PROJECT - MEDITERRANEAN NETWORK FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF FOOD INDUCED DISEASES
MEDICEL develops a Mediterranean Network dedicated to the Food Induced Diseases in Children. This is an emerging public health issue concerning at least 5 millions individuals in the Mediterranean Area. These diseases produce malnutrition, growth failure and severe morbidity. In the first year we will focus on gluten induced disease (celiac disease) which is by far the most frequent of these diseases : more than one individual over 100 is affected, but the large majority (90-95%) are not recognized neither cared for.

PARTICIPANTS

• Luigi Greco (coordinator) European Laboratory for Food Induced Diseases (ELFID) , Naples, ITALY
• Abu-Zekry Mona, G.I. Unit, Children’s Hospital, Cairo University, Cairo, EGYPT
• Abkari Abdelhak, Hopital des Enfant Ibn Rochd de Casablanca, Casablanca, MAROCCO
• Ashtar Ali Libya
• Attard M Thomas, Univ of Malta, Med School, Guardamangia, Msida MSD 2080, MALTA
• Barada Kassem, Divi. of Gastr, Dpt of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, LEBANON
• Basir Maryam Palestinian Medical Complex PALESTINA
• Bilbao Josè Ramon, Immunol Laboratory, Hospital de Cruces, Bilbao, SPAIN
• Boudraa Ghazalia, Clinique Amilcar Cabral, Oran , ALGERIA
• Bouziane-Nedjadi Karim Clinique Amilcar Cabral, Oran , ALGERIA
• Corina Hartman Medical Center of Israel Tel Aviv University, Sackler School of Medicine, ISRAELE
• Djurisic Veselinka Lola Clinical Center of Montenegro Ul.Ljubljanska bb, Podgorica, MONTENEGRO
• Dusanka Micetic-Turk, University Medical Centre Paediatric Dpt Ljubljanska, Maribor, SLOVENIA
• Bouguerrà Faouzi, Hopital des Enfants de Tunis, Tunis, TUNISIA
• Hugot Jean Pierre, Hopital Robert Debré, Gastroenterology, Paris, FRANCE
• Kansu Aydan, School of Medicine Ankara University Dikimevi/Mamak, Ankara, TURKEY
• Kolaček Sanja , Referral Center for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Children's Hospital Zagreb, Zagreb, CROATIA
• Magazzù Giuseppe, Pad. NI - A.O.U. Policlinico G. Martino Messina, ITALY
• Mongi Ben Hazir Mongi Slim's Hospital, TUNISIE
• Roma Eleftheria, Aghia Sophia Children’s Hospital, Athens, GREECE
• Shamir Raanan, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Tel Aviv, ISRAEL
• Terzic Selma, University Clinical Center Tuzla, Children's Hospital BOSNIA HARZEGOVINA
• Viala Jerome, Hopital Robert Debré, Gastroenterology, Paris, FRANCE
• Virtut Velmishi, Gastrohepatology of University Hospital Center "Mother Tereza" inTirana, ALBANIA
• Zrinjka Mišak, Referral Center Pediatric Gastro. and Nutrition, Children's Hospital Zagreb, Zagreb, CROATIA

OBJECTIVES

1. Capacity building and development of guidelines for the care of food induced disease in infants and children
2. Establishment of a Mediterranean network to share know how and technology for the diagnosis and management of food induced disease in children, with special attention to the pandemic of wheat gluten intolerance (celiac disease)
3. Development of local sustainable strategies to support the dietary care of children affected by food induced diseases
4. Identification of genetic and environmental risk factors for food induced intolerance in children
5. Develop preventive measures to reduce the burden of food induced diseases in children

EXPECTED RESULTS

1. Dissemination of knowledge and practical skills for the identification and management of food induced disease in infants and children. Establishment of a MEDI-CEL network, expanded in the field outside the reference hospitals.
2. Set up of simple and sustainable diagnostic tools, applicable at field level, for the point-of-care diagnosis of at risk children. Establishment of a central repository of diagnostic facilities and risk stratification.
3. Establishment of tools for the risk stratification of newborn, infants and children (where risk is genetic, infectious diseases, malnutrition)
4. Field Actions to support the optimal strategies to feed children and avoid food induced diseases.
   

OUTCOME INDICATORS

1. N. of health professional trained in the field
2. Development of agreed and on-the-field evaluated guidelines
3. N. of diagnostic test performed, quality controls done by ref laboratories
4. N. of children diagnosed and brought to care
5. Identification of 4-5 risk factors in the different communities
6. N. of diets developed and applied for the care of infants
7. N of families reached by the preventive messages

PLAN OF ACTIVITIES

The European Laboratory for Food Induced Diseases (ELFID) , from the University of Naples Federico II, will take the burden of the co-ordination of the activities.
Each Participant country proposes one reference person for the project who has to establish a small task force of relevant stakeholders, capable of implementing the actions agreed.
The ‘hub & spoke’ methodology will be adopted for the progressive training at national level.
In field training will be activated together with an in build evaluation system.
The first step is to develop a diagnostic protocol for celiac disease applicable across the vast regions of the Mediterranean areas.
The diffusion of diagnostic tools (serology and histology) will follow, with a centralized quality control system.
The sharing of complex cases and the on-line verification of images will help the growth of national capacities.
A DATA and BIO BANK will allow the participation to research project aimed to the identification of environmental as well as genetic risk factors.
MEDICEL will be related to the PREVENT-CD EU Project and to the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN)

You will find all the presentations and other informations about the project on the Medicel website www.medicel.unina.it

Prof. Luigi Greco ydongre@unina.it
Dr. Renata Auricchio r.auricchio@unina.it
Dr. Francesca Tucci franci.tucci@libero.it
Dr. Luca Astarita lucaastarita@yahoo.it
Sig.ra Margherita Arcidiaco margherita@unina.it
Phone +390817463275