Osteopenia in the men of a Veterans Administration nursing home

Article Abstract:

Osteopenia, a condition of subnormal bone density, is a risk factor for bone fractures. The bone density of older men is known to decrease progressively with age, which helps to explain the gradual increase in fractures after age 50 years. Fractures appear to be especially common among nursing home residents; a comparison of fracture rates found that men in nursing homes had five to 11 times the rate of hip, spine and wrist fractures of men the same age living independently. The bone densities of 65 nursing home residents and 25 men living in the community were compared with a population of age-matched normal men. Subjects ranged in age from 57 to 85 years. The community residents had bone densities that were 97 to 105 percent the average density among the normal men, whereas nursing home patients had bone densities that were only 71 to 92 percent of the normal group. Half the men from the nursing home but none of the community subjects had bone densities less than 70 percent of age-matched normal men. Bone densities of the nursing home subjects who weighed more were higher; factors that were not linked to bone density in this study were height, age, medical diagnosis, medications, and functional level. However, other studies have identified 20 risk factors for osteopenia including old age, lack of physical activity, being underweight, and various medications and health problems. The nature of this study made it difficult to link history of fractures to osteopenia in these subjects, and a clear link was not found. But the subjects in this nursing home had a high degree of osteopenia, and taken together with the tendency for falls and accidents in nursing homes, this population appeared to be at high risk for fractures. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Research, Risk factors, Diseases, Bone diseases, Fractures (Injuries), Fractures, Nursing home patients, Bone densitometry

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Plasma amino acid concentrations in healthy elderly men and women

Article Abstract:

Amino acids such as valine, leucine, isoleucine, tryptophan, phenylalanine and tyrosine are called large, neutral amino acids (LNAAs) because of their chemical structure. The levels of LNAAs present in the blood can change in response to hormone secretion and different types of foods, depending on their amino acid content. Previous studies have shown that blood levels of LNAAs can be altered during liver disease, kidney disease, obesity, diabetes, and during periods of stress. Therefore, it is important to know the levels of LNAAs present in the blood of healthy individuals so that a standard reference value can be determined and used for diagnostic purposes. To assess the effects of age and gender on blood LNAAs, blood levels of LNAAs were measured in 138 young (average age of 26 years) and 74 elderly (average age of 71 years) men and women in good health. Young females had lower blood levels of valine, leucine and isoleucine than young males. However, increasing age was associated with an increase in blood levels of valine, leucine, phenylalanine, isoleucine and tyrosine in females, but not in males. Tryptophan was the only LNAA that showed an age-related change in males. Blood levels of tryptophan were 14 percent lower in elderly males than in the younger males. It is concluded that age and gender should be taken into consideration when evaluating changes in blood levels of large neutral amino acids associated with different diseases or medical conditions. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Demographic aspects, Amino acid metabolism

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Resting energy expenditure and body composition in children with HIV infection

Article Abstract:

Loss of lean and fat body mass may contribute to growth retardation in HIV-infected children. Researchers measured body mass, energy expenditure and energy intake in 13 HIV-infected children with growth retardation, 19 HIV-infected children with normal growth, and 10 healthy children. All of the HIV-infected children had less fat mass and those with growth retardation also had less lean body mass. Although energy intake was not substantially different among the three groups, resting energy expenditure was lower in HIV-infected children with growth retardation.

Measurement, Physiological aspects, HIV infection in children, Pediatric HIV infections, Body composition, Energy metabolism

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