Position paper on vegetarian diets from the working group of the Italian Society of Human Nutrition.

BACKGROUND: Interest in vegetarian diets is growing in Italy and elsewhere, as government agencies and health/nutrition organizations are emphasizing that regular consumption of plant foods may provide health benefits and help prevent certain diseases. METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted a Pubmed search, up to September, 2015, for studies on key nutrients (proteins, vitamin B12, iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin D, and n-3 fatty acids) in vegetarian diets. From 295 eligible publications the following emerged: Vegetarians should be encouraged to supplement their diets with a reliable source of vitamin B12 (vitamin-fortified foods or supplements). Since the plant protein digestibility is lower than that of animal proteins it may be appropriate for vegetarians to consume more proteins than recommended for the general population. Vegetarians should also be encouraged to habitually consume good sources of calcium, iron and zinc - particularly vegetables that are low in oxalate and phytate (e.g. Brassicaceae), nuts and seeds, and calcium-rich mineral water. Calcium, iron, and zinc bioavailability can be improved by soaking, germination, and sour-dough leavening that lower the phytate content of pulses and cereals. Vegetarians can ensure good n-3 fatty acid status by habitually consuming good sources of a-linolenic acid (walnuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds, and their oils) and limiting linoleic acid intake (corn and sunflower oils). CONCLUSIONS: Well-planned vegetarian diets that include a wide variety of plant foods, and a reliable source of vitamin B12, provide adequate nutrient intake. Government agencies and health/nutrition organizations should provide more educational resources to help Italians consume nutritionally adequate vegetarian diets.

Intracellular ferritin accumulation in neural and extraneural tissue characterizes a neurodegenerative disease associated with a mutation in the ferritin light polypeptide gene.

Abnormal accumulation of ferritin was found to be associated with an autosomal dominant slowly progressing neurodegenerative disease clinically characterized by tremor, cerebellar ataxia, parkinsonism and pyramidal signs, behavioral disturbances, and cognitive decline. These symptoms may appear sequentially over a period of 4 decades. Pathologically, intranuclear and intracytoplasmic bodies were found in glia and subsets of neurons in the central nervous system as well as in extraneural tissue. Biochemical analyses of these bodies isolated from the striatum and cerebellar cortex revealed that ferritin light polypeptide (FTL) and ferritin heavy polypeptide (FTH1) were the main constituents. Molecular genetic studies revealed a 2-bp insertion mutation in exon 4 of the FTL gene. The resulting mutant polypeptide is predicted to have a carboxy terminus that is altered in amino-acid sequence and length. In tissue sections, the bodies were immunolabeled by anti-ferritin and anti-ubiquitin antibodies and were stained by Perls' method for ferric iron. Synthetic peptides homologous to the altered and wild-type carboxy termini were used to raise polyclonal antibodies. These novel antibodies as well as an antibody recognizing FTH1 immunolabeled the bodies. This study of this disorder has provided additional knowledge and insights in the growing area of ferritin-related neurodegeneration.

Body composition differences in adolescent female athletes and anorexic patients.

Osteopenia is a frequent complication affecting adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa (AN). Moreover, female athletes suffering from eating disorders can be affected by premature osteoporotic fractures. The aim of this study was to examine bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) in three groups of adolescent females. Anthropometric and body composition measurements were performed on 22 adolescent females (age+/-SD=15.6+/-1.4 years) divided into groups: athletes ( n=8), patients with AN ( n=8) and age-height matched control subjects ( n=6). Body weight and body mass index were significantly lower ( p<0.01) in athletes and AN patients compared with healthy controls. BMC and BMD were lower ( p<0.01) for AN patients and athletes compared with healthy controls; AN patients had the lowest BMC value. Athletes had higher lean body mass values compared with AN patients and healthy controls. These results suggest that the effects of eating disorders, specifically BMC loss, could be attenuated by physical activity.

Body composition analysis for healthy Italian vegetarians.

The elementary nutritional needs of vegetarians are totally, or in great part, supplied by vegetarian food; thus the body composition of vegetarians could differ from that of omnivorous persons. The objective of the present study was to compare healthy Italian vegetarians to healthy omnivorous individuals in terms of body composition, determined using dual X-ray absorptiometry. The study population consisted of 20 vegetarians [mean age (+/-SD), 34.78+/-15.07 years; mean BMI, 22.41+/-2.15 kg/m(2)] and 10 omnivorous persons matched for age and BMI. We found no significant differences between the two groups in terms of fat mass, lean body mass, soft tissue, bone mineral content, or bone mineral density. These findings suggest that the vegetarian diet does not induce negative alterations in body composition.

[Detection of respiratory syncytial virus using immunohistochemistry. Report of 53 cases of sudden infant death]. / Mise en évidence du virus respiratoire syncytial par méthode immuno-histochimique. A propos de 53 cas de mort subite du nourrisson.

We analyzed 53 cases of sudden infant death to detect immunohistochemical expression of respiratory syncytial virus on pulmonary sections. The virus was identified in 7 cases. The immunohistochemical staining was intracytoplasmic and mainly observed in bronchioles. Among these 7 cases, 6 showed severe pulmonary lesions which were assumed to be accountable for decrease. The inflammatory lesions related to respiratory syncytial virus were diffuse, located with the same intensity to either bronchi, bronchioles, alveoles and upper respiratory tract. The immunohistochemical staining was markedly heterogeneous, requiring numerous pulmonary samples.

[Clinical observations on the treatment of obese patients with dexfenfluramine]. / Osservazioni cliniche sul trattamento di pazienti obesi con dexfenfluramina.

In a 12-months double-blind study 42 obese patients (5 males, 37 females) were treated either with d-fenfluramine (30 mg daily) or with placebo plus low-calorie diet (1500-1200 kcal daily). Evaluation of treatment efficacy was based on evolution of the initial cohort, weight loss, number of subjects completing treatment, tolerability and events leading to dropout. Patients receiving d-fenfluramine had statistically significant greater weight loss than the placebo group; 30 mg daily proved to be an effective and well tolerated dose of d-fenfluramine with the best long-term activity/acceptability ratio.

[Asthma as a psychosomatic disease and its treatment with tranquilizing agents]. / A proposito dell'asma come malattia psicosomatica e del suo trattamento con psicofarmaci

On the basis of personal research and experience, it is concluded that the majority of asthmatics also suffer from psychoneurosis and that psychological alterations are primary and not secondary to dyspnoea. Some hypotheses are put forward relating the onset of asthma and psychoneurosis.