Showing papers by "Luca Ronfani published in 2008"

Specific oral tolerance induction in children with very severe cow's milk–induced reactions

Abstract: Background Some children allergic to cow's milk proteins (CMPs) experience exceptionally severe reactions after ingesting only trace amounts of antigen. Avoiding the food and carrying self-injectable epinephrine are the current strategies for their management. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of specific oral tolerance induction (SOTI) for children with severe CMP-induced systemic reactions. Methods Ninety-seven children aged 5 years or older with a history of severe allergic reactions and very high CMP-specific IgE levels were selected for a double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge. Sixty had positive test results to very small amounts of milk and were randomly divided in 2 different groups. Thirty children (group A) immediately began SOTI, whereas the remaining 30 (group B) were kept on a milk-free diet and followed for 1 year. Results After 1 year, 11 (36%) of 30 children in group A had become completely tolerant, 16 (54%) could take limited amounts of milk (5-150 mL), and 3 (10%) were not able to complete the protocol because of persistent respiratory or abdominal complaints. In group B the result of the double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge performed after a year was positive in all 30 cases (P Conclusions In this study SOTI was effective in a significant percentage of cases.

La posizione nel sonno: Confronto 2002-2005 nella regione Emilia-Romagna

Abstract: Per corrispondenza: Chiara Cuoghi e-mail: c.cuoghi@ausl.fe.it Abstract Sleeping position: a comparison between 2002/2005 in Emilia-Romagna region Objective During the three-yearly survey on breastfeeding prevalence in Emilia-Romagna region, data were collected to investigate the sleeping position of infants living in the region. Methods This is a prevalence study. A questionnaire on feeding practices and sleeping position was administered to the mothers of the infants visiting the vaccination centres of Emilia-Romagna region for the first and second round of immunisation sessions (at three and five months of age). Results In total 6290 and 6037 questionnaires were collected respectively in the year 2002 and 2005. In the year 2002 half of the babies were placed in supine position during hospital stay after delivery (52.5%) and at home (52.6%), with significant differences between administrative areas (AUSL). A substantial improvement occurred in the year 2005 in all the different administrative areas (regional rate of supine position-average-: 72.7% in hospital, 64% at home); differences between administrative areas persist. As results from the multivariate analysis, relevant protective factors for being placed in supine position at home are: being placed in supine position in hospital, having received specific information on sleeping position, having participated to antenatal classes, living in specific administrative areas. In 2005 being born from a non Italian mother results to be a protective factor. In both the surveys non Italian mothers receive less information and participate to antenatal classes less frequently than Italian mothers. Conclusions Even though no structured interventions for SIDS prevention have been implemented in Emilia-Romagna region before the survey conducted in the 2005, the simple collection of the data regarding the sleeping position conducted in 2002 can have increased the awareness of health professionals on the importance of the supine position as a mean to prevent SIDS. The practice on sleeping position adopted in hospitals results to be the main determinant of the practices adopted subsequently at home. Some critical aspects persist: the variation between administrative areas; the barriers to reaching immigrants people. Quaderni acp 2008; 15(3): 99-105