[Relationship between sex steroids and bone density in elderly men]. / Relación entre esteroides sexuales y densidad ósea en el hombre senescente.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between serum estradiol level (ESL) and testosterone serum level (TSL) with bone mineral density (BMD) in elderly men. METHODS: Cross-sectional study including 127 healthy men aged 60 years and over. BMD of the lumbar spine and femoral neck were measured. ESL, TSL and sex hormone binding globulin were estimated by radioimmunoassay. Free testosterone level (FTL) was calculated. RESULTS: The ESL and BMD correlation at the spine was r = 0.288, (p < 0.01) and at the femoral neck was r = 0.224, (p < 0.01). These correlations remained significant after adjustment for BMI and age. By contrast, no correlation was found between TSL and BMD. However FTL were associated with BMD at the spine (r = 0.288, p < 0.01) and at the femoral neck (r = 0.190, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: ESL and FTL are associated with BMD in elderly men. This effect may be partially mediated by the peripheral conversion of testosterone into estradiol.

Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF-21) as biomarkers of subclinical atherosclerosis in women.

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis is a primary risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Proinflammatory biochemical factors can influence vascular health; monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) is elevated in patients with CVD while fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF-21) acts directly on cardiac tissue to reduce infarction damage. However, the relationship between plasma concentrations of MCP-1, FGF-21 and subclinical CVD indices remains equivocal. AIM: To determine the association between MCP-1, FGF-21 and subclinical atherosclerosis [i.e., carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT)] in women without clinical evidence of CVD. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis of 140 women without history of CVD was performed. Anthropometrics were collected, serum concentrations of MCP-1 and FGF-21 were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and cIMT was quantified (B-mode ultrasonography). The correlations between MCP-1, FGF-21 and the presence of clinical and laboratory of subclinical atherosclerosis (i.e., cIMT ≥0.70 mm), comparison intergroup and odd ratio with multiple logistic regression were analyzed. RESULTS: MCP-1, but not FGF-21 correlated with some obesity indicators. In median comparison among groups, subclinical atherosclerosis showed higher serum concentrations of MCP-1and lower serum concentrations of FGF-21. In postmenopausal women, there were significant differences MCP-1 (p = 0.001), and FGF-21 (p = 0.010). Multiple logistic regression analysis in postmenopausal women with subclinical atherosclerosis, between MCP-1 (p = 0.001) and FGF-21 (p = 0.037) showed association with cIMT, along with age. CONCLUSIONS: MCP-1 and FGF-21 levels are associated with subclinical atherosclerosis disease severity (i.e., cIMT) in postmenopausal women without CVD. Further efforts focused on characterizing the relationship between novel blood-borne markers of early CVD pathology are warranted and should be pursued.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex detected by modified fluorescent in situ hybridization in lymph nodes of clinical samples.

INTRODUCTION: Lymph node tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of extrapulmonary tuberculosis and is the most frequently identified type in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Conventional diagnosis has serious limitations for rapid detection of extrapulmonary tuberculosis in clinical samples. Here PCR and modified FISH have been tested as complementary diagnosis methods for extrapulmonary tuberculosis. METHODOLOGY: The specific insertion sequence IS6110 for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex was used to perform PCR and build DNA and PNA FISH probes (20bp). PCR and modified DNA and PNA FISH assays were performed to evaluate 41 lymph node paraffin-embedded tissue samples, in comparison with the histopathology diagnosis, which was considered the gold standard (22 positive and 19 negative). RESULTS: In comparison with histopathology diagnosis PCR showed 62.5 % sensitivity and 77.8 % specificity (χ(2) = 4.583 p < 0.05). Modified DNA FISH showed 71.4% sensitivity and 84.6% specificity (χ(2) = 11.21 p < 0.05). PNA FISH showed 66.7% sensitivity and 60.0% specificity (χ(2) = 2.93 p > 0.05). Ziehl Neelsen stain was positive in only four cases of 22 lymph node samples positive to histopathology.  In contrast, PCR and modified DNA FISH were positive in 20 cases of the same group. The negative cases were coincident in all tests. CONCLUSIONS: PCR and DNA FISH showed a significant increase in the number of cases detected and also showed higher sensitivity and specificity compared with data reported by traditional methodology. In developing countries, these techniques could help to complement the early diagnosis and timely treatment of extrapulmonary tuberculosis.

Adiponectin is associated with low bone mineral density in elderly men.

OBJECTIVE: Recent evidence suggests that adiponectin may play a role in bone metabolism. Previous studies demonstrated that the adiponectin levels had a negative correlation with bone mineral density (BMD) in women. However, little is known about the relationship between adiponectin and BMD in men. The aim of this study was to determinate the relationship between the adiponectin levels and BMD in elderly men. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study including 92 healthy men aged 60-80 years. METHODS: Main outcome measures were the adiponectin levels estimated by RIA and BMD at lumbar spine and femoral neck using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Results The negative correlation between adiponectin and BMD at the spine was r=-0.209, (P<0.05) and at the femoral neck was r=-0.237, (P<0.001). These correlations disappeared after adjustment for body mass index (BMI). When stratified by BMI, the relationship between BMD and adiponectin remained significant in the subgroup of participants with BMI >27 kg/m(2), but disappeared in men with BMI 27. CONCLUSION: BMD is negatively associated with the adiponectin levels in men older than 60 years and this relationship is greater in those men with BMI >27, which suggests a plausible connection between bone and fat tissue.