1,720,961 research outputs found

    Which REE prediction equation should we use in normal-weight, overweight and obese women?

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    BACKGROUND & AIMS: In our modern society, there is a growing and increasing prevalence of overweight, obesity and eating disorders and young female subjects frequently ask for nutritional counselling. Resting energy expenditure (REE) is essential to provide a sound diet to subjects seeking nutritional support. We perform a critical selection of accurate and reliable prediction equations employed on normal-weight, overweight and obese young women. METHODS: REE of 157 young women of Caucasian race (18-35 years)was measured with indirect calorimetry and was compared with the principal prediction equations (Harris and Benedict, Owen, Mifflin, WHO, Bernstein and Robertson and Reid). The statistical analysis used to compare measured and the predicted REE was paired t -test, +/-95% confidence interval and Bland and Altman method. The influence of weight loss on the prediction error was estimated in 31 subjects. An additional REE measurement was performed on patients who had lost >or=5% of the initial body weight due to a sound low-calorie diet. RESULTS: The equations more reliable in our study are Owen's equation in normal-weight subjects, Bernstein's equation in overweight subjects and Robertson and Reid's equation in obese subjects. Weight was a significant variable according to the stepwise regression analysis resulting in the following equation: 542.2 + 11.5 kg;R(2) : 0.59. Weight loss decisively increased the overestimation of the equations and only Owen's equation maintained the error of prediction within acceptable limits. CONCLUSIONS: The equation of Owen in normal weight, Bernstein in overweight and of Robertson and Reid in obese subjects should be chosen when we have to predict REE in young women. Due to metabolic adaptation occurring during therapeutic or spontaneous energy restriction, we suggest to use Owen' s equation

    Application of the SCOFF, Eating Attitude Test 26 (EAT 26) and Eating Inventory (TFEQ) Questionnaires in young women seeking diet-therapy

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    BACKGROUND: Eating disorders (EDs) affect an increasing proportion of young women in western countries. Psychometric questionnaires represent valuable tools to investigate various and critical areas directly involved in the pathogenesis of EDS and to support diagnosis and therapeutic decisions. METHODS: 162 young women (16-35 years old) seeking diet therapy were recruited. We classified subjects in normal eating behaviour (NEB) (n = 87), binge eating disorder (BED) (n = 12) and bulimic EDNOS (Eating Disorders not Otherwise Specified) (n = 63). The SCOFF, Eating Attitudes Test (EAT 26) and Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ) were administered. Body mass index (BMI) was utilised to assess the nutritional status. An analysis of the reliability and validity (sensitivity and specificity) of the SCOFF, EAT 26 and TFEQ was performed. RESULTS: Body mass index (BMI) of NEB, BED and bulimic EDNOS was 27.7, 35 and 31.1, respectively. BED showed the highest values at the dishinibition, hunger and food preoccupation scales but conversely, they were the least restrained group. The SCOFF was significantly associated with the dishinibition (r = 0.31), hunger (0.31), dieting (r = 0.34) and food preoccupation scales (r = 0.34). The reliability analysis showed that the SCOFF, EAT 26 and TFEQ had a Cronbach alpha of 0.47, 0.85 and 0.75, respectively. The ROC curves identified cut off points of 3, 10 and 25 as the best compromise between specificity and sensitivity for the SCOFF, EAT 26 and TFEQ, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The SCOFF is a valuable tool for the screening of abnormal eating behaviours but the diagnosis should be always confirmed and supported by the administration of other questionnaires and structured interviews. We have also confirmed the high reliability of the EAT 26 and TFEQ even though the utilisation of these questionnaires has generated some issues about their application in populations characterised by loss of control and overeating episode

    Why do normal weight young women look for diet-therapy? Findings from a pilot study in a clinical and non-clinical population

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    The behavioural factors that drive a normal weight woman to embark on a diet and to look for nutritional support in weight loss clinics are still not completely understood. A pilot cross-sectional study was carried out in 70 young (age range: 18-35 yr), normal weight women attending a weight loss clinic in South of Italy (Naples). They were compared to a population of 94 normal weight students (age range:17-23 yr) who had never attended a weight loss clinic. Subjects with eating disorders have been excluded. Weight and height were measured and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Eating behaviour was assessed using a validated Italian version of the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI) questionnaire. The two groups were matched for BMI (22.4 vs 22.1 kg/m2), smoking and physical activity. Students were more educated and less likely to be on a diet at the time of the study. Students had statistically significant lower scores for drive for thinness, body dissatisfaction, inadequacy and interpersonal disrupt. The bulimia scale was the only significant predictor (p<0.05) of BMI in the patients' group; body dissatisfaction (p<0.05) predicted BMI in the control group. This study has shown that weight concern and health awareness are not the only factors that lead a normal weight woman to look for nutritional counselling but there is an underlying substrate of psychological and social distress behind the request, which should be properly assessed before starting any nutritional therapy in the clinical practice

    Metodica di separazione ed identificazione di microquantità di tocoferoli

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    Il lavoro rappresenta la fase prreliminare della messa a punto di una metodica per la determinazione di microquantità degli isomeri del tocoferolo mediante HPLC. L'ottima correlazione,ottenuta per ciascun isomero,tra l'area dei picchi e le quantità iniettate,come mostrato dalle rette di regressione,fa ritenere possibile una ulteriore elaborazione del metodo la cui sensibilità permette di svelare quantità dell'isomero dell'ordine di 0,01 ng/ microl

    Casein Proteolysis in Human Milk : Tracing the Pattern of Casein Breakdown and the Formation of Potential Bioactive Peptides

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    The protein and peptide fraction of human milk samples collected from mothers of pre- and full-term infants in the first week after parturition was analysed by use of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry. By characterising the peptide sequence, we defined the pathway of casein hydrolysis which leads to the formation of small peptides through intermediate oligopeptides. It was found that the action of a plasmin-like enzyme acting on specific lysine residues is the primary step in casein degradation. This is followed by endopeptidases and/or exopeptidases mediated cleavage of the oligopeptides which, in turn, produces a multiplicity of short peptides differing by one or more amino acid residues. In this process, a series of potentially bioactive peptides (opioid, phosphopeptides) and their precursors are produced

    Body composition, eating behavior, food-body concerns and eating disorders in adolescent girls

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    AIMS: Dieting is a behavioral phenomenon which is becoming more frequent among adolescents and the search for weight loss, through dieting, may result in an unbalanced nutrition both quantitatively and qualitatively. Our study intended to look at the eating habits and behavior on a cohort of adolescent girls to verify the presence of unbalanced diets and the prevalence of eating disorders with particular attention to the partial syndromes (EDNOS). METHODS: A cross-sectional double-stage study was carried out on a group of schoolgirls in the suburbs of Naples. We assessed anthropometrical measures, body composition (skinfolds and bioimpedance analysis), dietary intake by means of 3-day food records and we administered the Eating Disorder Inventory 2 and Psychosocial Factor Risk Questionnaire. A multidisciplinary and double-stage approach had been used to get a better diagnosis of eating disorders in our sample. RESULTS: 156 adolescent girls, 14-18 years old, took part in our study. Height, weight, and BMI were 160.38 cm, 58 kg and 22.6, respectively. Analysis of food intake showed that all the values reported, with the exception of lipids and sodium, were below the recommendations by LARN. We observed a prevalence of 1.28% of bulimia nervosa, 1.28% of binge eating, and 10.25% of eating disorders not otherwise specified. EDI 2 and PRFQ confirmed how important drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction dimensions are when we deal with adolescent girls and with the phenomenon of dieting. The study confirmed the validity of the PRFQ questionnaire to evaluate mass media influence on body perception and eating behavior of adolescents. CONCLUSION: Multidisciplinary and well-designed studies are needed to systematically and accurately study eating habits and behavior of adolescents to tackle more efficiently the increasing spread of eating disorders and obesity

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

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    The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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