School lunch menus in Spain. A review on recommendations and policy.

INTRODUCTION: An appropriate diet in childhood is essential for suitable growth and development, but it is also essential for preventing the development of non-communicable diseases in later stages. The School stage is fundamental. A significant proportion of students in Spain make use of the school lunch. We review the current situation in Spain, as well as public policy on school lunch and a nationwide review of specific legislation on each Autonomous Community. MATERIAL AND METHODS: National public policy and specific considerations in every Autonomous Community were reviewed. Only considerations on the composition of the school menu were considered. RESULTS: There are relatively recent state regulations but on school lunch menus also specific to each Autonomous Community. In general, and within a certain heterogeneity, they refer to the distribution of the diet and foods to be restricted. They usually provide guidelines, examples of daily menus, and graphic representations. Regarding school menus, there is a trend towards improvement in nutritional adequacy, but there is still room to improve. There are certain aspects related to the best solutions yet to be elucidated: management model, type of supervision, sustainability and local consumption, as well as school lunch schedules. CONCLUSIONS: The nutritional contributions made in the school canteens are qualitatively and quantitatively important. In addition, it must fulfill educational and social equity functions. Although these concerns address specific recommendation in every Autonomous Community, there is huge heterogeneity on practical implementations.

Tratamiento Homeopático de la Verruga Plantar. Caso Clínico Tratado en una Farmacia Comunitaria / Homeopathic Wart Treatment Plant. Clinical Case Treated in a Community Pharmacy

Las verrugas plantares son un tipo de infección causadas por el virus del papiloma humano (VPH). En muchos de los casos son muy dolorosas y difíciles de tratar; aunque generalmente desaparecen con tratamiento en unos meses, en otros casos persisten durante años. Se presenta el caso de un varón de 13 años que acudió a la oficina de farmacia tras el fracaso de un prolongado tratamiento convencional para una verruga plantar en el talón. Existen antecedentes documentados y experiencias favorables en el tratamiento homeopático de las verrugas plantares y de su utilización en farmacia. Se le pautaron Thuja occidentalis 15CH (10 gránulos semanalmente), Dulcamara 9CH (5-0-5), Antimonium crudum 15CH (5-0-5) y Nitricum acidum 15CH (5-0-5) durante 1 mes. Se observó una mejoría clínica importante al cabo de sólo 1 mes exclusivamente con tratamiento homeopático, que puede suponer una posibilidad de tratamiento eficaz para las verrugas plantares, incluso tras el fracaso de otras intervenciones convencionales.(AU)

Plantar warts are a type of infection caused by the human papillomavirus. In many cases they are very painful and difficult to treat, they usually disappear in a few months with the treatment but in several cases they will persist for years. The case of a 13 years old male is presented, who came to the pharmacy after a long and unsuccessful conventional treatment of a plantar wart on the heel of the left foot. The plantar warts have been successfully treated by homeopathic medicines in the bibliography and according to our own experience. The chosen medicines were Thuja occidentalis 15CH (10 granules weekly), Dulcamara 9CH 5 (5-0-5), Antimonium crudum 15CH (5-0-5) and Nitricum acidum 15CH (5-0-5). An important improvement was observed after 1 month of treatment. The homeopathic treatment can be an effective treatment option for plantar warts, including those where other conventional interventions have not succeeded. (AU)

Complex anatomy making it difficult for left atrial appendage closure.

Left atrial appendage closure is a useful technique for patients at high thromboembolic risk and contraindications for oral anticoagulation therapy. However, it can be challenging when anatomical difficulties are encountered. We present a unique case of atypical appendage uptake and how we completed the procedure.

Impact of parental smoking on childhood asthma.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) of the childhood population in this community and its relationship with asthma symptoms. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire on children and adolescents in this community. The symptoms "wheezing ever", "current asthma", "severe asthma", and "exercise-induced asthma" were defined by this questionnaire. Parental smoking was classified into four mutually exclusive categories: 1) no parent smokes; 2) only the mother smokes; 3) only the father smokes; and 4) both parents smoke. The odds ratio of the prevalence of asthma symptoms according to ETS exposure was calculated using logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 10,314 children and 10,453 adolescents were included. Over 51% of the children and adolescents were exposed to ETS at home. ETS is associated with a higher prevalence of asthma symptoms, particularly if the mother or both parents smoke. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of ETS is still high in this community, although there has been a decreasing tendency in the last 15 years. ETS is associated with higher prevalence of asthma.