Conclusions and Relevance This systematic review and meta- analysis did not show a significant beneficial or detrimental association of HT with muscle mass .
Importance Hormone therapy ( HT ) has been suggested for protection against age-related muscle weakness in women .
However , the potential for HT-associated health risks necessitates a better underst and ing of the direction and magnitude of the association between HT and health outcomes , such as lean body mass ( LBM ) .
Objective To determine whether HT was associated with reduced LBM loss compared with not receiving HT  among postmenopausal women aged 50 years and older .
Measurement of body composition in burned children: is there a gold standard?
BACKGROUND Maintaining lean body mass ( LBM ) after a severe burn is an essential goal of modern burn treatment . An accurate determination of LBM is necessary for short- and long-term therapeutic decisions . The aim of this study was to compare 2 measurement methods for body composition , whole-body potassium counting ( K count ) and dual x-ray absorptiometry ( DEXA ) , in a large prospect i ve clinical trial in severely burned pediatric patients . METHODS Two-hundred seventy-nine patients admitted with burns covering 40 % of total body surface area ( TBSA ) were enrolled in the study . Patients enrolled were  controls  or received  long-term treatment with recombinant human growth hormone ( rhGH ) . Near-simultaneous measurements of LBM with DEXA and fat-free mass ( FFM ) with K count were performed at hospital discharge and at 6 , 9 , 12 , 18 , and 24 months post injury . Results were correlated using Pearson 's regression analysis . Agreement between the 2 methods was analyzed with the Bl and -Altman method . RESULTS Age , gender distribution , weight , burn size , and admission time from injury were not significantly different between control and treatment groups . rhGH and control patients at all time points postburn showed a good correlation between LBM and FFM measurements ( R(2 ) between 0.9 and 0.95 ) . Bl and -Altman revealed that the mean bias and 95 % limits of agreement depended only on patient weight and not on treatment or time postburn . The 95 % limits ranged from 0.1 + /- 2.9 kg for LBM or FFM in 7- to 18-kg patients to 16.3 + /- 17.8 kg for LBM or FFM in patients > 60 kg . CONCLUSIONS DEXA can provide a sufficiently accurate determination of LBM and changes in body composition , but a correction factor must be included for older children and adolescents with more LBM . DEXA scans are easier , cheaper , and less stressful for the patient , and this method should be used rather than the K count
Conclusions and Relevance This systematic review and meta- analysis did not show a significant beneficial or detrimental association of HT with muscle mass .
Importance Hormone therapy ( HT ) has been suggested for protection against age-related muscle weakness in women .
However , the potential for HT-associated health risks necessitates a better underst and ing of the direction and magnitude of the association between HT and health outcomes , such as lean body mass ( LBM ) .
Objective To determine whether HT was associated with reduced LBM loss compared with not receiving HT  among postmenopausal women aged 50 years and older .