Are International Asthma Guidelines effective for low-income Brazilian children with asthma?

The present study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of International Asthma Guidelines in low-income asthmatic children in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Fifty children with moderate or severe asthma were evaluated. Patients were evaluated before and after a 1 yr follow-up period using a pre- and post-education design with patients acting as their own controls. Parents were interviewed before and 1 yr after the programme. Most of the children were receiving inadequate medical care from their primary physicians, based mainly on bronchodilators. After the educational programme combined with a medical treatment based mainly on inhaled steroids, there was a decrease in emergency room visits and no need for hospital admissions. There was also a significant decrease in asthma severity and impairment scores (p<.0001). The combination of good medical care and an educational programme can reduce the symptoms of asthma and significantly increase the quality of life, as well as decreasing the costs of asthma treatment. We conclude that by applying the International Asthma Guidelines substantial success was achieved, resulting in moving the patients from crises-orientated management into a chronic care and preventive management mode.

Iodine-induced hypothyroidism as a result of excessive intake of confectionery made with tangle weed, Kombu, used as a low calorie food during a bulimic period in a patient with anorexia nervosa.

A 20-year-old Japanese female anorectic patient developed primary hypothyroidism associated with generalized edema because of excessive daily intake (40 to 50 g) of confectionery made with tangle weed, Kombu, which she substituted to food during bulimic periods; TSH 60.35 mcU/ml, free T3 1.19 pg/ml, and free T4 0.48 ng/dl, and her weight increased by 12 kg to 45 kg over 4 months. After withdrawal of Kombu her thyroid function returned to normal, and her weight decreased by 7 kg to 38 kg along with disappearance of edema. In conclusion, the physician noticed that susceptible anorectic patients may sometime develop hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism because of excessive iodine intake of sea-weed confectionery as a substitute of high calorie cakes during bulimic period.

A successfully treated case of Vibrio vulnificus septicemia with shock.

Vibrio vulnificus infection often causes serious or fatal disease. Recently, in Japan there have been numerous reports of Vibrio vulnificus infection. Here, we report a successfully treated case of Vibrio vulnificus septicemia with shock, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and necrotizing cellulitis in a middle-aged heavy drinker with chronic alcoholic liver disease. On reviewing 38 cases in Japan including ours, the overall mortality rate was 68%. Although the incidence is relatively low, it is recommended to warn patients in the high risk category, such as liver disease patients, to avoid raw fish and shellfish and limit sea water exposure.

Splenic vein thrombosis as a consequence of chronic pancreatitis: a study of three cases.

Splenic vein obstruction was found in three patients with chronic pancreatitis. All had suffered epigastric pain, but no specific findings which suggested obstruction of the splenic vein were evident on physical or laboratory examinations. Enlarged pancreatic contour with calculi and pseudocyst formation were observed by CAT scan in all three cases. Gastric varices were found in two patients who had episodes of gastric bleeding. The splenic vein was shown to be occluded in two patients in the venous phase of celiac angiography and was entirely nonvisualized by percutaneous portography in the third case. The first patient underwent elective surgery, while the second patient had emergency surgery due to intraabdominal abscess formation with gastric bleeding. The surgical procedure in both patients was splenectomy coupled with distal pancreatectomy. Thrombus formation was confirmed by venous dissection at surgery.