Fostering infant food texture acceptance: A pilot intervention promoting food texture introduction between 8 and 15 months.

Healthy infant feeding practices form the basis of healthy eating behaviour later in life. The effect of providing parents with recommendations on textured food introduction between 8 and 15 months on children's experience with and acceptance of textured foods was studied. Sixty parent/child dyads were randomly assigned to a control group (CG) receiving current French recommendations and an intervention group (IG) receiving a brochure with supplementary advice, tips and monthly counselling on food texture introduction. After the intervention, parents completed self-report measures about the introduction of 188 food items, including purees, soft/small pieces, hard/large pieces and double textures. Children's acceptance of eight textured foods was assessed in a laboratory setting. Parents in the IG introduced more soft/small food pieces (P = 0.004) but not more complex textures (P = 0.15). There was no group difference in children acceptance for any of the textured foods offered in the laboratory. Independent of their study group, children's exposure to texture was associated with birth order, self-feeding with fingers, low gagging frequency and seldom use of commercial baby foods. Higher acceptance was associated with higher exposure to food pieces but not to pureed foods (either smooth or rough) and with children's eating behavioural traits (high food enjoyment, high food responsiveness and low food fussiness). This pilot intervention demonstrated that providing information can be effective in promoting the introduction of small and soft food pieces, but the most effective way to influence the introduction of more challenging textures (hard pieces and double texture) is uncertain. Further research should focus on the identification of barriers to complex texture introduction and on how building on this knowledge for a population-based public health intervention.

Physico-Chemical and Structural Characteristics of Vegetables Cooked Under Sous-Vide, Cook-Vide, and Conventional Boiling.

In this paper, physico-chemical and structural properties of cut and cooked purple-flesh potato, green bean pods, and carrots have been studied. Three different cooking methods have been applied: traditional cooking (boiling water at 100 °C), cook-vide (at 80 and 90 °C) and sous-vide (at 80 °C and 90 °C). Similar firmness was obtained in potato applying the same cooking time using traditional cooking (100 °C), and cook-vide and sous-vide at 90 °C, while in green beans and carrots the application of the sous-vide (90 °C) required longer cooking times than cook-vide (90 °C) and traditional cooking (100 °C). Losses in anthocyanins (for purple-flesh potatoes) and ascorbic acid (for green beans) were higher applying traditional cooking. ß-Carotene extraction increased in carrots with traditional cooking and cook-vide (P < 0.05). Cryo-SEM micrographs suggested higher swelling pressure of starch in potatoes cells cooked in contact with water, such as traditional cooking and cook-vide. Traditional cooking was the most aggressive treatment in green beans because the secondary walls were reduced compared with sous-vide and cook-vide. Sous-vide preserved organelles in the carrot cells, which could explain the lower extraction of ß-carotene compared with cook-vide and traditional cooking. Sous-vide cooking of purple-flesh potato is recommended to maintain its high anthocyanin content. Traditional boiling could be recommended for carrots because increase ß-carotenes availability. For green beans, cook-vide, and sous-vide provided products with higher ascorbic acid content.

Cuando una neumonía atípica es "muy atípica" / When atypical pneumonia is "very atypical"

Se presenta el caso de un chico de 14 años que acude a un Servicio de Urgencias hospitalario por presentar dolor mesotorácico y dificultad para respirar. En la radiografía de tórax se aprecia una condensación en el lóbulo superior derecho y serología IgM positiva para Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Inicialmente se diagnosticó de neumonía atípica y se trató con amoxicilina más claritromicina. Cuarenta y ocho horas después acude al centro de Atención Primaria (AP). En la historia clínica de AP figura el antecedente paterno de haber padecido una tuberculosis pleuropulmonar cinco años antes. El niño presentó en ese momento un Mantoux positivo con radiografía de tórax normal y fue tratado de forma profiláctica con isoniacida. Estos antecedentes llevan a plantear el diagnóstico de tuberculosis, repitiéndose el Mantoux y poniendo en marcha la petición de baciloscopias y cultivo para Mycobacterium tuberculosis, siendo ambos positivos. El tratamiento inicial fue sustituido por un tratamiento con cuatro fármacos antituberculosos. La valoración de la renovación de recetas por parte de la enfermera de AP cuestionó el correcto cumplimiento del tratamiento. Todo ello llevó a una mueva intervención del equipo de AP para informar, reforzar y responsabilizar a la familia acerca del correcto cumplimiento del tratamiento (AU)

The authors present the case of a 14 years old boy attended in a hospital emergency room for thoracic pain and difficult breathing. The Rx shows a condensation in LSD and IgM serology positive for mycoplasma pneumoniae. Initially it was diagnosed with atypical pneumonia and was treated with amoxicillin and clarythromicin. Forty-eight hours later he attends the Health Primary Care Center. Primary care medical history contains the paternal antecedent of having suffered a pleuropulmonar tuberculosis five years earlier. The child presented a positive Mantoux with normal Rx at that time and he was treated with prophylactic isoniazid. These records raise the question of the potential diagnosis of tuberculosis, performing the mantoux test again and a smear and culture for mycobacterium tuberculosis, resulting both positive. The initial treatment was replaced by a treatment with four antituberculous drugs. The evaluation of the renewal of prescriptions by the primary care nurse questioned the correct treatment compliance. This led to an intervention of the primary care team to inform, strengthen and force the responsibility of the family about the correct treatment compliance (AU)