ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The increasing prevalence of allergic diseases and atopy is affected by sex, age and lifestyle factors. Obesity and excess weight are reported to be potential risk factors for atopy and specifically for asthma symptoms in children and adults. OBJECTIVE: To assess the relation between body mass index (BMI) and allergic diseases in patients of both genders, as well as association of BMI with atopy in healthy subjects. METHODS: BMI (kg/m(2)), skin-prick test and total serum immunoglobulin E levels were assessed in 139 subjects: 109 were patients with allergic diseases (M to F ratio was 51:58) and 30 were healthy controls (M to F ratio was 6:24). RESULTS: The study population was grouped into asthma, asthmarhinitis, rhinitis, Urticaria oreczema and controls by BMI and sex. Females with the highest BMI were in asthma and urticaria/eczema group. Males with the highest BMI were in asthmarhinitis and urticariaeczema group. High BMI was associated with atopy in both genders of healthy controls. High levels of total IgE were in male allergic patients. CONCLUSION: High BMI was associated with asthma in females, urticaria/eczema in both genders and atopy in both genders of healthy controls. Higher levels of total IgE were concluded in male patients.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Although kinematic changes in the sagittal plane of the osteoarthritic knee (OA) have been elucidated, very few studies have analysed changes in the frontal and horizontal planes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate in vivo 3D knee kinematics during walking in patients wth knee OA. METHODS: Thirty patients with medial knee OA and a control group of similarly aged individuals were prospectively collected for this study. All participants were assessed with KneeKG(TM) system while walking on a treadmill at a self-selected speed. In each trial, we calculated the angular displacment of flexion/extension, abduction/adduction and external/internal tibial rotation. Statistical analysis was performed to determine differences between the knee OA group and the control group. RESULTS: Patients with knee OA had reduced extension during the stance phase (p < 0.05; 8.5° and 4.4°, OA and control group, respectively) and reduced flexion during pushoff and initial swing phase (p < 0.05; 41.9° and 49.4°, respectively). Adduction angle was consistently greater for OA patients (p < 0.05; 3.4° and -0.9°, respectively). Frontal laxity for OA patients was positively correlated with varus deformity (r = 0.42, p < 0.05). There was a significant difference (p) < 0.05 in tibial rotation during the midstance phase; OA patients retained a neutral position (-0.4°), while the control group presented internal tibial rotation (-2.2°). CONCLUSION: Weight-bearing kinematics in medial OA knees differs from that of normal knees. The knee OA group showed an altered "screw-home" mechanism by decreased excursion in sagittal and axial tibial rotation and posterior tibial translation.