Lower bone density and microarchitecture alterations in HIV-infected Brazilian men aged 50 years and older are associated with estradiol levels.

OBJECTIVE: Combination antiretroviral treatment (cART) allows for longer survival for people living with HIV and hence long-term complications of both disease and treatment are common. Our purpose was to evaluate bone alterations in men living with HIV (MLWH) and receiving cART and to identify associated factors that can be corrected or mitigated. PATIENTS AND DESIGN: Thirty MLWH and 36 healthy controls (≥50 years) were studied for areal bone mineral density (aBMD) and body composition (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) and bone microstructure (high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography [HR-pQCT]), serum calcium, phosphate, parathyroid hormone, 25(OH)D, testosterone (T), estradiol (E2 ), glucose, creatinine, and albumin levels. RESULTS: The proportion of patients classified as osteoporosis (according to the lowest aBMD T-score) was higher among MLWH as compared to controls (17.9% vs. 5.9%, p = .011). The MLWH showed significant alterations in cortical and trabecular bone on HR-pQCT, which were not associated with the duration of HIV infection or cART. These differences in vBMD and bone microstructure seen in HR-pQCT persisted in the nonosteoporotic MLWH as compared to nonosteoporotic control subjects. Body mass index (BMI) and fat mass were lower in MLWH and positively associated with total vBMD, cortical bone area, and thickness. E2 and E2 /T ratios were lower in MLWH than in controls and significantly correlated with several cortical and trabecular bone parameters. Multivariate regression analysis entering simultaneously age, BMI, and E2 defined that E2 is an independent influence on bone parameters evaluated by HR-pQCT. CONCLUSION: MLWH have alterations in bone volumetric density and microstructure when compared with controls, irrespective of aBMD, which are associated with lower E2 and BMI.

Central-to-peripheral fat ratio, but not peripheral body fat, is related to insulin resistance and androgen markers in polycystic ovary syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Overweight, hyperandrogenism and insulin resistance are cardinal features of patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Women with PCOS have excess accumulation of trunkal fat and metabolic complications. Recent findings suggest that peripheral fat may have metabolic protective behaviour. The aim of this study was to investigate body fat distribution in patients with PCOS and associations of peripheral fat with metabolic and hormonal profile. METHODS: The study included 24 patients with PCOS and a control group of 13 women. Anthropometrical evaluation and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry to determine body composition was performed. Plasma metabolic and hormonal profiles were evaluated. RESULTS: Patients with PCOS have increased proportion of central to peripheral fat ratio (CPFR) when compared to controls (p = 0.008). There was a positive correlation among trunkal fat, insulin, HOMA-IR and triglycerides (all p < 0.05). Regarding to peripheral fat there was no difference between groups, a trend to negative correlation to insulin appeared. Positive correlation between free androgens index and CPFR (p = 0.058) and a negative correlation between SHBG and CPFR (p = 0.016) were appeared. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with PCOS showed an android pattern fat distribution when compared to controls. Peripheral fat contribution and its relations to androgens in this context could not be established. Android pattern of fat distribution showed inverse correlation to SHBG levels, suggesting that SHBG may be related to fat distribution.

Intercorrências clínicas na síndrome de Turner / Clinical intercurrence in Turner's syndrome

Neste trabalho descrevemos as malformaçöes e co-morbidades observadas em pacientes com síndrome de Turner (ST). Foi realizado um estudo retrospectivo, avaliando os prontuários de 60 pacientes cujo diagnóstico de ST foi confirmado através do cariótipo, desde a fase pré-natal até a idade de 49 anos. As pacientes encontram-se com idades entre 1 e 50 anos e foram evoluídas num período de 4 meses a 29 anos. Trinta e uma apresentavam o cariótipo 45X0, 24 eram mosaico e 5 apresentavam o padräo 46Xi, (i,Xq). Todas tinham baixa estatura e algum tipo de estigma. Cinco (8,3 por cento) näo apresentavam outras malformaçöes congênitas e eram saudàveis; 55 (91,6 por cento) apresentavam doenças associadas, sendo que em 23 (38,3 por cento) foram detectadas doenças endócrinas, em 16 (26,6 por cento) otorrinolaringológicas, 15 (25 por cento) cardiológicas, 14 (23,3 por cento) nefrológicas e 6 (10 por cento) gastrointestinais. Entre as doenças endócrinas mais comuns, observamos hipotireoidismo (36,6 por cento), seguido de osteo-porose (18,3 por cento) e hiperlipemia (11,6 por cento). As doenças otorrinolaringológicas mais comuns foram as infecçöes (otite média e amigdalite); das doenças cardiológicas, as valvulopatias (principalmente aorta bicúspide), das nefrológicas as duplicaçöes do sistema coletor e rotaçöes renais e das gastrointestinais foram observados dois casos de divertículo de Meckel. Encontramos maior prevalência de malformaçöes cardíacas nas pacientes com cariótipo 45X0, embora sem significância estatística quando considerados os demais cariótipos. Concluímos que, devido à alta ocorrência de doenças nesta síndrome, estas devem ser acompanhadas periodicamente em diferentes especialidades.