Association Between Stability and Urologic Lesions in Pelvic Ring Fractures. A Case Series Report

Purpose Pelvic ring fractures represent a subgroup of potentially serious injuries due to the fractures themselves, as well as the associated injuries. In fact, over 4% of cases have concomitant lower urinary tract injuries. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between the instability of pelvic ring fractures and the presence of lower urinary tract lesions. Materials and methods A retrospective review of patients with pelvic ring fractures at our center between 2007 and 2015 was performed. Fractures were categorized according to the Tile classification system. Patients with lower urinary tract lesions were selected and categorized according to the lower urinary tract lesion identified (urinary bladder, urethral or combined). Subsequently, a statistical analysis was carried out to assess the association between these variables. Results 614 patients with pelvic ring fracture were included, corresponding to 260 (42.3%) men and 354 (57.7%) women. 25 patients (4.1%) were diagnosed of lower urinary tract injury (17 bladder injuries, 8 urethral injuries and 0 combined injuries). Urethral injuries were more frequent among men (1.9% incidence in men vs 0.8% in women). A lower incidence of lower urinary tract lesions was detected in stable pelvic ring fractures (type A, p 0.02). Overall, type C3 showed the highest incidence of lower urinary tract lesions (22.2% incidence, p = 0.04). Conclusion In our series, a greater incidence of higher urinary tract injuries was observed in patients with unstable pelvic ring fractures (Tile type B and C) with respect to stable fractures (Tile type A). Therefore, a high index of suspicion should be maintained in order to identify high risk patients

Joint effect of obesity and TNFA variability on asthma: two international cohort studies

Obesity is a risk factor for asthma. Adipose tissue expresses pro-inflammatory molecules including tumour necrosis factor (TNF), and levels of TNF are also related to polymorphisms in the TNF-a (TNFA) gene. The current authors examined the joint effect of obesity and TNFA variability on asthma in adults by combining two population-based studies. The European Community Respiratory Health Survey and the Swiss Cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung and Heart Disease in Adults used comparable protocols, questionnaires and measures of lung function and atopy. DNA samples from 9,167 participants were genotyped for TNFA -308 and lymphotoxin-a (LTA) +252 gene variants. Obesity and TNFA were associated with asthma when mutually adjusting for their independent effects (odds ratio (OR) for obesity 2.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.7–3.2; OR for TNFA -308 polymorphism 1.3, 95% CI 1.1–1.6). The association of obesity with asthma was stronger for subjects carrying the G/A and A/A TNFA -308 genotypes compared with the more common G/G genotype, particularly among nonatopics (OR for G/A and A/A genotypes 6.1, 95% CI 2.5–14.4; OR for G/G genotype 1.7, 95% CI 0.8–3.3). The present findings provide, for the first time, evidence for a complex pattern of interaction between obesity, a pro-inflammatory genetic factor and asthma

Sociodemographic and Lifestyle Determinants of Functional Food Consumption in an Adult Population of the Balearic Islands

Background/Aims: Studies about functional food (FF) consumption among south Europeans are scarce. The aim of this study was to assess sociodemographic and lifestyle determinants of FF consumption in adult inhabitants of the Balearic Islands. Methods: A population-based, cross-sectional, nutritional survey was conducted. The target population consisted of all inhabitants aged 16-65 years living in the Balearic Islands. FFs were selected from a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics were also assessed. Results: A high percentage of the population consumed FFs (skimmed milk, fiber-rich bread/cookies, probiotics, breakfast cereals and tea). Gender was a significant determinant for FF consumption. Females were more likely to consume soy milk, fiber-rich bread/cookies and tea; males preferred to consume breakfast cereals. FF consumption was significantly associated with increasing age in both genders. Fiber-rich bread/cookies were especially consumed by individuals with medium education, and breakfast cereals were consumed by respondents with a medium income. Physically active adults were more likely to consume soy milk, breakfast cereals, probiotics and red wine, and obese individuals were less likely to consume breakfast cereals and fiber-rich bread/cookies. Conclusions: A high percentage of the study population consumed FFs. Gender, age, marital status, education level, body mass index and physical activity are factors associated with FF consumption. (C) 2013 S. Karger AG, Base