1,720,992 research outputs found
The management of very low-calorie ketogenic diet in obesity outpatient clinic: A practical guide. Muscogiuri G, Barrea L, Laudisio D, Pugliese G, Salzano C, Savastano S, Colao A.
No full textThe epidemic of obesity is growing steadily across the whole world. Obesity is not only a merely aesthetic disease but is the "mother" of most chronic diseases such as associated with a range of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obstructive sleep apnea, and cancer. However, although there is a need to find a strategy to stop this epidemic disease, most of the times the current nutritional strategies are not effective in weight loss and in long term weight maintenance. Very low-calorie ketogenic diets (VLCKD) is increasingly establishing as a successful nutritional pattern to manage obesity; this is due to rapid weight loss that gives rise to a positive psychological cycle which in turn increases the compliance to diet. Another important key point of VLCKD is the ability to preserve fatty free mass which is known to play a role of paramount importance in glucose metabolism. Despite the clinical evidence of VLCKD there are paucity of data regarding to its management. Therefore, we will provide a useful guide to be used by nutrition experts taking care of subjects with obesity. In particular, we will report recommendations on the correct use of this therapeutic approach for weight loss and management of side effects
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe 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
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Obesity and sleep disturbance: the chicken or the egg?
Full text linkEpidemiological studies suggested an association between obesity and sleep disturbances. Obstructive sleep apnea is the most prevalent type of obesity-related sleep disorder that lead to an increased risk for numerous chronic health conditions. In addition the increased visceral adipose tissue might be responsible for the secretion of inflammatory cytokines that could contribute to alter the sleep-wake rhythm. Unhealthy food characterized by high consumption of fat and carbohydrate seems to negatively influence the quality of sleep while diet rich of fiber is associated to more restorative and deeper sleep. Although obesity could cause through several pathogenetic mechanisms an alteration of sleep, it has been reported that subjects suffering from sleep disorders are more prone to develop obesity. Experimental laboratory studies have demonstrated that decreasing either the amount or quality of sleep increase the risk of developing obesity. Experimental sleep restriction also causes physiological, hormonal and food behavioral changes that promote a positive energy balance and a compensatory disproportionate increase in food intake, decrease in physical activity, and weight gain. Thus, the aim of this review is to provide observational evidence on the association of obesity with sleep disturbances and viceversa with emphasis on possible pathophysiological mechanisms (hormonal and metabolic) that link these two pathological conditions
Irritable bowel syndrome: a new therapeutic target when treating obesity?
No full textThere is accumulating evidence showing that obesity is due not merely to increased food intake, but could have a more complex pathophysiology possibly originating from the gut. Due to its microbiological, hormonal, and nutritional aspects, the gut could represent a starting point for the treatment of weight excess. Obesity is associated with a change of microbiota composition that not only could increase the calorie extraction from food but also could create a functional derangement resulting in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Several mechanisms have been postulated to explain this association, such as specific foods that are poorly absorbed, i.e., carbohydrates and lipids, as well as conditions of psychological stress which could stimulate colonic hypersensitivity giving rise to IBS symptoms. Another factor involved in this link could be the subclinical inflammation typical of obesity, characterized by the release of inflammatory mediators that can irritate intestinal nerve endings. The change of levels of some anorexigenic hormones, as well as the alterations of the gut microbiota with the reduction of the bacteroides/Firmicutes ratio, could also contribute to the pathogenesis of IBS related to obesity. Thus, the aim of this manuscript is to review the current evidence on the association between obesity and IBS while providing physiopathological hypotheses that may explain this link. Further, we will report the effect of weight loss on IBS symptoms, highlighting the importance of an accurate assessment of gut function in obese patients
The impact of obesity on immune response to infection: Plausible mechanisms and outcomes
No full textEmerging data suggest an association between obesity and infectious diseases. Although the mechanisms underlying this link are not well established, a number of potential factors may be involved. Indeed, the obesity-related vulnerability to infectious diseases could be due to chronic low-grade inflammation, hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, and hyperleptinemia, which lead to a weakening of both the innate and adaptive immune responses. In addition, obesity results in anatomical–functional changes by the mechanical obstacle of excessive adipose tissue that blunt the respiratory mechanisms and predisposing to respiratory infections. Subjects with obesity are also at risk of skin folds and sweat more profusely due to the thick layers of subcutaneous fat, favoring the proliferation of microorganisms and slowing the repair of wounds down. All these factors make subjects with obesity more prone to develop nosocomial infections, surgical site, skin and soft tissue infections, bacteremia, urinary tract infections, and mycosis. Furthermore, infections in subjects with obesity have a worse prognosis, frequently prolonging hospitalization time as demonstrated for several flu viruses and recently for COVID-19. Thus, the aim of this manuscript is to provide an overview of the current clinical evidence on the associations between obesity and infectious diseases highlighting physio pathological insights involved in this link
Improving sleep disturbances in obesity by nutritional strategies: review of current evidence and practical guide
No full textOver the past decades, there has been an increase in overweight and obesity worldwide rates in both in adult and children. In parallel, it has been reported a worsening of sleep duration and quality. Some studies have shown an association between obesity and sleep disturbances (SD) vice versa, subjects with obesity have a greater risk of SD. As well as SD influences diet, also food choices have been shown to influence various sleep-related variables, such as duration and quality. For this reason, nutrition could represent an important tool not only to lose weight but also to improve sleep in patients with obesity and sleep disturbances. Thus, the aim of this review is to provide an overview of the studies that assessed the association between obesity and SD and vice versa, highlighting possible nutritional advices as a tool to improve sleep in patients with obesity and sleep disturbances
Influence of the mediterranean diet on 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in adults
Full text linkThe Mediterranean diet (MD) is a dietary pattern effective in terms of prevention of obesity-related diseases, and represents the gold standard in preventive medicine, due to the synergistic action of many nutrients with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In addition, excess body weight significantly increases the risk of hypovitaminosis D, a well-recognized common feature of individuals with obesity. It is well-known that there is a clear gender difference in the adherence to the MD. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between adherence to the MD and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels in adults, according to gender. Study population consisted of 617 participants; 296 were males and 321 were females, matched by age and body mass index (BMI). A validated 14-item questionnaire PREDIMED (Prevención con dieta Mediterránea) was used for the assessment of adherence to the MD. The 25OHD levels were determined by a direct competitive chemiluminescence immunoassay. Females have a higher PREDIMED score than males (7.4 ± 2.8 vs. 6.7 ± 3.1 score, p = 0.001), and according to PREDIMED categories, a greater percentage of males had low adherence to the MD compared to their female counterparts (40.2% vs. 37.1%; χ2 = 8.94, p = 0.003). The 25OHD levels were higher in males than in females (18.3 ± 7.3 vs. 16.8 ± 7.8 ng/mL, p = 0.01), and a higher percentage of males had sufficient 25OHD levels (>30 ng/mL) than their female counterparts (10.5% vs. 3.4%, χ2 = 10.96, p 5 in males (p 7 in females (p < 0.001) could serve as thresholds for 25OHD levels above the median. The results of our study highlighted a novel positive association between adherence to the MD and 25OHD levels in both genders. Although 25OHD levels were higher in males than females, 69.7% were deficient. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to show that high adherence to the MD is associated with low BMI and high 25OHD levels in both genders, probably through the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects that are synergistically exerted by either MD or vitamin D on body weight
- …
