on the distribution of developmental disorders to be extended to the general Italian pediatric population. One main limitation of the study is the lack of clinical confirmation of the data yielded by the screening programme, which the authors aim to obtain in later stages of the study

Tingkat Konsumsi dan Status Gizi Siswa Boarding School Sman 5 Gowa

Introduction: Adolescents need higher nutrition because of significant physical growth and body development, so adolescents need adequate food not only in terms of quantity but also in terms of quality. Adolescents tend to do the wrong eating behavior, that is the nutrients consumed do not suit their needs. Purpose: This study aims to determine the level of consumption and nutritional status of boarding school students at SMAN 5 Gowa. Material and Method: This type of research is observational with a descriptive research design. The sample of this study were 139 people using the Proportionate Stratified Random Sampling technique. Retrieval of consumption level data using 24-hour recall method. The determination of nutritional status is obtained from BMI / U parameters. Data processing and analysis in this research is univariate. Results:  The results of the analysis revealed that the level of consumption for the respondents' macronutrient intake was still lacking namely less energy intake of 90.6%, less carbohydrates by 93.5%, less fat by 88.5% and less protein by 73.4%. The micronutrient intake of respondents was also lacking, namely vitamin A intake by 66.2%, vitamin B1 lacking by 94.2%, vitamin B12 by 88.5%, folate less by 99.3%, calcium less by 97.8%, iron less by 92.8% and zinc less by 92.8%. Whereas the nutritional status of respondents was classified as normal at 64.7%, very thin at 2.2% and obesity at 4.3%. Conclusion: The level of consumption of respondents for macro and micronutrient intake is still less than the recommended RDA needs and the respondent's nutritional status is normal

RELATIONSHIP OF ENVIROMENTAL SANITATION AND HISTORY OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES WITH THE INCIDENCE OF STUNTING TO CHILDREN WITH AGED 6-23 MONTHS IN THE WORKING AREA OF PATIMPENG HEALTH CARE BONE DISTRICT

Pendahuluan: Baduta yang stunting merupakan hasil dari masalah gizi kronik sebagai akibat dari asupan makanan yang kurang, ditambah dengan penyakit infeksi, dan masalahlingkungan. Baduta stunting dalam jangka pendek dapat mengalami perkembangan yangterhambat, penurunan fungsi kognitif, penurunan fungsi kekebalan tubuh hingga gangguansistem pembakaran dan pada jangka panjang yaitu pada masa dewasa dapat menimbulkanrisiko penyakit degeneratif. Tujuan : Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui hubunganantara sanitasi lingkungan dan riwayat penyakit infeksi dengan kejadian stunting pada anakbaduta. Bahan dan Metode : Jenis penelitian ini adalah penelitian desain cross sectional.Sampel yang diambil adalah semua bayi 6-23 bulan yang berada di wilayah kerja PuskesmasPatimpeng Kab. Bone yang berjumlah 125 orang dengan teknik pengambilan sampelpurposive sampling. Analisis data dilakukan dengan analisis univariat dan bivariat. Hasil :Hasil penelitian menunjukkan terdapat 25,6% anak yang menderita stunting. Berdasarkanhasil uji statistik menggunakan chi square dan fisher’s, pada variabel sanitasi lingkunganmenunjukkan tidak terdapat hubungan antara sarana air bersih, sarana pembuangan tinja,tempat pembuangan sampah dan saluran pembuangan air limbah dengan kejadian stuntingpada anak usia 6-23 bulan dengan masing-masing nilai p (0,270), (0,161), (1,000) dan(0,148). Sedangkan pada variabel riwayat penyakit infeksi juga menunjukkan tidak terdapathubungan antara riwayat diare dan riwayat infeksi saluran pernapasan (ISPA) dengankejadian stunting pada anak usia 6-23 bulan dengan masing-masing nilai p (0,679) dan(0,839)

Evaluation of Proton-Induced Biomolecular Changes in MCF-10A Breast Cells by Means of FT-IR Microspectroscopy

Radiotherapy (RT) with accelerated beams of charged particles (protons and carbon ions), also known as hadrontherapy, is a treatment modality that is increasingly being adopted thanks to the several benefits that it grants compared to conventional radiotherapy (CRT) treatments performed by means of high-energy photons/electrons. Hence, information about the biomolecular effects in exposed cells caused by such particles is needed to better realize the underlying radiobiological mechanisms and to improve this therapeutic strategy. To this end, Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy (µ-FT-IR) can be usefully employed, in addition to long-established radiobiological techniques, since it is currently considered a helpful tool for examining radiation-induced cellular changes. In the present study, MCF-10A breast cells were chosen to evaluate the effects of proton exposure using µ-FT-IR. They were exposed to different proton doses and fixed at various times after exposure to evaluate direct effects due to proton exposure and the kinetics of DNA damage repair. Irradiated and control cells were examined in transflection mode using low-e substrates that have been recently demonstrated to offer a fast and direct way to examine proton-exposed cells. The acquired spectra were analyzed using a deconvolution procedure and a ratiometric approach, both of which showed the different contributions of DNA, protein, lipid, and carbohydrate cell components. These changes were particularly significant for cells fixed 48 and 72 h after exposure. Lipid changes were related to variations in membrane fluidity, and evidence of DNA damage was highlighted. The analysis of the Amide III band also indicated changes that could be related to different enzyme contributions in DNA repair

Food allergies: Current and future treatments

Food allergies are an increasingly public health problem, affecting up to 10% of children and causing a significant burden on affected patients, resulting in dietary restrictions, fear of accidental ingestion and related risk of severe reactions, as well as a reduced quality of life. Currently, there is no specific cure for a food allergy, so the only available management is limited to strict dietary avoidance, education on prompt recognition of symptoms, and emergency treatment of adverse reactions. Several allergen specific-and nonspecific-therapies, aiming to acquire a persistent food tolerance, are under investigation as potential treatments; however, to date, only immunotherapy has been identified as the most promising therapeutic approach for food allergy treatment. The aim of this review is to provide an updated overview on changes in the treatment landscape for food allergies

Deliveries by caesarean sections on request of women: legal-medical evidence

Introduction: In Italy the use of caesarean delivery has a rising trend moving away from European standards appeared on Euro-Peristat on maternal and child health, presenting the highest percentage of use of this procedure with significant regional differences. This study have analyzed the most recent data of a Sicilian reality about normal delivery and caesarean sections carried out in a hospital situated in Messina (Italy). Materials and methods: A total number of 1,573 medical records from 1st January 2011 to 31st December 2013 were analyzed and data gathered were statistically examined to describe general and specific parameters of the sample making use of Epi Info 7.1.4 software (CDC Atlanta – USA). Chi-square test was used to show any statistic differences among studied population. Results: Overall data showed that were carried out 38.27% of spontaneous deliveries, 7.06% of induced labor, and 54.67% of caesarean deliveries. There were no significant statistical differences between recourse to caesarean section and vaginal delivery in relation to nationality, age, level of education and/or work. The enrolled group, based on the parameters examined, was divided into appropriate caesarean section, in 79.49% of cases, inappropriate in 7.20% (mother’s request) and unjustified in 13.31% (with no indication, incomplete medical record). An examination of the anesthetic medical records showed that the caesarean section was considered to be urgent in 31.74% of the cases; however in 17.92% of these cases there is no information in the medical records justifying the use of emergency procedures. Conclusion: The reported data from the study that we conducted, lead to medical-legal and juridical considerations, especially as regards the use of caesarean delivery on the woman request. The complexity of the phenomenon requires the development of a variety of intervention strategies, not only for issues related to the reduction of health care costs, but also with regard to the clinical risk management and medical legal aspects related to the several profiles of professional responsibility

SPADA: A project to study the effectiveness of shielding materials in space

The SPADA (SPAce Dosimetry for Astronauts) project is a part of an extensive teamwork that aims to optimize shielding solutions against space radiation. Shielding is indeed an irreplaceable tool to reduce exposure of crews of future Moon and Mars missions. We concentrated our studies on two flexible materials, Kevlar R� and Nextel R,� because of their ability to protect human space infrastructures from micrometeoroids. We measured radiation hardness of these shielding materials and compared to polyethylene, generally acknowledged as the most effective space radiation shield with practical applications in spacecraft. Both flight test (on the International Space Station and on the Russian FOTON M3 rocket), with passive dosimeters and accelerator-based experiments have been performed. Accelerator tests using high-energy Fe ions have demonstrated that Kevlar is almost as effective as polyethylene in shielding heavy ions, while Nextel is a poor shield against high-charge and -energy particles. Preliminary results from spaceflight, however, show that for the radiation environment in low-Earth orbit, dominated by trapped protons, thin shields of Kevlar and Nextel provide limited reduction

Biologic drugs in chronic spontaneous urticaria

Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is a condition defined by the presence of recurrent urticaria, angioedema, or both, which persist for more than six weeks in duration and occurs in the absence of an identifiable trigger. Both children and adults can develop CSU, although it is more common in adults and in women than in men, with a peak occurrence in the third to fifth decades of life. It imposes a significant burden on patients, families and healthcare systems. The goal of therapy in patients with CSU is to achieve a level of symptom control and improvement in quality of life that is acceptable to the patient, while minimizing therapy-related side effects. The recent introduction of biologic drugs has changed the management of the disease. This work aims to provide a narrative review of the current state of biological therapy and the promising drugs under development for CSU

Use of remdesivir in children with covid-19 infection: A quick narrative review

SARS-CoV-2 infection has a severe course in a small percentage of children. Remdesivir has shown promising results in reducing hospitalisation time in adults, but data on mortality rate are conflicting and few studies are available on its use use in antivirals in children. We performed a quick narrative review of the available literature data regarding the usage of remdesivir in children and neonates. In children, remdesivir showed good safety profile, however bradicardia events have been reported in children. Remdesivir is cur-rently recommended by several guidelines in some subgroups of children with severe COVID-19, and should also be considered in critically ill patients, always in the context of the overall clinical picture and drug avail-ability. (www.actabiomedica.it)