Androgen status in non-diabetic elderly men with heart failure

Purpose: We aimed at evaluating androgen status (serum testosterone [TT] and estimated free testosterone [eFT]) and its determinants in non-diabetic elderly men with heart failure (HF). Additionally, we investigated its associations with body composition and long-term survival.

Methods: Seventy three non-diabetic men with HF and 20 healthy men aged over 55?years were studied. Echocardiography, 6-min walk test, grip strength, body composition measurement by DEXA method were performed. TT, sex hormone binding globulin, NT-proBNP, and adipokines (adiponectin and leptin) were measured. All-cause mortality was evaluated at six years of follow-up.

Results: Androgen status (TT, eFT) was similar in elderly men with HF compared to healthy controls (4.79?±?1.65 vs. 4.45?±?1.68?ng/ml and 0.409?±?0.277 vs. 0.350?±?0.204?nmol/l, respectively). In HF patients, TT was positively associated with NT-proBNP (r=?0.371, p?=?0.001) and adiponectin levels (r?=?0.349, p?=?0.002), while inverse association was noted with fat mass (r?=??0.413, p?<?0.001). TT and eFT were independently determined by age, total fat mass and adiponectin levels in elderly men with HF (p?<?0.05 for all). Androgen status was not predictor for all-cause mortality at six years of follow-up.

Conclusions: In non-diabetic men with HF, androgen status is not altered and is not predictive of long-term outcome.     

Discourses about children's mental health and developmental disorders in North American women's magazines 1990–2012

This paper describes and analyses the portrayal of children's mental health and developmental issues (CMHI) in articles located in a random sample of a selection of available high‐circulating English language North American ‘women's magazines’ indexed in the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature from 1990 to 2012. It is based upon a qualitative discourse analysis. CMHI are portrayed as materially, biologically real, prevalent and growing in incidence, and severity. They are also portrayed as located in the ‘non‐normal’, ‘non‐nice’, ‘disliked’ and ‘non‐successful’ individual child. Neither the facticity nor the biomedicalization of CMHI is questioned. The psy‐scientists and practitioners cited as experts for the ‘disorders’ offer contradictory and confusing information and advice. The possible theoretical and pragmatic explanations and consequences of this portrayal are discussed.