Allergic manifestations to local anaesthetic agents for dental anaesthesia in children: a review and proposal of a new algorithm.

AIM: The purpose of this review was to evaluate allergic manifestations to dental local anaesthetic (LA) in children and to propose an algorithm for the diagnosis of LA allergy, in order to minimise the number of children who are wrongly categorised as allergic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comprehensive literature survey was performed on LA allergy in children before a dental treatment. In proposing a diagnostic algorithm, evidences from literature have been integrated with personal experience. RESULTS: Data from literature showed that overall less than 1% of young patients tested for suspected LA have a positive subcutaneous test and have a positive diagnosis. A complete diagnostic procedure should include: clinical history reported by patients, objective medical records, results of skin tests and provocation test with the suspected drug. Patients with negative skin tests should perform a subcutaneous challenge, while patients with a positive skin test should be tested for a different unrelated LA. CONCLUSION: Allergy to LA is a rare condition. A complete diagnostic algorithm will allow to identify paediatric patients correctly.

Respiratory failure and pharyngeal hematoma as presenting signs of Moschcowitz's syndrome: a case report and literature review.

Moschcowitz's syndrome or thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura is a quite rare pathology in childhood, being, as a matter of fact, more frequent among adult people. Often it is hard to distinguish from other pathologies in children both for its rare incidence and for the presence of clinical forms that are very heterogeneous and difficult to be classified. We report on a 13 year-old girl suffering from Moschcowitz's syndrome, in whom respiratory failure and pharyngeal hematoma were the first sign of the disease follone by jaundice, hematoma of the arm and limbs. The girl was treated with plasmapheresis with an improvement of her general condition. Since then we have followed up the girl for two years without any reappearance of the symptomatology. To our knowledge this is the first report of this peculiar presentation in children.

Is vitamin D supplementation necessary in healthy full-term breastfed infants? A follow-up study of bone mineralization in healthy full-term infants with and without supplemental vitamin D.

AIM: The aim of the study is to establish whether healthy full-term breastfed infants require supplemental vitamin D for proper bone mineralization. METHODS: Bone mineralization was studied by performing ultrasound scans of 73 healthy full-term subjects at the age of 3 months. The infants were divided into three groups. Group A: breastfed without supplemental vitamin D (BF); group B: breastfed with supplement of 400 IU/day of vitamin D (BFD); group C: fed with formula (with and without supplemental vitamin D 400 IU/day) (FF). The values of mcSOS (m/sec) and mcBTT (µsec) were assessed in all subjects. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference has been found between group A vs group B both in mcSOS (P=0.03) and in mcBTT (P=0.01) values and also between group A vs group C both in mcSOS (P=0.012) and in mcBTT (P=0.003) values. Significant differences between group B vs group C were not found. In 75% of subjects of group A mcSOS and mcBTT values were ≤ the 10th percentile, while in group B they were between the 10th and 50th percentile. In FF infants given supplemental vitamin D mcSOS and mcBTT values were between the 25th and 75th percentile. CONCLUSION: Human breast milk is an appropriate source of nutrition for the growth of healthy full-term newborns, but is poor in vitamin D as demonstrated by the impaired bone mineralization in the breastfed infants without supplemental vitamin D. The results presented demonstrate that exclusively breastfed infants require at least 400 IU/day of supplemental vitamin D.

Incidence of prostate cancer in Sicily: results of a multicenter case-findings protocol.

OBJECTIVE: To establish the incidence of prostate cancer (PCa) in Sicily in patients who entered an early detection protocol. METHODS: From February 2002 to February 2004, 16,298 subjects aged 40-75 entered the protocol. Patients with suspicious DRE, PSA>10 ng/ml, PSA

[Mepartricine and prostatitis. Clinical experience and rationale for use]. / Mepartricina e prostatiti. Esperienza clinica e razionale d'impiego

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to report our experience on the use of Mepartricine in the treatment of chronic and sub-acute prostatitis and to analyse, on the basis of the literature, the role of estrogens, the target of Mepartricine in the development and maintenance of prostatic inflammatory reactions. METHODS: In a retrospective study the data of 110 patients who presented with lower urinary tract symptoms suggestive of prostatitis, from January 1994 to February 1999 have been evaluated: 65 of this patients had an abacterial prostatitis, and 45 a bacterial prostatitis. The Mearers-Stamey test was used to localize inflammation and pathogens to prostate. The clinical symptoms presented were essentially pelvic and perineal pain and irritative and obstructive voiding symptoms. The treatment was based on antibiotic therapy indicated by the sensitivity to antibiotic assay. In abacterial prostatitis, in cases of Chlamidia, Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma positivity, the treatment was based on macrolides and tetracycline use. All the patients received Mepartricine by oral supply, 1 daily tablet (40 mg) for 60 days. RESULTS: After two months of treatment remarkable improvements in symptoms were obtained despite the persistent bacteriological positivity in the prostatic secretion in 68% of cases. Therefore antinflammatory antiedemic and decongestant effects of Mepartricine on prostatic inflammation, are observed. CONCLUSIONS: The data of the literature show data estrogens modulate inflammatory reactions: it is possible that their decrease can produce, at prostatic level, antinflammatory effects improving urethro-prostatic bladder functions. Personal experience seems to confirm this supposition and so we think that Mepartri-cine can be considered and excellent coadjuvant in the treatment of prostate inflammation, independent of etiology.

[Deep venous thrombosis and neoplastic pathology: our experience in emergencies]. / Trombosi venose profonde e patologia neoplastica: nostro contributo in urgenza.

Deep vein thrombosis incidence is 1/1000 per year; it is associated with many risk factors which is considered as "thrombophilic states". Its pathogenesis is complex, caused by alterations of hemostasis system. Many studies have established the relation between cancer and subsequent venous thromboembolism, confirming the relationship of neoplastic cell interaction with coagulation system. Forty-seven patients admitted to the hospital from 1987 to 1996 with symptomatic clinically proved deep vein thrombosis were included in a retrospective study. Routine examination at the time of diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis revealed an occult cancer in 8 out of 47 patients; 9 out of 47 patients were admitted in hospital with vein thrombosis and known cancer. The aim of this study is to suggest the best, first treatment of vein thromboembolism in emergency to avoid the dangerous pulmonary embolism complication. The patients affected with deep vein thrombosis and cancer were elderly (over 70 years old, in mean); the neoplasia was of digestive system (8/17) in advanced metastatic stage there was cancer familiarity in 7 out of 47 patients. The high risk of pulmonary embolism associated to deep vein thrombosis suggests the importance of early starting the anticoagulant therapy and placing caval filter.