Pica, the craving and purposive consumption of non-food substances, is of public health concern for its potential deleterious and salubrious health consequences. However, neither its prevalence nor demographic correlates have been well characterized. Therefore, we conducted the first population-based study of pica and amylophagy in Madagascar. From February to December 2009, we surveyed pica an...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE To establish the diagnostic criteria for the site of occlusion in the vertebral arteries (VAs) using duplex color-coded ultrasonography. METHODS In 128 consecutive patients who underwent conventional cerebral angiography, we prospectively measured the diameter, mean flow velocity (MV), peak systolic flow velocity, and end-diastolic flow velocity of both VAs. The diamete...

The name pica is derived from the Latin word meaning magpie. In reviewing the literature no adequate definitions are to be found. Those of Hubrigkt (1562) and Schrey (1719), as quoted by Cooper (1957), are antiquated and of historical interest only. Pica could be described as a perversion of appetite with persistent and purposeful ingestion of unsuitable substances, seemingly of no nutrient val...

Pica is a severe behavior disorder involving the persistent consumption of nonnutritive substances. Due to health complications and risks for fatality, designing effective behavioral treatments that are feasible implementation by family members at home imperative. This case report presents parent-conducted functional analysis treatment evaluation automatically maintained pica in teenager with a...

PURPOSE To determine the normal anatomical features and variations of the vertebrobasilar circulation and its branches in patients who underwent multidetector computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance (MR) angiographies of the brain. METHODS 135 patients (male, 83 and female, 52; mean age, 50.1 years) who underwent CT (n = 71) or MR (n = 64) angiographies of the vertebrobasilar vasculatu...

KRAFFT-EBING, R. VON. Textbook of insanity. Translated (1905) by C. G. Chaddock, Philadelphia: E. A. Davis. LANZKOWSKY, P. (1959) Investigation into the aetiology and treatment of pica. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 34, 140—148. LoURIE, R. S. & LAYMAN, E. M. (1963) Why children eat things that are not food. Children, 10, 143—146. MCDONALD,R. & MARSHALL, S. R. (1964) The value of iron th...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Vertebral artery hypoplasia (VAH) is supposed to be a risk factor for posterior circulation ischemia (PCI), particularly in the territory of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA). The aim of our study was to determine whether VAH impedes perfusion in the dependent PICA territory even in the absence of manifest PCI. METHODS VA diameter was retrospectively measu...