Conus medullaris ganglioglioma

Conus medullaris ganglioglioma is rare and an usually benign tumour. Ganglioglioma may occur anywhere in the cranio-spinal axis but is rarely encountered in the spinal cord. It is observed more in the younger age group. Symptoms and signs are usually long and variable. Since this condition is rare it is easily overlooked and mistakenly diagnosed. When removed entirely the outcome is favourable. We report a 5-year-old boy who presented with a 3-year history of unsteady gait and lower limbs deformity, it was initially confused with congenital bone anomalies. His condition worsened over the following 6 months before his imaging scans identified a mass lesion involving the conus medullaris with syringomyelia. He underwent gross total removal of the tumour and the histopathology identified clusters of ganglion and glial cells. He made an excellent neurological recovery

Variabilidad en la función de Jet nebulizadores: efecto del flujo de aire comprimido

Los jet nebulizadores Hudson UP Draft II son ampliamente usados en Pediatría para producir aerosoles terapeúticos y también para el estudio de la reactividad de la vía aérea. Recientemente, se ha descrito la existencia de una variabilidad marcada en la función de jet nebulizadores de varias marcas y modelos. Seis jet nebulizadores Hudson modelo 1730, se estudiaron para evaluar la variabilidad en la función ocurrida durante distintos momentos de la nebulización. Los nebulizadores fueron operados con 2ml de solución salina normal y flujos de aire comprimido de 6 y 8 L/min. Los débitos (mg/min) fueron medidos en 5 nebulizaciones consecutivas al minuto, a los 2 min y al finalizar cada nebulización. La comparación de las diferencias observadas dentro y entre jet nebulizadores se hizo mediante un análisis de varianza de dos vías (ANOVA). Este trabajo demostró que con ambos flujos, existen una variabilidad significativa de la función entre jet nebulizadores de la misma marca y modelo, tanto respecto al débito (p<0.01) como al porcentaje de solución liberada desde el reservorio como aerosol (p<0.001). Además, se observó una disminución significativa del débito (p<0.001) durante el transcurso de la nebulización en todos los nebulizadores y en cada una de las nebulizaciones realizadas, independientemente de cual fuera el flujo empleado. El débito de los nebulizadores, los porcentajes de solución liberada y también la variabilidad, fueron significativamente mayores cuando se emplearon flujos de 8 L/min (p<0.01). Los resultados de estas investigaciónes sugieren que antes de emplear jet nebulizadores para uso clínico o de laboratorio, dichos dispositivos deben ser evaluados por lo menos desde el punto de vista de la variabilidad en su función y se debe elegir para el uso médico a aquellos nebulizadores cuyas diferencias sean menores.

Patterns of breastfeeding in Jordan

A cross sectional study was conducted in Jordan during 1981-1983 on 1052 mother-child pairs selected randomly from nine population strata to represent all governorates and four socioeconomic groups : urban economically advantaged, urban lower income, rural and refugees living in camps. The governorates were : Amman, Irbid, Balqa, Karak and Ma'an. The selected children were between 0 and 36 months of age and were the youngest to their mothers at the time of the interview. It was observed that less than 3% of all children had never been breast-fed. Reasons for not breast-feeding were : failure of lactation, baby's refusal of the breast, illness of mother and painful nursing. The study showed that about 50% of the children were breast-fed at 6 months of age and 24% at 12 months. The most frequent reasons given by mothers for stopping breast-feeding were : new pregnancy and insufficient milk. Feeding on demand and frequent feeding were the most popular practices by mothers who were breast-feeding, irrespective of child age. Maternal views on breast-feeding indicated that the vast majority [not less that 90%] of mothers felt that breast-feeding is superior to bottle feeding. 69% of mothers or more were in favor of prolonged east-feeding for 12 months and beyond, and up to five months without supplements. These opinions did not seem to be consistent with the actual practice of breast-feeding. No apparent differences in the opinions or practices of mothers on breast-feeding were observed among the various regions or socioeconomic groups, the economically advantaged group, however, tended to deviate from the others

nutritional impact of the school feeding program in the Mafraq area, Jordan

The nutritional and educational impact of the school feeding program in the Mafraq area was assessed and compared with that of Madaba, which was not included in the school feeding program and was used as a control. A total of 2,554 male and female students from eight primary and preparatory schools [four urban and four rural] were studied in both areas. Weight and midarm circumference values were significantly and generally higher in Mafraq area, especially among females and younger age groups, the latter being the most sensitive period to nutritional changes. In most age groups, height retardation was significantly more in Mafraq than in Madaba, suggesting a greater presence of past or chronic malnutriton. This difference agrees with the known fact that in general the people of Mafraq are of a lower economic status than those of Madaba. The personality characteristics of the students were more favorable and the attendance record better in Madaba than in Mafraq, suggesting that other factors such as socioeconomic status are more influential on these characteristics than a school lunch. In order to truly test the positive impact of school feeding on the measured characteristics, especially the anthropometric ones, it is advisable to allow a longer period of school feeding before following up with a longitudinal study. In addition, a comparison of the feeding group with a control group would be more revealing if the two groups are more similar except for the presence of school feeding. The World Food Program [WFP] assisted project in Jordan began in March, 1978. Its objective was to raise the standard of education by helping the school children of the poorest districts through the provision of supplementary diet to [a] improve the level of nutrition and consequently their health, and [b] encourage their school attendance and improve their learning capacity. The WFP assisted project was implemented by the Nutrition and School Health Section of the Ministry of Education. The total number of beneficiaries in the 1979-1980 school year averaged almost 47,000 students. Almost 90% of beneficiaries were children enrolled in primary and preparatory schools and only about 10% in secondary schools. The WFP daily ration per child [provided over 210 days during the school year] consisted of 120 g wheat flour, 20 g dried skim milk, 25 g canned beef meat, 25 g canned cheese, and 10 g sugar. This ration provided approximately 690 calories, 31 g protein and 10 g fat. Since there was a problem with the acceptability of the milk, 10 g sugar were added to the original daily ration to sweeten the milk. The daily snack is normally served around 10 a.m. Children brought homemade bread [WFP donated flour] and received a cup of milk [sweetened] and alternatively each day, a slice of meat or cheese weighing 50 g or two days' ration [i.e. 25 g h 25 g] Nutrition education in the schools is taught as part of the science subjects and is also part of the newly "life-oriented curriculum" of the compulsory cycle. The School Health Section undertakes periodical medical check-up of all students enrolled in the first year primary and first year preparatory schools. In addition, all students receive the necessary vaccinations. After the program had been in operation for less than one year, we were asked by the project authorities to evaluate the impact of the school feeding program on the nutritional status of school children during the months of March, April, and May, 1978