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Animals : An Open Access Journal From... Apr 2021The prevalence and cooccurrence of pica towards different target materials were investigated using prospective data from three questionnaires completed by owners...
The prevalence and cooccurrence of pica towards different target materials were investigated using prospective data from three questionnaires completed by owners participating in a longitudinal study of UK pet cats. Pica towards one or more material types was reported in 42.9% (229/534), 32.0% (171/534), and 30.9% (165/534) of cats aged approximately 6, 12, and 18 months, respectively. At all timepoints, it was most common for only one material type to be targeted. Associations between potential explanatory variables and "chronic pica" (pica exhibited at all three timepoints) were also explored. Multivariable logistic regression revealed moving to a new house when the cat was aged approximately 6-12 months, renting rather than owning a home, and living in a household without a dog(s) when the cat was aged 2-4 months increased the odds of chronic pica occurrence. This study provides novel data from a cohort of UK pet cats and it is hoped this will increase the understanding of pica and provide direction for areas for future research.
PubMed: 33921455
DOI: 10.3390/ani11041101 -
The Journal of Pharmacology and... Nov 2018The cytotoxic drugs used in chemotherapy are often accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Despite the use of antiemetic drugs, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting...
The cytotoxic drugs used in chemotherapy are often accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Despite the use of antiemetic drugs, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) remain significant side effects for cancer patients and are associated with serotonin type 3 receptor (5-HTR) activation in the brainstem. Farnesol and nerolidol are sesquiterpene alcohols found in essential oils of plants such as roses, citronella, and lemon grass and are used as antiemetic parapheromones. Medicinal plants often are effective in treating gastrointestinal disorders, including CINV, although the mechanism of action remains unclear. In the current work, the antiemetic efficacy of the naturally occurring racemic mixture of farnesol (-farnesol) and nerolidol (-nerolidol) against cisplatin CINV was tested using the pica behavior (consumption of nonnutritive substances) of rats. Animals treated with -farnesol or -nerolidol consumed a smaller amount of kaolin than of saline-treated control animals. This result is consistent with the antiemetic efficacy of farnesol and nerolidol. Compared with controls, -farnesol- but not -nerolidol-treated animals consumed more food and lost less body weight. Thus, farnesol effectively reduced appetite suppression and weight loss induced by cisplatin. In separate experiments, isomers of farnesol and nerolidol were tested on 5-HT-induced responses of acutely isolated nodose neurons using patch-clamp methods. All the tested constituents inhibited 5-HTR-mediated current in a noncompetitive manner. Thus, both farnesol and nerolidol may exert antiemetic efficacy by inhibiting 5-HT signaling in cranial visceral afferents, resulting in interruption of emetogenic signaling; however, nerolidol failed to suppress cisplatin-induced anorexia and weight loss, suggesting that additional mechanisms may contribute.
Topics: Animals; Antiemetics; Antineoplastic Agents; Appetite; Cisplatin; Farnesol; Male; Nausea; Oils, Volatile; Pica; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Receptors, Serotonin, 5-HT3; Sesquiterpenes; Vomiting; Weight Loss
PubMed: 30135179
DOI: 10.1124/jpet.118.251363 -
Eating and Weight Disorders : EWD Aug 2020Pica is defined as a feeding and eating disorder where there is consumption of nonnutritive substances not consistent with cultural practices or social norms. Its... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Pica is defined as a feeding and eating disorder where there is consumption of nonnutritive substances not consistent with cultural practices or social norms. Its aetiology is still unknown, as its prevalence and optimal treatment, which seem to vary with patients' characteristics and the specific behaviours involved.
OBJECTIVES
The authors present a case report of pica treated with copper supplementation, with further diagnostic and treatment considerations.
METHODS
Clinical records and interviews were used. A review was conducted using PubMed database.
RESULTS
A 59-year-old patient, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, presented with sideroblastic anaemia secondary to zinc-induced copper deficiency in the context of pica. These behaviours ceased with copper supplementation. After 2-year remission, the patient was discontinued on oral copper. One week after, pica behaviours reoccurred, with further remission with renewed copper treatment. Based on temporal relationship, we propose that there might be an association between copper supplementation and pica, not related to its plasma levels.
CONCLUSIONS
As far as we know, this is the first case report in the literature with such a long-term follow-up of pica treatment. Our findings challenge the cause-effect relation between micronutrient deficiency and pica and prompts further research in the non-adaptive theories of this poorly understood clinical entity.
Topics: Copper; Humans; Middle Aged; Pica
PubMed: 31273687
DOI: 10.1007/s40519-019-00739-z -
Journal of Renal Nutrition : the... Mar 2019Pica could be strongly implicated in nutritional status of patients on dialysis; however, very scarce data are currently available. The objective of this study was to...
OBJECTIVE
Pica could be strongly implicated in nutritional status of patients on dialysis; however, very scarce data are currently available. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of pica and its association with nutritional status in dialysis patients.
DESIGN AND METHODS
This is a cross-sectional study in a tertiary care teaching hospital. Four-hundred patients on dialysis, without previous pica diagnosis or transplant, pregnancy, mental illness, or infection, were included in the study. Pica, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, was classified as no pica, ice pica, or hard pica. Dialysis Malnutrition Score, 24-hour dietary recall, and biochemical measurements were obtained from patients. As part of statistical analysis, point prevalence and 95% confidence interval of pica were calculated. Comparisons between groups were performed by means of analysis of variance, Kruskal-Wallis test, χ, or Fisher exact tests, as appropriate. A multivariate analysis was performed by multinomial logistic regression.
RESULTS
Prevalence of pica was 42% (ice pica, 46%; soil, 29%; two substances, 14%; red brick, 5%; paper, 3%; soap, 2%; and cattle pasture, 1%). Comparing patients with pica (hard pica and ice pica) versus no pica, subjects with pica were of younger age (25 ± 7, 27 ± 9, 30 ± 11 years, respectively), were more frequently educated <9 years (57%, 46%, 30%, respectively), and had longer dialysis duration (36 ± 19, 32 ± 18, 27 ± 16 months, respectively). Patients with pica achieved the recommended calorie and macronutrients intake target less frequently than those without pica (40-64% vs. 66-77%, P <.05). Malnutrition was present in 74% of the whole sample: (1) 67% in no pica group, (2) 80% in ice pica group, and (3) 89% in hard pica group (P = .001). In the multivariate analysis (R, 0.27; P < .0001), malnutrition, C-reactive protein, and lower educational level significantly predicted both ice and hard pica.
CONCLUSIONS
A worse nutritional status was observed in patients with pica, who additionally were younger, had lower educational level, longer dialysis duration, and worse macronutrient intake routine than patients without pica. Malnutrition, C-reactive protein, and lower educational level significantly predicted both ice and hard pica.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; C-Reactive Protein; Cross-Sectional Studies; Educational Status; Energy Intake; Female; Humans; Ice; Kidney Failure, Chronic; Male; Malnutrition; Nutrients; Nutritional Status; Pica; Renal Dialysis; Soil; Young Adult
PubMed: 30322787
DOI: 10.1053/j.jrn.2018.08.002 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2022Geophagy is the habit of consuming clay soil such as chalk or kaolin. Though it is globally practiced, the safety of those involved is yet to be fully established. It is... (Review)
Review
Geophagy is the habit of consuming clay soil such as chalk or kaolin. Though it is globally practiced, the safety of those involved is yet to be fully established. It is thought to be highly prevalent in pregnant women because of its antinausea or therapeutic effects. This practice is also thought to be provoked by some nutritional needs, but in modern society its etiology is obscure. The mineralogical and chemical compositions of clay may vary from one region to another and even in all form of rocks clay constitutes. Published articles in geophagy indicate lack of adequate investigations into the toxicity of geophagy, though it is globally practiced and more prevalent in Africa (as a continent) or in Africans migrants. Some studies have helped to identify some minerals that are toxic to human if ingested. In most cases, the potential toxicity emphasized by these studies is based on the detection of the presence of these nuisance elements in the geophagic materials. Scientifically, a lot has been done in the light of detection of toxic matter, but more investigations on metabolic studies are still necessary. The variability of clay content with respect to source motivated this review on geophagy and its potential toxicity to human. This review is aimed at bringing out findings that would enable a better understanding of the toxicity potential of geophagy across context and taxa.
Topics: Clay; Eating; Female; Humans; Minerals; Pica; Pregnancy; Soil
PubMed: 35958861
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.893831 -
Neuro-Chirurgie Jul 2023Aneurysm of the petrous segment of the internal carotid artery (pICA) is a rare pathology presenting with extracranial and especially oto-rhinological symptoms that can... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Aneurysm of the petrous segment of the internal carotid artery (pICA) is a rare pathology presenting with extracranial and especially oto-rhinological symptoms that can be misleading and delay diagnosis.
METHODS
We report the case of a giant pICA aneurysm compressing the Eustachian tube (ET), presenting with hearing loss due to chronic serous otitis. A PRISMA review of the literature was performed to find similar cases. In addition, relevant anatomical sources were screened.
RESULTS
Five reports about 7 cases of middle-ear effusion caused by pICA aneurysm compressing the ET were identified. Median age at diagnosis was 18.5 years. After endovascular treatment, overall outcome was favorable, with no mortality, although outcome was sometimes impaired by neurological comorbidities and unclear prognosis of hearing-loss recovery.
DISCUSSION
These reports, though rare, offer relevant insights into the poorly known regional anatomy of the pICA, in the borderland between neurosurgery and ENT. Within the petrous bone, the osseous separation between the ET and the pICA is narrow, when not dehiscent. This leads to a risk of any pathological process in either the pICA or the ET impinging on the other.
CONCLUSION
Giant pICA aneurysm is a rare cause of hearing loss, due to compression of the ET, leading to chronic serous otitis. This co-dependency between pICA and ET should be kept in mind, as it underlines the necessity of multidisciplinary management and could facilitate earlier diagnosis and therapeutic management when facing atypical clinical situations.
Topics: Humans; Adolescent; Carotid Artery, Internal; Pica; Aneurysm; Carotid Artery Diseases; Otitis; Intracranial Aneurysm
PubMed: 37182473
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuchi.2023.101448 -
American Journal of Human Biology : the... May 2024Pica, the urge to consume items generally not considered food, such as dirt, raw starch, and ice, are particularly common among pregnant women. However, the biology of...
Pica, the urge to consume items generally not considered food, such as dirt, raw starch, and ice, are particularly common among pregnant women. However, the biology of pica in pregnancy is not well understood. Therefore, this study aimed to assess how pica relates to endocrine stress and immune biomarkers in a cohort of pregnant Latina women in Southern California. Thirty-four women completed a structured pica questionnaire. Maternal urinary cortisol and plasma cytokine levels were measured between 21 and 31 weeks' gestation. Associations between pica during pregnancy and biomarkers were assessed using linear regression models adjusting for gestational age. Twelve (35.3%) of the pregnant women reported pica (geophagy and amylophagy) during pregnancy. In multivariate models, those who engaged in pica had higher levels of cortisol (β: 0.37, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.073) and lower levels of IL-1β (β: -0.06, 95% CI: -0.11, -0.02), IL-8 (β: -0.30, 95% CI: -0.56, -0.05), IL-21 (β: -0.35, 95% CI: -0.63, -0.08), and type-1 inflammation composite (β: -0.29, 95% CI: -0.44, -0.14) than women who did not engage in pica. These results suggest that biological stress and immune response differ for women with pica compared to those without. This study suggests novel physiological covariates of pica during pregnancy. Further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms and temporality underlying the observed associations between pica and endocrine and immune biomarkers.
Topics: Humans; Female; Pregnancy; Hydrocortisone; Pica; Adult; Inflammation; Hispanic or Latino; California; Young Adult; Biomarkers; Cytokines
PubMed: 38050975
DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.24025 -
Global Journal of Health Science Aug 2015Postpartum depression (PPD) is a common disorder and social debilitating that has adverse effects on the mother, child and family. Pica is an eating disorder...
INTRODUCTION & OBJECTIVES
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a common disorder and social debilitating that has adverse effects on the mother, child and family. Pica is an eating disorder characterized by persistent ingestion of substances that the consumer does not define as food. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of postpartum depression with pica during pregnancy.
METHOD
This is case-control study was carried out in health centers in west Tehran. 152 depressed women (case group) and 148 non-depressed women (control group) were selected randomly from these health care centers. In addition to collecting demographic and pica data, the Edinburgh Depression Scale was used. The data was analyzed by both descriptive and analytic analyses such as chi-squared and logistic regression in SPSS version 16.
RESULT
In this study, there wasn't a significant association between PPD and pica during pregnancy (P=0.153, OR=2.043, CI=0.767, 5.438), but, postpartum depression has a significant association with type (clay) (P= 0.024) and duration (more than 2 months) (P= 0.023) of pica practice.
CONCLUSIONS
In the present study, pregnancy pica was not important risk factor for PPD but there were similar risk factors such as iron supplementation during and postpartum pregnancy with pica and PPD.
Topics: Adult; Case-Control Studies; Depression, Postpartum; Female; Humans; Iran; Pica; Pregnancy; Risk Factors
PubMed: 26573027
DOI: 10.5539/gjhs.v8n4p120 -
Phytotherapy Research : PTR Sep 2021Pica is an eating disorder characterized by craving for nonfood items, such as dirt, clay, detergents, soap, stone, and paper. It occurs in children who start feeling...
Pica is an eating disorder characterized by craving for nonfood items, such as dirt, clay, detergents, soap, stone, and paper. It occurs in children who start feeling the world with the oral cavity. The exact etiology of this disorder is still unknown; nonetheless, its treatment and prevalence vary according to patients' behavior and characteristics. We aim to present a case report of a patient with pica who was treated with Persian Traditional Medicine. This treatment was performed using four doses of 15 ml Punica granatum extract after every meal for 3 weeks while fasting before breakfast. The patient's appetite improve within 3 weeks, with remarkable improvement in pica symptoms. Punica granatum extract seems to be effective in controlling pica.
Topics: Child, Preschool; Humans; Male; Medicine, Traditional; Phytotherapy; Pica; Plant Extracts; Pomegranate
PubMed: 34390288
DOI: 10.1002/ptr.6989 -
Journal of Neonatal-perinatal Medicine 2020This study was conducted to determine the relationship between pica and anemia, gastrointestinal disorders, as well as pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women.
OBJECTIVE
This study was conducted to determine the relationship between pica and anemia, gastrointestinal disorders, as well as pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women.
METHODOLOGY
This study was a prospective study carried out between January 2016 and June 2017 and was performed on 226 pregnant women who attended four different health care centers to receive routine prenatal care. Sampling was done considering the inclusion criteria, in two steps: cluster sampling and random sampling. Data collection was done using a researcher-made checklist. The significance level was set at p = 0.05.
RESULTS
The average age of the participants was 26.10±6.27. The prevalence of pica in pregnant women in the first, second, and third trimesters was 9.3, 8, and 2.1%, respectively. The most common pica craving among pregnant women was for ice and frozen materials (68.2%). There was a statistically significant relationship between gastrointestinal disorders and anemia with pica (p < 0.001). There was also a significant relationship between birth weights of babies born to mothers with pica and those without pica (p = 0.005).
CONCLUSION
Pica in pregnant women had a significant relationship with gastrointestinal disorders and anemia during pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes. Thus, in addition to providing healthcare services, health care professionals should consider patients' pica practices and make the necessary interventions.
Topics: Adult; Anemia; Birth Weight; Checklist; Comorbidity; Correlation of Data; Female; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Pica; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications; Pregnancy Outcome; Pregnancy Trimesters; Prenatal Care; Prevalence; Prospective Studies
PubMed: 32925111
DOI: 10.3233/NPM-190257