Effects of circulation weather types on influenza hospital admissions in Spain.

In this study, we use a statistical approach based on generalized additive models, linking atmospheric circulation and the number of influenza-related hospital admissions in the Spanish Iberian Peninsula during 2003-2013. The relative risks are estimated for administrative units in the Spanish territory, which is politically structured into 15 regions called autonomous communities. A catalog of atmospheric circulation types is defined for this purpose.

Biomechanical indices of the femoral neck estimated from the standard DXA output: age- and sex-related differences.

We explored the feasibility of using routine dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to estimate several parameters of femoral neck geometry related to bone strength and to analyze their changes with age. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured in 871 control men and women and in 19 women with hip fracture. Volumetric BMD (volBMD) and geometrical parameters were estimated from the DXA output with previously published formulas.

Adiposity, estradiol, and genetic variants of steroid-metabolizing enzymes as determinants of bone mineral density.

Objectives: Bone mineral density (BMD) is a complex trait resulting from the interplay of genetic and acquired factors. The objective of this study was to explore the influence of several anthropometric, lifestyle, genetic, and hormonal factors on BMD and analyze the possible differences in men and women.

Methods: We studied 572 individuals over 50 years of age (381 postmenopausal women and 191 men).

Association of the F352V variant of the Klotho gene with bone mineral density.

Klotho gene codes for a protein with glucuronidase activity and is thought to influence bone and vascular homeostasis. We studied the relationship of a common T/G polymorphism, resulting in a phenylalanine (F) to valine (V) substitution at aminoacid position 352, with bone mineral density (BMD) and osteoporotic fractures. The study group comprised 914 Spanish women, including 438 control subjects, 190 patients with osteoporosis, 198 with hip fractures, and 88 patients with severe osteoarthritis.

Aromatase gene and osteoporosis: relationship of ten polymorphic loci with bone mineral density.

Aromatase activity appears to be important for bone homeostasis in postmenopausal women. In fact, therapy with aromatase inhibitors is associated with bone loss and fractures. A common biallelic A/G polymorphism in the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) of CYP19-aromatase gene has been associated with differences in gene transcription and the risk of estrogen-responsive tumors.

Age-related influence of common aromatase gene polymorphisms on bone mass of healthy men.

Androgens and estrogens are critical factors for bone homeostasis; hence, polymorphisms of genes involved in the metabolism and activity of sex steroids are likely candidates to influence bone mass. Therefore, we studied the association of two of those microsatellite polymorphisms, situated in intron 4 of CYP19-aromatase and exon 1 of androgen receptor, with bone mass in a group of 324 healthy men of a wide age range (mean age 49, range 22-75). CYP19 and androgen receptor alleles were typed by capillary electrophoresis after PCR amplification.

A common polymorphism in the 5'-untranslated region of the aromatase gene influences bone mass and fracture risk.

Objective: The aromatization of androgenic precursors in peripheral tissues, including bone, is the main source of estrogens after the menopause. CYP19, the gene encoding aromatase, has a long 5'-untranslated region with several variants of exon I and specific promoters. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible relationship between a common biallelic (C/G) polymorphism located on exon I.

A new pentaplex system to study short tandem repeat markers of forensic interest on X chromosome.

A new method has been optimised to amplify five X chromosome short tandem repeat (STR) markers of interest in forensic medicine: human phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRTB), DXS101, androgen receptor (ARA), DXS7423 and DXS8377. Markers were conveniently amplified in a single PCR reaction with fluorochrome-labelled primers, which allowed the analysis of fragment sizes after injection into a capillary electrophoresis system. The most common alleles of each locus were sequenced and used in a control ladder to type unknown samples.