Severe loss of clinical attachment level: an independent association with low hip bone mineral density in postmenopausal females.

Background: Bone loss is a feature of both periodontitis and osteoporosis, and several studies have analyzed whether the periodontal destruction could have been influenced by systemic bone loss. The aim of this study is to assess the association between clinical attachment level (CAL) and bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine and hip, lifestyle, smoking, sociodemographic factors, and dental clinical variables in postmenopausal women.

Methods: One hundred forty-eight women were interviewed using a structured written questionnaire and clinically examined.

Work and excessive sleepiness among Brazilian evening high school students: effects on days off.

Previous studies have revealed that students who work and study build up sleep deficits during the workweek, which can trigger a sleep rebound during days off. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of working/non-working on sleepiness during days off among high school students. The study population, aged 14-21 years, attended evening classes in São Paulo, Brazil.

[Epidemiological characteristics of Lyme-like disease in children].

Background: To determine the prevalence, age distribution, seasonality and clinical characteristics of Lyme-simile disease in Brazilians less than 15 years of age. METHODS. From July, 1998 to November, 2000, a cross-sectional study was conducted in 333 patients with skin rash and fever.

Adrenocortical tumours in children and adults: a study of pathological and proliferation features.

Aims: To demonstrate the correlation between morphological and proliferation parameters with the biological behaviour of adrenocortical tumours (ACTs) in different age groups.

Methods: Seventy-six cases of ACT were evaluated comparing tumours of children (< or =15 years, n=24) and adults (>15 years, n=52) regarding morphological features and proliferation rates. These parameters were also compared in clinically benign (CB) and clinically malignant (CM) tumours.

Evaluation of the care of women living with HIV/AIDS in São Paulo, Brazil.

To evaluate care provided to women living with HIV in São Paulo, Brazil, based on their own experiences, patients from HIV/AIDS reference clinics answered a questionnaire on circumstances of HIV testing, health personnel's attitudes at diagnosis, adherence to follow-up, services provided by care centers and access to laboratory monitoring. From September 1999 to February 2000, 1,068 women were interviewed. Most had over 8 years of education and reported having regular sexual partners, being mothers and family caregivers.

[Sexuality of women living with HIV/AIDS in São Paulo].

The social and cultural setting which increases female vulnerability to HIV does not disappear when women living with HIV/AIDS discover that they are infected. Following diagnosis, new challenges arise in their emotional lives, an issue which has received little attention in the literature. This study interviewed 1068 women living with HIV/AIDS using a questionnaire consisting of both open and closed questions, aimed at describing aspects of their sexual and reproductive lives and how they perceive counseling at Reference Centers in two cities in the State of São Paulo, where they have access to free antiretroviral therapy.

[Survival analysis techniques].

Statistical methods known as survival analyses are useful for analyzing time-related events, in which time from a benchmark event to an endpoint is the focus of interest. Survival analysis describes not only patient survival statistics (as suggested by the name), but also other dichotomous outcomes such as time of remission, time of breastfeeding, etc. This paper discusses survival analysis techniques, commenting and comparing their utilization, especially in the field of oncology.

The Brazilian Pediatric Myelodysplastic Cooperative Group strategies: are they relevant to improve educational approach and correct diagnosis?

Brazil is a wide country with huge contrasts. Its peculiarities can highlight environmental factors that could influence the frequencies of different cancers. The standard treatment and results achieved from several different areas of the country may not be found in others.