What the Long Term Cohort Studies that Began in Childhood Have Taught Us about the Origins of Coronary Heart Disease

A limited number of observational studies were commenced in the 1970s and 1980s that have aimed to examine the child and adolescent origin of cardiovascular disease. These studies have provided, and continue to provide, critical evidence that have enhanced our understanding of the disease process, the early-life factors involved, and have informed public health and clinical guideline statements. Using data on preclinical markers of vascular health in adulthood, these studies have recently described the important role for youth lifestyle for later vascular health, provided information on the critical age in youth when risk factor associations with adult vascular health emerge, and have reported on the potential vascular benefits of resolving youth at-risk status in the transition from youth to adulthood. It is these works that we cover in detail in this review. Despite all the achievements from these studies, it is tantalizing that their most important contributions are still to come. That is, once sufficient clinical end points accrue so that analyses linking early life health to hard outcomes can be performed. These studies are a commodity and an invaluable resource that, with minimal re-investment, will provide increasing returns on cardiovascular health into the future.     

The association between muscular power from childhood to adulthood and adult measures of glucose homeostasis

This study aimed to assess whether the longitudinal association between childhood muscular fitness and adult measures of glucose homeostasis persist despite changes in muscular fitness across the life course. This prospective longitudinal study included 586 participants who had their muscular power (standing long jump distance), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and waist circumference measured as children (aged 9, 12, 15 years) and again 20 years later as adults. In adulthood, these participants also provided a fasting blood sample which was tested for glucose and insulin. Glucose homeostasis measures including insulin resistance (HOMA2‐IR) and beta cell function (HOMA2‐β) were estimated. Child and adult muscular power levels were separated into thirds, and tracking groups (persistently low, decreasing, persistently moderate, increasing, and persistently high) were created. Sex‐stratified multivariable linear regression models were used to examine the association between muscular power tracking groups and adult measures of glucose homeostasis. Compared with males with persistently high muscular power, males with increasing and persistently low muscular power had higher fasting insulin (increasing: β = 1.12 mU/L, P = .04; persistently low: β = 2.12 mU/L, P = .001) and HOMA2‐β (increasing: β = 8.50%, P = .03; persistently low: β = 11.27%, P = .01) independent of CRF and males with persistently low muscular power had greater fasting insulin (β = 1.22 mU/L, P = .02) and HOMA2‐IR (β = 0.14, P = .02) independent of waist circumference. Non‐significant associations were present for females. For males, maintaining persistently high muscular power between childhood and adulthood could lead to a healthier adult glucose homeostasis profile.     

Method and optical device for exactly hinge axis localization tested on original phantom

The quickly and exactly method of location of the hinge-axis is based on the moiré effect, produced between two superposed optical nets, one of it being moved. A face bow is fixed on the mandible to the occlusion rim. Two optical devices are mounted on the bottoms of the face bow. Two other optical nets are applied on the skin, corresponding to the TMJ. During the opening movements of the mandible when a pure rotation of the mandibular condiles take place on the TMJ, the optical nets are displaced and me exactly register the place corresponding to the rotation axe and we can note on the skin the hinge axis. The checkout was done using a phanthom achieved in our department, consisting of a skull made up of polyestheric resins and an elastic element made up of PVC.     

Dedifferentiated liposarcoma of the omentum

The authors present the case of a 56 years old patient, from the surgery department, with the diagnostic: "Tumoral abdominal mass". Ultrasound investigation and CT-scan suspicioned a malignant omental tumor. Intraoperator, we found a tumor with macroscopic malignant features (sarcomatous like), greow in omentum; the large border of the stomach being fixed but not invaded by it; the dorsal parietal peritoneum of the right lumba and the little omentum were involved, too. We removed all of the sarcomatous tumor, large omentum, small omentum and the gastric fixed segment. Also, the parietal dorsal peritoneum with metastasis, was surgically removed. The patient's postoperator evolution was very good. The histological report established the diagnostic: "dedifferentiated liposarcoma of the omentum". We considered the case to be interesting because of the difficulties in diagnostic and the rarity of it.