[Implementation of breastfeeding promotion].

According to the WHO statement, exclusive breastfeeding is the best way of feeding for newborn and infants. This paper presents methods to protect breastfeeding used in the world and in our country.

[Breastfeeding - an important element of health promotion].

During the first 6 months exclusive breast feeding is the best way of feeding for newborn and infants . According to the WHO statement exclusive breastfeeding should be continued last 6 months and then up to 2 years or longer. This paper presents benefits of breastfeeding - breast milk components and bioactive factors. Breast milk protects nutrition and caloric needs and has positive influence on child brain and gastrointestinal tract creating physiological colonization - microbiota. Bacterial colonization of alimentary tract during breast-feeding creates positive bacterial flora and has positive influence on gut-brain axis- GBA. Breastfeeding has good influence on psychomotor development. It also prevents metabolic disorders, obesity and inflammation of gut.

Neurodegenerative disease in infants with multiple congenital malformations--report of two cases.

During embryogenesis, about 40% of genes are involved in the development of the central nervous system (CNS). The same genes support the integrity and function of brain cells in humans. Birth defects cause different changes in genetic material during embryogenesis. They may also be responsible for precocious death of cells in postnatal period. We studied cases of two infants with similar congenital defects (prenatal onset growth deficiency, coloboma of iris, epicanthal folds, low set ears, clinodactyly of Vth fingers). The infants died at age 9 and 10 months with signs and symptoms of progressive CNS degeneration. In one case, chromosomal aberration was detected (4pter). Neuropathologicaly, there were small for the age brains, atrophy of cerebral cortex, white matter and basal ganglia (mainly nucleus caudatus) with loss of neurones, spongiosis and hypertrophic astroglia reaction as well as atrophy of cerebellar cortex. Severe damage of white matter was seen. We suggest that such cases are natural models for investigations of the role of genes in embryogenesis and pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases.

[Borreliosis in children - clinical manifestation, diagnosis and treatment]. / Borelioza u dzieci -- manifestacja kliniczna, rozpoznawanie i leczenie.

Lyme Disease (Borreliosis) is a multisystem inflammatory disease caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, transmitted by the bite of ixodes infected ticks. We would like to present our experience with the treatment of borreliosis in collaboration with the Warsaw Medical Academy's Department of Infectious Disease. Fifty-nine children (aged between 14 months to 16 years) were hospitalized or ambulatory treated due to borreliosis during 5 years between 1997 and 2001. Erythema migrans was observed in 50 cases. The main localisations of erythema were: face, neck and chest. One patient showed erythema in several other localisations. Erythema migrans returned in two cases after therapy with Amoxicillin in one case at 6 months, in the other one 12 months later. The incubation period of erythema migrans in children varied from 4 to 30 days. Seven cases from the 59 occurred with central nervous system manifestations. These were children between 6 and 16 years of age. The most frequent (65.5%) clinical manifestations of the central nervous system were meningitis and facial nerve palsy, depression and headaches were observed in 6% of cases. In one case admission to hospital was the result of leucopaenia (2800/mm3), bradycardia, headache and fatigue. The positive serologic test results (Elisa assay) were confirmed in two independent laboratories. We had one patient (5 years old boy) with arthritic manifestations. The diagnosis of Lyme disease was based on clinical manifestations and positive serologic test results (Elisa assay). In the acute stage Elisa assay was positive in 33% only. The erythema migrans cases received treatment with Amoxicillin for two weeks, whilst patients with neuroborreliosis were treated for 4 weeks with Ceftriaxon.