Phalangeal quantitative ultrasound: cheaper methods for screening and follow-up of bone pathologies in HIV-infected women?

This study estimated the prevalence of bone pathologies in a cohort of HIV-infected women in comparison with a cohort of HIV-negative women. Bone mineral density was measured by phalangeal quantitative ultrasound (AD-SoS: amplitude- dependent speed of sound; UBPI: ultrasound bone profile index). Risk of fracture, expressed by UBPI, was considered for value <0.

Evaluation of insulin resistance in a cohort of HIV-infected youth.

Objective: Metabolic abnormalities, including impairment of glucose homeostasis, have been well characterized in HIV-infected patients. In contrast to adults, insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus appear to be relatively uncommon finding in youth.

Design: We assessed insulin resistance, and associated risk factors, in a population of vertically HIV-infected children and young adults, when compared with a control population of healthy children.

Cross-sectional reference data for phalangeal quantitative ultrasound from early childhood to young-adulthood according to gender, age, skeletal growth, and pubertal development.

Bone mineral status by phalangeal quantitative ultrasound (QUS, DBM Sonic, IGEA, Carpi, Modena, Italy) was examined in 3044 (1513 males and 1531 females) healthy subjects, aged 2-21 years. The aim of the study was to provide a reference database for phalangeal QUS parameters, amplitude-dependent speed of sound (AD-SoS) and bone transmission time (BTT), both expressed as centiles and Z score, according to gender, age, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), and pubertal stage to be used for estimating bone mineral status in patients with disorders of growth or of bone and mineral metabolism. In both sexes, AD-SoS and BTT increased significantly (P<0.

Relationship between body mass index and asthma characteristics in a group of Italian children and adolescents.

The prevalence of asthma and obesity, two often associated conditions, is influenced not only by age and gender but also by lifestyle factors. This study aimed to determine whether, in a Mediterranean northern Italian region, Liguria, an increased prevalence of obesity could be detected in asthmatic children and adolescents and to evaluate the possible relationship between body mass index (BMI) and the characteristics and/or severity of asthma. BMI was determined in 554 asthmatic subjects (2.

Assessment of skeletal maturity of the hand-wrist and knee: A comparison among methods.

This study evaluated the influence of height growth and nutritional status on skeletal maturation of the knee and hand-wrist. Radiographs of 589 subjects (250 girls and 339 boys) from 2 to 15 years were rated according to Greulich-Pyle, TW-20 bone and TW-RUS, RWT knee, and FELS hand-wrist methods and a method combining FELS and RWT indicators. The subjects were referred to the Genoa University Paediatric Department from 1980 to 1987 for short stature, simple obesity, or acute diseases.