To quantitate reduced food intake during diarrhea and to assess possible means of promoting such intake, the 24-hr food and breast milk intakes of 41 children 6 to 35 months divided into three groups were measured. The energy and protein intake of 15 children hospitalized with acute watery diarrhea averaged 75 kcal/kg and 0.96 g/kg, respectively. The energy and protein consumption of another group of 15 children with diarrhea whose mothers received intensive education to promote food intake during hospitalization averaged 60.9 kcal/kg and 0.70 g/kg, respectively. These intake levels were significantly lower than 129.9 kcal/kg and 1.89 g/kg observed among healthy control children. These results suggest that child anorexia may be an important cause of reduced food intake during diarrhea. Anorexia was not overcome with intensive educational efforts. Breast milk was found to be important nutrient source with breast-fed children better protected against reduced intake during diarrhea.

Over the past two decades, researchers have increasingly used human biospecimens to evaluate hypotheses related to disease risk, outcomes and treatment. We conducted an analysis of population-science cancer research grants funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to gain a more comprehensive understanding of biospecimens and common derivatives involved in those studies and identify opportunities for advancing the field. Data available for 1,018 extramural, peer-reviewed grants (active as of July 2012) supported by the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS), the NCI Division that supports cancer control and population-science extramural research grants, were analyzed. 455 of the grants were determined to involve biospecimens or derivatives. The most common specimen types included were whole blood (51% of grants), serum or plasma (40%), tissue (39%), and the biospecimen derivative, DNA (66%). While use of biospecimens in molecular epidemiology has become common, biospecimens for behavioral and social research is emerging, as observed in our analysis. Additionally, we found the majority of grants were using already existing biospecimens (63%). Grants that involved use of existing biospecimens resulted in lower costs (studies that used existing serum/plasma biospecimens were 4.2 times less expensive) and more publications per year (1.4 times) than grants collecting new biospecimens. This analysis serves as a first step at understanding the types of biospecimen collections supported by NCI DCCPS. There is room to encourage increased use of archived biospecimens and new collections of rarer specimen and cancer types, as well as for behavioral and social research. To facilitate these efforts, we are working to better catalogue our funded resources and make that data available to the extramural community.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune inflammatory disorder that affects more than 900,000 Americans. Patient presentations vary widely; therefore, symptom recognition and an understanding of diagnostic criteria are critical in providing timely patient referrals. This article describes recognition and diagnosis of MS using the updated 2017 criteria, and offers an overview of epidemiology, prognosis, and treatment strategies.

There was a fall in the birthrate in England and Wales from 1964 until 1977 from 875,972 to 569,259 per annum. This short paper draws attention to the implications for the provision of orthodontic treatment and suggests that, since fewer patients are likely to present for treatment, an opportunity exists to improve the standard of care provided.

No abstract