Areal bone mineral density of the lumbar spine in 80 premature newborns: a prospective and longitudinal study

BACKGROUND: Maximum bone mass accretion in the fetal skeleton is acquired during the third trimester of gestation, and may be compromised in premature newborns. OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the incidence and evolution of osteopenia, a longitudinal study was performed to evaluate areal bone mineral density (aBMD) in the lumbar spine in premature newborns followed during the first 2 years of life. METHODS: aBMD values were assessed in lumbar spine (L2-L4) by DEXA and expressed as grams hydroxyapatite/cm2 in 80 premature newborns, 41 boys and 39 girls, of gestational ages 24.5-35.7 weeks. aBMD values were evaluated at (mean+/-SD) 0.2+/-0.1 years (at discharge from the neonatal unit), 0.9+/-0.2 years and 2.0+/-0.5 years of postnatal age, and compared with those of age- and sex-matched full-term newborns with normal intrauterine and postnatal growth. RESULTS: aBMD values recovered progressively from the first to the third evaluations, and were 0.139+/-0.06 g/cm2 (-2.4+/-1.4 SDS) at 0.2+/-0.1, 0.270+/-0.06 g/cm2 (-1.0+/-1.0 SDS) at 0.9+/-0.2 and 0.410 g/cm2 (-0.08+/-1.0 SDS) at 2.0+/-0.5 years. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show a significant catch-up of aBMD, reaching values similar to those of full-term newborns at the age of 0.2+/-0.5 years, regardless of the gestational age at birth.     

Disentangling the Effect of Local and Global Spatial Variation on a Mosquito-Borne Infection in a Neotropical Heterogeneous Environment

Mosquito-borne pathogen transmission exhibits spatial-temporal variability caused by ecological interactions acting at different scales. We used local spatial statistics and geographically weighted regression (GWR) to determine the spatial pattern of malaria incidence and persistence in northeastern Venezuela. Seven to 11 hot spots of malaria transmission were detected by using local spatial statistics, although disease persistence was explained only for four of those hot spots. The GWR models greatly improved predictions of malaria risk compared with ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models. Malaria incidence was largely explained by the proximity to and number of Anopheles aquasalis habitats nearby (1–3 km), and low-elevation terrains. Disease persistence was associated with greater human population density, lower elevations, and proximity to aquatic habitats. However, there was significant local spatial variation in the relationship between malaria and environmental variables. Spatial modeling improves the understanding of the causal factors operating at several scales in the transmission of malaria.     

Dental age estimation in Spanish and Venezuelan children. Comparison of Demirjian and Chaillet’s scores

Orthopantomographs taken from 308 Spanish Caucasian and 200 Venezuelan Amerindian children, aged between 2 and 18 years, were analysed following the Demirjian’s method. The aims of this study were to test the applicability of the Demirjian’s method to two different sample populations, and to develop age prediction models for both populations using the original French Canadian scores described by Demirjian (1976) and the new multi-ethnic dental scores proposed by Chaillet et al. (2005) when the ethnic origin is unknown. Results showed that despite the good correlation between dental and chronological age, Demirjian’s method overestimates the age in the Spanish Caucasian sample using both scores, the mean overestimation being higher when the Demirjian’s scores were used than when the Chaillet’s scale was applied. In the Venezuelan Amerindian sample, the opposite was found: Demirjian’s method underestimates the age using both scores, the underestimation being higher when the Chaillet’s scale was applied than when Demirjian’s scale was used. New graphs were produced to convert the maturity scores to dental age for Spanish and Venezuelan children. With these graphs, the Demirjian’s scores showed to be inadequate after the age of 12 in both populations, while Chaillet’s scores offered useful information until 14 years of age.     

Mammography and ultrasound in the evaluation of male breast disease

Objective  

To assess clinical variables that may be useful in differentiating gynaecomastia from carcinoma and to analyse the contribution of mammography and ultrasound to the evaluation of male breast disease.     

Guidance for Older Workers: An Overview of the Spanish Situation

This paper aims to attract attention on career guidance from an economic policy approach. Guidance will be defined as an economic instrument contributing to active ageing of the population. Taking Spain as an example, it will be demonstrated that there is a need for more policy making in third age guidance. After a brief revision of guidance provision in Spain, the methodology is based on a combination of techniques aimed at gathering qualitative and quantitative information, including statistical analysis data obtained from 369 personal interviews with the participants of the Guidance Service of the Business Confederation of the Province of Alicante (Spain), ten individual interviews with social partners: employers’ organisations and trade unions representatives, and a working session with six guidance experts. Spain is a country where some progress in terms of active labour policies, specially guidance, and older workers, has occurred in the recent years, but the age is not still considered as a relevant factor in policy making in this country. Age guidance is very well valued by social actors and old workers but still insufficient. Spanish survey showed that in order to get real effectiveness, career guidance must give response to old workers’ needs, by paying full and specific attention to this collective.     

Análisis de resultados del Programa Externo de Control de Calidad SEIMC. Año 2008

The External Quality Control Program of the Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology (SEIMC) include controls for bacteriology, serology, mycology, parasitology, mycobacteria and virology. This article present the most relevant conclusions and lessons from the 2008 controls. As a whole, the results obtained in 2008 confirm the excellent skill and good technical standards of the microbiology laboratories in Spain found in previous editions. However, a few deviations can be obtained in any laboratory, even in clinically relevant determinations. Once again, the results of this program highlighted the need to implement both internal an external controls in order to assure the maximal quality of the microbiological tests.