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Biomedical subjects

G F Sasso

Publications and source records attributed to G F Sasso.

48 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Fat-free mass by bioelectrical impedance vs dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).

Body composition (BC) assessment is a useful tool for a careful evaluation of nutrition status. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is a safe, low-cost and reliable method for BC assessment. For epidemiological and clinical research in children, paediatric-age specific formula for fat-free mass (FFM) prediction from BIA is needed. Thus, in 35 children (age 7.7-13.0 years) with different levels of body fatness (relative weight for age 70.6-133.8%), FFM was calculated from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). A regression equation from BIA and DXA data was elaborated. The impedance index (ZI = height2/bioelectrical impedance) was the strongest predictor of FFM, explaining 89% of its variance. However, the variance increased to 96% when body weight was added with ZI in the regression model. No variable, including sex and age, contributed to the prediction of FFM in the presence of ZI and body weight. The regression formula [FFM = 2.330 + 0.588 ZI (cm2/omega) + 0.211 Weight (kg) (r = 0.96, SEE = 1.0 kg)], allows a reliable prediction of FFM in children from body impedance values.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

Multifrequency impedance in the assessment of body water losses during dialysis.

Multifrequency bioelectrical impedance was used to predict changes in body water compartments during renal dialysis. Weight loss during dialysis was assumed to be water loss. Predicted total body water (TBW) from impedance after dialysis did not differ significantly from TBW determined by deuterium oxide dilution. However, the predicted change in TBW from bioelectrical impedance largely exceeded the observed weight (water) loss. The predicted change in extracellular water was slightly but significantly lower compared to the observed weight loss. The ratio of impedance at 1-100 kHz increased in all subjects during dialysis, and may be a simple tool to assess body water distribution.

Adult↗

Lecithin: cholesterol-acyltransferase (LCAT) activity in alcoholic liver disease.

The activity of LCAT (the controlling enzyme for cholesterol esterification in plasma) is known to be reduced in alcoholic cirrhosis, while little is known about early stage (liver steatosis) alcoholics. In this study, LCAT activity was assayed by Stokke and Norum's method, before and after a 15-day sobriety period, in liver steatosis and in cirrhosis alcoholics. Before alcohol withdrawal, LCAT activity was depressed in both groups. After the sobriety period, LCAT activity was significantly raised in liver steatosis patients, but was still lower than in controls; in cirrhosis patients, it was increased, but not significantly. According to our results, LCAT activity impairment in alcoholic liver disease is sustained by both the hypothesized mechanisms, alcohol-related metabolic disorders and lowered LCAT-enzyme production, but to different degrees, depending on the stage of the disease. In liver steatosis, metabolic disorders play a major role, as a liver-impairment-induced decrease in LCAT production seems rather unlikely, and increased LCAT activity is more likely to be sustained by metabolic normalisation than by any recovery of the damaged liver. However, the lack of improvement in about 20% of patients, and the fairly wide scattering of individual data, suggest a minor LCAT production impairment in liver steatosis too. In cirrhosis, the major role seems to be played by a permanent decrease in LCAT production, as no significant rise in LCAT activity was observed after alcohol withdrawal. However the restored LCAT activity observed in some patients could be related to improvement in the metabolic disorder, thus confirming the effectiveness of this mechnism in cirrhosis too.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗