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In the last years gastroesophageal reflux disease received more attentions, due to an improving in diagnostic techniques. Motility disorders, such as reduced competence of lower esophageal sphincter, motor esophageal disorders, delayed gastric emptying are important factors in the pathogenesis of the disease. Therefore therapy using prokinetic agents has been considered useful. A variety of drugs such as bethanecol, metoclopramide and domperidone have been used. There are conflicting report on the effects of these drugs and it should also be emphasized that they are not devoid of side effects related to dopamine antagonism. Recently cisapride, prokinetic agent which acts through facilitation of acetylcholine release, has been considered effective and well tolerate drug for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease. In this view we investigated the effects of oral administration of cisapride in 12 children (age range 3-40 months), 7 females and 5 males, suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease diagnosed on the bases of: clinic criteria, barium swallow radiological examination, 24-hour intraesophageal pH monitoring. After diagnosis a treatment with cisapride (1 mg/kg/die) before feedings for 8 weeks was started in all children. At the end of the trial clinical assessment and 24-hour intraesophageal pH test were performed. Clinical assessment was determined through weight, length and a clinical score calculated using the following parameters: regurgitation, vomiting, irritability, nocturnal weeping, meteorism, respiratory complaints. The total score was evaluated at diagnosis and during the follow-up (1st, 2nd, 4th and 8th week).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Authors report a method on the functional investigation of intestinal epithelium, based upon the dosage of serum carotene levels after administration of carotenoids. This test takes advantage of the modality of beta-carotene absorption that it behaves like a lipid. The "beta-carotene test" has demonstrated, as regards to T.A.R.T., great sensibility and specificity over 90%. It doesn't show value overlapping between normal and coeliac children and also it shows good compliance of children and simplicity in laboratory determination. For all these characteristics the Authors suggest the utilization of "beta-carotene test" as screening tool of malabsorption.

The authors reported a case of a child suffering from Cow's milk protein allergy, in which a soybean milk was administered for one month. The incorrect preparation of the formula determined a megaloblastic anaemia due to folate deficiency. The observation of very high levels of seric aminoacids during the acute phase of the disease was noteworthy. The therapy with folic acid and the introduction of protein hydrolysated formula milk determined a rapid normalization of the haematological picture. During the follow-up the administration of soybean protein caused anaphylaxis showing the contemporary presence of soybean allergy. The challenge test with cow's milk performed afterwards showed the restoration of the tolerance towards cow's milk protein.

In the last years the evaluation of IgG against beta-lactoglobulin (beta LG-IgG) has been proposed as reliable test to diagnose Cow's Milk Protein Intolerance (CMPI). This test, associated with other diagnostic tools (such as eosinophilia, hemoccult, RAST, challenge, etc.) showed a good sensibility, but less specificity. In fact antibodies against beta-lactoglobulin were found in other gastrointestinal diseases (coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel diseases, cystic fibrosis, etc.). To determine the specificity of the test some Authors attributed great importance to the laboratory method (IFL, ELISA). They retained IFL more specific. In order to verify the behaviour of the two methods and their concordance we carried out a double bind determination of IgG against beta-lactoglobulin (beta LG-IgG) on serum samples from children affected by CMPI. For this study we chose 16 children, aged from 3 months and 6 years, suffering from CMPI of which 11 with gastrointestinal complaints and 5 from extraintestinal ones. All children were diagnosed on the basis of the following criteria: clinical picture, blood eosinophilia, positivity of hemoccult, amelioration after the withdrawal of cow's milk proteins from the diet, positivity of challenge test. All children at the time of the assessment assuming a diet containing cow's milk proteins. beta LG-IgG were measured using simultaneously immunofluorescent and micro-ELISA methods. The obtained data showed that 12 children (75%) had IgG versus beta-lactoglobulin in the serum. This result was obtained both with IFL and ELISA methods, showing a 100% of concordance.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The Authors carried out a Rotavirus investigation on the stools of 6057 children admitted in the Department of Pediatric and Pediatric Gastroenterology of Catania University, during the years 1984-1988. The stool samples of 264 children were found positive for Rotavirus. While 204 children presented gastrointestinal symptoms with diarrhoea, 12 had subclinical signs, 26 presented only respiratory symptoms and 22 had no clinical symptomatology. Moreover 122 children with diarrhoea had associated respiratory manifestations. In this study the authors punctualized that: 1) the most interested age was the first year of life; 2) there was no evidence in seasonal variations; 3) the respiratory tract was involved in high percentage of children (59.8%); 4) a transient lactase deficiency was supposed in every children with watery diarrhoea, but it was demonstrated only in 21 (10.3%).

Since 1974, 162 colonoscopies have been performed on patients ranging in age from six months to 15 years. All examinations were done using adult endoscopes. Most of the exams were conducted either without any pharmacological preparation or after administration of benzodiazepine; in only 16 cases was general anesthesia without intubation (Ketamine) necessary. The most frequent indications for performing the exam were various types of anal bleeding, isolated, or associated with diarrhoea. The diagnosis made most frequently was of an isolated polyp (43 cases out of 162), localized almost exclusively in the rectum or sigmoid colon. The second most frequent diagnosis was of an inflammatory process (12 cases out of 162). It was noted that a large number of cases were found to be negative (73 cases out of 162), which may be explained by the fact that many cases of that age group involve acute processes healed when were examined.

The authors describe a case of Cushing's duodenal ulcer associated with Encephalitis. Diagnosis was made as the following criteria: neurological manifestations (fever, seizures, coma) and clinical manifestations of ulcer (hematemesis and melena); endoscopic evidence of ulcer and demonstration of increased gastric acid secretion; direct correlation between neurological lesion and duodenal ulcer. The good therapeutic result obtained with Ranitidine was noteworthy. The high dosage (20 mg/kg/die) allowed the control of the bleeding and the ulcer cicatrization.

Antigliadin antibodies (AGA), both IgA and IgG, were studied in the serum of 84 coeliac children during the various stage (Diagnosis, GFD, Challenge) and in 29 healthy children, with a micro-ELISA technique. The results demonstrated the presence of AGA in the serum of coeliac children and a different behaviour between the two Ig-classes in the various stages of the disease. During acute phase both classes were present at high titre. When gluten was withdrawal from the diet, while the titre of IgA fell rapidly since the first month, the IgG titre decreased slowly and raised the normal limits after six months. If the children didn't observe a corrected GFD, the serum AGA titres remained at high levels. During challenge, while IgG raised since the early days, IgA titres raised later, when the intestinal damage became important. The explanation of this different behaviour could be that AGA-IgA are derived from gut mucosa, on the contrary AGA-IgG are not synthesised in the intestine. We believe that serum AGA seem to be good markers of the immune reaction in the intestine triggered by gluten. Furthermore we conclude that the assay of AGA in the serum of coeliac patients is: 1) high sensible and specific method; 2) the most important screening test for intestinal biopsy; 3) the most important test for diagnosis and follow-up of CD; 4) the test which could substitute 1 or 2 intestinal biopsies of the ESPGAN protocol.

Intestinal mucosal surface in 5 children suffered with Coeliac Disease was observed at Scanning Electron Microscopy. The comparison between two techniques of dehydration demonstrated that the Alcool-Amile Acetate dehydration reduces the technical errors to the minimum. Therefore, a better visualization allows us to recognize the surface coat, the microvillous and some mucosal functional aspects (scale off), which were previously undistinguished. There are no differences between the mucosal aspects in adult coeliac disease and childhood coelia disease.

The evaluation of fecal fat elimination (steatorrhoea) is of primary importance for diagnosis of gastroenterological disorders. In childhood it is quite difficult to apply the ordinary methods of evaluation, on the other hand it is necessary to make use of them to screen and diagnose maldigestion and/or malabsorption syndromes. In this work "Steatocrit" method by Phuapradit and "Fecal fat qualitative test" (FFQT) on glass, by Jacobson, have been used in a parallel study on stool samples from subjects with suspected gastrointestinal disease. While Steatocrit was determined on 200 samples, FFQT was determined on 1574 samples. Our data show that steatocrit is fully able to detect quantitative steatorrhoea with high significance when compared to controls. Likewise FFQT shows a sensibility of 100% compared to controls and it is able to predict coeliac disease and cystic fibrosis in 85.5% of cases and in 89.9% of cases respectively. We conclude that these two tests are sure and auxiliary each other. They allow, when performed on the same sample, to go toward diagnosis of both malabsorption and maldigestion, furthermore they allow to monitor steatorrhoea under therapy.

The authors report a case of acute gastric ulceration in a 4 year-old-child after contemporary administration of Betametason and Dypiron as antipyretic. A pathogenetic interpretation of the rapid formation of gastric ulceration it is briefly noticed. The Authors concluded with some considerations on the side effects of Betametason and Anti inflammatory Non-Steroidal Drugs.

The Authors carried out a study on 37 untreated coeliac children to investigate the behaviour of K-dependent factors after vitamin K administration. The children were randomized into two groups: 22 children receiving a single dose of 10 mg i.m. of Phytonadione (Konakion, Roche) on the initial day of GFD and 15 children who did not receive vitamin K administration. PT, PTT and clotting activity of Factors II, VII, IX, X were determined before the treatment and/or GFD, and after 24 hours, 7 and 15 days. The results demonstrated that vitamin K administration determined a rapid increase in clotting activity of all K-dependent factors after 24 hours. These values remained normal after 7 and 15 days, except for Factor II, which slightly decreased on the 7th day. On the contrary, the children not treated, had levels similar to those of acute stage. After 7 days these values showed a slight increase and reached normal limits on the 15th day. No significant changes were seen in either PT or PTT in the two groups. They were constantly prolonged, reaching normal limits on the 15th day. These results indicate that the vitamin K deficiency, not only seems constant in children with CD, but also seems responsible for the haemocoagulative deficit of the K-dependent factors. After GFD when intestinal absorption is regained, all parameters returned to normal. The Authors concluded that K-dependent factors can be used as short-term indexes of improved intestinal absorption and that the coeliac children with severely compromised nutritional status can be treated with vitamin K (10 mg bolus).