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As early as the age of 3 years children did not fully compensate the energy brought by a snack and ate in the absence of hunger. Parents should be advised to avoid these situations where overeating may occur and to limit the use of food as reward.

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Aim: The objective was to show patterns of food selection by 2‐ to 3‐y‐old children for a wide variety of foods in a self‐service cafeteria and to assess the effect of individual variables (gender, BMI, mode of feeding after birth and rank in sibship). Methods: In a nursery self‐service canteen, food choices at lunch made by children (n=418, 24–36 mo; 109 observations per child on average) were recorded by trained assistants who monitored portion size. An offer of eight dishes (animal products, starchy foods, combination dishes, vegetables and dairy products), excluding dessert‐type foods, was proposed. Choice level was calculated for each food. Analysis of variance was used to compare choices for the various foods and to assess the effect of the individual variables. Results: The choice of a food largely depended upon its nature: animal products, starchy foods and their combinations were widely chosen, whereas vegetables were not often selected; the choice for dairy products depended upon the type. The mode of preparation of the food influenced its choice. Segmenting products were identified; however, except for cheeses, a given child did not refuse an entire food category. Children's characteristics did not explain the choice variability. Conclusion: At the age of 2 to 3 y, children preferentially choose animal products and starchy foods and avoid vegetables; the high individual variability of their food choices could be related to previous food experiences.

Despite major improvements in the resuscitation of patients with head injury, the outcome of patients with head trauma often remains poor and difficult to establish. Heart rate variability (HRV) analysis is a noninvasive tool used to measure autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity. The aim of this prospective study was to investigate whether HRV analysis might be a useful adjunct for predicting outcome in patients with severe head injury. Twenty patients with severe head trauma (Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] or= 10) to HRV in patients characterized by a worsened neurologic state (GCS < 10). Statistical analysis used the Kruskal-Wallis test, P < .05. To assess whether HRV could predict evolution to brain death, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated the day after trauma for Total Power, natural logarithm of high-frequency component of spectral analysis (LnHF), natural logarithm of low-frequency component of spectral analysis (LnLF), and root mean square for successive interval differences (rMSSD). Seven patients died between Day 1 and Day 5 after trauma. Six of those had progressed to brain death. In these six patients, at Day 1, Global HRV and parasympathetic tone were significantly higher. Referring to the area under the rMSSD ROC curve, HRV might provide useful information in predicting early evolution of patients with severe head trauma. During the awakening period, global HRV and the parasympathetic tone were significantly lower in the worsened neurologic state group. In conclusion, HRV could be helpful as a predictor of imminent brain death and a useful adjunct for predicting the outcome of patients with severe head injury.

Electromyostimulation (EMS) is known to develop muscular strength and hypertrophy. The aim of this study was to compare EMS exercise-induced damage with concentric (CONC) exercise-induced damage. Twelve male athletes were randomly assigned to concentric exercise (five sets of 6 voluntary contractions) or to EMS (30 contractions of 6 s duration, 20 s rest between contractions) on day 0 (D0). The load was 80% of the maximal isometric force. Criterion measures of plasma creatine kinase (CK) activity and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, and subjective ratings of muscle soreness and urinary catecholamines, were assessed 1 day before and for 3 days after exercise. Among the members of the EMS group, there were significant increases in catecholamine urinary excretion, especially adrenaline (on days D+2 and D+3), plasma CK activity (on day D+2) and plasma LDH activity (on days D+1 and D+2). The changes among the members of the CONC group were smaller and no significant difference was noted. Muscular soreness was greatest in the EMS group, with the peak occurring on day D+2. Comparisons of enzyme release, muscular soreness and urinary catecholamines suggest that EMS induces myofibre membrane damage and a significant increase in sympathetic nervous activity.

During the third year of life, while energy intake increases, the restriction of food variety appears to be a normal transition phase. Long duration of breastfeeding is associated with higher food variety.