Biomedical subjects

D Vicarelli

Publications and source records attributed to D Vicarelli.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1994

Same growth and different energy intake over four years in children suffering from chronic non-specific diarrhoea.

An increase in energy intake often occurs at weaning and this may depend on the current practice of offering energy-dense foods ad libitum. In two-year-old lean infants suffering from chronic non-specific diarrhoea (CNSD), the offering of food was evaluated by caregivers at every meal on the basis of food need expressions and non-starchy vegetable acceptance, taking into account the maintenance of good temper and normal activity between meals. The purpose was to avoid diarrhoea recurrence. This form of regulation was continued in a prospective, controlled, randomized investigation to explore: (i) familial pre-determination of growth and (ii) the existence of an 'unnecessary' fraction of energy intake, i.e. a fraction which may habitually be excluded while still maintaining the same normal intermeal behaviour, intellectual and physical achievements, growth, skinfold thicknesses and blood parameters. Seven-day intake home diaries and clinical assessments were performed every 6 to 12 months. Growth records were investigated in siblings. Eighty-two of 91 experimental subjects and 32 of 41 randomized ones in the control group were followed for up to four years. The control group maintained a significantly higher (15-30%) energy intake than the experimental children, without any fattening or growth acceleration, or any improved results in inter-meal behaviour, intellectual and physical achievements or blood parameters for four years. The normal median weight was reached in the experimental and control children in the sixth year of life and in the siblings in the fourth year of life.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Anthropometry↗

PubMed1991

Decrease in serum IgE associated with limited restriction in energy intake to treat toddler's diarrhea.

Toddler's diarrhea may be an allergic disease and its recurrences can be avoided with education to "internal spontaneity" in feeding, i.e., by education to a limited and reproducible decrease in eating incentives at the onset of meals. Serum IgE was thus investigated in 16 experimental children in a random comparison with 16 controls, all aged 1 to 4 years, before and after seven months' dietary treatment. Compliance was measured with a seven-day written diary, while serum IgE was measured by PRIST, before and after dietary treatment. A 21% decrease in energy intake (p less than 0.05) and about five times increase in fruit and nonstarchy vegetable intake amount was seen in treated children. A decrease in serum IgE level of 13.9 +/- 43.5 U/ml was found in the "internal spontaneity" group, as opposed to an increase of 33.2 +/- 50.5 U/ml in the control one (p less than 0.01). The differences between examinations were significantly correlated to the increase in NSV acceptance in all children plotted together (r = .51, p less than 0.005). The overall NSV effect on the changes of the 2 muscle areas, 2 symptoms, and 2 percent growth, 15 nutritional, 5 immune and 3 hepatic indices was significant with MANOVA (p less than 0.01). The education to "internal spontaneity" may be a useful tool for prevention of overeating, diarrhea recurrences and IgE increase in the second/third year of life.

Appetite↗

PubMed1990

Normal energy intake range in children with chronic nonspecific diarrhea: association of relapses with the higher level.

An increase in energy intake often occurs at weaning. The increase may be due partly to prompting by the caregiver to accelerate the child's weight gain and partly motivated by the palatability of common weaning foods. Increased food intakes initiated during weaning and continued into the second year of life may be associated with chronic, nonspecific diarrhea in selected children. An educational project was designed to reduce intakes augmented by either cause. Reductions were achieved by the regulation of energy-dense foods in the child's diet and reliance on the child's appetite control to determine meal size. The educational intervention was applied prospectively under nonblinded, controlled conditions. Children, 1 to 2 years of age, with chronic nonspecific diarrhea were assigned randomly to either a treatment or control group. Compliance, food consumption, preprandial glycemia, and outdoor activities were reported by the children's mothers in four 7-day diaries; symptoms related to the children's clinical condition and anthropometric and biochemical indices of nutritional status were noted at the beginning and end of a 7-month period. Forty-four of 53 children in the experimental group maintained compliance, and 44 of 47 children in the control group completed the follow-up. Energy intake decreased significantly by almost one-third in the experimental group. Growth, skinfold thickness measurements, and outdoor activities were similar between experimental and control groups over the 7-month period. Diarrheal episodes occurred in 6, 1, and 2 children in the experimental group at 1.5, 3, and 7 months and in 22, 18, and 15 children in the control group, respectively (p less than 0.002).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Child, Preschool↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Choices at weaning: main factor in ingestive behavior.

"Spontaneous," i.e., self-promoted, feeding without the promotion of offering of energy-dense food (eating incentives), was maintained for 7 months in a randomized, controlled, prospective, semiblind investigation in 88 2-year-old diarrheic children. This behavior was associated with 30% lower energy intake throughout the investigation period while normal growth and blood assessments were maintained and intestinal functions improved. The dependence of a child's energy intake on maternal administrative behavior at each meal was proposed. The energy content of each meal was thus investigated in relation to a preprandial request for food, glycemia, and acceptance of nonstarchy vegetables (NSV). A sample of 210 meals eaten by 10 children with chronic nonspecific diarrhea in the second year of life before mothers were instructed in spontaneous feeding was compared with 210 meals after 1.5 months of spontaneous feeding. Compliance, food weight, preprandial glycemia, and outdoor activities were reported by the mothers in 7-day diaries. Requests for food by the child before the meal was seen and acceptance of more than two-thirds of the prescribed amount of NSV were associated with significantly lower preprandial glycemia and lower energy intake in the investigation of all meals before and after instructions were given. Feeding children on demand and habitual NSV administration may safely educate children to avoid overeating after weaning.

Blood Glucose↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Recent findings on pathology caused by Campylobacter and Yersinia. Preliminary results of an epidemiologic study on a pediatric population in Florence].

The authors, after a review of the literature concerning Campylobacter and Yersinia infections, report the preliminary results of an epidemiologic study carried out in florentine territory based on the stool-cultures of children with acute diarrhoea in the years 1984-85-86. From the dates results that in florentine territory too, Campylobacter isolation is second only to Salmonella isolation, as we can find in other searches++ of literature. Therefore the conclusion is that these two microorganisms, from "emergent" have become as interesting as to be investigated as routine practice.

Campylobacter Infections↗