Growth of children receiving a dehydrated potato-soy protein concentrate or corn-soy blend as part of a food aid program in Northern Senegal

Rations distributed by food aid programs are intended to improve the growth of undernourished children. In practice, food programs target individual children and provide a supplement to the family that is intended to increase the energy and nutrient intake of undernourished children. Multiple food rations are available yet few studies have compared their differential effect on the growth of children. The objective of the study was to compare growth in undernourished Senegalese children who received a newly developed dehydrated potato-soy protein concentrate blend (PSB) to those supplemented with the currently available corn-soy blend (CSB). The first child at each site was randomly assigned to receive PSB or CSB and subsequent children alternately received PSB or CSB. Eligibility for obtaining the food ration was basedon criteria determined by the USAID (P.L. 480) Title II Food Aid Program. Children received iso-caloric amounts of the two supplements each month (23,000kcals). Weight, height and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) were taken over a fourmonth period. Z-scores were calculated for weight-for-age (WAZ), weight-for-height (WHZ) and for length/height-for-age measures (HAZ).The study was conducted at 7 clinics which served as food distribution sites in northern Senegal. The study enrolled348 children 18-56 months old with a weight-for-age z-score below the �yellow� zone of the locally available growth chart (equivalent to WAZ < -1.0). WAZ and HAZ significantly increased over time but there was no difference between the two ration groups. In a subset of 280 children (145 PSB, 135 CSB) who attended all four appointments and received the full complement of ration, there was significant and equivalent increase for both groups in WAZ and WHZ. These findings indicate thatchildren participating in the food aid program significantly improved their growth over a four-month period. Using the new PSB as a ration had the same impact on growth as the standard CSB and required less fuel to prepare

Growth Of Children Receiving A Dehydrated Potato-Soy Protein Concentrate Or Corn-Soy Blend As Part Of A Food Aid Program In Northern Senegal

Rations distributed by food aid programs are intended to improve the growth of undernourished children. In practice, food programs target individual children and provide a supplement to the family that is intended to increase the energy and nutrient intake of undernourished children. Multiple food rations are available yet few studies have compared their differential effect on the growth of children. The objective of the study was to compare growth in undernourished Senegalese children who received a newly developed dehydrated potato-soy protein concentrate blend (PSB) to those supplemented with the currently available corn-soy blend (CSB). The first child at each site was randomly assigned to receive PSB or CSB and subsequent children alternately received PSB or CSB. Eligibility for obtaining the food ration was based on criteria determined by the USAID (P.L. 480) Title II Food Aid Program. Children received iso-caloric amounts of the two supplements each month (23,000kcals). Weight, height and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) were taken over a four-month period. Z-scores were calculated for weight-for-age (WAZ), weight-for-height (WHZ) and for length/height-for-age measures (HAZ).The study was conducted at 7 clinics which served as food distribution sites in northern Senegal. The study enrolled 348 children 18-56 months old with a weight-for-age z-score below the "yellow" zone of the locally available growth chart (equivalent to WAZ ≤ -1.0). WAZ and HAZ significantly increased over time but there was no difference between the two ration groups. In a subset of 280 children (145 PSB, 135 CSB) who attended all four appointments and received the full complement of ration, there was significant and equivalent increase for both groups in WAZ and WHZ. These findings indicate that children participating in the food aid program significantly improved their growth over a four-month period. Using the new PSB as a ration had the same impact on growth as the standard CSB and required less fuel to prepare

Threshold Amsler grid as a screening tool for asymptomatic patients on hydroxychloroquine therapy

Background/aims: Patients taking hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) are at risk of developing classic bull’s eye maculopathy. Currently, the standard Amsler grid (AG) is one of the most useful methods to identify such lesions. However, AG is a suprathreshold target and may not detect relative central scotomas. The aim of this study was to determine if the threshold Amsler grid (TAG) test, which varies light transmission through two cross polarising filters, allows increased detection of scotomas caused by HCQ toxicity. Methods: 56 rheumatological patients taking HCQ and 12 similar patients not taking HCQ were tested by AG, red Amsler grid (RAG), and TAG. Results: No scotomas were observed in patients never treated with HCQ. Among patients who had been treated with HCQ, AG revealed scotomas in two of 56 (3.64%) patients; in contrast, six (10.7%) and 37 (66.1%) scotomas were identified by RAG and TAG testing respectively. Additionally, the average area of each scotoma detected by all three methods expanded from 34.5 square degrees of central field loss on AG testing to 71 square degrees on RAG and 117 on TAG. Conclusion: By decreasing the perceived luminance of the suprathreshold AG, TAG testing provides a novel alternative to detect shallow scotomas and areas of depressed retinal activity secondary to HCQ toxicity

Clinical utilization of anti-vascular endothelial growth-factor agents and patient monitoring in retinal vein occlusion and diabetic macular edema

Szilárd Kiss,1 Ying Liu,2 Joseph Brown,3 Nancy M Holekamp,4,5 Arghavan Almony,6 Joanna Campbell,2 Jonathan W Kowalski2 1Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY; 2Allergan, Inc., Irvine, CA; 3IMS Health, Woodland Hills, CA; 4Pepose Vision Institute, Chesterfield, MO; 5Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO; 6Carolina Eye Associates, Southern Pines, NC, USA Purpose: To examine the utilization of bevacizumab and ranibizumab and disease monitoring in patients with branch or central retinal vein occlusion (BRVO/CRVO) or diabetic macular edema (DME) in clinical practice.Patients and methods: This retrospective claims analysis included newly diagnosed patients with one or more bevacizumab or ranibizumab injections. Bevacizumab or ranibizumab utilization was assessed by year of first injection: 2008–2010 cohorts (12-month follow-up), January to June 2011 cohort (6-month follow-up). The main outcome measures were mean annual numbers of injections, ophthalmologist visits and optical coherence tomography examinations, and proportion of patients with additional laser or intravitreal triamcinolone (IVTA) use.Results: A total of 885 BRVO, 611 CRVO, and 2,733 DME patients treated with bevacizumab were included, with too few ranibizumab-treated patients for meaningful analysis. Across the 2008, 2009, and 2010 cohorts, mean annual numbers of bevacizumab injections increased, but remained low (BRVO 2.5, 3.1, 3.3; CRVO 3.1, 3.1, 3.5; and DME 2.2, 2.5, 3.6, respectively); mean ophthalmologist visits ranged between 4.4 and 6.5, and mean optical coherence tomography examinations ranged between 3.1 and 3.9 across all conditions. A total of 42.0% of BRVO, 16.5% of CRVO, and 57.7% of DME patients received additional laser or IVTA therapy. The number of bevacizumab injections was positively associated with laser use in BRVO (3.3 versus 2.9, P<0.03), and with laser or IVTA use in DME (laser, 3.3 versus 2.7, P<0.03; IVTA, 3.3 versus 3.0, P<0.05).Conclusion: During the study period (2008–2011), bevacizumab was the main anti-VEGF therapy used in clinical practice for BRVO, CRVO, and DME. Patients treated with bevacizumab were monitored less frequently and received fewer injections than patients in major clinical trials of ranibizumab. Keywords: anti-vascular endothelial growth factor, bevacizumab, ranibizumab, diabetic macular edema, retinal vein occlusion, intravitrea

Growth Of Children Receiving A Dehydrated Potato-Soy Protein Concentrate Or Corn-Soy Blend As Part Of A Food Aid Program In Northern Senegal

Rations distributed by food aid programs are intended to improve the growth of undernourished children. In practice, food programs target individual children and provide a supplement to the family that is intended to increase the energy and nutrient intake of undernourished children. Multiple food rations are available yet few studies have compared their differential effect on the growth of children. The objective of the study was to compare growth in undernourished Senegalese children who received a newly developed dehydrated potato-soy protein concentrate blend (PSB) to those supplemented with the currently available corn-soy blend (CSB). The first child at each site was randomly assigned to receive PSB or CSB and subsequent children alternately received PSB or CSB. Eligibility for obtaining the food ration was based on criteria determined by the USAID (P.L. 480) Title II Food Aid Program. Children received iso-caloric amounts of the two supplements each month (23,000kcals). Weight, height and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) were taken over a four-month period. Z-scores were calculated for weight-for-age (WAZ), weight-for-height (WHZ) and for length/height-for-age measures (HAZ).The study was conducted at 7 clinics which served as food distribution sites in northern Senegal. The study enrolled 348 children 18-56 months old with a weight-for-age z-score below the "yellow" zone of the locally available growth chart (equivalent to WAZ ≤ -1.0). WAZ and HAZ significantly increased over time but there was no difference between the two ration groups. In a subset of 280 children (145 PSB, 135 CSB) who attended all four appointments and received the full complement of ration, there was significant and equivalent increase for both groups in WAZ and WHZ. These findings indicate that children participating in the food aid program significantly improved their growth over a four-month period. Using the new PSB as a ration had the same impact on growth as the standard CSB and required less fuel to prepare