NCMJ vol. 74, no. 1 ncmedicaljournal.com percentile and below the 95th percentile is considered to be overweight; and one whose BMI is at or above the 95th percentile is considered to be obese. Because BMI is based on height and weight, which are regularly measured during primary care visits, obesity screening can occur at the same intervals as standard well-child care beginning at age 2 years....

BACKGROUND The goal of the present study was to quantify the population-based background serum concentrations of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) by using data from the reference population of the 2005 University of Michigan Dioxin Exposure Study (UMDES) and the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). METHODS Multiple imputation was used to impute the se...

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between high air temperatures and occupational injuries (OIs) occurred during the summer seasons 2000-2013 in agricultural workers from the Autonomous Province of Trento (APT), North-Eastern Italy. MATERIAL AND METHODS Data about OIs for the APT from 2000 to 2013 occurring during the warm season (N = 7325) was provided by the N...

The efficacy and safety of valsartan were studied in 90 children (mean age: 3.2 years; 60% male; 30% black) with systolic blood pressure (SBP) > or =95th percentile. Nineteen percent received valsartan in addition to previous antihypertensive therapy. Subjects were randomly assigned to low-, medium-, or high-dose valsartan for 2 weeks (phase 1) and then reassigned randomly to placebo or to rema...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the distribution of Thyroxin (T4) and Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) values in children of various age groups attending our hospital. METHOD We have retrospectively reviewed the T4, TSH levels recorded at our hospital in children from birth to 5 years and evaluated the reference intervals for T4 TSH amongst different ages. Non parametric methods were used to establish...

Background: Cancer antigen CA125 is known as a valuable marker for the management of ovarian cancer. Methods: The analytical and clinical performance of the Access OV Monitor Immunoassay System (Beckman Coulter) was evaluated at five different European sites and compared with a reference system, defined as CA125 on the Elecsys System (Roche Diagnostics). Results: Total imprecision (%CV) of the ...

OBJECTIVE Spirometry-based screening programmes often conduct annual assessment of longitudinal changes in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) to identify individuals with excessive rates of decline. Both the American Thoracic Society (ATS) and the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) recommend a reference limit value of > or =15% for excessive annual decl...

OBJECTIVES To assess the performance of LIAISON® BRAHMS PCT® II GEN (DiaSorin, Saluggia, Italy) in procalcitonin (PCT) determination by comparing it to the assay reference method B·R·A·H·M·S PCT KRYPTOR (Thermo Fisher Scientific Clinical Diagnostics, Hennigsdorf, Germany) and assessing its ability to discriminate between healthy subjects and patients with suspected infection. METHODS Diagnost...

BACKGROUND Nationwide data on obesity prevalence in American Indian communities are limited. OBJECTIVE We describe the body composition and anthropometric characteristics of schoolchildren from 7 American Indian communities enrolled in the Pathways study, a randomized field trial evaluating a program for the primary prevention of obesity. DESIGN A total of 1704 children in 41 schools were e...

OBJECTIVE To examine the associations among several body mass index (BMI) metrics (z-scores, percent of the 95th percentile (%BMIp95) and BMI minus 95th percentile (ΔBMIp95) as calculated in the growth charts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is known that the widely used BMI z-scores (BMIz) and percentiles calculated from the growth charts can differ substantially f...