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Biomedical subjects

K Keymolen

Publications and source records attributed to K Keymolen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Intervention during pregnancy and allergic disease in the offspring.

The etiology of allergy is multifactorial, with many variables contributing to the final expression of atopic disease. Three breeding grounds are needed to develop allergic disease: the appropriate genetic background, contact with the allergen(s) and environmental factors. Timing and dosing of allergen(s) are of major importance. Contact with (dietary) allergens and various agents such as tobacco smoke and infections occur not only during post-natal life, but also perinatally and even pre-natally. A critical review of published evidence regarding the impact of maternal exposure to antigens during pregnancy on later development of allergy in the offspring can only conclude that more research is urgently needed. Contact with multiple dietary allergens should be in general of benefit to the fetus to develop tolerance. Current knowledge suggests that pregnant women should have a normal diversified diet, avoiding toxic agents such as tobacco and alcohol. The role of maternal intake of poly-unsaturated fatty acids on the development of atopy in the infants needs to be further evaluated. If parental history would be insufficient to determine the fetal risk, preventive measurements would be advisable for all fetuses.

Allergens↗

Distal limb deficiencies, oral involvement, and renal defect: report of a third patient and confirmation of a distinct entity.

In 1987 Buttiens and Fryns [1987: Am J Med Genet 27:651-660] reported on two sibs, brother and sister, with severe distal limb defects, micrognathia, and mild to moderate mental retardation. The male also showed severe myopia and oligomeganephronia. To the best of our knowledge, no other similar patients have been described since. We report on a boy with a similar phenotype. .

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

The concurrence of ring constrictions in Adams-Oliver syndrome: additional evidence for vascular disruption as common pathogenetic mechanism.

We report on a girl with congenital scalp and acral reduction limb defects, consistent with the diagnosis of Adams-Oliver syndrome. The presence of constriction rings makes the limb anomalies in this case similar to those seen in the amniotic band disruption sequence. Vascular disruption--with or without secondary amniotic rupture--may be responsible for the observed anomalies. Therefore we believe that the present observation adds further evidence for the hypothesis that the Adams-Oliver syndrome is a vascular disruption sequence.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

Segmentary fibrous dysplasia manifesting as macrodactyly.

In this report we describe the unusual manifestation of fibrous dysplasia of rays IV and V of the right hand and of rays III-IV of the left hand in a 12-year-old normal girl. The first symptoms of localised macrodactyly became progressively evident from the age of 8 years on.

Child↗

How to counsel in osteopathia striata with cranial sclerosis.

Osteopathia with cranial sclerosis (OS-CS) is an autosomal dominant condition, which is characterized by typical radiological changes of the skull and the long bones, in association with a wide variety of clinical symptoms. A family is reported with at least three affected individuals. One of them, a young women and her husband asked for a preconceptional advice, but the highly variable expressivity, as documented by this family, made it very difficult to counsel them properly.

Adult↗

Symptomatology of Helicobacter pylori infection in children.

In a retrospective evaluation we reviewed the symptomatology of 143 children (age 2-15 years, mean 8.9 years) who were referred to us for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy because of recurrent abdominal pain with a duration of 6 weeks or longer. Helicobacter pylori infection was diagnosed in 36 out of 143 patients (25.2%). No statistically significant differences could be detected between the symptoms experienced by the 36 H. pylori-infected children and those experienced by the remaining 107 H. pylori-negative pediatric patients (p = 0.18-0.60). We conclude that no specific symptoms are associated with H. pylori gastritis in children. Our observations suggest that the recurrent abdominal complaints found in children with H. pylori infection seem to be caused by the secondary gastroduodenal pathology, rather than by H. pylori infection itself.

Abdominal Pain↗

Quality control in mammography: practical implications.

The programme "Europe against cancer" stimulated, among other activities, breast screening activities in the member states. From the beginning, it was clear that a rigorous and efficient approach required the highest possible quality of the three major components of a breast screening programme: the medical performance (correct positioning, training of the medical staff, double reading of the mammograms and feedback from the pathologist and the epidemiologist), the organisation (attendance rate, data base) and the quality of the imaging process (compliance of the image quality and the breast dose with the CEC document of 1990). The first part of this paper will be limited to the latter component and the second part to the subject of correct positioning of the breast.

Female↗

The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori positivity in human immunodeficiency virus-infected children.

To investigate the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in pediatric patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, we sought to detect the presence of antibodies against this organism in 23 human immunodeficiency virus-infected children of central African ethnic origin by means of a second-generation enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) test for the detection of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies to Helicobacter pylori (Malakit Helicobacter pylori, Biolab, Limal, Belgium). They were compared to an asymptomatic control population matched for age and ethnic origin. Blood samples were taken during routine blood analysis before the monthly administration of intravenous gamma-globulins in the human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients and during preoperative blood analysis in the control population. Despite the fact that most human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients had IgG antibodies against other frequently encountered pathogens, none of them had a positive serology for Helicobacter pylori, compared to 10 of 52 patients (19.2%) in the control population. This difference is statistically significant (p = 0.01).

Adolescent↗

The nutritional value of a whey hydrolysate formula compared with a whey-predominant formula in healthy infants.

Forty-five healthy infants were included in a double-blind randomized prospective study comparing the nutritional value of two formulas. One group received a whey-predominant formula (n = 20); the other group received a whey hydrolysate formula (n = 25). Four infants of the whey hydrolysate group were dropped because they refused the formula. Although the mean daily volume intake was smaller with the whey hydrolysate formula compared with the whey-predominant formula (p < 0.001), the weight gain in the two groups after 13 weeks was identical (27.2 g/day in both groups; the mean difference in weight gain between the groups after 13 weeks was only 8 g). Length gain at 13 weeks was 10.4 cm in the whey-predominant formula group and 10.8 cm in the whey hydrolysate formula group (p = NS). After 13 weeks, blood was sampled for hemoglobin, hematocrit, red blood cell count, white blood cell count, lymphocytes, glycemia, proteins, albumin, prealbumin, calcium, phosphorus, urea, creatinine, iron, iron-binding capacity, zinc, and vitamins A and E. Except for the iron-binding capacity, zinc, urea (in plasma as well as in urine) (all three were higher in the whey hydrolysate group), no significant differences were found. According to these results, exclusive feeding of the whey hydrolysate formula from birth to 3 months of age to healthy infants appears to result in an adequate nutritional status, as assessed at 3 months of age.

Double-Blind Method↗

A comparative evaluation of whey hydrolysate and whey-predominant formulas. How well do infants accept and tolerate them?

Whey hydrolysate formulas are a recent and important innovation in infant feeding. This study compared clinical tolerance and acceptability of a whey hydrolysate formula (WH) with those of a whey-predominant formula (WF) in 45 infants. Four infants (16%) who refused to drink WH formula were eliminated from the study. Mean volume intake was significantly lower for WH (120 mL/kg/day) than for WF (147 mL/kg/day; P < .001). Consequently, mean caloric intake was also significantly different: 80 kcal/kg/day (WF) vs 97 kcal/kg/day (WF; P < .001). Nevertheless, weight gain from birth to 13 weeks of age was nearly identical in both groups (171% for WH vs 178% for WF). No significant differences were noted in duration of feeding, number of pauses during feeding, number of stools per day, or number of regurgitations per day. The lower rate of caloric intake and the dropout rate of 16% for WH raise questions about the use of WH formula in normal infants, as has become the case in some Western European regions.

Double-Blind Method↗