A study of The Prudent Diet in early infancy was undertaken in a test group of 80 infants as an attempt to prevent overweight in a private practice setting. This group was compared with another group of 50 infants born in 1964 who were fed the standard infant diet then in use. Although an incidence of 34.1% overweight was present in the comparison group as compared with 25% in the diet group at age 3 months, by age 3 years the comparison still showed a 25.5% prevalence of overweight as compared with the study group with a significantly lower incidence of only 1.28%. These results require confirmation from other investigators, as well as long-term follow-up observation of patients before one could consider recommending such a diet for widespread use.

A case of severe rheumatic mitral insufficiency in a 12-year-old boy invalided by chronic congestive heart failure and atrial fibrillation who was strikingly improved by mitral annuloplasty is described. The clinical course and cardiac catheterization findings before and after operation are outlined. Indications for surgical relief of mitral insufficiency in the pediatric patient have been suggested. The problem of optimum timing of surgery after subsidence of acute rheumatic carditis is unsolved. Each case must be carefully evaluated. The case presented was less than two years from overt rheumatic activity at the time of surgery. We hope this case stimulates surgical consideration for the child with severe rheumatic mitral insufficiency since earlier operation in appropriate instances may prevent the onset of atrial fibrillation and progressively diminishing myocardial reserve.

No abstract