CONTEXT: Current evidence that breastfeeding is beneficial for infant and child health is based exclusively on observational studies. Potential sources of bias in such studies have led to doubts about the magnitude of these health benefits in industrialized countries. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of breastfeeding promotion on breastfeeding duration and exclusivity and gastrointestinal and respiratory infection and atopic eczema among infants. DESIGN: The Promotion of Breastfeeding Intervention Trial (PROBIT), a cluster-randomized trial conducted June 1996-December 1997 with a 1-year follow-up. SETTING: Thirty-one maternity hospitals and polyclinics in the Republic of Belarus. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 17 046 mother-infant pairs consisting of full-term singleton infants weighing at least 2500 g and their healthy mothers who intended to breastfeed, 16491 (96.7%) of which completed the entire 12 months of follow-up. INTERVENTIONS: Sites were randomly assigned to receive an experimental intervention (n = 16) modeled on the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative of the World Health Organization and United Nations Children's Fund, which emphasizes health care worker assistance with initiating and maintaining breastfeeding and lactation and postnatal breastfeeding support, or a control intervention (n = 15) of continuing usual infant feeding practices and policies. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Duration of any breastfeeding, prevalence of predominant and exclusive breastfeeding at 3 and 6 months of life and occurrence of 1 or more episodes of gastrointestinal tract infection, 2 or more episodes of respiratory tract infection, and atopic eczema during the first 12 months of life, compared between the intervention and control groups. RESULTS: Infants from the intervention sites were significantly more likely than control infants to be breastfed to any degree at 12 months (19.7% vs 11.4%; adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.47; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.32-0.69), were more likely to be exclusively breastfed at 3 months (43.3% vs 6.4%; P<.001) and at 6 months (7.9% vs 0.6%; P =.01), and had a significant reduction in the risk of 1 or more gastrointestinal tract infections (9.1% vs 13.2%; adjusted OR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.40-0.91) and of atopic eczema (3.3% vs 6.3%; adjusted OR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.31-0.95), but no significant reduction in respiratory tract infection (intervention group, 39.2%; control group, 39.4%; adjusted OR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.59-1.28). CONCLUSIONS: Our experimental intervention increased the duration and degree (exclusivity) of breastfeeding and decreased the risk of gastrointestinal tract infection and atopic eczema in the first year of life. These results provide a solid scientific underpinning for future interventions to promote breastfeeding.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Pilot study of a CCKB antagonist in patients with panic disorder: preliminary findings.

L-365,260 is a CCKB antagonist which has been shown to completely prevent CCK-4-induced symptoms of panic attack in single-dose (50 mg) placebo-controlled studies in patients with panic disorder. The present report is data from one site (n = 38) in a multicenter study (n = 88) designed to assess the preliminary efficacy and safety of L-365,260 in patients meeting DSM-III-R criteria for panic disorder, with or without agoraphobia. In order to participate, male and female patients were between 18-55 years of age and in good physical health. Following a one-week single-blind placebo lead-in, patients were randomized to 30 mg four times daily of L-365,260 (n = 18; 7 M, 11 F) or placebo (n = 20; 9 M, 11 F) for six weeks. At end of study, none of the efficacy measures, including the frequency of panic attacks, the Physician's Global Improvement Scale, and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety, were significantly improved over baseline values. L-365,260 was well-tolerated; the most common drug-related adverse events were headache and lightheadedness. Further testing of L-365,260 at higher dosages, or testing of other CCKB antagonists, is required to rule out the usefulness of this novel treatment approach.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Strategies for the prevention of neonatal infection with herpes simplex virus: a decision analysis.

Decision analysis was used in the evaluation of nine strategies for the prevention of neonatal infection with herpes simplex virus (HSV). These strategies involve physical examination at labor, weekly screening of pregnant women for shedding of HSV, use of serologic methods specific for HSV type 2, and performance of a rapid diagnostic test at labor. Rates of cesarean delivery and of neonatal infection with HSV were estimated for each strategy, and the estimates were compared with those for a strategy of no intervention. The effects of variations in the sensitivities and specificities of the diagnostic and serologic tests used were analyzed. Given the currently available data and technology, physical examination at labor is the optimal strategy if the primary goal is to minimize the ratio of excess cesarean sections to cases of neonatal HSV infection averted.

Antibodies, Viral↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Retroperitoneal feeding tube for peritoneal dialysis patients.

Treatment of the cachetic, hypoalbuminemic, peritoneal dialysis patient represents a vexing patient management problem. In the past, when the cause of inanition was intractable vomiting secondary to gastroparesis, the solution was to create a transperitoneal percutaneous enterogastrostomy. This endoscopic procedure bypassed the nonfunctioning stomach and allowed for adequate nutrition. When hypoalbuminemia is present, the patient is predisposed to the possible complications of peritoneal sepsis, dialysis fluid leak, and wound dehiscence. The authors report a unique, enteric feeding tube that is a solution to the problem of continuing adequate, complication-free dialysis in a cachetic, hypoalbuminemic peritoneal dialysis patient with no available site for either temporary or permanent hemodialysis vascular access. The procedure does not violate the peritoneal cavity and has proven to be effective, acceptable to the patient, apparently safe, and easy for both staff and patient use.

Cachexia↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Hemodialysis with single femoral vein catheter - reduced recirculation with short catheter.

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Blood Circulation Time↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Postpartum weight loss and infant feeding.

BACKGROUND: Women are often advised that lactation accelerates loss of the excess weight gained during pregnancy, but the evidence underlying this advice is sparse and conflicting. To help fill this gap, we assessed differences in the rate of postpartum weight loss in the first 9 months postpartum according to method of infant feeding. METHODS: Two hundred thirty-six women attending two public health clinics in Montreal were weighed in one to four routine infant immunization visits up to the 9th postpartum month. After each weighing, we administered a telephone questionnaire assessing the method of infant feeding (predominantly breast-feeding, mixed-feeding, or predominantly bottle-feeding) and potential confounders. Data were analyzed using unbalanced multivariate repeated measures linear regression. RESULTS: Infant feeding was not associated with statistically significant differences in the rate of weight loss. Gestational weight gain, postpartum smoking, and maternal birthplace were important predictors of postpartum weight change. CONCLUSION: Although our results cannot exclude an effect of more exclusive or more prolonged breast-feeding, breast-feeding as commonly practiced does not appear to influence the rate of postpartum weight loss. This information should be useful in counseling new or prospective mothers and in avoiding unrealistic expectations.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of recombinant human erythropoietin on vascular access.

The use of recombinant human erythropoietin (r-HuEPO) corrects the anemia of chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients and improves their quality of life. The role of r-HuEPO in the genesis of graft thrombosis is controversial. A retrospective study was conducted of 46 stable chronic HD patients receiving r-HuEPO. It showed an increase in graft thrombosis in those who received the drug.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Calcium carbonate as a phosphate binder. One year's experience.

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Alkaline Phosphatase↗