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ABBREVIATIONS. AN, anorexia nervosa; DSM-IV, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition; SDS, standard deviation scores; IBW, ideal body weight. The need for adequate caloric intake, weight gain, [...], Objective. To assess growth retardation in male adolescent patients who have a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa (AN) and the effect of weight restoration on catch-up growth. Methods. Medical charts of all male adolescent AN patients (n = 12) who were admitted to the Pediatric Psychosomatic Department at the Sheba Medical Center from January 1, 1994, to December 31, 1998, were reviewed. Height and weight measurements were obtained before the onset of AN, at admission, and thereafter routinely during hospitalization and follow-up. Results. Eleven patients exhibited growth retardation during the course of their illness, as evident in a decrease in their height standard deviation score (SDS). The mean height SDS at the time of admission (-0.81 ± 0.93) was significantly lower than the premorbid SDS (-0.21 ± 0.91). Weight restoration resulted in accelerated linear growth (up to 2 cm/mo) in all patients. Positive weight gain (weight gain rate >1 kg/y) was associated with a mean height gain of 6.97 ± 6.48 cm/y, whereas weight loss or failure to gain weight (weight gain rate ≤ 1 kg/y) was associated with a mean of 2.7 ± 3.9 cm/y. This between-group difference was highly significant. Complete catch-up growth was not achieved in 9 of 12 patients. There was a trend for the mean adult final height SDS (-0.52 ± 0.84) to be higher than the admission height SDS but lower than both the premorbid height SDS and the midparental target height SDS (-0.21 ± 0.79). Conclusions. Linear growth retardation was a prominent feature of AN in our sample of male adolescent patients, preceding, in some cases, the reported detection of the eating disorder. Weight restoration, particularly when target weight is based on the premorbid height percentile, may be associated with significant catch-up growth, but complete catch-up growth may not be achieved. Pediatrics 2003;111:270-276; anorexia nervosa, growth failure, final height, malnutrition, male.

Abstract Background Cardiac rehabilitation has a beneficial effect on the prognosis and quality of life of cardiac patients, and has been found to be cost-effective. This report describes a comprehensive and low cost educational intervention designed to increase the attendance at cardiac rehabilitation programs of patients who have undergone coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Methods/Design A controlled prospective intervention trial. The control arm comprised 520 patients who underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery between January 2004 and May 2005 in five medical centers across Israel. This group received no additional treatment beyond usual care. The intervention arm comprised 504 patients recruited from the same cardiothoracic departments between June 2005 and November 2006. This group received oral and written explanations about the advantages of participating in cardiac rehabilitation programs and a telephone call two weeks after hospital discharge intended to further encourage their enrollment. The medical staff attended a one-hour seminar on cardiac rehabilitation. In addition, it was recommended that referral to cardiac rehabilitation be added to the letter of discharge from the hospital. Both study groups were interviewed before surgery and one-year post surgery. A one-year post-operative interview assessed factors affecting patient attendance at cardiac rehabilitation programs, as well as the structure and content of the cardiac rehabilitation programs attended. Anthropometric parameters were measured at pre- and post-operative interviews;- and medical information was obtained from patient medical records. The effect of cardiac rehabilitation on one- and three-year mortality was assessed. Discussion We report a low cost yet comprehensive intervention designed to increase cardiac rehabilitation participation by raising both patient and medical staff awareness to the potential benefits of cardiac rehabilitation. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00356863

Statins confer an antiplatelet effect in hypercholesterolemic subjects and in stable coronary artery disease patients. We explored the antiplatelet effects of statins in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients undergoing primary angioplasty. Of 120 STEMI patients, 80 (67%%) received statins while 40 (33%%) did not. Ex vivo platelet reactivity was studied on admission and 72 hours later by conventional aggregometry and under flow conditions (Impact R). Measures of platelet reactivity under flow conditions included aggregate size and surface coverage, signifying platelet aggregation and adhesion respectively. The effect of statins on platelet function under flow conditions and platelet aggregation was studied in  vitro in platelets from 10 STEMI patients. Platelets from each patient were incubated in  vitro with lovastatin or PBS as a control. The effect of lovastatin in the presence of a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor (L-NMMA) was also studied. Patients treated with statins were compared with those who did not have significantly lower ADP-induced platelet aggregation on the 4th day (56 ±± 18%% vs. 64 ±± 17%%, p == 0.02). Platelet deposition under flow conditions as measured by surface coverage was reduced from admission to 72 hours later among statin-treated patients (19 ±± 28%% reduction, p < 0.01), but was unchanged in non-treated patients (for comparison p < 0.01). The extent of platelet inhibition was unrelated to patient characteristics, including lipid profile and type of statin administered (lipophylic vs. hydrophilic). In the in  vitro study platelet incubation with statin compared with PBS resulted in a lower aggregate-size (29 ±± 9 µµm2 vs. 39 ±± 15 µµm2, p < 0.01), and lower surface coverage (8.5 ±± 4%% vs. 12 ±± 4%%, p < 0.01). The effect of the statin on both parameters was significantly blunted by L-NMMA. Incubation with statin also resulted in a reduction in collagen-induced platelet aggregation (31 ±± 20%% vs. 54 ±± 25%%, p < 0.01). We concluded that in acute myocardial infarction patients, statins have an early antiplatelet effect, in addition to that afforded by standard antiplatelet therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The precise genes involved in conferring prostate cancer risk in sporadic and familial cases are not fully known., Objectives: To evaluate the genetic profile within several candidate genes of unselected prostate cancer cases and to correlate this profile with disease parameters., Methods: Jewish Israeli prostate cancer patients (n = 224) were genotyped for polymorphisms within candidate genes: p53, ER, VDR, GSTT1, CYP1A1, GSTP1, GSTM1, EPHX and HPC2/ELAC2, followed by analysis of the genotype with relevant clinical and pathologic parameters., Results: The EPHX gene His113 allele was detected in 21.4% (33/154) of patients in whom disease was diagnosed above 61 years, compared with 5.7% (4/70) in earlier onset disease (P < 0.001). Within the group of late-onset disease, the same allele was noted in 5.5% (2/36) with grade I tumors compared with 18% (34/188) with grade II and up (P = 0.004). All other tested polymorphisms were not associated with a distinct clinical or pathologic feature in a statistically significant manner., Conclusions: In Israeli prostate cancer patients, the EPHX His113 allele is seemingly associated with a more advanced, late-onset disease. These preliminary data need to be confirmed by a larger and more ethnically diverse study.