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Biomedical subjects

J A Mota

Publications and source records attributed to J A Mota.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

[Recurrent abdominal pain]

OBJECTIVE: To present current concepts about the diagnosis of recurrent abdominal pain and to review the basis of the therapeutic approach for this disease in children and adolescents. METHODS: References were obtained from the Medline, from recent review articles, and from personal files. Books and dissertations were also analyzed. Only the most important articles were included in this review. RESULTS: Recurrent abdominal pain is the main cause of recurrent pain in children between 4 and 16 years of age. It is defined as the occurrence of three or more abdominal pain attacks within 3 months or less. These attacks are severe enough to interrupt routine activities, making the child remain asymptomatic between the episodes of pain. The diagnosis is based on a detailed clinical history, on an improved physical examination, and on a few laboratory tests. It can be manifested with isolated paroxysms of umbilical pain, abdominal pain with dyspeptic symptoms, and abdominal pain with digestive tract dysfunction. The treatment must emphasize the cognitive-behavioral factors of the recurrent pain. CONCLUSIONS: The treatment of recurrent abdominal pain using the strategy presented here represents an equilibrium in which time is neither wasted nor insufficient during the investigative process required for treating children and their families with this problem.

Journal Article↗

[Transesophageal echocardiography in patients treated with ventilation at a polyvalent intensive care unit].

Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) has a definite role in general ICUs where its indications are now generally accepted. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has widened the diagnostic scope of ultrasonic and doppler technology, partly by resolving the physical limitations of TTE. In this article the authors comment on their series of TTEs and TEEs, pointing out advantages, the diagnostic and therapeutic implications, especially in artificially ventilated patients. They conclude by emphasising the need to establish TEE as a routine diagnostic tool in general ICUs.

Adult↗

Prevalence of anemia among school-children from Rio Acima (State of Minas Gerais, Brazil): use of the standardized prevalence method and evaluation of iron deficiency.

The prevalence of anemia and iron deficiency was investigated in 332 children aged 7 to 15 years, 156 (47%) boys and 176 (53%) girls enrolled in the schools of the municipality of Rio Acima, MG. Seventy-four children were white (22.3%), 218 were mulatto (65.7%), and 40 were black (12%). Mean hemoglobin level was 12.75 +/- 0.75 g/dl. Lower values were determined for black children (12.32 +/- 0.87g/dl) compared to white (12.76 +/- 0.99 g/dl) and mulatto (12.81 +/- 0.94 g/dl) children. The prevalence of anemia was 16.6% when determined on the basis of the percentage of children with hemoglobin values lower than the 3rd percentile for age and sex (standard method), and 36.2% when determined by the standardized prevalence method for the evaluation of the prevalence of malnutrition in populations. Depletion of iron reserves was 8.13% for the population in general and 20% for the anemic children. This low prevalence of iron deficiency may have been the result of the value adopted as the lower normal limit (10 ng/ml) for serum ferritin values. The small percentage of anemic children with iron depletion may also be justified by the standard of normality adopted for hemoglobin values which was originally elaborated for the white population of North America and Finland and therefore may be inadequate for the population studied here, of diverse racial composition.

Adolescent↗

[The role of echocardiography in intensive care].

Echocardiography hasn't played yet a major role in the majority of the noncardiac intensive care units, specially the ones with general multi-care profile. In the past few years an increasing number of patients admitted have an important cardiac component, reason why we emphasize the role of this non invasive diagnostic tool. It's easily performed, may be repeated as many times as necessary, thus providing a quick diagnosis of the disease, its repercussions and medical or surgical interventions.

Critical Care↗

Is dilution of cows' milk formula necessary for dietary management of acute diarrhoea in infants aged less than 6 months?

There is concern that feeding full-strength animal milk to infants aged less than 6 months with diarrhoea may have adverse consequences. We assessed the effects on clinical course of two feeding regimens in 159 Guatemalan and Brazilian infants aged 2 weeks to 6 months who had had acute diarrhoea for 120 h or less, showed signs of mild to moderate dehydration, and had no complications. After correction of dehydration, infants were assigned randomly to receive continued full-strength milk feeding or initial feeding with diluted milk with regrading to full-strength milk over 48 h. There were no significant differences between feeding groups in rate of treatment failures (-1%, 95% Cl -14 to 12%) or mean (SD) total stool output (full-strength milk 335 [268] g/kg, diluted milk 338 [354] g/kg) and duration of diarrhoea (92 [50] vs 92 [44] h). A significant association was found between presence of reducing substances in stools and treatment failure (OR 4.3, 95% CI 1.1 to 16.8), but reducing substances in stools were common both in treatment successes (61%) and in failures (87%). Our study supports the conclusion that, for infants under 6 months of age with diarrhoea whose only food is animal milk or formula, the milk or formula normally given should be provided in full strength as soon as dehydration has been corrected.

Academies and Institutes↗

Chronic calcifying pancreatitis in children: a report of six cases.

1. A study of six patients with Chronic Calcifying Pancreatitis (CCP) occurring over a 10 year period, representing an incidence rate of approximately 1:1,000 of the inpatients in the children's ward of a general hospital in central Brazil, is reported. 2. Major clinical manifestations as well as therapeutic management are described. 3. The possible relationship between CCP and primary protein-calorie malnutrition is discussed and the importance of a CCP diagnosis when dealing with malnourished children who do not respond satisfactorily to common therapy is emphasized.

Calcinosis↗

Coeliac disease in identical twins.

Coeliac disease occurred at the same age in MZ twins. The diagnosis was confirmed by histology of the small intestine, rapid response to a gluten-free diet, and relapse after reintroduction of gluten.

Celiac Disease↗

[Von Recklinghausen neurofibromatosis and malignant pheochromocytoma: presentation of 3 cases].

Neurofibromatosis may involve every organ. Manifestations vary greatly and different kind of neoplasia may be associated with excessive frequency; it's the case of pheochromocytoma that, as a benign tumor, coexists in 10%. Description of coexistency as a malignant tumor is a rarity; therefore, we think it's interesting to publish our experience. Nevertheless the association of Von Recklinghausen's disease with hypertension is not always dependent of that kind of association.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms↗

[Von Recklinghausen's neurofibromatosis].

Neurofibromatosis is a multisystemic disease in which the multiple possible clinical manifestations may have important diagnostic and prognostic implications; if arterial hypertension coexists, many pathogenic mechanisms justify that the possible secondary etiology must be considered. In this report we review the pathogenic and clinical mechanisms and we point to the diagnostic strategy to reveal anomalies and diseases that, although present, may be occult.

Bone Diseases↗