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J D Snyder

Publications and source records attributed to J D Snyder.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

Dietary protein sensitivity: is it an important risk factor for persistent diarrhea?

Although the causes of persistent diarrhea are largely unknown, dietary protein sensitivity has been identified as one possible mechanism. Since nutritional therapy appears to be an essential component of treatment for persistent diarrhea, a clearer understanding of the importance of dietary protein allergy is needed to provide optimal dietary recommendations. This paper reviews the current concepts of the pathophysiology, clinical features and criteria for diagnosis of dietary protein sensitivity. Evaluation of the results of several clinical studies indicates that dietary protein sensitivity does occur especially in young infants fed cows' milk but that it is an uncommon event, especially in older infants and children.

Child, Preschool

Nutritional management of persistent diarrhea: factors predicting clinical outcome.

In a prospective study we randomized 102 male children (age 6-36 months) with persistent diarrhea to receive a traditional rice-lentil (Khitchri) diet and yogurt (K-Y) or a soy formula (alone for seven days and then in combination with K-Y for seven days). Of 73 children satisfying the study criteria, 66 were successfully treated and there were 7 treatment failures. There was poor concordance between parental accounts of severity of diarrhea or vomiting and that observed after admission. Significant risk factors associated with treatment failure included younger age (p < 0.005) and vomiting at presentation (p < 0.02). The greatest number of risk factors associated with delayed recovery (> 10 days) were identified during an initial evaluation period (the first 8 h after admission). These included greater severity of watery diarrhoea (p < 0.01) and increased ORS intake (p < 0.02). Our data suggest that an initial evaluation period, including objective observations, may identify children with persistent diarrhea who are at greatest need of hospitalization.

Child, Preschool

Learning by teaching. A resident-taught oral therapy program for acute diarrhea.

An educational program on oral rehydration therapy (ORT) for diarrhea was instituted in our residents' continuity clinics to evaluate the impact that residents teaching parents would have on the knowledge and practices of both groups. Sixty-one residents and 287 parents answered the initial written questionnaire before the teaching program began, and 48 residents and 147 parents completed a second questionnaire at the end of the program. Nineteen residents in two clinics were told to participate frequently in teaching the parents, while 29 residents in three other clinics were given no such instructions. The parents were divided into three groups: 58 received teaching and an instructional handout on the management of diarrhea; 73 received only the instructional handout; and 16 received neither intervention. The 19 "teaching" residents had a significantly improved overall score compared with the "nonteaching" residents (p < .03). No improvement was found in the scores of the 58 parents who received teaching compared with those of the 89 parents who received either a handout or no educational intervention. We conclude that active teaching of ORT may improve the knowledge and practices of residents, but that single teaching encounters, whether or not accompanied by written instructions, may have little impact on parents.

Acute Disease

Dietary risk factors associated with acute and persistent diarrhea in children in Karachi, Pakistan.

Feeding practices may have an important impact on diarrheal diseases in developing countries. This study evaluated feeding practices in three groups of male children aged 6-36 mo: 100 with persistent diarrhea (PD), 79 with acute diarrhea (AD), and 86 in a comparison group (CG). The children came from comparably poor socioeconomic settings in Karachi, Pakistan, except that the literacy rates were higher in mothers of the CG (P = 0.0001). Although greater than 95% of all infants were breast-fed, delayed initiation of breast-feeding was more common in the diarrhea groups. Children with diarrhea were also more likely to receive supplemental milk (PD = 92%, AD = 87%) than were children in the CG (69%, P less than 0.05). Feedings were not withheld during diarrhea but changes were made in the nature of foods given. These results indicate that several feeding practices may be important risk factors for diarrhea in Pakistan.

Acute Disease

Dietary management of persistent diarrhea: comparison of a traditional rice-lentil based diet with soy formula.

Recent studies have indicated that enteral diets can play an important role in the treatment of persistent diarrhea. Khitchri, a local weaning food in Pakistan, is composed of rice and lentils, which have previously been shown to be well tolerated in many children with acute diarrhea. The effectiveness of a khitchri and yogurt (KY) diet, which is inexpensive and widely available in Pakistan, was studied. One hundred two weaned boys (6 to 36 months old) with persistent diarrhea were randomly assigned to receive either soy formula (group A) or the KY diet (group B) for 14 days. Group A also received the KY diet in addition to formula for days 8 through 14. Twenty-nine children did not complete the study because of severe infection (13) or their family's decision to leave the study early (9 in group A and 7 in group B). Sixty-six children successfully completed the study protocol; there were five clinical failures in group A and two in group B. On a comparable caloric intake, there was a significantly lower stool volume (group B: 38 +/- 16 [mean +/- SD] vs group A: 64 +/- 75 g/kg per day, P less than .05) and frequency (B: 4.4 +/- 2.0 vs. A: 6.6 +/- 4.2 stools per day, P less than .005) in children fed KY during the first week of therapy. Group B children also had a significantly greater weight gain than children in group A during the first week (B: 468 +/- 373 g/wk vs A: 68 +/- 286 g/wk, P less than .005).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Child, Preschool

Use and misuse of oral therapy for diarrhea: comparison of US practices with American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations.

To determine how closely US pediatricians follow the 1985 American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition's recommendations on oral therapy for acute diarrhea, a questionnaire was administered to four groups: New England private practitioners, pediatricians from 27 states attending a postgraduate course, representatives of departments of pediatrics at US schools of medicine, and housestaff at Boston Children's and Massachusetts General hospitals. The responses from departments of pediatrics and housestaff were not significantly different from those of community practitioners in most categories. The reported rate of use of glucose-electrolyte solutions recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics was not different from the use of nonphysiologic, high-osmolar, low-salt solutions such as sodas and juices. The usage rate for glucose-electrolyte solutions meeting the American Academy of Pediatrics-recommended carbohydrate-to-sodium ratio of less than 2:1 was less than 30%. Other findings included the general lack of agreement on the use of a single type of therapy and the common use of oral therapy only for mild or no dehydration. Although the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that feeding be reintroduced in the first 24 hours of a diarrheal episode, the majority of respondents withhold feeding until the second day or later. These findings indicate that educational programs on oral therapy during acute diarrhea are needed in the United States.

Acute Disease

Barrett's esophagus in children and young adults. Frequent association with mental retardation.

Since few data are available on epidemiologic features of Barrett's esophagus in young persons, we reviewed the case records of patients undergoing esophageal biopsies at Children's Hospital, Boston, from 1982 through 1986. There were 1423 esophageal biopsies obtained from 1173 patients, and histological evidence of esophagitis was present in 397 cases; Barrett's epithelium was diagnosed in 10 patients (0.9% of total and 2.5% of esophagitis cases). Specialized columnar epithelium was present in seven of these 10 patients. The mean age of those with Barrett's epithelium was 19.0 +/- 7.9 years (range 3.7-27 years) compared to 8.7 +/- 6.7 years (range 4 days to 31 years) for all patients biopsied (P less than 0.0001); 80% (8/10) of the Barrett's cases were male compared to 54% of all cases. The relative importance of the possible risk factors was assessed by comparing the 10 patients with Barrett's with the 541 patients that had esophageal biopsies in calendar years 1984-1985. Mental retardation, a risk factor not previously described for young persons with Barrett's esophagitis, was present in 70% (7/10) of the Barrett's patients but in only 15% of all patients biopsied (P less than 0.0002). The frequency of mental retardation was also higher, but not significantly so (P greater than 0.07), in patients with biopsies that were positive for esophagitis (19%) than in those with normal biopsies (14%). No significant differences were found between the Barrett's group and all patients biopsied in regards to racial origin, prior stricture, or fundoplication.

Adolescent