This paper presents an updated and revised summary of the 'core data set' that has been p... more This paper presents an updated and revised summary of the 'core data set' that has been proposed to be recorded and reported in all clinical trials on infant nutrition by the recently formed Consensus Group on Outcome Measures Made in Paediatric Enteral Nutrition Clinical Trials (COMMENT). This core data set was developed based on a previous proposal by the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) Committee on Nutrition in 2003. It comprises confidential data to identify subjects and facilitate contact for further follow-up, data to characterize the cohort studied and data on withdrawals from the study, and some additional core data for all nutrition studies on preterm infants. We recommend that all studies on nutrition in infancy should collect and report this core data set to facilitate interpretation and comparison of results from clinical studies, and of systematic data evaluation and meta-analyses. Editors of journals publishi...
Core outcome sets are the baseline for what should be measured in clinical research and, thus, sh... more Core outcome sets are the baseline for what should be measured in clinical research and, thus, should serve as a guide for what should be collected and reported. The Consensus Group on Outcome Measures Made in Pediatric Enteral Nutrition Clinical Trials, established in 2012, agreed that consensus on a core set of outcomes with agreed-upon definitions that should be measured and reported in clinical trials was needed. To achieve this goal, six working groups (WGs) were setup, including WG on acute diarrhoea, whose main goal was to develop a core outcome set for trials in acute diarrhoea. The first step identified how published outcomes related to acute diarrhoea were reported. The second focused on the methodology for determining which outcomes to measure in clinical trials. The third employed a two-phase questionnaire study using the Delphi technique to define clinically important outcomes to clinicians and parents. For therapeutic studies, the five most important outcome measures w...
Human milk contains a substantial number of hormones and growth factors. Studies in animal models... more Human milk contains a substantial number of hormones and growth factors. Studies in animal models show that some of these peptides (e.g. insulin, insulin-like growth factor 1, IGF-1, epidermal growth factors) have an effect on the small intestine after orogastric administration. Recently, two efforts were made to incorporate growth factors into infant formulas. One of these efforts included the incorporation of IGF-1, and the second is an ongoing effort to evaluate the safety and efficacy of incorporating insulin into infant formulas. The rational and current evidence for adding insulin to infant formulas (presence in human milk, effects of orally administrated insulin on gut maturation, intestinal permeability, systemic effects and preliminary encouraging results of supplementing insulin to a preterm infant formula) is detailed in this review. If the addition of insulin to preterm infant formulas indeed results in better growth and accelerated intestinal maturation, future studies ...
World journal of gastroenterology : WJG, Jan 14, 2008
Wireless capsule endoscope (WCE) for the investigation of the small bowel is an approved techniqu... more Wireless capsule endoscope (WCE) for the investigation of the small bowel is an approved technique both in adults and children (more than 10 years old). The present review provides data on the indications, diagnostic yield, adverse events and limitations of the WCE technique in children and tries to predict the future of WCE usage in this population of patients.
Medical decision making : an international journal of the Society for Medical Decision Making
Celiac disease (CD) is common and, when undiagnosed, may result in increased mortality, suggestin... more Celiac disease (CD) is common and, when undiagnosed, may result in increased mortality, suggesting that mass screening could be justified. The authors examined the cost-effectiveness (CE) of such an approach, assuming a higher mortality rate in undiagnosed CD and that adhering to a gluten-free diet (GFD) reduces the mortality rate. The authors developed a state transition Markov model, evaluating the CE of screening an entire population at the age of 18. Screening strategies included no screening v. screening by IgA antiendomysial antibodies (EMA), IgA human antitissue transglutaminase antibodies (TTG), and TTG verified by EMA. All strategies were examined with and without evaluation for IgA deficiency, and they all included an intestinal biopsy. Effects of variables were examined using sensitivity analysis. Effectiveness was assessed by life expectancy for each strategy and the incremental average CE ratio for each. Base-case analysis revealed US$49,491 and US$572,616 per life year...
Objectives. Life-threatening arrhythmias and prolonged QT interval have been reported in adults a... more Objectives. Life-threatening arrhythmias and prolonged QT interval have been reported in adults and children using cisapride, a medication structurally similar to procainamide. Premature infants have reduced activity of cytochrome p-450, the system responsible for metabolism of cisapride, which could lead to QT prolon- gation. Therefore, we prospectively studied premature infants and children receiving cisapride to analyze the effect of prolonged
Recent studies suggest that celiac disease was previously underdiagnosed. To find out whether ant... more Recent studies suggest that celiac disease was previously underdiagnosed. To find out whether antiendomysial antibodies underestimate the prevalence of celiac disease, we elected to use a strategy combining multiple serological markers to explore the prevalence of celiac disease in Israel and the usefulness of the various antibodies in screening for celiac disease. Serum samples from 1571 healthy blood donors were tested. A small intestinal biopsy was offered to all patients who tested positive for either human tissue transglutaminase antibodies, an ELISA kit based on antiendomysium (EMA-ELISA), immunoglobulin A antigliadin verified by antiendomysial immunofluorescence antibodies, and to patients who were IgA deficient with elevated antigliadin IgG. A total of 59 subjects (3.8% of study population) were offered an intestinal biopsy based on serological findings, and 30 of 59 patients agreed to undergo intestinal biopsy (1.9% of study population). Celiac disease was diagnosed in 10 p...
To determine the effect of nutritional supplementation on height, weight, and body mass index (BM... more To determine the effect of nutritional supplementation on height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) in short and lean prepubertal children. A prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of nutritional supplementation at the endocrinology department of a tertiary pediatric medical center of healthy, lean, short, prepubertal children 3-9-years-old. Anthropometry measurements were measured at 6 months. Two hundred participants (149 boys) entered the study and 171 (85.5%) completed the intervention period. Baseline characteristics including age, sex, height-SDS, weight-SDS, BMI-SDS, and dietary caloric and protein intakes were similar in the formula and placebo groups. 'Good' consumers (intake of ≥50% of the recommended dose) in the formula group significantly improved height-SDS (P < .001) and weight-SDS (P = .005) with no change in BMI-SDS compared with 'poor' consumers and the placebo group. In the formula-treated group a positive correlation ...
Follow-up of celiac disease (CD) patients is recommended for gluten-free diet (GFD) adherence mon... more Follow-up of celiac disease (CD) patients is recommended for gluten-free diet (GFD) adherence monitoring and complication detection. We recently showed that 35% of children with CD were lost to follow-up (LTFU). We aimed to characterize LTFU population, and thus identify compliance barriers to GFD and follow-up. 50 LTFU patients were investigated using a telephone questionnaire, regarding frequency of follow-up, serology testing, and adherence to GFD (using the validated Biagi score). Fifty two regular follow-up patients served as controls. LTFU patients had poor adherence to GFD (average Biagi score of 2.0 ± 1.4) compared to controls (3.0 ± 1.0, p &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.001). Only 22% of LTFU performed periodic celiac serology testing compared to 82% of controls (p &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.001). LTFU had higher prevalence of positive celiac serology tests (50% compared to 25% of controls, p = 0.01). Fewer LTFU were National Celiac Association members (24%) compared with controls (44%, p = 0.05). Regression analysis showed positive relationships between LTFU and poor adherence to GFD (R(2) = 0.26737, p = 0.001), older age at diagnosis (R(2) = 0.30046, p = 0.03), and non-membership in a celiac association (R(2) = 0.18591, p = 0.0001). LTFU is associated with non-adherence to GFD and positive serology. Risk factors for LFTU should be identified and addressed in order to improve patient care.
Celiac disease (CD) is an immune-mediated disorder induced by the ingestion of gluten in genetica... more Celiac disease (CD) is an immune-mediated disorder induced by the ingestion of gluten in genetically susceptible individuals. The enzyme tissue transglutaminase (protein-glutamine gamma-glutamyltransferase 2; tTG) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of the disease and antibodies against tTG are used as serological markers for the diagnosis of CD. Discovery of tTG as the autoantigen for endomysial antibodies changed the diagnostic approach to patients with suspected CD and, importantly, made screening for CD more accurate and easier to perform. Studies in pediatric populations confirmed the high sensitivity and specificity of immunoglobulin A (IgA) tTG antibodies in the diagnosis of CD. The aim of this review is to summarize the data on the role of tTG in the pathogenesis of CD and to present current evidence on the accuracy of IgA tTG, IgG tTG and IgA tTG point-of-care tests in the diagnosis of CD in children. This review shows why IgA tTG antibodies replaced endomysial antibodies as the preferred serological marker due to the ease of their use, their high sensitivity and specificity, and the high correlation between high titers and intestinal mucosal lesions.
Due to the association of coeliac disease and HLA-specificities DQ2 and DQ8, HLA-typing can be us... more Due to the association of coeliac disease and HLA-specificities DQ2 and DQ8, HLA-typing can be used for risk determination of the disease. This study was designed to evaluate the knowledge of parents from coeliac families regarding HLA-typing and the impact of HLA-typing on the perception of the health of their children. A structured questionnaire was sent to the Dutch, Spanish and German parents participating with their child in the European PreventCD study on disease prevention in high-risk families, addressing parents' understanding of and attitude towards HLA-typing, distress related to HLA-typing and perceived health and health-related quality of life of their children. Sixty-eight percent of parents of 515 children returned the questionnaires, with 85% of children being DQ2/DQ8 positive. The majority of all parents answered the questions on knowledge correctly. Forty-eight percent of parents of DQ2/DQ8-negative children thought their child could develop coeliac disease. Mo...
Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland), Jan 15, 2014
Non-Organic Feeding Disorders (NOFEDs) are frequently encountered in children younger than 6 year... more Non-Organic Feeding Disorders (NOFEDs) are frequently encountered in children younger than 6 years old. NOFED are characterized by feeding aversion, failure to advance to age-appropriate foods, food selectivity and negative mealtime behaviors. Parents of children with feeding disorders often use abnormal feeding behaviors, such as intrusive feeding. Persistent inadequate caloric intake leads to non-organic failure to thrive in up to 40-50% of cases. Managing children with NOFED is a challenge for even the most experienced pediatric specialists. Management by a multidisciplinary team, as outpatient or inpatient should address both nutritional support and feeding behavior modification. Even in the absence of failure to thrive, children with behavioral feeding problems are at risk of negative health, social and emotional outcomes, including nutrient deficiencies, social and family disruption or conflict. The aims of the current review are to present an update of the definition, classif...
Despite advances in the treatment and prevention of influenza, it is still considered an importan... more Despite advances in the treatment and prevention of influenza, it is still considered an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Annual vaccination is the safest and most effective mean of prevention. Our study aims were to explore the uptake of influenza vaccination among children with gastrointestinal disorders, and to characterize non-adherent patients. The present cross-sectional study included parents of pediatric patients attending the Gastroenterology Institute at Schneider Children&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s Medical Center of Israel between September and October 2011. Parents were asked to complete a questionnaire concerning demographic and clinical parameters, influenza vaccination of the child, and reasons for not vaccinating the child, when appropriate. The study population included 273 patients (50% female), with a median age of 10 years (range, 2-18 years). Overall, the rate of seasonal influenza vaccination was 30.8%. Higher rates were found among immunosuppressed patients (46.1%), and in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (50%). There was no significant effect of patient age, gender, ethnic origin or parental level of education on the vaccination rate. Vaccination rates were significantly associated with parents&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39; information and knowledge of, as well as their personal beliefs regarding the vaccine (P&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;0.001). Influenza vaccination rates are relatively low in the pediatric population attending gastroenterology clinics, in both high- and low-risk groups. The importance of parental knowledge in compliance with influenza vaccination of children should prompt general pediatricians and gastroenterologists to discuss and address the common misconceptions regarding the vaccine.
A window of opportunity has been suggested for reducing the risk of celiac disease by introducing... more A window of opportunity has been suggested for reducing the risk of celiac disease by introducing gluten to infants at 4 to 6 months of age. We performed a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled dietary-intervention study involving 944 children who were positive for HLA-DQ2 or HLA-DQ8 and had at least one first-degree relative with celiac disease. From 16 to 24 weeks of age, 475 participants received 100 mg of immunologically active gluten daily, and 469 received placebo. Anti-transglutaminase type 2 and antigliadin antibodies were periodically measured. The primary outcome was the frequency of biopsy-confirmed celiac disease at 3 years of age. Celiac disease was confirmed by means of biopsies in 77 children. To avoid underestimation of the frequency of celiac disease, 3 additional children who received a diagnosis of celiac disease according to the 2012 European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition diagnostic criteria (without having undergone biopsies) were included in the analyses (80 children; median age, 2.8 years; 59% were girls). The cumulative incidence of celiac disease among patients 3 years of age was 5.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.6 to 6.8), with similar rates in the gluten group and the placebo group (5.9% [95% CI, 3.7 to 8.1] and 4.5% [95% CI, 2.5 to 6.5], respectively; hazard ratio in the gluten group, 1.23; 95% CI, 0.79 to 1.91). Rates of elevated levels of anti-transglutaminase type 2 and antigliadin antibodies were also similar in the two study groups (7.0% [95% CI, 4.7 to 9.4] in the gluten group and 5.7% [95% CI, 3.5 to 7.9] in the placebo group; hazard ratio, 1.14; 95% CI, 0.76 to 1.73). Breast-feeding, regardless of whether it was exclusive or whether it was ongoing during gluten introduction, did not significantly influence the development of celiac disease or the effect of the intervention. As compared with placebo, the introduction of small quantities of gluten at 16 to 24 weeks of age did not reduce the risk of celiac disease by 3 years of age in this group of high-risk children. (Funded by the European Commission and others; PreventCD Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN74582487.).
This paper presents an updated and revised summary of the 'core data set' that has been p... more This paper presents an updated and revised summary of the 'core data set' that has been proposed to be recorded and reported in all clinical trials on infant nutrition by the recently formed Consensus Group on Outcome Measures Made in Paediatric Enteral Nutrition Clinical Trials (COMMENT). This core data set was developed based on a previous proposal by the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) Committee on Nutrition in 2003. It comprises confidential data to identify subjects and facilitate contact for further follow-up, data to characterize the cohort studied and data on withdrawals from the study, and some additional core data for all nutrition studies on preterm infants. We recommend that all studies on nutrition in infancy should collect and report this core data set to facilitate interpretation and comparison of results from clinical studies, and of systematic data evaluation and meta-analyses. Editors of journals publishi...
Core outcome sets are the baseline for what should be measured in clinical research and, thus, sh... more Core outcome sets are the baseline for what should be measured in clinical research and, thus, should serve as a guide for what should be collected and reported. The Consensus Group on Outcome Measures Made in Pediatric Enteral Nutrition Clinical Trials, established in 2012, agreed that consensus on a core set of outcomes with agreed-upon definitions that should be measured and reported in clinical trials was needed. To achieve this goal, six working groups (WGs) were setup, including WG on acute diarrhoea, whose main goal was to develop a core outcome set for trials in acute diarrhoea. The first step identified how published outcomes related to acute diarrhoea were reported. The second focused on the methodology for determining which outcomes to measure in clinical trials. The third employed a two-phase questionnaire study using the Delphi technique to define clinically important outcomes to clinicians and parents. For therapeutic studies, the five most important outcome measures w...
Human milk contains a substantial number of hormones and growth factors. Studies in animal models... more Human milk contains a substantial number of hormones and growth factors. Studies in animal models show that some of these peptides (e.g. insulin, insulin-like growth factor 1, IGF-1, epidermal growth factors) have an effect on the small intestine after orogastric administration. Recently, two efforts were made to incorporate growth factors into infant formulas. One of these efforts included the incorporation of IGF-1, and the second is an ongoing effort to evaluate the safety and efficacy of incorporating insulin into infant formulas. The rational and current evidence for adding insulin to infant formulas (presence in human milk, effects of orally administrated insulin on gut maturation, intestinal permeability, systemic effects and preliminary encouraging results of supplementing insulin to a preterm infant formula) is detailed in this review. If the addition of insulin to preterm infant formulas indeed results in better growth and accelerated intestinal maturation, future studies ...
World journal of gastroenterology : WJG, Jan 14, 2008
Wireless capsule endoscope (WCE) for the investigation of the small bowel is an approved techniqu... more Wireless capsule endoscope (WCE) for the investigation of the small bowel is an approved technique both in adults and children (more than 10 years old). The present review provides data on the indications, diagnostic yield, adverse events and limitations of the WCE technique in children and tries to predict the future of WCE usage in this population of patients.
Medical decision making : an international journal of the Society for Medical Decision Making
Celiac disease (CD) is common and, when undiagnosed, may result in increased mortality, suggestin... more Celiac disease (CD) is common and, when undiagnosed, may result in increased mortality, suggesting that mass screening could be justified. The authors examined the cost-effectiveness (CE) of such an approach, assuming a higher mortality rate in undiagnosed CD and that adhering to a gluten-free diet (GFD) reduces the mortality rate. The authors developed a state transition Markov model, evaluating the CE of screening an entire population at the age of 18. Screening strategies included no screening v. screening by IgA antiendomysial antibodies (EMA), IgA human antitissue transglutaminase antibodies (TTG), and TTG verified by EMA. All strategies were examined with and without evaluation for IgA deficiency, and they all included an intestinal biopsy. Effects of variables were examined using sensitivity analysis. Effectiveness was assessed by life expectancy for each strategy and the incremental average CE ratio for each. Base-case analysis revealed US$49,491 and US$572,616 per life year...
Objectives. Life-threatening arrhythmias and prolonged QT interval have been reported in adults a... more Objectives. Life-threatening arrhythmias and prolonged QT interval have been reported in adults and children using cisapride, a medication structurally similar to procainamide. Premature infants have reduced activity of cytochrome p-450, the system responsible for metabolism of cisapride, which could lead to QT prolon- gation. Therefore, we prospectively studied premature infants and children receiving cisapride to analyze the effect of prolonged
Recent studies suggest that celiac disease was previously underdiagnosed. To find out whether ant... more Recent studies suggest that celiac disease was previously underdiagnosed. To find out whether antiendomysial antibodies underestimate the prevalence of celiac disease, we elected to use a strategy combining multiple serological markers to explore the prevalence of celiac disease in Israel and the usefulness of the various antibodies in screening for celiac disease. Serum samples from 1571 healthy blood donors were tested. A small intestinal biopsy was offered to all patients who tested positive for either human tissue transglutaminase antibodies, an ELISA kit based on antiendomysium (EMA-ELISA), immunoglobulin A antigliadin verified by antiendomysial immunofluorescence antibodies, and to patients who were IgA deficient with elevated antigliadin IgG. A total of 59 subjects (3.8% of study population) were offered an intestinal biopsy based on serological findings, and 30 of 59 patients agreed to undergo intestinal biopsy (1.9% of study population). Celiac disease was diagnosed in 10 p...
To determine the effect of nutritional supplementation on height, weight, and body mass index (BM... more To determine the effect of nutritional supplementation on height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) in short and lean prepubertal children. A prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of nutritional supplementation at the endocrinology department of a tertiary pediatric medical center of healthy, lean, short, prepubertal children 3-9-years-old. Anthropometry measurements were measured at 6 months. Two hundred participants (149 boys) entered the study and 171 (85.5%) completed the intervention period. Baseline characteristics including age, sex, height-SDS, weight-SDS, BMI-SDS, and dietary caloric and protein intakes were similar in the formula and placebo groups. 'Good' consumers (intake of ≥50% of the recommended dose) in the formula group significantly improved height-SDS (P < .001) and weight-SDS (P = .005) with no change in BMI-SDS compared with 'poor' consumers and the placebo group. In the formula-treated group a positive correlation ...
Follow-up of celiac disease (CD) patients is recommended for gluten-free diet (GFD) adherence mon... more Follow-up of celiac disease (CD) patients is recommended for gluten-free diet (GFD) adherence monitoring and complication detection. We recently showed that 35% of children with CD were lost to follow-up (LTFU). We aimed to characterize LTFU population, and thus identify compliance barriers to GFD and follow-up. 50 LTFU patients were investigated using a telephone questionnaire, regarding frequency of follow-up, serology testing, and adherence to GFD (using the validated Biagi score). Fifty two regular follow-up patients served as controls. LTFU patients had poor adherence to GFD (average Biagi score of 2.0 ± 1.4) compared to controls (3.0 ± 1.0, p &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.001). Only 22% of LTFU performed periodic celiac serology testing compared to 82% of controls (p &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.001). LTFU had higher prevalence of positive celiac serology tests (50% compared to 25% of controls, p = 0.01). Fewer LTFU were National Celiac Association members (24%) compared with controls (44%, p = 0.05). Regression analysis showed positive relationships between LTFU and poor adherence to GFD (R(2) = 0.26737, p = 0.001), older age at diagnosis (R(2) = 0.30046, p = 0.03), and non-membership in a celiac association (R(2) = 0.18591, p = 0.0001). LTFU is associated with non-adherence to GFD and positive serology. Risk factors for LFTU should be identified and addressed in order to improve patient care.
Celiac disease (CD) is an immune-mediated disorder induced by the ingestion of gluten in genetica... more Celiac disease (CD) is an immune-mediated disorder induced by the ingestion of gluten in genetically susceptible individuals. The enzyme tissue transglutaminase (protein-glutamine gamma-glutamyltransferase 2; tTG) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of the disease and antibodies against tTG are used as serological markers for the diagnosis of CD. Discovery of tTG as the autoantigen for endomysial antibodies changed the diagnostic approach to patients with suspected CD and, importantly, made screening for CD more accurate and easier to perform. Studies in pediatric populations confirmed the high sensitivity and specificity of immunoglobulin A (IgA) tTG antibodies in the diagnosis of CD. The aim of this review is to summarize the data on the role of tTG in the pathogenesis of CD and to present current evidence on the accuracy of IgA tTG, IgG tTG and IgA tTG point-of-care tests in the diagnosis of CD in children. This review shows why IgA tTG antibodies replaced endomysial antibodies as the preferred serological marker due to the ease of their use, their high sensitivity and specificity, and the high correlation between high titers and intestinal mucosal lesions.
Due to the association of coeliac disease and HLA-specificities DQ2 and DQ8, HLA-typing can be us... more Due to the association of coeliac disease and HLA-specificities DQ2 and DQ8, HLA-typing can be used for risk determination of the disease. This study was designed to evaluate the knowledge of parents from coeliac families regarding HLA-typing and the impact of HLA-typing on the perception of the health of their children. A structured questionnaire was sent to the Dutch, Spanish and German parents participating with their child in the European PreventCD study on disease prevention in high-risk families, addressing parents' understanding of and attitude towards HLA-typing, distress related to HLA-typing and perceived health and health-related quality of life of their children. Sixty-eight percent of parents of 515 children returned the questionnaires, with 85% of children being DQ2/DQ8 positive. The majority of all parents answered the questions on knowledge correctly. Forty-eight percent of parents of DQ2/DQ8-negative children thought their child could develop coeliac disease. Mo...
Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland), Jan 15, 2014
Non-Organic Feeding Disorders (NOFEDs) are frequently encountered in children younger than 6 year... more Non-Organic Feeding Disorders (NOFEDs) are frequently encountered in children younger than 6 years old. NOFED are characterized by feeding aversion, failure to advance to age-appropriate foods, food selectivity and negative mealtime behaviors. Parents of children with feeding disorders often use abnormal feeding behaviors, such as intrusive feeding. Persistent inadequate caloric intake leads to non-organic failure to thrive in up to 40-50% of cases. Managing children with NOFED is a challenge for even the most experienced pediatric specialists. Management by a multidisciplinary team, as outpatient or inpatient should address both nutritional support and feeding behavior modification. Even in the absence of failure to thrive, children with behavioral feeding problems are at risk of negative health, social and emotional outcomes, including nutrient deficiencies, social and family disruption or conflict. The aims of the current review are to present an update of the definition, classif...
Despite advances in the treatment and prevention of influenza, it is still considered an importan... more Despite advances in the treatment and prevention of influenza, it is still considered an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Annual vaccination is the safest and most effective mean of prevention. Our study aims were to explore the uptake of influenza vaccination among children with gastrointestinal disorders, and to characterize non-adherent patients. The present cross-sectional study included parents of pediatric patients attending the Gastroenterology Institute at Schneider Children&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s Medical Center of Israel between September and October 2011. Parents were asked to complete a questionnaire concerning demographic and clinical parameters, influenza vaccination of the child, and reasons for not vaccinating the child, when appropriate. The study population included 273 patients (50% female), with a median age of 10 years (range, 2-18 years). Overall, the rate of seasonal influenza vaccination was 30.8%. Higher rates were found among immunosuppressed patients (46.1%), and in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (50%). There was no significant effect of patient age, gender, ethnic origin or parental level of education on the vaccination rate. Vaccination rates were significantly associated with parents&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39; information and knowledge of, as well as their personal beliefs regarding the vaccine (P&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;0.001). Influenza vaccination rates are relatively low in the pediatric population attending gastroenterology clinics, in both high- and low-risk groups. The importance of parental knowledge in compliance with influenza vaccination of children should prompt general pediatricians and gastroenterologists to discuss and address the common misconceptions regarding the vaccine.
A window of opportunity has been suggested for reducing the risk of celiac disease by introducing... more A window of opportunity has been suggested for reducing the risk of celiac disease by introducing gluten to infants at 4 to 6 months of age. We performed a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled dietary-intervention study involving 944 children who were positive for HLA-DQ2 or HLA-DQ8 and had at least one first-degree relative with celiac disease. From 16 to 24 weeks of age, 475 participants received 100 mg of immunologically active gluten daily, and 469 received placebo. Anti-transglutaminase type 2 and antigliadin antibodies were periodically measured. The primary outcome was the frequency of biopsy-confirmed celiac disease at 3 years of age. Celiac disease was confirmed by means of biopsies in 77 children. To avoid underestimation of the frequency of celiac disease, 3 additional children who received a diagnosis of celiac disease according to the 2012 European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition diagnostic criteria (without having undergone biopsies) were included in the analyses (80 children; median age, 2.8 years; 59% were girls). The cumulative incidence of celiac disease among patients 3 years of age was 5.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.6 to 6.8), with similar rates in the gluten group and the placebo group (5.9% [95% CI, 3.7 to 8.1] and 4.5% [95% CI, 2.5 to 6.5], respectively; hazard ratio in the gluten group, 1.23; 95% CI, 0.79 to 1.91). Rates of elevated levels of anti-transglutaminase type 2 and antigliadin antibodies were also similar in the two study groups (7.0% [95% CI, 4.7 to 9.4] in the gluten group and 5.7% [95% CI, 3.5 to 7.9] in the placebo group; hazard ratio, 1.14; 95% CI, 0.76 to 1.73). Breast-feeding, regardless of whether it was exclusive or whether it was ongoing during gluten introduction, did not significantly influence the development of celiac disease or the effect of the intervention. As compared with placebo, the introduction of small quantities of gluten at 16 to 24 weeks of age did not reduce the risk of celiac disease by 3 years of age in this group of high-risk children. (Funded by the European Commission and others; PreventCD Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN74582487.).
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Papers by Raanan Shamir