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Biomedical subjects

R N Pierson

Publications and source records attributed to R N Pierson.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

The relationship between total body potassium and resting energy expenditure in individuals with paraplegia.

Body composition changes occur with spinal cord injury (SCI): fat-free mass (FFM) decreases and fat mass (FM) increases. FFM has been reported to correlate with resting energy expenditure (REE) in non-SCI individuals. This report addresses the question as to whether REE correlates with measures of FFM in individuals with paraplegia. Twelve males with chronic paraplegia had measurements of total body potassium (TBK), an indicator of lean tissue, by whole body 40K counting, and FFM by dual photon x-ray absorptiometry (FFMDPX). REE was measured using a metabolic cart for exhaled gas analysis. Corrleations between REE and TBK, and REE and FFMDPX were determined. The mean TBK for the group was 2,850 +/- 190 mEq. In all subjects, TBK was below that of expected (predicted from age, height, and weight). For the group this was 34 +/- 0.04% below predicted. The mean FFMDPX was 58.3 +/- 3.3 kg. Following an overnight fast, REE was measured for each subject while in a seated position. The mean REE was 1,855 +/- 70 kcal/day. REE correlates well with both TBK (r = 0.86, p < 0.0005) and FFMDPX (r = 0.80, p < 0.005). In summary, despite losses in metabolically active tissue in individuals with chronic paraplegia, TBK and FFMDPX continue to have a strong relationship with REE. REE (kcal/d) may be used as an indicator of TBK or FFMDPX using the following linear regression equations: TBK (mEq) = 2.28.REE (kcal/d) - 1,377 (SEE = +/- 347) or FFMDPX (kg) = 0.038.REE (kcal/d) - 11.5 (SEE = +/- 7).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Composition of weight loss in severely obese women: a new look at old methods.

Seven severely obese, outpatient dieters lost weight (mean +/- SEM, 14 +/- 1 kg), and the composition of weight lost was determined by six different models. Total body water (TBW), total body potassium (TBK), and body density, bone mineral content, and fat as determined by dual photon absorptiometry (DPA) were measured while subjects were weight-stable, before and after weight loss. Fat loss was calculated by three two-compartment models (2C-TBW, 2C-TBK, and hydrodensitometry [2C-HD]), one three-compartment model (HD with correction for water content of fat-free mass [FFM], 3C), and one four-compartment model (HD with correction for water and mineral content of FFM, 4C), and was measured directly by DPA. Mean composition of weight loss was similar for all models (mean weight lost as fat: 89% for DPA, 91.5% for 4C, 89% for 3C, 88.6% for 2C-HD, and 87% for 2C-TBW) except 2C-TBK (weight lost as fat, 66%). There was a much wider range of individual values for the 2C-TBW and 2C-TBK models (17% to 138% and 18% to 93%, respectively) than for the multicompartment models (63% to 112%) and DPA (76% to 107%). Almost opposite results were obtained for the same individual when using the 2C-TBK and 2C-TBW models. The discrepancy between these models was due to the inverse relationship between changes in TBW and TBK in the group as a whole (r = -.34, NS). In addition, TBK loss was found to be dependent on the initial level of hyperinsulinemia, calculated as the area under the 2-hour oral glucose tolerance curve.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

Differences in skeletal muscle and bone mineral mass between black and white females and their relevance to estimates of body composition.

This study tested the hypothesis that black females have an increase in skeletal muscle and bone mineral mass compared with white females matched for age (+/- 5 y), weight (+/- 2 kg), height (+/- 3 cm), and menstrual status. Conventional [underwater weighing, whole body 40K counting (WBC), 3H2O dilution] and newly developed (dual-photon absorptiometry) techniques were used to provide ethnicity-independent estimates of body composition in 28 pairs of matched subjects. Black females had greater appendicular skeletal muscle (P less than 0.001), bone mineral (P less than 0.001), and total body potassium (TBK) (P = 0.05) compared with white females. Two classic coefficients used in body composition research [density of fat-free mass (FFM) for underwater weighing and TBK/FFM for WBC] differed significantly (P less than 0.05) between black and white females; currently applied coefficients underestimated fat in black females. This study confirms that black and white females differ in body composition and that errors in fat estimates occur when ethnicity is not accounted for in body composition models.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

The five-level model: a new approach to organizing body-composition research.

Body-composition research is a branch of human biology that has three interconnecting areas: body-composition levels and their organizational rules, measurement techniques, and biological factors that influence body composition. In the first area, which is inadequately formulated at present, five levels of increasing complexity are proposed: I, atomic; II, molecular; III, cellular; IV, tissue-system; and V, whole body. Although each level and its multiple compartments are distinct, biochemical and physiological connections exist such that the model is consistent and functions as a whole. The model also provides the opportunity to clearly define the concept of a body composition steady state in which quantitative associations exist over a specified time interval between compartments at the same or different levels. Finally, the five-level model provides a matrix for creating explicit body-composition equations, reveals gaps in the study of human body composition, and suggests important new research areas.

Adipose Tissue↗

Clinical correlates of short- and long-term weight loss.

This study was designed to identify psychological, behavioral, and physiological correlates of short- and long-term weight loss. Measures of psychological functioning, body composition, fat cell size and number, and attendance were evaluated in 76 obese women for their relationship to weight loss at the end of treatment and at a 1-y follow-up evaluation. Losing more weight during the first month of treatment and attending a higher percentage of treatment sessions were strongly associated with greater weight loss at the end of treatment and at 1-y follow-up. In addition, patients with the highest initial weights lost the most weight both at the end of treatment and at 1-y follow-up. Easily obtained measures are as successful in predicting weight loss as are more expensive and complicated measures.

Adipose Tissue↗

Body-fat measurement in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: which method should be used?

Malnutrition is common in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which distorts the chemical contents in the fat-free mass (FFM) and alters the assumptions underlying the traditional methods for calculating body-fat content so that such measurements may not be accurate. In vivo neutron-activation analysis (IVNA) measures FFM independently of the traditional assumptions, thereby providing more accurate measurements of body fat. We compared seven methods for measuring body fat in 18 male patients with AIDS: IVNA, total body water (TBW by 3H2O dilution), total body potassium (TBK by 40K counting), dual-photon absorptiometry (DPA), bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), and two well-calibrated anthropometric methods. FatTBW and fatDPA were not significantly different from fatIVNA. FatTBW gave the highest correlation with fatIVNA and the smallest SEE of +/- 1.8% (1.1 kg). The traditional and widely available TBW and the newer DPA method provide reliable estimates of fatIVNA in patients with AIDS.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

Body composition and surgical treatment of obesity. Effects of weight loss on fluid distribution.

Obesity is associated with absolute and relative expansion of the extracellular water compartment (ECW). The effects of substantial and prolonged weight reduction on body water distribution are unknown, however. The authors studied total body water (TBW) by tritiated water dilution, ECW by 35SO4 dilution, exchangeable sodium (Na(e)) by 24Na, and total body potassium (TBK) by 40K whole-body counting in 25 severely obese women (body mass index [BMI] = 48 +/- 7 kg.m-2, mean +/- standard deviation) aged 36 +/- 8 years before and at intervals after gastric restrictive (GR; n = 12) and malabsorptive (MA; n = 13) operations for obesity. Results are compared with a control group of 26 healthy normal-weight women (BMI = 21 +/- 2). Before operation, the obese patients had absolute elevations of all water compartments compared with controls, with significantly higher ratios of Na(e) to TBK (1.17 +/- 0.13 versus 0.91 +/- 0.10; p less than 0.05) and ECW to intracellular water (ICW) (E/I = 0.82 +/- 0.17 versus 0.63 +/- 0.06; p less than 0.05). After weight loss of 52 +/- 20 kg in MA and 47 +/- 19 kg in GR patients (nonsignificant between groups) to a stable level 22 +/- 8 months after operation, there were statistically significant reductions in TBW, ICW, TBK, and Na(e) in both groups, but a significant reduction in ECW only after GR. Adjusting for preoperative weight, duration of follow-up, and rate of weight loss, E/I was greater after MA than GR (1.09 +/- 0.25 versus 0.82 +/- 0.14; p less than 0.05). The elevated preoperative E/I ratio did not normalize with weight loss after surgery, and the response was related to the type of operation. The finding remains to be explained although the increased E/I after MA may reflect mild protein-calorie malnutrition not detectable in the blood. The persistence of elevated E/I with significant weight loss after GR might imply an intrinsic or irreversible imbalance of fluid distribution in obese patients.

Adult↗

Coronary artery disease: metabolic risk factors and latent disease in individuals with paraplegia.

Individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) currently have a longer life span as a result of recent improvements in medical care. As in the able-bodied population, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in persons with SCI, but it appears to occur at younger ages in those with SCI than in the able-bodied population. The reduction in level of activity and adverse changes in body composition caused by SCI have profound metabolic consequences that may influence the progression and severity of coronary artery disease. Metabolic sequelae of SCI include disorders of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Almost half of the 45 active, healthy subjects with paraplegia we studied have a disorder of carbohydrate tolerance, 1 in 5 subjects having a diabetic oral glucose tolerance test. Hyperinsulinemia is found in those with abnormal glucose tolerance. Subjects with paraplegia having impaired glucose tolerance or diabetes mellitus are significantly older than those with normal glucose tolerance. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol is markedly depressed, and low density lipoprotein is relatively elevated. Radionuclide myocardial perfusion imaging after upper body ergometry exercise reveals latent coronary artery disease in 12 of 19 subjects with paraplegia.

Adult↗

Total body bone density in amenorrheic runners.

Many studies have suggested that the positive effect of running on bone mass does not fully compensate for the negative effects of athletic amenorrhea. These studies have made this conclusion based on measurements of bone at a limited number of sites. This study used dual-photon absorptiometry to measure bone mineral content and bone mineral density in the total body as well as in several regions in amenorrheic runners (N = 13), eumenorrheic runners (N = 13), and sedentary controls (N = 12). The subjects were 21-35 years old. Runners had run at least 40 km/week for at least the past 3 years. Controls had body mass indices similar to those of the runners. The amenorrheic women had significantly lower values for total bone mineral content (P = .01), total bone mineral density (P = .04), and total bone mineral content as a percent of normal values (P = .04) than eumenorrheic women, but they were not significantly different from the controls. When total bone mineral content and total bone mineral density were adjusted for body weight, there were no significant differences among the groups. The eumenorrheic subjects had significantly greater bone mineral density in the trunk than the amenorrheic women; eumenorrheics and controls had significantly greater bone mineral density in the spine compared with amenorrheics. Lumbar spine bone mineral density showed a trend toward greatest values for controls and lowest for amenorrheic women (P = .069), although this measurement is relatively imprecise. Arms and legs showed no significant differences among the groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

Comparison of dual-photon absorptiometry systems for total-body bone and soft tissue measurements: dual-energy X-rays versus gadolinium 153.

A total of 81 subjects (41 males and 40 females) were scanned by dual-photon absorptiometry by 153Gd source (DPA; Lunar DP4) and by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA; Lunar-DPX) within a 24 h period. Total-body bone mineral density (TBMD), calcium content (Ca), and soft tissue mass (ST) were determined with a precision of about 1-1.5% using DPA and 0.5-1.0% using DEXA. Measurements of TBMD, Ca, ST, bone area (area), percentage fat, and regional bone mineral densities (BMD) were compared. Paired t-tests showed small but significant differences between all measurements. Correlations (r) for TBMD, Ca, area, ST, percentage fat, arm BMD, leg BMD, and trunk BMD were 0.99, 0.99, 0.97, 0.99, 0.97, 0.99, 0.99, and 0.98. There were small systematic differences for TBMD (less than 1%), calcium (3%), bone area (3%), soft tissue mass (7%), and percentage fat (9%) between the two approaches. Regression equations are given relating these measurements.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

Bone mineral density and mass by total-body dual-photon absorptiometry in normal white and Asian men.

Total body bone mineral density, total body bone mineral mass (TBBM), and bone mineral densities (BMD) in seven different regions of the body were measured in 238 normal men (154 Whites and 84 Asians), age 22-94, using dual-photon absorptiometry. Although Asian men had lower TBBM and BMD in all regions (p less than 0.05) except the arms, when multiple regression was done with body weight, height, and age, no significant differences were found between Asians and Whites for bone measurements. Thus lower bone mineral densities and bone mineral mass in Asian males compared to White males appear to be due to differences in height and weight rather than to ethnic differences. The two groups were combined to derive multiple regression equations for TBBM, total-body BMD, and regional BMD. Age, weight, and height were significant in the multiple regression equations for TBBM, ribs BMD, and legs BMD. Age and weight, but not height, were significant for total-body BMD, trunk BMD, spine BMD, arm BMD, and pelvis BMD. Weight, but neither height nor age, was significant for head BMD. These reference normal bone mineral density and bone mineral mass standards are appropriate for both Asian and White males when adjusted for weight, height, and age.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

Enteral alimentation and repletion of body cell mass in malnourished patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility, tolerance, and efficacy of enteral feeding in malnourished AIDS patients. This was a prospective study of eight AIDS patients with severe eating disorders associated with systemic diseases. A defined diet was administered through an endoscopically placed gastrostomy tube. Body composition studies and selected serum and immunologic studies were done at baseline and monthly for 2 mo. Enteral feeding was associated with an increase of approximately 14% in total body potassium, an index of body cell mass (P less than 0.02), and an increase in body fat content (P less than 0.002). Serum albumin concentration (P less than 0.005) and iron-binding capacity also rose. Serum immunoglobulins did not change. The numbers of total lymphocytes (P less than 0.005) and CD8+ cells rose but CD4+ cells did not change. The tube and enteral feedings were well tolerated. These results demonstrate that enteral feeding may result in body-cell-mass repletion in malnourished AIDS patients.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

In vivo determination of body fat by measuring total body carbon.

Total body carbon (TBC) is measured in vivo by neutron inelastic scattering. The fast neutrons needed for the irradiation are produced by a miniature deuterium-tritium (D-T) neutron generator. Body fat and protein are the main contributors to TBC. Bone ash and carbohydrates contribute less than 3%. Fat is calculated from TBC after the subtraction of the carbon contributions from protein, bone, and glycogen. The technique was applied to 14 normal volunteers (8 females, 6 males) aged 24-94 y who underwent neutron inelastic scattering and neutron activation measurements for body carbon, nitrogen, and calcium. The initial results agree with other techniques. Unlike models that evaluate body fat by subtracting lean body mass from body weight, the TBC technique is not sensitive to assumptions on the composition of lean body; therefore, it is appropriate for studies of adults of any age and health condition.

Adipose Tissue↗

Body composition in elderly people: effect of criterion estimates on predictive equations.

The purposes of this study were to determine whether there are significant differences between two- and four-compartment model estimates of body composition, whether these differences are associated with aqueous and mineral fractions of the fat-free mass (FFM); and whether the differences are retained in equations for predicting body composition from anthropometry and bioelectric resistance. Body composition was estimated in 98 men and women aged 65-94 y by using a four-compartment model based on hydrodensitometry, 3H2O dilution, and dual-photon absorptiometry. These estimates were significantly different from those obtained by using Siri's two-compartment model. The differences were associated significantly (P less than 0.0001) with variation in the aqueous fraction of FFM. Equations for predicting body composition from anthropometry and resistance, when calibrated against two-compartment model estimates, retained these systematic errors. Equations predicting body composition in elderly people should be calibrated against estimates from multicompartment models that consider variability in FFM composition.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

Estimation of extracellular and total body water by multiple-frequency bioelectrical-impedance measurement.

This study evaluated a new technology of bioelectrical-impedance (BI) measurement that makes use of multiple frequencies (5, 50, and 100 kHz) for estimation of extracellular and total body water. In 36 healthy males, resistance and reactance at three frequencies were compared with extra-cellular water (ECW) and total body water (TBW) determined by isotope dilution. ECW was best predicted by resistance measured at 5 kHz, corrected for height and weight (R = 0.930, SEE = 1.94 L) whereas TBW was best predicted by resistance at 100 kHZ and weight (R = 0.947, SEE = 2.64 L). Cross-validation analysis on two randomly selected subsets (n = 18 each) indicated that the prediction equations were reproducible and valid. Thus, BI at dual frequencies is valid for determination of body-water compartments and may be useful in the nutritional assessment of patients in whom body water and hydration is of clinical concern.

Adult↗

Measuring body fat: calibrating the rulers. Intermethod comparisons in 389 normal Caucasian subjects.

A systematic study of 389 normal Caucasians stratified for sex and age compared all of the traditional methods for measuring fat: body water, underwater weighing, body potassium, and anthropometrics and the newer methods of dual-photon absorptiometry, bioimpedance analysis, and total body electrical conductivity. Measurements by all methods are highly intercorrelated, but methods differences show the population means for fat percent to range from 26 to 35% of body weight across eight methods. All methods show increasing fat (as % body weight) with age in both sexes but vary in secular slope. The goal of this report is to provide direct translations between each of the eight methods. Intermethod comparison equations are given as simple linear regressions by using each method both as dependent and independent variable for each sex, permitting translation for results by any method to any other.

Adipose Tissue↗

Chemical and elemental analysis of humans in vivo using improved body composition models.

Six chemical compartments [water, protein, mineral (osseus and cellular), glycogen, and fat] consisting of 11 elements (N, C, Ca, Na, Cl, K, H, P, O, S, and Mg) comprise greater than or equal to 99% of body weight in living humans. The combination of three neutron-activation systems, whole body 40K counting, and 3H2O dilution at Brookhaven National Laboratory now potentially makes it possible to quantify greater than or equal to 96% of the chemical and elemental determinants of body weight in vivo. The aims of the present study were 1) to develop 6- and 11-compartment chemical and elemental models, respectively, and 2) to evaluate these models in a group of 20 healthy adults. Results demonstrated that body weight estimated from either chemical or elemental components was highly correlated with (both r = 0.97, P less than 0.001) and on average differed by less than 4% from actual body weight. The compartmental results obtained using the chemical model were also evaluated by comparing calculated and actual body density (Db) estimated by underwater weighing. Calculated Db [1.041 +/- 0.017 (SD) g/ml] agreed closely and was highly correlated with actual Db (1.039 +/- 0.018 g/ml; r = 0.82; P less than 0.001). Hence a near-complete chemical and elemental analysis of living human subjects is now possible and, with potential future refinements, represents an important opportunity to quantify the effects of gender, aging, and ethnic status on body composition.

Adult↗