Replacing 50% of vending stock with healthier snacks resulted in a decline in vending revenues. Future health programs in schools need to provide "real" healthy snacks, such as low-fat dairy products, fruits, and vegetables.

A review of the convulsive seizures of 153 alcoholics is followed by a proposed classification with the aim of defining more precisely the pattern of so-called alcoholic epilepsy and distinguishing it from the other alcohol-related seizures (due to sudden changes in alcohol intake: convulsive inebriation or alcohol withdrawal seizures) and seizures in which alcohol is only one of the pathogenetic factors. Particular attention is devoted to an analysis and comparison of alcohol withdrawal seizures and alcoholic epilepsy, which are a source of nosological confusion. The results of oral glucose tolerance tests suggest an etiopathogenesis for alcoholic epilepsy based on the carbohydrate metabolism.

Hereditary essential chin myoclonus (HECM) is a rare movement disorder characterised by involuntary and irregular twitches of the chin. It can be considered a benign, focal variant of hereditary essential myoclonus. We studied two families that had several members suffering from HECM. Both families showed an autosomal dominant transmission with incomplete penetrance. Extensive neurophysiological studies were carried out on three patients. The results confirmed the myoclonic nature of phenotypical appearance and allowed identification of the subcortical origin of the myoclonus. The neurophysiological mechanisms underlying HECM are still unknown. It is supposed that pontine reticular formation, not controlled by superior centers, may be responsible of an abnormal activation of motor neurons innervating mentalis muscle. We treated three patients with periodic injections of botulinum toxin; a complete disappearance of chin myoclonus improved their quality of life.

No abstract

Objective: To assess the physical activity and sedentary behaviors of a sample of Latino children in London, Ontario, Canada. Methods: Seventy-four Latino children (54.1% male; mean age = 11.4) completed self-report questionnaires related to physical activity and sedentary behaviors. A subset of children (n = 64) wore Actical (Mini Mitter, Respironics) accelerometers for a maximum of four days. Results: Latino children self-reported moderate levels of physical activity (i.e., mean score of 2.8 on 5-point scale). Accelerometer data revealed that children spent an average of 50.0 min in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA; 59.2 min on weekdays and 50.6 min on weekend days) and were sedentary for an average of 8.4 h (508.0 min) per day (533.5 min on weekdays and 497.7 min on weekend days). Children reported spending an average of 3.8 h (228 min) daily in front of screens—1.7 h (102 min) watching television, 1.2 h (72 min) on the computer, and 0.9 h (54 min) playing video games. Conclusions: This feasibility project provided a preliminary account of objectively measured daily physical activity and sedentary time among a sample of Latino children in Canada, as well as insight into the challenge of measuring these behaviors. Sedentary behavior reduction techniques should be explored and implemented in this young population, along with strategies to promote adherence to accelerometer protocols.