No abstract

A multicentre double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, involving 123 patients at 10 centres, was carried out to assess the efficacy of a preparation of lactic acid-producing Enterococcus SF 68 in the prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and in the treatment of acute diarrhoea. In the prevention study, 45 patients being treated with antibiotics were given, concurrently, one capsule twice daily of either Enterococcus SF68 or placebo. Acute diarrhoea was present in 78 patients who were given the same treatment but three times daily. All treatments were continued for 7 days. Enterococcus SF 68 was shown to be effective in reducing the incidence of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea in comparison with placebo (8.7% compared with 27.2%, respectively). Patients with acute enteritis showed a significantly faster resolution of bowel abnormalities during treatment with Enterococcus SF68 compared with placebo.

Recurrent upper or lower respiratory symptoms, possibly allergy-related, are very frequent in childhood. It is therefore important that physicians involved in the primary care of these children have an accurate initial diagnostic tool available. In this study, we investigated the value of an in vitro diagnostic device testing 10 common allergens, the ImmunoCAP Rapid Wheeze/Rhinitis Child, for the primary evaluation of allergy. Children with non-infectious upper or lower respiratory symptoms possibly related to allergy were recruited in the primary health care setting of private practices of physician trained in immunology/allergology. The investigators carried out their usual diagnostic work-up including IgE tests, and the ImmunoCAP Rapid test was performed with capillary whole blood in a blinded way to the investigator. The investigators' conclusions on major triggering allergens were compared to the ImmunoCAP Rapid test results. In the whole patient population (n = 185), the sensitivity of the ImmunoCAP Rapid test for unveiling allergic disease was 92% (95% CI: 86-96%) and the specificity 97% (95% CI: 86-100%). Current guidelines for allergy diagnosis suggest screening children with recurrent, moderate/severe diseases for allergies. For children with asthma falling into these categories, sensitivity was 100% (95% CI: 88-100%) and specificity 100% (95% CI: 69-100%); for children with moderate and severe rhinitis sensitivity was 93% (95% CI: 86-97%) and the specificity 100% (95% CI: 79-100%). The ImmunoCAP Rapid test is an accurate test, in particular with regard to high specificity, for diagnosing allergy in children with recurrent respiratory diseases in primary care settings.

Trisomy for a small terminal segment of chromosome 6q produces a characteristic syndrome of malformations and dysmorphic signs which, on the basis of comparison with a previously published case, may be suspected on clinical grounds. The present case concerns a 7-year-old boy, the son of a carrier mother t(6;14)(q25;qter). The main symptoms are: very severe physical and mental retardation, turricephaly, Cupid's bow mouth with narrow lips, almond-shaped eyes with narrow palpebral fissures and ptosis, micropenis with absence of scrotum, club feet, hammer toes, and extension contractures. In addition, there are a great many minor dysmorphic features.