Clinical rheumatology
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Clinical rheumatology · Dec 1993
Bone mineral content and anthropometric variables in men: a cross-sectional study in 324 normal subjects.
Total body bone mineral content (TBBMC), total body bone mineral density (TBBMD), and regional bone mineral content (BMC) were determined with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and correlated with different anthropometric variables in 324 normal male subjects aged 15 to 85 years, in order to obtain further knowledge of the controversial course of bone mass in males. These subjects showed increased TBBMC and TBBMD up to the age of 25-29 years. A positive and significant (p < 0.001) correlation was observed between TBBMC and TBBMD and with BMC with age (p < 0.001), as well as between age and body weight (p < 0.001) and between the latter and body fat (p < 0.001). ⋯ By multiple regression analysis, TBBMC was significantly independent of fat-free mass (FFM) and lean body mass (LBM) (p < 0.01). These findings led us to point out that bone mass increases until the age of 29 years and that changes depend more on weight that on age in men. The rate of bone mass loss with age was 0.23%, that of soft tissue 0.35%, while fat mass increased 0.7% per year.
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Clinical rheumatology · Sep 1993
Case ReportsIsolated sternoclavicular joint arthritis in heroin addicts and/or HIV positive patients: three cases.
The authors describe three patients in whom septic arthritis of the sternoclavicular joint (SCJ) occurred, drug addiction and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection representing the predisposing conditions. Infectious arthritis is well known in intravenous drug users, but it is rare in HIV positive patients, who are prone to bacterial infections from usual or unusual microorganisms. In one case, staphylococcus aureus methicillin sensitive was responsible for septic arthritis. In another case, SCJ infection was associated with pneumonitis.
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Clinical rheumatology · Dec 1992
Case ReportsBilateral pneumothorax and mediastinal emphysema in systemic lupus erythematosus.
The association of pneumothorax and mediastinal emphysema in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has not been described extensively in the literature. We describe a 36 year-old man with SLE, complicated by bilateral pneumothorax, mediastinal emphysema and pneumoperitoneum. Despite the treatment received, he died of respiratory failure.
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Clinical rheumatology · Mar 1991
Case ReportsSpontaneous regression of intervertebral disc calcifications in a child.
This article presents the case of a boy who complained of cervical and thoracic spine pain for the first time at the age of nine. Plain films of cervical and thoracic spine showed calcifications of intervertebral disc C4-C5, C5-C6, C6-C7 and D3-D4. ⋯ This spontaneous regression of intervertebral disc calcifications in childhood has also been described in other cases reported in the medical literature. Except for the rare cases when disc calcifications are associated with disc herniation, the discovery of disc calcifications on a plain X-ray of a child corresponds to a benign abnormality.
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Clinical rheumatology · Mar 1990
Bacterial arthritis: are fever, rigors, leucocytosis and blood cultures of diagnostic value?
Clinical suspicion, positive gram stains and cultures of the synovial fluid are the fundamental criteria for the diagnosis of bacterial arthritis. Bacterial arthritis may, however, show an oligosymptomatic clinical course and thus lead to a delay in diagnosis. ⋯ Positive cultures of the synovial fluid (71.4%) were far more frequent than positive blood cultures (23.5%). We conclude, that the absence of fever, rigors, blood leucocytosis and positive blood cultures does not rule out the possibility of bacterial arthritis.