Body condition indices of Asian green mussels, Perna viridis, from Indonesia

While part of a single country, the Indonesian archipelago covers several biogeographic regions, and the high levels of national shipping likely facilitate transfer of non-native organisms between the different regions. Two vessels of a domestic shipping line appear to have served as a transport vector for the Asian green mussel Perna viridis (Linnaeus, 1758) between regions. This species is indigenous in the western but not in the eastern part of the archipelago, separated historically by the Sunda Shelf. The green mussels collected from the hulls of the ferries when in eastern Indonesia showed a significantly lower body condition index than similar-sized individuals from three different western-Indonesian mussel populations. This was presumably due to reduced food supply during the ships' voyages. Although this transportinduced food shortage may initially limit the invasive potential (through reduced reproductive rates) of the translocated individuals, the risk that the species will extend its distributional range further into eastern Indonesia is high. If the species becomes widely established in eastern Indonesia, there will then be an increased risk of incursions to Australia, where the mussel is listed as a high-priority pest species.

Adjusting Body Cell Mass for Size in Women of Differing Nutritional Status

Background: Body cell mass (BCM) may be estimated in clinical practice to assess functional nutritional status, eg, in patients with anorexia nervosa. Interpretation of the data, especially in younger patients who are still growing, requires appropriate adjustment for size. Previous investigations of this general issue have addressed chemical rather than functional components of body composition and have not considered patients at the extremes of nutritional status, in whom the ability to make longitudinal comparisons is of particular importance. Objective: Our objective was to determine the power by which height should be raised to adjust BCM for height in women of differing nutritional status. Design: BCM was estimated by K-40 counting in 58 healthy women, 33 healthy female adolescents, and 75 female adolescents with anorexia nervosa. The relation between BCM and height was explored in each group by using log-log regression analysis. Results: The powers by which height should be raised to adjust BCM,A,ere 1.73. 1.73, and 2.07 in the women, healthy female adolescents, and anorexic female adolescents, respectively. A simplified version of the index, BCM/height(2), was appropriate for all 3 categories and was negligibly correlated with height. Conclusions: In normal-weight women, the relation between height and BCM is consistent with that reported previously between height and fat-free mass. Although the consistency of the relation between BCM and fat-free mass decreases with increasing weight loss, the relation between height and BCM is not significantly different between normal-weight and underweight women. The index BCM/height(2) is easy to calculate and applicable to both healthy and underweight women. This information may be helpful in interpreting body-composition data in clinical practice.

Prediction of total body water in infants and children

Background: In paediatric clinical practice treatment is often adjusted in relation to body size, for example the calculation of pharmacological and dialysis dosages. In addition to use of body weight, for some purposes total body water (TBW) and surface area are estimated from anthropometry using equations developed several decades previously. Whether such equations remain valid in contemporary populations is not known. Methods: Total body water was measured using deuterium dilution in 672 subjects (265 infants aged < 1 year; 407 children and adolescents aged 1-19 years) during the period 1990-2003. TBW was predicted (a) using published equations, and (b) directly from data on age, sex, weight, and height. Results: Previously published equations, based on data obtained before 1970, significantly overestimated TBW, with average biases ranging from 4% to 11%. For all equations, the overestimation of TBW was greatest in infancy. New equations were generated. The best equation, incorporating log weight, log height, age, and sex, had a standard error of the estimate of 7.8%. Conclusions: Secular trends in the nutritional status of infants and children are altering the relation between age or weight and TBW. Equations developed in previous decades significantly overestimate TBW in all age groups, especially infancy; however, the relation between TBW and weight may continue to change. This scenario is predicted to apply more generally to many aspects of paediatric clinical practice in which dosages are calculated on the basis of anthropometric data collected in previous decades.

Height, age at menarche, and risk of epithelial ovarian cancer

Objective: We hypothesized that the hormonal changes of adolescence influence ovarian cancer risk particularly in younger women. We investigated this possibility by examining the relationship between ovarian cancer and adult height and age at menarche as both factors reflect pubertal hormonal levels. Methods: Participants were a population-based sample of women with incident ovarian cancer (n = 794) and control women randomly selected from the Australian Electoral Roll (n = 855). The women provided comprehensive reproductive and lifestyle data during a standard interview. Results: Although neither height nor age at menarche was significantly related to the risk of ovarian cancer overall, increasing height was associated with increasing risk of the subgroup of mucinous borderline ovarian cancer (odds ratio, 5.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.5-19.1 for women 175 cm compared with women < 160 cm, P-trend = 0.02). Similarly, later age at menarche was associated with increasing risk of mucinous borderline cancers (odds ratio, 3.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-11.4 for those with age at menarche >= 44 years compared with those < 12 years, P-trend = 0.003). Women with mucinous borderline cancers were significantly younger than the women diagnosed with invasive cancers (mean 44 versus 57 years; P < 0.0001). Conclusions: Development of mucinous borderline ovarian cancers, predominantly diagnosed in women ages under 50 years, seems to be associated with age at menarche and attained adult height. These results are consistent with our original hypothesis that pubertal levels of reproductive hormones and insulin-like growth factor-I influence ovarian cancer risk in younger women.

Impact of ethnicity upon body composition assessment in Sri Lankan Australian children

Objectives: Obesity is a disease with excess body fat where health is adversely affected. Therefore it is prudent to make the diagnosis of obesity based on the measure of percentage body fat. Body composition of a group of Australian children of Sri Lankan origin were studied to evaluate the applicability of some bedside techniques in the measurement of percentage body fat. Methods: Height (H) and weight (W) was measured and BMI (W/H-2) calculated. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) was measured using tetra polar technique with an 800 mu A current of 50 Hz frequency. Total body water was used as a reference method and was determined by deuterium dilution and fat free mass and hence fat mass (FM) derived using age and gender specific constants. Percentage FM was estimated using four predictive equations, which used BIA and anthropometric measurements. Results: Twenty-seven boys and 15 girls were studied with mean ages being 9.1 years and 9.6 years, respectively. Girls had a significantly higher FM compared to boys. The mean percentage FM of boys (22.9 +/- 8.7%) was higher than the limit for obesity and for girls (29.0 +/- 6.0%) it was just below the cut-off. BMI was comparatively low. All but BIA equation in boys under estimated the percentage FM. The impedance index and weight showed a strong association with total body water (r(2)= 0.96, P < 0.001). Except for BIA in boys all other techniques under diagnosed obesity. Conclusions: Sri Lankan Australian children appear to have a high percentage of fat with a low BMI and some of the available indirect techniques are not helpful in the assessment of body composition. Therefore ethnic and/or population specific predictive equations have to be developed for the assessment of body composition, especially in a multicultural society using indirect methods such as BIA or anthropometry.

Body composition in children in remission from acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Background: Changes in body composition are commonly reported in pediatric survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However, the effect of ALL and of its treatment on body composition in children in remission from ALL has not been fully examined with the use of a reference method. Objectives: We aimed to determine the body composition and composition of fat-free mass (FFM) in children in remission from ALL. We also aimed to compare the effects that prednisolone and dexamethasone had on the body composition of an ALL survivor population. Design: This cross-sectional study measured height, weight, body volume, total body water, and bone mineral content in 24 children in remission from ALL and 24 age-matched, healthy control subjects. Body composition and FFM composition were evaluated by using the 4-component model. Results: The mean body mass index and fat mass index were significantly (P = 0.05 for both) higher in the ALL survivors than in age-matched control subjects. The composition of the FFM in the 2 treatment groups was not observed to differ significantly. Examination of the composition of FFM made it evident that children in remission from ALL had both significantly greater hydration (P = 0.001) and lower density (P = 0.0001) of FFM than did the control children. Conclusions: Children in remission from ALL may develop excess body fat. To measure body composition accurately in an ALL population, the high hydration and low density of FFM in this population should be taken into consideration.

The relationship of fear of intimacy, body image avoidance and body mass index

Issues of body image and ability to achieve intimacy are connected to body weight, yet remain largely unexplored and have not been evaluated by gender. The underlying purpose of this research was to determine if avoidant attitudes and perceptions of one's body may hold implications toward its use in intimate interactions, and if an above average body weight would tend to increase this avoidance. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 1999-2002) finds that 64.5% of US adults are overweight, with 61.9% of women and 67.2% of men. The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity in men and women shows no reverse trend, nor have prevention and treatment proven effective in the long term. The researcher gathered self-reported age, gender, height and weight data from 55 male and 58 female subjects (determined by a prospective power analysis with a desired medium effect size (r=.30) to determine body mass index (BMI), determining a mean age of 21.6 years and mean BMI of 25.6. Survey instruments consisted of two scales that are germane to the variables being examined. They were (1) Descutner and Thelen of the University of Missouri‘s (1991) Fear-of-Intimacy scale; and (2) Rosen, Srebnik, Saltzberg, and Wendt's (1991) Body Image Avoidance Questionnaire. Results indicated that as body mass index increases, fear of intimacy increases (p<0.05) and that as body mass index increases, body image avoidance increases (p<0.05). The relationship that as body image avoidance increases, fear of intimacy increases was not supported, but approached significance at (p<0.07). No differences in these relationships were determined between gender groups. For age, the only observed relationship was that of a difference between scores for age groups [18 to 22 (group 1) and ages 23 to 34 (group 2)] for the relationship of body image avoidance and fear of intimacy (p<0.02). The results suggest that the relationship of body image avoidance and fear of intimacy, as well as age, bear consideration toward the escalating prevalence of overweight and obesity. An integrative approach to body weight that addresses issues of body image and intimacy may prove effective in prevention and treatment.

The Acute Effects of Whole Body Vibration on Muscular Power and Agility

Context: While research suggests whole body vibration (WBV) positively affects measures of neuromuscular performance in athletes, researchers have yet to address appropriate and effective vibration protocols. Objective: To identify the acute effects of continuous and intermittent WBV on muscular power and agility in recreationally active females. Design: We used a randomized 3-period cross-over design to observe the effects of 3 vibration protocols on muscular power and agility. Setting: Sports Science and Medicine Research Laboratory at Florida International University. Patients or Other Participants: Eleven recreationally active female volunteers (age=24.4±5.7y; ht=166.0±10.3cm; mass=59.7±14.3kg). Interventions: Each session, subjects stood on the Galileo WBV platform (Orthometrix, White Plains, NY) and received one of three randomly assigned vibration protocols. Our independent variable was vibration length (continuous, intermittent, or no vibration). Main Outcome Measures: An investigator blinded to the vibration protocol measured muscular power and agility. We measured muscular power with heights of squat and countermovement jumps. We measured agility with the Illinois Agility Test. Results: Continuous WBV significantly increased SJ height from 97.9±7.6cm to 98.5±7.5cm (P=0.019, β=0.71, η2 =0.07) but not CMJ height [99.1±7.4cm pretest and 99.4±7.4cm posttest (P=0.167, β=0.27)] or agility [19.2±2.1s pretest and 19.0±2.1s posttest (P=0.232, β=0.21)]. Intermittent WBV significantly enhanced SJ height from 97.6±7.7cm to 98.5±7.7cm (P=0.017, β=0.71, η2 =0.11) and agility 19.4±2.2s to 19.0±2.1s (P=0.001, β=0.98, η2=0.16), but did not effect CMJ height [98.7±7.7cm pretest and 99.3±7.3cm posttest (P=0.058, β=0.49)]. Conclusion: Continuous WBV increased squat jump height, while intermittent vibration enhanced agility and squat jump height. Future research should continue investigating the effect of various vibration protocols on athletic performance.

The Relationship of Fear of Intimacy, Body Image Avoidance and Body Mass Index

Issues of body image and ability to achieve intimacy are connected to body weight, yet remain largely unexplored and have not been evaluated by gender. The underlying purpose of this research was to determine if avoidant attitudes and perceptions of one’s body may hold implications toward its use in intimate interactions, and if an above average body weight would tend to increase this avoidance. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 1999-2002) finds that 64.5% of US adults are overweight, with 61.9% of women and 67.2% of men. The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity in men and women shows no reverse trend, nor have prevention and treatment proven effective in the long term. The researcher gathered self-reported age, gender, height and weight data from 55 male and 58 female subjects (determined by a prospective power analysis with a desired medium effect size (r =.30) to determine body mass index (BMI), determining a mean age of 21.6 years and mean BMI of 25.6. Survey instruments consisted of two scales that are germane to the variables being examined. They were (1) Descutner and Thelen of the University of Missouri’s (1991) Fear-of-Intimacy scale and (2) Rosen, Srebnik, Saltzberg, and Wendt’s (1991) Body Image Avoidance Questionnaire. Results indicated that as body mass index increases, fear of intimacy increases (p<0.05) and that as body mass index increases, body image avoidance increases (p<0.05). The relationship that as body image avoidance increases, fear of intimacy increases was not supported, but approached significance at (p<0.07). No differences in these relationships were determined between gender groups. For age, the only observed relationship was that of a difference between scores for age groups [18 to 22 (group 1) and ages 23 to 34 (group 2)] for the relationship of body image avoidance and fear of intimacy (p<0.02). The results suggest that the relationship of body image avoidance and fear of intimacy, as well as age, bear consideration toward the escalating prevalence of overweight and obesity. An integrative approach to body weight that addresses issues of body image and intimacy may prove effective in prevention and treatment.

An investigation of lower limb joint powers as a predictive measure of countermovement vertical jump height.

Measuring and tracking athletic performance is crucial to an athlete’s development and the countermovement vertical jump is often used to measure athletic performance, particularly lower limb power. The linear power developed in the lower limb is estimated through jump height. However, the relationship between angular power, produced by the joints of the lower limb, and jump height is not well understood. This study examined the contributions of the kinetic value of angular power, and its kinematic component, angular velocity, of the lower limb joints to jump height in the countermovement vertical jump. Kinematic and kinetic data were gathered from twenty varsity-level basketball and volleyball athletes as they performed six maximal effort jumps in four arm swing conditions: no-arm involvement, single-non-dominant arm swing, single-dominant arm swing, and two-arm swing. The displacement of the whole body centre of mass, peak joint powers, peak angular velocity, and locations of the peaks as a percentage of the jump’s takeoff period, were computed. Linear regressions assessed the relationship of the variables to jump height. Results demonstrated that knee peak power (p = 0.001, ß = 0.363, r = 0.363), its location within takeoff period (p = 0.023, ß = -0.256, r = 0.256), and peak knee peak angular velocity (p = 0.005, ß = 0.310, r = 0.310) were moderately linked to increased jump height. Additionally, the location, within the takeoff period, of the peak angular velocities of the hip (p = 0.003, ß = -0.318, r = 0.419) and ankle (p = 0.011, ß = 0.270, r = 0.419) were positively linked to jump height. These results highlight the importance of training the velocity and timing of joint motion beyond traditional power training protocols as well as the importance of further investigation into appropriate testing protocol that is sensitive to the contributions by individual joints in maximal effort jumping.

Body Mass Index as a measure of obesity

This Q and A style briefing paper provides an overview of the use of body mass index (BMI) for the measurement of obesity. BMI is a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in metres. It is one of the most commonly used ways of estimating whether a person is overweight and hence more likely to experience health problems than someone with a healthy weight. It is used to measure population prevalence of overweight and obesity. It is also a relatively easy, cheap and non-invasive method for establishing weight status. However, BMI is only a proxy for body fatness. Factors such as fitness, ethnic origin and puberty can alter the relation between BMI and body fatness and must be taken into consideration. Other measurements such as waist circumference and skin thickness can be collected to indicate a person’s weight status or body fatness. None of these is as widely used as BMI.

Application of body mass index adjusted for fat mass (BMIfat) obtained by bioelectrical impedance in adults

Introduction: Body mass index (BMI) has been one of the methods most frequently used for diagnose obesity, but it isn't consider body composition. Objective: This study intends to apply one new adiposity index, the BMI adjusted for fat mass (BMIfat) developed by Mialich, et al. (2011), in a adult Brazilian sample. Methods: A cross-sectional study with 501 individuals of both genders (366 women, 135 men) aged 17 to 38 years and mean age was 20.4 ± 2.8 years, mean weight 63.0 ± 13.5 kg, mean height 166.9 ± 9.0 cm, and BMI 22.4 ± 3.4 kg/m². Results and discussion: High and satisfactory R2 values were obtained, i.e., 91.1%, 91.9% and 88.8% for the sample as a whole and for men and women, respectively. Considering this BMIfat were developed new ranges, as follows: 1.35 to 1.65 (nutritional risk for malnutrition), > 1.65 and ≤ 2.0 (normal weight) and > 2.0 (obesity). The BMIfat had a more accurate capacity of detecting obese individuals (0.980. 0.993, 0.974) considering the sample as a whole and women and men, respectively, compared to the traditional BMI (0.932, 0.956, 0.95). Were also defined new cut-off points for the traditional BMI for the classification of obesity, i.e.: 25.24 kg/m² and 28.38 kg/m² for men and women, respectively. Conclusion: The BMIfat was applied for the present population and can be adopted in clinical practice. Further studies are needed to determine its application to different ethnic groups and to compare this index to others previously described in the scientific literature.

Sexual self-awareness and body Image

broadly describes the internal representations of the body structure and the physical appearance of the individual in regards him/herself and others. Sexual self-awareness (ACS) can be understood as the evaluation that each of us makes of his/her feelings and actions related to his/her sexuality and sexual behaviour, describing what each of us thinks about sex and what we feel about behaviours. Objective: Identify dimensions of sexual self-awareness and body image in sexual satisfaction of the young. Methods Correlational descriptive study, a convenience sample of 84 students of a health school (29.8 % male, 20.2 % female), with ages between 19 and 34 years. As data collection instrument a poll through questionnaire, incorporating a Body Image Satisfaction and a Multidimensional Sexual Self-awareness scale, was used. Results The majority of the sample subjects indicate having a partner (59.5 %), perceive themselves as having the ideal weight (75.0 %), the ideal height (65.5 %) and a normal appearance (76.2 %). Globally a high and statistically significant ACS was observed (t-Student = 12.520; GL = 83; p-value < 0.001) and significant statistical differences exist between having/not having a partner and the ACS (Student t = 2,965; GL = 82; p-value = 0.004) showing that those who mention having a partner have a higher average ACS (average = 3.812; SD = 0.412) compared to those without (average = 3.496; SD = 0.563). No statistically significant correlations were observed between ACS and Body Image.

THE ASSOCIATION OF DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES AND DIETARY HABITS ON BODY MASS INDEX OF FOREIGN-BORN POPULATION IN SOUTH KOREA

The Republic of Korea (Korea) has been composed of a single ethnic group and, until very recently, has had little or no experience with large-volume of immigrants. The country, once known for its large-scale emigration, has emerged as a popular destination. As the foreign-born populations continue to grow, they experience dietary pattern changes. Dietary changes of immigrants are often associated with weight increase and consequently the risk of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes. This study examined the association of demographic variables and dietary habits on Body Mass Index (BMI) of foreign nationals living in Korea, based on a cross-sectional sample of 193 foreign-born men (120) and women (73). A web-based survey program, Zoho survey, was used to capture self-reported region of origin, socio-demographic variables, weight, height, frequency of physical activity, and food frequencies. For the entire sample (n=193), the World Health Organization (WHO) classification and the Korean Society for the Study of Obesity cut-off points of BMI were used. The average BMI was 24.6 (SD=3.6) kg/m2. Significant associations were observed between BMI and age (χ² (8, N=193) =26.22, p<.01), gender (χ² (2, N=193) =11.45, p<.01), and religious affiliation (χ² (4, N=191) =9.53, p<.05). On average, participants had meat and carbonated drinks 2.2 times a week; high calorie foods 1.5 times a week; and, dairy products 2.4 times a week. A significant correlation (r=.14, p<.05) between BMI and eating meat was also observed. This study showed that the BMI varied with age, gender and religion. Frequent consumption of meat was associated with a significant increase in BMI. This increase in BMI could be associated with the dietary changes experienced by the newcomers or absence of more familiar products. Consequently, as the volume of immigrants continues to increase in Korea, it is imperative to consider designing and implementing public health policies specifically in relation to a healthy diet that can impact the prevalence of preventable chronic diseases. Thus, health education among foreign-born population in Korea should focus on reducing the intake of meat and high energy foods.

Association of body composition indices with insulin resistance in European adolescents: the HELENA study

Background: The different body components may contribute to the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The aim of the present study was to examine the association of fat mass and fat free mass indices with markers of insulin resistance, independently of each other and giving, at the same time, gender-specific information in a wide cohort of European adolescents. Methods: A cross-sectional study in a school setting was conducted in 925 (430 males) adolescents (14.9 ± 1.2 years). Weight, height, anthropometric, bioimpedance and blood parameters were measured. Indices for fat mass and fat free mass, and homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) were calculated. Multiple regression analyses were performed adjusting for several confounders including fat free mass and fat mass when possible. Results: Indices of fat mass were positively associated with HOMA (all p < 0.01) after adjusting for all the confounders including fat free mass indices, in both sexes. Fat free mass indices were associated with HOMA, in both males and females, after adjusting for center, pubertal status, socioeconomic status and cardiorespiratory fitness, but the associations disappear when including fat mass indices in the adjustment's model. Conclusion: Fat mass indices derived from different methods are positively associated with insulin resistance independently of several confounders including fat free mass indices. In addition, the relationship of fat free mass with insulin resistance is influenced by the amount of fat mass in European adolescents. Nevertheless, future studies should focus not only on the role of fat mass, but also on other body components such as fat free mass because its role could vary depending of the level and distribution of fat mass.