Food Selectivity in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Statistical Analysis in Southern Italy

This paper focuses on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and food selectivity, both of which are prevalent in the pediatric population. In this context, the authors paid attention to food selectivity and its possible correlation with the atypicality of sensory processes, outlining the useful rehabilitation treatments to draw on. This research included the parents or caregivers of pediatric patients diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and placed within a therapeutic clinic. The sample is composed of 111 children, males and females, aged between 2 and 10 years, and includes 60 children diagnosed with autism and 51 children with normotypical development, similar in characteristics but without the disorder. The standardized questionnaire, "Brief Autism Mealtime Behavior Inventory", was developed to examine behavior during meals, especially in children with ASD. The "Brief Sensory Profile", and the "Child Oral and Motor Proficiency Scale", were also administered. The results obtained from the analysis lead to evidence of eating and food selectivity difficulty. Additionally, our study demonstrates that food selectivity can be caused by extreme sensory modulation and sensory problems related to the smell, texture, color, and temperature of food. In fact, the results obtained emphasize the correlation between food selectivity and the sensory domains of taste and smell. Furthermore, this research highlights a correlation between motor skills and eating skills, particularly regarding food selectivity, which is closely associated with atypical and disruptive behaviors during meals.

Influence of imaging ability on word transformation

In the present study, we examined whether individual differences in imaging ability affect visual word recognition. Poor and vivid imagers performed a naming task that involved nonreversed (e.g., JUMP) and reversed (e.g., PMUJ) words (Experiment 1). Poor and vivid imagers were also tested on a naming task that was controlled for verbal ability; all the words were reversed and presentation time was varied (Experiment 2). In both experiments, imaging ability interacted with task difficulty, suggesting that individual differences in imaging ability affect visual word recognition. Specifically, the present data suggest that poor imagers may be less efficient than vivid imagers at processing words analytically. The data are interpreted within a limited-capacity, hybrid, word recognition model, in which words can be processed as either word-level or letter-level codes.

Acute primary meningoencephalitis from entamoeba Naegleria Fowleri. Report of a clinical case with a favourable outcome

The Authors describe a primary amoebic acute meningoencephalitis case from Naegleria Fowleri, where the parasite was found in the cerebrospinal fluid and in culture. The case had a favorable outcome after treatment with amphotericin B.

Acute meningitis from Cryptococcus neoformans (Filobasidiella neoformans) in a patient suffering from AIDS. Report of a clinical case with a favourable outcome

The Authors describe a case of acute meningitis from Cryptococcus neoformans, with the finding of the fungus in the cerebrospinal fluid and in culture in a young subject with AIDS. The case had a favourable outcome after fluconazole treatment.

Urticarioid manifestation in course of cerebral imported malaria

The authors report a case of urticarioid manifestation in a patient with imported pernicious cerebral malaria. They discuss the pathogenetic mechanisms of the cutaneous manifestation and point out the clinical importance of their observation.

Modulation of auxin-binding proteins in cell suspensions : I. Differential responses of carrot embryo cultures

This paper shows that the level of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) in the medium determines the level of auxin-binding proteins in the membranes of carrot, Daucus carota, cells grown in suspension. This induction takes slightly more than 2 hours to complete and can be elicited by natural as well as synthetic auxins. The auxin binding sites thus generated, which are pronase-sensitive, bind 2,4-D, indoleacetic acid, and naphthalene-acetic acid (NAA) equally well. However both alpha- and beta-NAA bind, whereas only alpha-NAA is effective in the inductive process. Cells committed to embryogeny (proembryogenic masses) do not respond to auxin, i.e. their level of auxin-binding proteins remains very low, and they do not seem to synthesize the hormone, as indicated by inhibitor studies. Sensitivity to, and production of, auxin, begins when the embryo becomes polarized, i.e. at postglobular stage.

[C. pylori colonization of the mucosa in patients with chronic ulcerative and non-ulcerative gastropathies]

C. pyloridis colonization was investigated in a selected group of 58 patients with upper gastrointestinal disorders submitted to endoscopy and biopsy. The following results were registered. C. pyloridis was isolated in 14 out of 18 cases of active chronic gastritis, in 15 out of 24 cases of non active chronic gastritis, and 7 out of 8 cases of antral ulceration. A negative finding was registered in 8 patients whose gastric mucosa was normal. Therefore, the Authors consider as valid the etiopathogenetic correlation between C. pyloridis and ulcerative or non-ulcerative chronic gastric diseases, suggested by others.

DNA methylation of embryogenic carrot cell cultures and its variations as caused by mutation, differentiation, hormones and hypomethylating drugs

The level of auxin - both natural and synthetic - in the medium has a strong effect on the level of 5-methyl-cytosine in the DNA of carrot cells in culture. This level may vary from approximately 15% to 70% of total cytosine without apparent effects on growth rate and cell morphology. No effect was seen with cytokinin. During somatic embryogenesis, in the absence of hormones, variations were seen in the level of methylation according to a characteristic pattern. If hypomethylation is induced with drugs such as azacytidine, ethionine or ethoxy-carbonyl-pyrimidine, embryogenesis is immediately blocked. A mutant was isolated which is resistant to the action of hypomethylating drugs. It shows variations in the methylation pattern and variations in indole-acetic acid metabolism. In addition its regeneration is often associated with the production of tumors.

Ethanol production and toxicity in suspension-cultured carrot cells and embryos

The process of carrot (Daucus carota L.) somatic embryogenesis is highly sensitive to exogenously added ethanol, since 5 mM ethanol inhibits this process by 50%, whereas the growth of proliferating carrot cells is inhibited to the same extent by 20 mM ethanol. This is consistent with the fact that proliferating cultures produce ethanol and release it into the medium at concentrations up to 20 mM, whereas embryogenic culture medium contains less than 1 mM ethanol. Data are presented showing the influence of cell density and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid on ethanol production and on the presence of an alcohol-dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.1.) inactivator in carrot embryos.

Medicago cell variants showing altered nitrogen utilization

Nineteen chlorate-resistant variants were isolated after mutagenesis from cells of Medicago coerulea. The level of nitrate reductase activity was variable in these lines and ranged from 100% to less than 5% of the wild type level. Xanthine dehydrogenase was not affected in any of those variants tested.Methylammonium-resistant variants were also isolated from the same type of cells. They show a different regulation of nitrogen utilization. In particular, the enzymatic level of nitrate reductase which, in wild type cells, is sensitive to ammonium repression, is much less affected in the variants. Differences were also seen in the regulation of other functions of the nitrogen-utilizing pathway: xanthine dehydrogenase and, possibly, adenine uptake.

[Biochemical, enzymatic and cultural characteristics and criteria of pathogenicity of staphylocci (study of strains isolated in a hospital environment)]

The Authors have examined the coagulase activity, mannitol fermentation, DNase and phosphatase activity, and production of haemolisins and pigment on 200 strains of Staphylococcus isolated from hospitalized patients affected by various diseases. On the basis of results obtained, they conclude that the evaluation of the pathogenic power of Stah. aureus should be always founded upon a "pattern" of biochemical, enzymatic, cultural and toxinogenetic tests.

[L forms of Staphylococcus aureus. Behavior of coagulase, hemolytic and desoxyribonuclease activities and antibiotic sensitivity]

L Forms derived from strains of coagulase positive Staphylococcus aureus, have, on the whole, preserved their DNAsic, haemolitic and coagulastic activities. L. forms showed high resistence to antibiotics acting on the bacterial cell-wall. The sensibility to other antibiotics was, roughly, analogous for the L forms as well as for the bacterial strains ones, with the exception of the clortetraciclin and the diidrostreptomicin, ehich proved to be comparatively more active on the L forms.