Orientador: Maria de Fátima Salum Moreira / Banca: Divino José da Silva / Banca: Verônica Regina Muller / Resumo: Esta pesquisa é vinculada à linha de pesquisa “Processos formativos, diferença e valores” e discute o tema da produção de práticas e significados para os processos educacionais. Apresenta como seu objeto de estudo os conceitos de “criança” e “infância” articulados aos de “culturas infantis” e “identidades infantis”, categorias essas que transpõem a formação de professores e sua prática pedagógica. Foi traçado como seu principal objetivo o mapeamento desses conceitos e a análise da forma como está ocorrendo a sua apropriação e consolidação, através dos trabalhos apresentados no Grupo de Trabalho (GT) “Educação da criança de 0 a 6 anos”, da Associação Nacional de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação em Educação (ANPED), no período de 2000 a 2004. Para tal empreendimento, realizei estudos e análises teóricas e metodológicas embasadas em discussões sobre cultura e também referentes às singularidades do corpus documental. Também esquematizei a pesquisa a partir do rastreamento dos dados quantitativos e qualitativos e da problematização e discussão dos principais eixos que articulavam os enunciados e conceitos em debate. Os principais resultados obtidos indicam para: 1) a existência de uma hegemonia geográfica desses trabalhos, pois a maioria dos autores é de instituições acadêmicas das regiões sul e sudeste do Brasil; 2) uma forte tendência temática e teórica de estudos embasados na Sociologia da Infância, com ênfase em seu viés antropológico; 3) de uma direção baseada na Psicologia, com seus estudos sobre o desenvolvimento, passando-se a perspectivas históricas, filosóficas, sociais e culturais. Enfim, o conjunto dos estudos revela um momento de variação teórica e temática, em que os “Estudos da Cultura” e os “Estudos Culturais” se articulam em torno da tematização e teorização das “culturas infantis”. / Abstract: This research is tied to the research line “Formative processes, difference and values” and argue the practical subject of the production and meanings for the educational processes. It presents as its object of study the concepts of “child” and “childhood” articulated to “infantile culture” and “infantile identity” concepts of which categories overcomes the teacher education and its pedagogical practice. Mapping of these concepts and analysis of how its adequacy and consolidation are taking place was the aim of the works presented in “Education of Children from 0 to 6” Grupo de Trabalho (GT) (Work Group WK), from Associação Nacional de Pesquisa e Pós-Gradução em Educação (ANPED) (National Association for Research and Post-Graduation in Education) during the period of 2000 to 2004. For said work I’ve carried out studies and theoretical and methodological analysis based on discussions about culture which were also related to singularities of the documental corpus. I’ve also outlined this study from the quantitative and qualitative data tracking and the problematization and discussion of the main issues which articulated the statement and concepts in question. The main results obtained were indicative of: 1) an existence of a geographic hegemony of these works since most authors belong to academic institutions from the South and Southeast of Brazil; 2) marked theoretical and thematic study tendencies based on the Sociology of Childhood emphasizing its anthropologic bias; 3) guidelines aimed to Psychology being its studies about development followed by historical, philosophical, social and cultural perspectives. Finally, the set of studies reveals a theoretical and thematic variation issue of which “Studies of Culture” and “Cultural Studies” were articulated in the thematization and theorization of “infantile cultures”. / Mestre

FundaÃÃo Cearense de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Cientifico e TecnolÃgico / A diarreia infantil persiste entre as principais causas de hospitalizaÃÃes e mortalidade em crianÃas menores de 5 anos de idade. Dessa forma, faz-se necessÃria a elaboraÃÃo de materiais educativos que busquem elevar a autoeficÃcia materna na prevenÃÃo da diarreia infantil. Objetivou-se elaborar e validar uma cartilha educativa para promoÃÃo da autoeficÃcia materna na prevenÃÃo da diarreia infantil pelos juÃzes de conteÃdo, juÃzes tÃcnicos e populaÃÃo-alvo. Trata-se de um estudo de desenvolvimento metodolÃgico, em que foi elaborada a cartilha educativa âVocà à capaz de prevenir a diarreia no seu filho!â, utilizando-se como referencial teÃrico a Teoria de AutoeficÃcia de Bandura e como materiais de pesquisa a Escala de autoeficÃcia materna para prevenÃÃo da diarreia infantil e o vÃdeo âDiarreia infantil: vocà à capaz de prevenirâ. Para a validaÃÃo da cartilha, participaram do estudo 30 juÃzes de conteÃdo, sendo 15 juÃzes com experiÃncia docente e 15 juÃzes com experiÃncia assistencial; trÃs juÃzes tÃcnicos com experiÃncia em design grÃfico; e 31 mÃes de crianÃas menores de 5 anos de idade. Os dados foram analisados no Statistical Package for the Social Sciences versÃo 20.0. O estudo foi aprovado pelo Comità de Ãtica em Pesquisa da Universidade Federal do CearÃ. A cartilha foi elaborada em oito tÃpicos (como saber se a crianÃa està com diarreia; como cuidar da higiene do seu filho; saiba como cuidar da sua higiene; a limpeza do ambiente ajuda a prevenir doenÃas; vamos aprender a lavar as frutas e as verduras; veja como cuidar da alimentaÃÃo do seu filho; saiba a importÃncia da vacinaÃÃo para seu filho; como cuidar da crianÃa com diarreia), seguindo-se o que a literatura recomenda para linguagem, ilustraÃÃo e layout. Os juÃzes de conteÃdo e tÃcnicos validaram a primeira versÃo da cartilha. Em relaÃÃo à validaÃÃo, os juÃzes de conteÃdo atribuÃram IVC global de 0,88 para clareza de linguagem, 0,91 para pertinÃncia prÃtica e 0,92 para relevÃncia teÃrica. Na avaliaÃÃo realizada com o instrumento Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM), os juÃzes de conteÃdo classificaram a cartilha como âsuperiorâ, com uma mÃdia de 88,7%. Os juÃzes tÃcnicos validaram a cartilha com um IVC global de 0,96 para clareza de linguagem, 1,00 para pertinÃncia prÃtica e 1,00 para relevÃncia teÃrica. A avaliaÃÃo dos juÃzes tÃcnicos a partir do SAM classificou o material como âsuperiorâ, com uma mÃdia de 90,1%. A populaÃÃo-alvo validou a segunda versÃo da cartilha. A cartilha foi considerada clara por 86,9% das mÃes e relevante por 95,6%. O IVC global da cartilha foi de 0,99, revelando excelente nÃvel de concordÃncia entre as mÃes. A avaliaÃÃo das mÃes no que se refere à compreensÃo, atratividade, autoeficÃcia, aceitaÃÃo cultural e persuasÃo tambÃm obteve resultados satisfatÃrios. A versÃo final da cartilha foi concluÃda com 32 pÃginas, a partir das sugestÃes feitas pelos juÃzes de conteÃdo, juÃzes tÃcnicos e populaÃÃo-alvo. Conclui-se que a cartilha educativa âVocà à capaz de prevenir a diarreia no seu filho!â foi considerada vÃlida quanto ao conteÃdo e aparÃncia para a promoÃÃo da autoeficÃcia materna na prevenÃÃo da diarreia infantil. / The infantile diarrhea persists between the main causes of hospitalization and death among children under 5 years old. Therefore, it is necessary the elaboration of educational material that searches to increase the maternal self-efficacy in the infantile diarrhea prevention. An educational booklet was aimed to be created and validated by content judges, technical judges and the target audience to promote maternal self-efficacy in the prevention of infantile diarrhea. It`s about a methodological development study in which an educational booklet âYou can prevent your child from diarrhea!â was elaborated using the Banduraâs self-efficacy theory as theoretical referential and using the scale of maternal self-efficacy for infantile diarrhea prevention and the movie âInfantile Diarrhea: you can prevent itâ as research material. For the bookletâs validation, 30 content judges (15 with teaching experience and 15 with healthcare experience), 3 technical judges with graphic design experience and 31 mothers with kids under 5 years old. The data was analyzed in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20.0. The study was approved by the Ethics in Research Committee of the Federal University of CearÃ. The booklet was draw up in eight topics (how to know if a child has diarrhea; how to take care of your childâs hygiene; how to take care of your hygiene; the cleaning of the environment helps to prevent diseases; letâs learn how to wash produce; how to take care of your childâs feeding; know the importance of vaccination for your child; how to take care of a child with diarrhea) following what the literature recommends for language, illustration and layout. The content and technical judges validated the first version of the booklet. Regarding the validation, the content judges have given a global Content Validity Index (CVI) of 0.88 for language clarity, 0.91 for practical relevance and 0.92 for theoretical relevance. The content judges classified the booklet as âsuperiorâ, with an average of 88,7%, in the evaluation taken with the Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM) tool. The technical validated the booklet with a global CVI of 0.96 for language clarity, 1.00 for practical relevance and 1.00 for theoretical relevance. The technical judges classified the material as âsuperiorâ, with an average of 90.1%, according to the SAM. The target audience validated the second version of the booklet. The booklet was considered clear for 86.9% of the mothers and relevant for 95.6%. The global CVI of the booklet was 0.99, showing an excellent level of agreement among the mothers. The mother evaluation according to comprehension, attractiveness, self-efficacy, cultural acceptance and persuasion also had satisfying results. The final version of the booklet was concluded with 32 pages from the suggestions of the content judges, technical judges and target audience. Its concluded that the educational booklet âYou can prevent your child from diarrhea!â was considered valid according to content and appearance for the promotion of maternal self-efficacy in the prevention of infantile diarrhea.

Dissertação(mestrado)-Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação Ambiental, Instituto de Educação, 2009. / Submitted by Luize Santos (lui_rg@hotmail.com) on 2012-07-14T02:46:44Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Suzane Carvalho Domingos.pdf: 575295 bytes, checksum: e7a85c0009e66f52d6d409c91fea3131 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Bruna Vieira(bruninha_vieira@ibest.com.br) on 2012-07-28T19:43:09Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Suzane Carvalho Domingos.pdf: 575295 bytes, checksum: e7a85c0009e66f52d6d409c91fea3131 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2012-07-28T19:43:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Suzane Carvalho Domingos.pdf: 575295 bytes, checksum: e7a85c0009e66f52d6d409c91fea3131 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / As inquietações a respeito da temática se deu a partir de investigações anteriores, na condição de bolsista de Iniciação Científica, através da oportunidade de sistematizar o estudo no Programa de Educação Ambiental – PPGEA/FURG, desenvolvendo esta dissertação. Mas, também, em virtude das escassas opções de equipamentos públicos para lazer num bairro popular e de quais atividades de lazer as crianças desenvolviam frente a esse condicionamento existente na comunidade. Portanto, estudamos o “lazer e infância” a partir do ponto de vista de um grupo de crianças do bairro Castelo Branco II - Rio Grande/RS, situado na periferia da cidade. O problema de pesquisa era então, saber o que elas faziam, o que era lazer para elas e verificar possiveis contribuições sobre a participação infantil. A Sociologia da Infância, ao valorizar a fala e as ações das crianças, ao fazer um enfrentamento teórico as concepções adultocêntricas hegemônicas, me possibilitaram o referenial de fundo ao estudo. Mas, também orientou minhas atividades de coleta de dados ao “deixar falar as crianças”, “ouvi-las”, bem como na análise, sistematização e interpretação dos dados. Ao optar por uma metodologia que tomasse a criança, não por suas incompletudes, mas como um grupo geracional diferente dos adultos, com uma cultura própria da infância, necessitava de instrumentos adequados as peculiaridades e características deste grupo de crianças. Os instrumentos para desenvolver a pesquisa foram as observações participantes, escrita de diários de campo, conversas informais e instrumentos que apelavam para oralidade como entrevistas que se utilizavam de recursos lúdicos. Por fim, diria que, mesmo sem equipamentos para o lazer, as crianças realizam atividades de lazer, criando estratégias para a diversão e prazer. E que lazer é brincar, fazer o que gosta, se divertir. Dentre as atividades descritas pelas crianças, nesta pesquisa, um ponto comum entre todas foram as brincadeiras desenvolvidas no ambiente doméstico, espaço no qual a maior parte das atividades de lazer são realizadas. Mas, as crianças também sonham, melhor, afirmaram suas utopias de lazer. Mostraram que elas têm muito a dizer sobre o lugar onde habitam, de como tornar o bairro mais acolhedor. Espero que o trabalho leve o leitor a repensar a forma como as crianças tem sido tratadas em nossa sociedade, reconhecendo ao final que elas são “seres sociais atuais”que podem contribuir com a elaboração de políticas públicas para a infância nas cidades. / The perturbations about the thematic has come from the previous investigations when I was a holder of an Iniciação Científica scholarship, through the opportunity to systemize the study in the Programa de Educação Ambiental – PPGE/FURG, developing this dissertation. Another reason to develop this dissertation is the low number of options of public equipments for leisure in a popular neighborhood and the search of what leisure activities the children develop facing this condition in the community. Therefore, we have studied “leisure and childhood” since the point of view of a group of children from Castelo Branco II – Rio Grande/RS, located in the neighborhood of Rio Grande. The problem of the research was: to know what they did, what was leisure for them and verify possible contributions about the infantile participation. When doing a theoretical contrast of the hegemonic adult-centric concepts, the Sociology of Childhood valorizes the children’s speech and the actions and gave me the reference to the study. Besides that, it also oriented my data collection activities when “letting the children speak”, “listening them”, and the data analysis, systematization and interpretation. The option for a methodology that analyses children not for their lacks, but as a generating group different from adults, with a childhood culture, needed suitable instruments to the peculiarities and characteristics of this group of children. The instruments to develop the research were the participative observations, confection of a field diary, informal talks and instruments that appeal to the oral activities like interviews using joking resources. Finally, we could conclude that, even without leisure equipments, children do leisure activities, creating strategies for leisure and pleasure. We could conclude that leisure is to play, do what we like and enjoy. A common point, among the activities described by the children, in this research, were the jokes developed in the domestic environment, where the majority of the activities are accomplished. But children also dream and they affirm their leisure utopias. They showed that they have a lot to say about the place they live and how to change the neighborhood into a better place. The objective of this work is to make the reader think about the way children have been treated in our society, recognizing that they are “real social beings” which can the cities.

Dissertação(mestrado)-Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação Ambiental, Instituto de Educação, 2009. / Submitted by eloisa silva (eloisa1_silva@yahoo.com.br) on 2012-08-16T19:22:36Z No. of bitstreams: 1 suzane carvalho domingos.pdf: 575295 bytes, checksum: e7a85c0009e66f52d6d409c91fea3131 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Bruna Vieira(bruninha_vieira@ibest.com.br) on 2012-08-21T14:28:45Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 suzane carvalho domingos.pdf: 575295 bytes, checksum: e7a85c0009e66f52d6d409c91fea3131 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2012-08-21T14:28:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 suzane carvalho domingos.pdf: 575295 bytes, checksum: e7a85c0009e66f52d6d409c91fea3131 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / As inquietações a respeito da temática se deu a partir de investigações anteriores, na condição de bolsista de Iniciação Científica, através da oportunidade de sistematizar o estudo no Programa de Educação Ambiental – PPGEA/FURG, desenvolvendo esta dissertação. Mas, também, em virtude das escassas opções de equipamentos públicos para lazer num bairro popular e de quais atividades de lazer as crianças desenvolviam frente a esse condicionamento existente na comunidade. Portanto, estudamos o “lazer e infância” a partir do ponto de vista de um grupo de crianças do bairro Castelo Branco II- Rio Grande/RS, situado na periferia da cidade. O problema de pesquisa era então, saber o que elas faziam, o que era lazer para elas e verificar possiveis contribuições sobre a participação infantil. A Sociologia da Infância, ao valorizar a fala e as ações das crianças, ao fazer um enfrentamento teórico as concepções adultocêntricas hegemônicas, me possibilitaram o referenial de fundo ao estudo. Mas, também orientou minhas atividades de coleta de dados ao “deixar falar as crianças”, “ouvi-las”, bem como na análise, sistematização e interpretação dos dados. Ao optar por uma metodologia que tomasse a criança, não por suas incompletudes, mas como um grupo geracional diferente dos adultos, com uma cultura própria da infância, necessitava de instrumentos adequados as peculiaridades e características deste grupo de crianças. Os instrumentos para desenvolver a pesquisa foram as observações participantes, escrita de diários de campo, conversas informais e instrumentos que apelavam para oralidade como entrevistas que se utilizavam de recursos lúdicos. Por fim, diria que, mesmo sem equipamentos para o lazer, as crianças realizam atividades de lazer, criando estratégias para a diversão e prazer. E que lazer é brincar, fazer o que gosta, se divertir. Dentre as atividades descritas pelas crianças, nesta pesquisa, um ponto comum entre todas foram as brincadeiras desenvolvidas no ambiente doméstico, espaço no qual a maior parte das atividades de lazer são realizadas. Mas, as crianças também sonham, melhor, afirmaram suas utopias de lazer. Mostraram que elas têm muito a dizer sobre o lugar onde habitam, de como tornar o bairro mais acolhedor. Espero que o trabalho leve o leitor a repensar a forma como as crianças tem sido tratadas em nossa sociedade, reconhecendo ao final que elas são “seres sociais atuais”que podem contribuir com a elaboração de políticas públicas para a infância nas cidades. / The perturbations about the thematic has come from the previous investigations when I was a holder of an Iniciação Científica scholarship, through the opportunity to systemize the study in the Programa de Educação Ambiental – PPGE/FURG, developing this dissertation. Another reason to develop this dissertation is the low number of options of public equipments for leisure in a popular neighborhood and the search of what leisure activities the children develop facing this condition in the community. Therefore, we have studied “leisure and childhood” since the point of view of a group of children from Castelo Branco II – Rio Grande/RS, located in the neighborhood of Rio Grande. The problem of the research was: to know what they did, what was leisure for them and verify possible contributions about the infantile participation. When doing a theoretical contrast of the hegemonic adult-centric concepts, the Sociology of Childhood valorizes the children’s speech and the actions and gave me the reference to the study. Besides that, it also oriented my data collection activities when “letting the children speak”, “listening them”, and the data analysis, systematization and interpretation. The option for a methodology that analyses children not for their lacks, but as a generating group different from adults, with a childhood culture, needed suitable instruments to the peculiarities and characteristics of this group of children. The instruments to develop the research were the participative observations, confection of a field diary, informal talks and instruments that appeal to the oral activities like interviews using joking resources. Finally, we could conclude that, even without leisure equipments, children do leisure activities, creating strategies for leisure and pleasure. We could conclude that leisure is to play, do what we like and enjoy. A common point, among the activities described by the children, in this research, were the jokes developed in the domestic environment, where the majority of the activities are accomplished. But children also dream and they affirm their leisure utopias. They showed that they have a lot to say about the place they live and how to change the neighborhood into a better place. The objective of this work is to make the reader think about the way children have been treated in our society, recognizing that they are “real social beings” which can contribute to the elaboration of public policies to childhood in the cities.

Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Background: Unsettled infant behaviour is a common problem of infancy without known aetiology or effective management, and it is costly in both social and economic terms. Some osteopaths propose that musculoskeletal dysfunction contributes to unsettled infant behaviour, yet reported improvement following osteopathic treatment is anecdotal. A primary issue is the absence of a measurement tool to test musculoskeletal dysfunction in infants. Aims and Objectives: This research aimed to investigate: the reliability and validity of the infantile postural asymmetry (IPA) measurement scale; whether there was a relationship between IPA and unsettled infant behaviour as measured by the Revised Infant Behavior Questionnaire – short form (IBQ-Rs); and whether any relationship between IPA and unsettled infant behaviour was mediated by, or confounded with, the demographic variables of age, sex, birth weight and weight gain in twelve- to sixteen-week-old infants. Methods: Fifty-eight infants aged twelve- to sixteen-weeks-old were recruited through public health clinics, and their behaviour was assessed using the parent-report IBQ-Rs. Infantile asymmetry was measured using observer ratings of spontaneous movements in the IPA scale. A quantitative cross-sectional observational design was used to investigate the relationship between IPA and unsettled behaviour. Results: An association between unsettled behaviour and musculoskeletal dysfunction was not found in twelve- to sixteen-week-old infants using the IPA measurement scale. Ratings for the trunk convexity parameter of the IPA scale were unreliable and excluded from statistical analysis. A significant difference between high and low cervical rotation deficit groups for Surgency was detected in female babies and needs further examination. Some subsets of the IBQ-Rs were unstable when measuring behaviour in twelve- to sixteen-week-old infants. Future research targeting infants younger than twelve-weeks-old, and presenting with unsettled behaviour, is indicated. Conclusion: A causal relationship between unsettled infant behaviour and musculoskeletal dysfunction is still unproven. The literature suggests benefits associated with a consistent approach to providing parents with information, support and advice on normal behaviour patterns and optimal handling of infants. Non-specific effects cannot be ruled out in reported improvements following osteopathic treatment. Management strategies require early implementation and a multidisciplinary approach. The absence of common terminology in infant behaviour problems is an obstacle in cross-professional communication. A role for osteopathy may be in developing a shared language to facilitate management and research, and to examine the importance of positioning and handling practices on infant asymmetry and the relationship with the musculoskeletal system.

On a l'intention de problématiser l'infantile comme un opérateur utopique présent dans l'oeuvre de Georges Perec, dans la mesure que l'auteur présente son récit dans un mouvement de construction/déconstruction de l'histoire, un devir à partir de ml'oubli, de l'absence de mémoire, mais aussi de photographie et des histoires, déconstruites par la fiction qui prends un sens puissant quand il fait lien entre le singulier et le colectif. La psychanalyse, à partir de Freud, énonce que dans la condition de locuteurs, on est condamnés à seulement agir comme sujets quand alienés de nous même, dans le discours de l'Autre, dans l'inconscient. Cela est l'infantile, toujours presque revenant sur la forme d'un fantôme. Alors, la psychanalyse, infantile n'est pas ce qui est relatif ou propre de l'enfance. Bien qu'en construction dans l'enfant, l'enfantile consiste dans le produit conclusif de l'enfance du quel emergera l'adulte. à partir de cela, l'infantile est condition subjective. / Este trabalho pretende problematizar o infantil como um operador utópico presente na obra de Georges Perec, na medida em que o autor apresenta sua narrativa num movimento de construção/desconstrução da história, um devir a partir do esquecimento, da ausência de memória, mas também de fotografias e histórias, desconstruídas pela ficção que toma um sentido potente ao fazer laço do singular com o coletivo. A psicanálise, a partir de Freud, enuncia que, na condição de falantes, estamos condenados a só agir como sujeitos quando alienados de nós mesmos, no discurso do Outro, no inconsciente. Esse é o infantil, sempre prestes a retornar sob a forma de fantasma. Portanto, na psicanálise, infantil não é aquilo que é relativo ou próprio à infância. Ainda em constituição na criança, o infantil consiste no produto conclusivo da infância do qual emergirá o adulto. A partir disso, infantil é condição subjetiva.

INTRODUCTION: Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth refers to the proliferation of abnormal numbers and types of microorganisms in the lumen of the proximal bowel. Bacterial overgrowth has been implicated as a possible factor in prolonging some episodes of infantile gastroenteritis. This thesis examines 2 different aspects of the duodenal flora of infants with gastroenteritis, and has therefore been divided into 2 separate studies. CARBOHYDRATE STUDY: Objective: To test the hypothesis that during a diarrhoeal episode the presence of malabsorbed carbohydrate in the duodenal lumen acts as a factor promoting bacterial proliferation. Patients and methods: Infants admitted to the rehydration ward with acute gastroenteritis were selected for study if they fulfilled various criteria in terms of age, nutritional status, previous diarrhoeal episodes and antibiotic administration. They were admitted to the research ward. Weights were measured and if they had severe diarrhoea (≥ 30g/kg) were included in the study. Twenty patients were entered into the study. On admission into the trial the first duodenal intubation was done to measure the duodenal flora quantitatively and qualitatively. Thereafter the patients were assigned on an alternate basis to one of 2 groups. One group (carbohydrate-containing group) received a soy-based infant formula containing carbohydrates (Isomil, Ross). The other group (carbohydrate-free group) received an identical milk but from which all carbohydrate had been omitted (Ross CHO-free). To these infants carbohydrate was given intravenously. Stool output was measured daily. After 3 days of the respective diets the duodenal flora was re-examined. Results: Longitudinal analysis of the duodenal flora of the carbohydrate-containing group showed a small decrease in the number of bacterial isolates and in their magnitude. The duodenal flora of the carbohydrate-free group was virtually unchanged. Comparing the duodenal bacteriology of the groups the only significant difference was that the number of isolates and the magnitude of Haemophilus was greater in the carbohydrate-free group- (p < 0.05). The diarrhoea resolved in 5 patients: 2 in the carbohydrate-containing and 3 in the carbohydrate-free group. Conclusions: The lack of difference in the response of the duodenal flora between the two groups studied suggests that the presence of carbohydrates in the lumen is not important in encouraging the growth of bacteria in that site. The possible causes for an increase in Haemophilus numbers in the carbohydrate-free group are discussed. BOWEL COCKTAIL STUDY: Objective: Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth has been proposed as a cause of progression of acute diarrhoeal episodes to persistence. The "bowel cocktail", a combination of oral gentamicin and cholestyramine, has been shown to be effective in terminating episodes of persistent diarrhoea. It has been postulated to work by eradicating small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, but its mode of action is not known. The objective of this study was to examine the changes in the duodenal flora associated with administration of the bowel cocktail in order to elucidate its possible mechanism or mechanisms of action. Patients and methods: The study group comprised 15 patients. Fourteen were infants from the carbohydrate study who had ongoing diarrhoea. The remaining infant (the "late entry") was selected from the rehydration ward. Severe diarrhoea, as defined by a stool output equal to or greater than 30g/kg/day, was a pre-requisite for entry into the study. The investigation involved 2 duodenal intubations for microbiological analysis of the duodenal fluid. After the first intubation (which was the second intubation for the 14 infants who had been in the carbohydrate study) the bowel cocktail was administered. This comprised a 3-day course of oral gentamicin and 5 days of oral cholestyramine. Forty-eight hours after the start of therapy the duodenal bacteriology was repeated. The patient management was the same as during the carbohydrate study and the feeding regimen of the infants was not altered. The study ended immediately after completion of the bowel cocktail course. Results: Administration of the bowel cocktail was associated with a decreased stool output in all patients. Bacteriological analysis of the duodenal flora after this treatment showed a statistically significant decrease in the total microbial count, the aerobic microbial fraction and the Enterobacteriaceal fraction. On analysis of the bacterial genera a significant decrease was noted in Neisseria, Haemophilus, and aerobic lactobacilli. Analysis of individual patients' duodenal fluid bacteriology in conjunction with the stool bacteriology results before administration of the bowel cocktail often provided an explanation as to the possible aetiology of the diarrhoea and its resolution by therapy. Conclusions: Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, in the accepted sense of a luxuriant flora teeming with faecal organisms, did not appear to be a feature of the patients in this study. The total bacterial count was only slightly above the accepted upper limit of normal. Although the decrease in the number of Enterobacteriaceae could possibly be interpreted in the context of bacterial overgrowth, a study of the individual patients' duodenal flora shows that these microorganisms were more likely to be acting as specific enteric pathogens. It is concluded that small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, as currently defined, is not an important cause of persistent diarrhoea. The efficacy of the bowel cocktail is more likely to reside in its ability to eradicate specific enteric pathogens. The author ends by questioning the validity of the whole concept of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.

No description available.

The main aim of this works is to explore the relationship between language and analogical reasoning. In fact, despite the increasing interest about the neural substrates of reasoning, at present no fMRI study systematically investigates the contribution of stimulus format/context on reasoning network. In the present work three fMRI studies are developed in order to verify how much reasoning relies on verbal language using different stimuli format and within normal and a language impaired populations. The first study focus on how different verbal context, nameable pictures versus words, may influence brain activity related to analogical reasoning in healthy adults. In a second study the same fMRI paradigm was applied to investigate brain activity during analogical reasoning in young normal readers and young dyslexics in order to understand if the reading disorder may influence the reasoning in relation to the language load requested by the stimulus format. In the third study the contribution of language and semantic system to reasoning was investigate developing a new fMRI design where analogical reasoning had to be performed either on meaningful or on abstract geometrical pictures.