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Biomedical subjects

J Fricker

Publications and source records attributed to J Fricker.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Underreporting of food intake in obese "small eaters".

Thirty sedentary and stable weight obese women were classified as small, normal or large eaters depending on their report of 24 h energy intake (EI) through a dietary history questionnaire. For each subject, resting metabolic rate (RMR) was assessed through indirect calorimetry, physical activity through a self-administered questionnaire and psychological evaluation through psychometric tests. Neither RMR nor indices of physical activity were different between the three groups; however for small eaters, RMR was higher than reported EI (p < 0.001). Thus, the low EI reported by obese small eaters reflected an underreporting of food intake. Psychometric evaluation was not different between normal and large eaters. Small eaters exhibited a better perception of food size than normal or large eaters, and no difference in tests assessing memory or attention; their score (2.8 +/- 1.3) in a nutritional dissimulation test was higher (p = 0.015) than that of normal (1.0 +/- 0.7) or large eaters (1.5 +/- 0.09). This suggests that underreporting in obese small eaters might be due to specific nutritional concealment; because small eaters reported a low intake particularly in foods which are often perceived as unhealthy (fats, sugars, extra-prandial consumption), they probably reported what, in their opinion, they should have eaten, instead of what they did eat.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Thymulin activity during very-low-calorie diet.

The potential use of thymulin levels as a sensitive and functional marker of energy deficiency was investigated in 13 obese women during a 3-week very-low-calorie diet. Mean weight loss was 8.92 +/- 0.52 kg after 21 days of treatment. The patients were free from infection as assessed by serum orosomucoid and C-reactive protein measurements. Serum albumin levels were not decreased throughout the experiment whereas transthyretin concentrations fell significantly during the first 2 weeks and remained fairly stable thereafter. Orosomucoid levels dropped only after 3 weeks of dieting. Serum zinc concentrations were within the normal range on admission and at the end of the experiment. Thymulin activity was not altered throughout the study, suggesting that this thymic hormone cannot be used as a functional marker of short-term energy restriction.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Effects of ovarian steroids on energy balance in rats fed a highly palatable diet.

The effects of progesterone and estradiol on body weight, energy intake, energy expenditure, body composition, and brown adipose tissue activity were investigated in female rats fed a highly palatable diet (association of chow and full milk with sugar), which, by itself, induced an increase in food intake and energy expenditure. Progesterone and estradiol were administered in the form of implants. Ovariectomized animals were used in the estradiol studies. Energy expenditure was assessed through oxygen consumption, body composition through carcass analysis, brown adipose tissue activity through measurements of uncoupling-protein, guanosine diphosphate (GDP) binding capacity, and assay of uncoupling-protein mRNA. Body weight and food intake were increased by progesterone and decreased by estradiol. Energy expenditure was not altered by progesterone. Indirect evidence showed that estradiol increased energy expenditure, but direct measurements showed no modification. Changes in body weight under progesterone or under estradiol were not due to brown adipose tissue activity. The results indicate that ovarian hormones act on energy balance mainly by altering food intake, and possibly in the case of estradiol by increasing energy expenditure. These effects persist in rats fed a highly palatable diet, despite increases in energy intake and expenditure induced by the diet alone.

Adipose Tissue, Brown↗
PubMed1991

Energy-metabolism adaptation in obese adults on a very-low-calorie diet.

In this study, six obese women received a very-low-calorie diet (VLCD) for 3 wk. At day 0, body composition was assessed with a bioelectric impedance analyzer. The evolution in lean body mass (LBM) during the VLCD was estimated from nitrogen balance, measuring urine and fecal losses and taking into account skin, nitrate, and menstrual losses to avoid underestimation bias that could explain the decreased ratio of resting metabolic rate (RMR) to LBM previously reported. RMR was measured at days 0, 3, 5, and 21. The RMR-LBM ratio declined significantly during the VLCD period and decreased faster during the first week; the day 3, day 5, and day 21 ratio values were 94%, 91%, and 82%, respectively, of the original. The RMR-LBM ratio decrease after 21 d of a VLCD was near that found in chronic undernutrition. Results of previous studies that did not find any drop in the RMR-LBM ratio in obese adults on VLCDs might be explained by their LBM-assessment methods.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1991

The effects of temperature on the setting of glass ionomer (polyalkenoate) cements.

Glass ionomer (polyalkenoate) cements have proved to be superior to zinc phosphate cements as orthodontic luting agents. Setting behaviours at different temperatures were recorded by an oscillating rheometer under controlled conditions. The working time of these cements can be increased by mixing on a chilled glass slab with setting time at mouth temperatures remaining rapid. Where more than one orthodontic band is cemented per mix, the authors recommend refrigeration of the glass slab for at least one hour prior to mixing the cement.

Dental Bonding↗
PubMed1990

[The efficacy and tolerance of simvastatin and fenofibrate in primary hypercholesterolemia].

The effects of simvastatin and fenofibrate on blood lipids and the side-effects of these two drugs were compared in a double-blind trial involving 184 adults with primary hypercholesterolemia (total cholesterol levels: 3.87 +/- 1.02 g/l in the simvastatin group, 3.78 +/- 0.79 g/l in the fenofibrate group; N.S.). During a 10-week period, the patients received either fenofibrate 200 mg twice daily or simvastatin 20 mg once daily with doubling of the dosage at week 6 if the LDL-cholesterol level remained above 1.40 g/l. Simvastatin significantly (P less than 0.01) reduced total cholesterol by -29.9 percent, LDL-cholesterol by -35.4 percent, apoprotein B by -27.3 percent and triglycerides by -16.7 percent. Fenofibrate significantly (P less than 0.01) reduced total cholesterol by -19.2 percent, LDL-cholesterol by -22.3 percent apoprotein B by 13.9 percent and triglycerides by 28.9 percent. Reduction of the first 3 parameters was significantly (P less than 0.01) greater with simvastatin and reduction of triglycerides significantly greater with fenofibrate. Apoprotein A1 levels were increased by fenofibrate (+ 7.4 percent) but not by simvastatin. Side-effects occurred with a frequency of 6 percent under simvastatin and 9 percent under fenofibrate.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Lack of association between dietary alcohol and HDL-cholesterol concentrations in obese women.

The relationships of alcohol intake and corpulence to HDL-cholesterol were studied in 653 women taking medical advice about body weight. The body mass index (BMI) was positively correlated with triglyceride and negatively with HDL-cholesterol. The relation between BMI and HDL-cholesterol was discontinuous. Total cholesterol, triglycerides and diastolic blood pressure were increased for alcohol intakes greater than 10 g/d regardless of body weight. Alcohol intake was associated with higher concentrations of HDL-cholesterol (P = 0.006) in non obese (BMI = 25.2 +/- 1.5 kg/m2) subjects, but not in mildly (27.3 less than or equal to BMI less than 32.3) or massively (BMI greater than or equal to 32.3) obese subjects. The fact that HDL concentrations were not associated with alcohol intake in obese patients suggests that (1) alcohol acts on the HDL pool through one of the pathways which are perturbed in obesity, possibly lipolysis, (2) obesity is one of the reasons for the differences in individual responses of HDL-cholesterol to alcohol, (3) myocardial infarction might not be inversely correlated with alcohol intake in the obese as it is in the non-obese population.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Fat-free mass estimation by the two-electrode impedance method.

In 202 healthy subjects (81 men, 121 women) aged 12-71 y, impedance (Z) was measured with a two-electrode analyzer. Fat-free mass was assessed by hydrodensitometry (FFMd). This population was randomized into two groups for cross-validation. In group 1 the relationship between ht2/Z at 1 MHz and FFMd was highly significant (r = 0.85, P less than 0.001). The equation for predicting FFMd from impedance, height2, weight, and age obtained in group 1 (r = 0.97) was applied to group 2 (r = 0.96) without reduction in r value. The accuracy of this equation was not different between men and women or between active and sedentary people. These data indicate that the two-electrode impedance method is a reliable and valid approach not only for the determination of extracellular water (as previously shown) but also for that of FFM.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Obesity and iron status in menstruating women.

The relationship between iron stores and obesity in menstruating women was studied in 20 obese and 20 nonobese women matched for age and contraception. Although no difference was observed in serum iron or total-iron-binding capacity, the obese group showed significantly higher hemoglobin (137 +/- 9 vs 10 g/L, mean +/- SD; P less than 0.01), hematocrit (0.41 +/- 0.02 vs 0.39 +/- 0.03, P less than 0.05), and serum ferritin concentrations (48.0 +/- 44.3 vs 25.8 +/- 19.5 micrograms/L, P less than 0.05). There was no difference between obese and nonobese women in either the menstrual-cycle interval or the duration of the menstrual flow. Iron intake was significantly higher in the obese group (15.9 +/- 2.9 vs 14.1 +/- 2.9 mg/d, P less than 0.05). These results suggest that obese menstruating women are at low risk of depleting iron stores, possibly because of high iron intake. Iron-fortification programs might thus be undesirable in such subjects.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Circadian rhythm of energy intake and corpulence status in adults.

The relationship between circadian distribution of energy intake and corpulence was studied in 1312 subjects seeking medical advice for their weight. The corpulence categories (non-obese, mildly obese and massively obese) were defined on the basis of NHANES II. Food consumption was assessed through the dietary history method. The 24 h energy intake increased with corpulence. The lunch represented higher (P less than 0.001) proportions of daily intake in mildly and in massively obese than in non-obese. The reverse occurred for the breakfast (P less than 0.001). The relationships of corpulence with breakfast and lunch persisted after adjustment for nutrient intake. No difference was found for dinner and extra-prandial food intake. Such data suggests several behavioural and/or metabolic hypothesis.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

A positive correlation between energy intake and body mass index in a population of 1312 overweight subjects.

The energy intake (EI) of 1312 overweight subjects was assessed using the research dietary history method. EI was positively associated with overweight--as expressed by the body mass index (BMI)--in both males and females. Such findings are at variance with earlier reports of low dietary intakes in the obese and of an inverse relationship between EI and BMI. This discrepancy could be related to the dietary-interviews method used and/or to differences in the degree of motivation of the obese subjects in the various studies. On the other hand, our results are consistent with the positive relationship between energy expenditure (EE) and BMI previously reported in the literature and with the expected EE of our subjects.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Permanent administration of d-fenfluramine in rats: paradoxical effects.

In order to test the hypothesis of Levitzky that d-fenfluramine (d-F) acts by modifying the ponderal set-point, we compared the effects of a permanent infusion of d-F on food intake and body weight (BW). The effect on the weight persisted as long as the infusion; the clear-cut anorectic effect lasted only a few days. This paradox is compatible with the set-point hypothesis. In rats rendered overweight by insulin treatment, the d-F-induced decrease in BW was approximately four times smaller than in controls. In rats rendered overweight by a cafeteria diet, the decrease in BW was twice as large in permanently cafeteria fed rats as in cafeteria, then, ad lib fed rats. In rats rendered underweight by a restricted chow diet and then returned to an ad lib feeding, the final BW depended only on the doses of d-F (0.6 or 12 mg/kg BW/day), whatever the weight at the beginning of infusion. Thus, the underweight paradigm fits well with the set-point hypothesis; the overweight paradigm fits only partially.

Animals↗