Biomedical subjects

M Wedel

Publications and source records attributed to M Wedel.

44 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed1988

Food preferences and aversions and dietary pattern in anorexia nervosa patients.

Food intake, meal frequency and occurrence of vomiting and purging were assessed in 20 female patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) by two dietitians by means of a dietary history over the past month. Ten lean healthy women and 10 of normal weight served as two groups of controls. Two self-administered questionnaires, consisting of 51 questions each were developed and applied: one to get an insight into food preference and food aversion, another to evaluate the dietary pattern. A significant difference in energy intake was found between the patient group and both control groups, but not between the two control groups. Self-induced vomiting and weekly laxative use was only mentioned by the patients with AN. Between the patients and the controls significant differences were found in preference and aversion for several food products such as sugar, potatoes, meat, dates and bananas as well as in eating habits. Stepwise discriminant analysis of the data of the two questionnaires resulted in eight food items and three dietary pattern statements which specify group differences. It is concluded that the questionnaires used reveal important differences between anorexia patients and control subjects in attitudes towards foodstuffs, and can be a useful tool for early diagnosis when validated in larger samples of patients and controls.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1988

Computed tomography measurement of abdominal fat deposition in relation to anthropometry.

In a study on the abdominal fat deposition measurements were carried out with computed tomography (CT) at the umbilical level in 130 patients (68 males and 62 females), submitted to the Department of Radiodiagnosis for routine CT of the abdomen. Weight, height, waist and hip circumference were measured. From a single CT scan at the umbilical level the subcutaneous and intra-abdominal fat areas were calculated. In men relatively more fat was found in the abdominal cavity than in women. Using all possible subset regression for both subcutaneous and intraabdominal fat areas, the best subsets of predictor variables were examined for males and females separately. Quetelet index and hip circumference were good predictor variables, explaining more than 70 per cent of the variance of the subcutaneous fat in both males and females. Waist and hip circumference explained about 74 per cent of the variance in intra-abdominal fat in males and 56 per cent in females. The results indicate that the single CT scan is fairly representative of overall abdominal fatness and that waist and hip circumference measurements can provide a useful indication of the abdominal fat deposition.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMed1987

Effects of moderate alcohol consumption on platelet aggregation, fibrinolysis, and blood lipids.

To investigate the effect of moderate alcohol consumption on blood constituents related to cardiovascular disease, 12 male volunteers consumed (instead of their usual alcoholic drinks) four different standardized amounts of red wine in addition to their habitual diet. Each dose was given to the subjects during a period of 5 weeks in a randomized order, all subjects receiving the four doses. They consisted of 0, 2, and 4 glasses/d, providing 0, 23, and 46 g alcohol/d as well as in "binge drinking" (14 glasses in the weekend, comparable to an average of 2 glasses/d). The results showed a clear dose-related response to the drinking for several blood constituents. Most marked was a decrease in the tissue-type plasminogen activator activity and to a lesser degree an increase in plasminogen levels. Collagen-induced platelet aggregation was reduced, affecting all parameters measured. Levels of HDL3-cholesterol, gammaglutamyltransferase, and urate showed a small but significant increase. No change was noted in the levels of alkaline phosphatase, alanine-aminotransferase, aspartate-aminotransferase, bile acids, folate, fibrinogen, the ADP-induced platelet aggregation, platelet secretion, or in hematologic values. The results are only partially in accordance with the presumed protective action of moderate drinking on the cardiovascular system and show a stronger response to the consumption of alcohol in coagulation and fibrinolysis factors than in blood lipids.

Adult↗

PubMed1987

Food intake in three groups of cancer patients. A prospective study during cancer treatment.

The dietary intake of 105 adult Dutch Caucasian patients (28 women with endometrial or cervical cancer, 50 men with bladder or prostate cancer and 14 men and 13 women with malignant lymphoma) was studied for 19 weeks. Energy and nutrient intakes of all patients were assessed by a dietary history with cross-check over 2 months prior to treatment and by seven 48-h dietary records filled in just before, during and after cancer therapy. No differences were observed between the results obtained with the dietary history and the first 48-h diary. In females treated with abdominal irradiation the mean daily intake of fat, dietary fibre, iron and thiamin decreased during therapy. In men treated with radiotherapy the intake of vegetable protein, polysaccharides, dietary fibre and thiamin also decreased during treatment. This may be partly explained by the observation that many of these patients had spontaneously chosen a 'constipating diet' because of diarrhoea. As compared with the Dutch Recommended Dietary Allowance only the iron intake of the women gave rise to some concern. In our study we did not observe marked changes in dietary intake and nutritional status. In females who underwent irradiation therapy especially, the dietary intake increased after a period of intensive treatment. This demonstrates that food intake of these groups of cancer patients is not consistently reduced by chemotherapy or even abdominal radiotherapy.

Aged↗

PubMed1986

Comparison of ultrasound and skinfold caliper measurement of subcutaneous fat tissue.

Subcutaneous fat thickness of 26 young males (aged 18-32 years) was measured at eight sites (biceps, triceps, subscapula, axillary, subcosta, paraumbilica, suprailiaca, quadriceps) using a commercial high-resolution B-scan ultrasound equipment with a 7.5-MHz transducer as well as a Holtain skinfold caliper. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between ultrasound and skinfold caliper measurements of subcutaneous fat and body density determined by the hydrostatic weighing technique. Correlations between ultrasound and caliper measurement were above 0.7. The variability of duplicate measurements with the skinfold caliper appeared to be somewhat lower than with ultrasound measurements. Using all possible subsets regression, for both techniques measuring subcutaneous fat thickness those multiple regression equations were chosen which predicted body density best. The best equations for the two techniques explained about 80 percent of the variance of body density in this group. These results indicate that in young men, body fat can be estimated with the same degree of accuracy using either the skinfold caliper or the ultrasound technique, but for estimates of actual subcutaneous fat thickness, ultrasound is to be preferred.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMed1985

The influence of radiotherapy and chemotherapy on the vitamin status of cancer patients.

The influence of external abdominal irradiation and cytostatic therapy on the vitamin status was studied in patients with cancer of the uterus, bladder or prostate and in patients with malignant lymphoma. It was found that the vitamin status of these patients at the beginning of therapy in general was adequate, though vitamin A and vitamin D levels were reduced. During radiotherapy decreases of vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin B12 and folic acid levels were observed. Chemotherapy caused a decrease of the folic acid levels after a few months. No clinical symptoms of vitamin deficiency were observed.

Ascorbic Acid↗

PubMed1983

Discovering an epidemic before it has reached a certain level of prevalence.

In this communication we calculate the probability of discovering a simple epidemic in a large population before the epidemic has reached a given level of prevalence, by regularly taking a small random sample from the population for microbiological screening. Apart from the general formula which has to be evaluated numerically, we derive various simple approximation formulae which shed light on the properties of various monitoring regimes. These formulae are, moreover, rather robust against deviations from the model specifications. The results are applied to the evaluation of the efficiency of an infection-monitoring program in an animal breeding centre.

Disease Outbreaks↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Food intake and socioeconomic status in children in northeast Thailand.

To assess the food intake and to evaluate the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and food consumption of northeastern Thai children a dietary survey was carried out among 108 urban and rural 3-8-year-olds in Sakon Nakhon province. Energy and nutrient intakes were assessed by the 24 hour recall method and calculated with local food consumption tables. Urban children consumed significantly more eggs and products containing animal proteins than rural children. In urban areas the percentage of users of meat, eggs, and fruit was significantly higher than in rural areas; fish was consumed more frequently in rural areas. As compared with the FAO/WHO RDA (Recommended Daily Allowances) all children showed a very inadequate supply of energy, calcium, iron (except urban children), vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin. The mean daily protein intake was almost equal to or higher than the calculated requirements. Children of lower socioeconomic background showed a lower fat intake, a lower contribution of fat to the energy intake, and a higher contribution of carbohydrates to the energy intake than children from families with a higher SES. This study shows that nutrient intakes far below recommended intakes are common among the examined northeastern Thai children and of a serious nature, and that much more emphasis needs to be given to increase the energy or food intake rather than the protein content of their grossly inadequate diets.

Child↗