Tolerability of donkey's milk in 92 highly-problematic cow's milk allergic children.

OBJECTIVE: Not exclusively breastfed children with cow's milk allergy (CMA) require a formula or other alternative food, but past and present guidelines differ concerning the best choice. Our aim was to investigate the clinical tolerability, palatability and nutritional adequacy of donkey's milk (DM) in children with proven CMA. It was important to identify a CM replacement for these children, highly problematic from the feeding standpoint, in spite of their age. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective study was conducted on 92 children with CMA, diagnosed through a CM elimination diet, followed by double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge (DBPCFC) unless contraindicated. Maternal milk was unavailable and current CM substitutes could not be used. Moreover, 89 percent were affected by multiple FA, and subjected to very restricted diets. Within 3 months after the last CM challenge, DBPCFC for DM was performed. CM or DM skin prick test and sIgE determination preceded the CM or DM challenge, respectively. Native electrophoresis and immunoblotting were used to identify CM and DM cross-reactive proteins. Z-scores of weight and length/stature for age were calculated at DM food challenge (T0) and during DM assumption. RESULTS: 83 children (90.2 percent) liked and tolerated DM, at challenge and during follow-up, with increased Z-score for weight and length/stature and improved nutritional parameters. Bovine beta-lactoglobulin was identified as the cross-reacting protein among the DM allergic patients. CONCLUSIONS: DM was found to be a valid alternative foodstuff, in terms of clinical tolerability, palatability and nutritional adequacy, in subjects with CMA who were highly problematic from the feeding standpoint.

[Evaluation of the efficacy and tolerance of BPAA gel in 48 patients with extra-articular rheumatic diseases and in 52 patients with osteoarthritis in the painful phase. Open non-comparative study]. / Valutazione di efficacia e tollerabilità del BPAA gel su 48 pazienti affetti da forme reumatiche extra-articolari e su 52 pazienti affetti da osteoartrosi in fase dolorosa. Studio aperto non comparativo.

An open trial was carried out in 100 outpatients suffering from osteoarthritis (52 subjects) or extra-articular rheumatic disorders (48 subjects). Treatment consisted in topical application 3 times daily of an experimental product, BPAA gel, with 3% of active substance, for 2 weeks. During treatment the use of steroidal and non-steroidal analgesic and antiinflammatory agents or of any other drug apt to interfere with the parameters of evaluation was carefully avoided. Patients cooperated actively in subjective evaluation of pain parameters (Visual Analogue Self-rating Scale) which was used to integrate objective evaluation. Treatment response was very favorable, the drug proving effective in 83% and fairly effective in 5.7% of patients with osteoarthritis (total 88.7%). The corresponding figures for patients with extra-articular rheumatic disorders were 83.4% and 6.2% (total 89.0%). No local or systemic side-effects were observed in any of the 100 patients, nor did laboratory tests reveal any untoward actions of the drug.