Intra-abdominal obesity and metabolic risk factors: a study of young adults.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relative importance of the extent and regional distribution of fat for metabolic risk factors in young adults. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study of findings from a hospital-based case-control study. SUBJECTS: A total of 46 adult Danish Caucasian patients (40 men and six women, aged 34-54 y). Of these, 22 had had non fatal acute myocardial infarction before 41 y of age and 24 were age- and gender-matched controls without coronary heart disease. MEASUREMENTS: Four measurements of fat: body mass index (BMI, kg/m(2)), body fat percentage measured using a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scanner, waist/hip circumference ratio (WHR), and intra-abdominal adipose tissue area measured using computed tomography (CT) scanning, and eight metabolic risk factors: systolic and diastolic blood pressure, HbA(1c) percentage, fasting concentrations of capillary whole blood glucose, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, serum triglyceride, plasma plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), and urinary albumin:creatinine excretion ratio. RESULTS: Of 46 participants, 10 were obese (BMI >30 kg/m(2)), 12 were abdominally obese (WHR >0.90 for men and >0.85 for women), and 20 were intra-abdominally obese (intra-abdominal adipose tissue area >135 cm(2)). Men had a higher intra-abdominal adipose tissue area than women (P=0.0053, Mann-Whitney U-test). In multiple regression analyses of the four fat variables, only intra-abdominal adipose tissue area significantly predicted the levels of six metabolic risk factors: systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fasting concentrations of capillary whole blood glucose, serum HDL cholesterol, serum triglyceride, and PAI-1. The intra-abdominal adipose tissue area had a linear relation with the six metabolic risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: For young individuals, intra-abdominal fat is the important component of the body fat for six of the eight metabolic risk factors. Intra-abdominal fat might contribute to that most patients with acute myocardial infarction at a young age are men.

Bilateral torsion of the testicles in a newborn.

We describe a case of bilateral torsion of the testes in a full term neonate.

Helicobacter pylori infection in patients with chronic pancreatitis and duodenal ulcer.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of duodenal ulcer is high in patients with chronic pancreatitis. Patients with simple duodenal ulcer without chronic pancreatitis are mostly Helicobacter pylori-infected, and the prevalence of IgG seropositivity is > 95%. The prevalence of H. pylori infection in patients with chronic pancreatitis is not known. METHODS: IgG antibodies against H. pylori were measured in a cross-sectional survey of consecutive patients who had their exocrine pancreas function examined with a Lundh meal test in the period 1988-95 and in a control group of patients with simple duodenal ulcer. RESULTS: Twenty-seven per cent of the patients with chronic pancreatitis had duodenal ulcer during the observation period. The prevalence of IgG antibodies against H. pylori was 22% in patients with chronic pancreatitis without duodenal ulcer as compared with 27% with non-organic abdominal pain. The prevalence of IgG antibodies against H. pylori was 60% in patients with chronic pancreatitis complicated by duodenal ulcer as compared with 86% in controls with simple duodenal ulcer. CONCLUSIONS: H. pylori infection contributes but may not be the only cause of duodenal ulcer in patients with chronic pancreatitis.

[Gluteal hematoma infected with multiresistant Salmonella typhi]. / Glutealt haematom inficeret med multiresistente Salmonella typhi.

Salmonella infections usually presents with diarrhea and fever. Localized salmonella infection with abscess formation is an uncommon but significant manifestation of salmonellosis. An infected gluteal haematoma caused by multi resistant Salmonella typhi is described. Etiologic diagnosis, appropriate chemotherapy, surgical intervention and isolation is important. There was no nosocomial infections related to this case and treatment was effective. It is important to be aware of unusual manifestations of salmonella infections, which may occur without any previous history of exposure.