Hb A1c in relation to intrauterine growth among male adolescents in southern Brazil.

The fetal origins hypothesis states that nutritional deprivation in utero affects fetal development and contributes to the incidence of diseases associated with the metabolic syndrome in later life. This study investigated whether haemoglobin (Hb) A(1c), an indicator of blood glucose, varied among healthy male adolescents according to their fetal growth rate, in a middle-income setting. Participants were men aged 18 years, belonging to the 1982 Pelotas birth cohort. Complete data, including gestational age and Hb A(1c) at age 18 years, were available for 197 individuals. There was an inverse association between mean Hb A(1c) and birthweight for the gestational age, but not birthweight alone. The association remained significant after adjustment for family income and mother's education, as well as for body mass index at 18 years (P for trend=0.01 and 0.03, respectively).

Cutaneous histologic features in Ehlers-Danlos syndrome: study of 21 patients.

Skin biopsy specimens from 21 patients with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) were compared with controls. With two exceptions, the appearance of the dermal collagen and elastic tissue as seen in the two groups was indistinguishable. One example of type 4 EDS contained a dermis composed of fibers that resembled actinically damaged elastic tissue. The single example of type 6 EDS contained particularly thin collagen fibers. The dermal thickness of specimens of EDS was similar to that of controls, although the abnormal-appearing specimen of type 4 EDS was also abnormally thin. Since the other two biopsy specimens of type 4 appeared to be within the range of normal, there may be heterogeneity in this form of EDS.