Objectives: To review the history of pacifiers and to compile a multidisciplinary literature review, searching for pros and cons with the purpose of providing health professionals with arguments when parents request guidance. Sources:History and art books, as well as non-medical literature and museums were used in the historical survey. Multidisciplinary data were collected from MEDLINE, LILACS, SciELO, and The Cochrane Library. Search criteria were: the keyword "pacifiers" present in articles published in the last 5 years that included abstract and were written in Portuguese, English, or Spanish. Summary of the findings:There is evidence that their precursors have been used since the Neolithic Period to calm down children. Small balls made of fabric containing food were portrayed in paintings. Other balls made of non-perishable material persisted throughout time. Pacifiers have been used to stimulate sucking or to coordinate this reflex, promoting an earlier beginning of the oral feeding of newborns. Some authors suggest that pacifiers reduce the incidence of the sudden death syndrome, but the topic is controversial. Pacifiers prevent the establishment of breastfeeding and lead to weaning. Their use may cause suffocation, poisoning, or allergies and increases the risk of caries, infections, and intestinal parasitic diseases. Harmful effects are related to frequency, duration, and intensity of the habit. It should be discontinued by the age of 3 or 4 in order not to affect speech and dentition. Conclusions:There are more harmful effects than benefits. It is advisable that health professionals inform parents of the pros and cons of pacifiers so that they can make a conscious decision regarding its use.J Pediatr (Rio J). 2009;85(6):480-489: Pacifier, sucking behavior. ResumoObjetivos: Resgatar a história da chupeta e fazer um levantamento multidisciplinar da literatura, buscando prós e contras, com o propósito de oferecer aos profissionais da saúde subsídios para orientarem os pais. Fontes dos dados:O levantamento histórico foi realizado em livros de história, arte, literatura secular, museus, e a busca de dados, em livros e nas bases MEDLINE, LILACS, SciELO e Biblioteca Cochrane. Os limites para busca foram: pacifiers, últimos 5 anos, com resumo, texto em português, inglês ou espanhol. Síntese dos dados:Existem evidências de que os precursores da chupeta foram empregados desde o período neolítico para acalmar as crianças. Bolinhas de pano que continham alimentos ficaram imortalizadas em telas. Outras, feitas de materiais não perecíveis, resistiram ao tempo. A chupeta tem sido utilizada para estimular a sucção ou para coordenar esse reflexo, antecipando o início da alimentação oral de recém-nascidos. Alguns sugerem que diminui a incidência de morte súbita, mas o assunto é controverso. Ela impede o estabelecimento da mamada e induz ao desmame. Pode provocar asfixia, intoxicações ou alergias e aumenta o risco de cáries, infecções e parasitoses intestinais. Efeitos deletérios se associam à frequência, duração...

IntroductionLipomas of the gastrointestinal tract are a rare condition. Only 5% are of gastric origin, and this corresponds to 2% to 3% of all benign tumors of the stomach and less than 1% of all gastric neoplasms. It is our purpose to report an unusual presentation of a giant gastric lipoma in an oligosymptomatic patient and highlight the importance of discussing differential diagnosis in this situation. A review of the literature has shown that this is one of the largest gastric lipomas described.Case presentationWe describe a rare case of a benign gastric tumor with uncommon features in a 63-year-old Caucasian woman. She was admitted with abdominal discomfort, nausea, and upper abdominal fullness after eating. The lesion was suspicious of malignancy because of its dimension and central contrast enhancement on computed tomography. Conventional upper digestive endoscopy revealed a large bulging mass in the gastric posterior wall and three ulcerated areas. In this procedure, a technical limitation due to the location of the mass in the submucosa prevented an adequate biopsy from being obtained. The fragments obtained from the ulcers revealed nothing but necrotic mucosa. Our patient underwent a subtotal gastrectomy and D1 lymphadenectomy with a Roux-en-Y reconstruction. Macroscopic findings revealed a 12 × 8 × 6cm mass with a volume of 576cm3, and the histological pattern demonstrated well-differentiated mature adipose tissue surrounded by a fibrous capsule, confirming the diagnosis of gastric submucosal lipoma.ConclusionsGastric lipoma is a rare benign disease that eventually simulates a malignant tumor.

Objectives: To review the history of pacifiers and to compile a multidisciplinary literature review, searching for pros and cons with the purpose of providing health professionals with arguments when parents request guidance.Sources: History and art books, as well as non-medical literature and museums were used in the historical survey. Multidisciplinary data were collected from MEDLINE, LILACS, SciELO, and The Cochrane Library. Search criteria were: the keyword "pacifiers" present in articles published in the last 5 years that included abstract and were written in Portuguese, English, or Spanish. Summary of the findings:There is evidence that their precursors have been used since the Neolithic Period to calm down children. Small balls made of fabric containing food were portrayed in paintings. Other balls made of non-perishable material persisted throughout time. Pacifiers have been used to stimulate sucking or to coordinate this reflex, promoting an earlier beginning of the oral feeding of newborns. Some authors suggest that pacifiers reduce the incidence of the sudden death syndrome, but the topic is controversial. Pacifiers prevent the establishment of breastfeeding and lead to weaning. Their use may cause suffocation, poisoning, or allergies and increase the risk of caries, infections, and intestinal parasitic diseases. Harmful effects are related to frequency, duration, and intensity of the habit. It should be discontinued by the age of 3 or 4, in order not to affect speech and dentition. Conclusions:There are more harmful effects than benefits. It is advisable that health professionals inform parents of the pros and cons of pacifiers so that they can make a conscious decision regarding its use.J Pediatr (Rio J). 2009;85(6):480-489: Pacifier, sucking behavior.

Propaganda médica é tema de relevância mundial controverso. O médico tem legítimo direito de propagar suas atividades profissionais, mas deve conservar-se dentro dos limites éticos. É clara a importância que a comunicação assume na promoção da saúde. A internet insere-se, nesta conjuntura, como uma mídia utilizada para educação da população e propagação da publicidade médica. Contudo, o compromisso ético vem sendo substituído por interesses da política socioeconômica capitalista. Quando o médico se torna responsável pela banalização da medicina, coloca em xeque a relação médico-paciente. Este estudo levantou no Google propagandas de serviços médicos especializados do Estado de São Paulo na internet, de outubro de 2008 a julho de 2009.