Muscle fitness to visceral fat ratio, metabolic syndrome and ideal cardiovascular health metrics

This study aimed to investigate the association between the muscle fitness to visceral fat level (MVF) ratio and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) metrics among college students. A total of 1467 young adults recruited from the FUPRECOL study (Asociación de la Fuerza Prensil con Manifestaciones Tempranas de Riesgo Cardiovascular en Jóvenes y Adultos Colombianos), were categorized into four quartiles based on their MVF ratio. Muscular fitness was assessed using a digital handgrip dynamometer and visceral fat level was determined through bioelectrical impedance analysis. Ideal CVH was assessed, including lifestyle characteristics, anthropometry, blood pressure, and biochemical parameters. The body weight, waist circumference, body mass index (BMI), fat mass, fat mass index, and visceral fat level were significantly higher in subjects in Q1 (lower MVF ratio) than those in Q2, Q3, or Q4 (p less than 0.001). The muscle fitness (handgrip and normalized grip strength (NGS)) of the subjects in Q4 was significantly greater than that of those in Q1 to Q2 (p less than 0.001). Subjects with a medium-high MVF ratio (i.e., 3–4th quartiles) had an odds ratio of 2.103 of ideal CVH metrics after adjusting for age, gender, university, and alcohol intake (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.832 to 2.414; p less than 0.001). A lower MVF ratio is associated with worse CVH metrics and a higher prevalence of MetS in early adulthood, supporting the hypothesis that the MVF ratio could be used as a complementary screening tool that could help clinicians identify young adults with unfavorable levels of CVH and metabolic risk. © 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Conhecimento em legislação e preparação dos profissionais de saúde sobre o processo de cuidado da morte

The aims of this study were to ascertain the perception that health professionals (doctors, nurses and nursing assistants) have about their preparation for the care of terminally ill patients and to determine their knowledge about palliative care legislation. This cross sectional study was performed at a hospital in Granada (Spain); we administered an ad hoc questionnaire. The results indicated that although most of the staff had worked with terminally ill patients, only half believed that they have been trained to care for them. A significant proportion stated that they did not know about the current palliative care legislation. Most professionals would question the withdrawal of therapies for the maintenance of life; most of them are also unaware of the mechanism for reporting on the completion of a Living Will, as well as a Plan for Palliative Care in Andalusia (Spain).Os objetivos deste estudo são determinar a percepção que os profissionais de saúde (médicos, enfermeiros e auxiliares de enfermagem) têm sobre a sua preparação sobre o cuidado dos doentes terminais e determinar seu conhecimento da legislação sobre cuidados paliativos. Realizou-se um estudo transversal em um hospital em Granada (Espanha), através da aplicação de um questionário ad hoc. Os resultados mostram que a maioria do pessoal trabalha com pacientes no fim de sua vida, mas apenas a metade crê que têm o treinamento adequado para cuidar deles. Uma proporção significativa disse que não conhece a legislação vigente sobre cuidados paliativos. A maioria dos profissionais propenderia a retirada de terapias para a sustentação da vida e não sabem o mecanismo de comunicação sobre a realização do Living Will, como indica o Plano de Assistência Paliativa de Andaluzia (Espanha).Este estudio apunta a conocer la percepción que los profesionales de la salud (médicos, enfermeras y auxiliares de enfermería) tienen acerca de su preparación en el cuidado de los enfermos terminales y determinar sus conocimientos sobre la legislación de cuidados paliativos. Se ha realizado un estudio transversal, en un hospital de Granada (España), mediante la aplicación de un cuestionario ad hoc. Los resultados muestran que la mayoría del personal ha trabajado con pacientes en el final de su vida, pero sólo la mitad cree tener la formación adecuada para cuidarlos. Una parte considerable dice no conocer la legislación actual en cuidados paliativos. La mayoría de los profesionales plantearía la retirada de terapias para el mantenimiento de la vida y desconocen el mecanismo para informar sobre la cumplimentación del Testamento Vital, como indica el Plan de Cuidados Paliativos de Andalucía (España)

Stricter Adherence to Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) and Its Association with Lower Blood Pressure, Visceral Fat, and Waist Circumference in University Students

We are grateful to the university students for their participation in this study.How diet affects blood pressure (BP) in young adults has not been studied in sufficient depth. For this purpose, we analyzed adherence to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) dietary pattern and BP in Spanish university students. The sample population of our cross-sectional study consisted of 244 subjects (18–31 years old), who were in good health. Measurements were taken of their systolic and diastolic BP. A food frequency questionnaire and 72 h food record were used to assess their dietary intake in the previous year. The resulting DASH score was based on foodstuffs that were emphasized or minimized in the DASH diet. Analysis of covariance adjusted for potential confounding factors showed that the mean values for systolic BP, visceral fat rating, and waist circumference (WC) of the subjects in the upper third of the DASH score were significantly lower than those of the subjects in the lower third (for systolic BP: mean difference −4.36 mmHg, p = 0.004; for visceral fat rating: mean difference −0.4, p = 0.024; for waist circumference: mean difference −3.2, p = 0.019). Stricter adherence to the DASH dietary pattern led to a lower BP, visceral fat rating, and WC values in these university students. Nevertheless, further prospective studies are needed to confirm these results.This study was funded by the Programme Contract (2015–2017) of the Faculty of Nursing of Melilla (University of Granada), specifically the research line “Lifestyles and health care in a multicultural population”

Prevalence of Depression in Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) might adversely affect the health status of the patients, producing cognitive deterioration, with depression being the most common symptom. The aim of this study is to analyse the prevalence of depression in patients before and after coronary artery bypass surgery. A systematic review and meta-analysis was carried out, involving a study of the past 10 years of the following databases: CINAHL, LILACS, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, SciELO, Scopus, and Web of Science. The total sample comprised n = 16,501 patients. The total number of items was n = 65, with n = 29 included in the meta-analysis. Based on the different measurement tools used, the prevalence of depression pre-CABG ranges from 19–37%, and post-CABG from 15–33%. There is a considerable presence of depression in this type of patient, but this varies according to the measurement tool used and the quality of the study. Systematically detecting depression prior to cardiac surgery could identify patients at potential risk.The results reported in the study are from the doctoral thesis of Moath Abu Ejheisheh and belong to the Clinical Medicine and Health Public Programme (B 12.56.1) of the University of Granada, Spain

Valores del índice cintura/cadera en la población escolar de Bogotá, Colombia: Estudio FUPRECOL

Objective: the aim was to establish reference standards for waist/hip ratio among Colombia children and adolescent aged 9 to 17.9 years who participated in “The FUPRECOL Study”. Methods: cross-sectional study. A sample of 3 005 children and 2 916 adolescents healthy Colombian youth (boys n = 2 542 and girls n = 3 384) participated in the study. Height, weight, waist circumference, hip circumference and sexual maturation status were measured. Reference curves were fitted with the LMS method (L [curve Box– Cox], M [curve median] and S [curve coefficient of variation]), for boys and girls, stratified by age group, and to compare them to international references. Results: in all ages, the waist/hip ratio was higher in boys than in girls. Subjects whose waist/hip ratio was above the 90th percentile of the standard normal distribution were considered to have high cardiovascular risk (boys range 0.87 to 0.93 and girls range 0.85 to 0.89). Overall, our waist/hip ratio values were lower than Europe, Asia and Africa values and similar to those of some Latin American references. Conclusions: values reference charts for waist/hip ratio values specific for age and sex, obtained from children and adolescents from Bogota, Colombia, are provided. They may be used regionally, both for nutritional assessment and to predict cardiovascular risks in early age. © 2015, Grupo Aula Medica S.A. All rights reserved

Percentiles of body fat measured by bioelectrical impedance in children and adolescents from Bogotá (Colombia): the FUPRECOL study.

Objective. The analysis of body composition is a fundamental part of nutritional status assessment. The objective of this study was to establish body fat percentiles by bioelectrical impedance in children and adolescents from Bogota (Colombia) who were part of the FUPRECOL study (Asociacion de la Fuerza Prensil con Manifestaciones Tempranas de Riesgo Cardiovascular en Ninos y Adolescentes Colombianos - Association between prehensile force and early signs of cardiovascular risk in Colombian children and adolescents).Methods. This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 5850 students aged 9-17.9 years old from Bogota (Colombia). Body fat percentage was measured using foot-to-foot bioelectrical impedance (Tanita (R), BF-689), by age and gender. Weight, height, waist circumference, and hip circumference were measured, and sexual maturity was self-staged. Percentiles (P-3, P-10, P-25, P-50, P-75, P-90 and P-97) and centile curves were estimated using the LMS method (L [Box-Cox curve], M [median curve] and S [variation coefficient curve]), by age and gender.Results. Subjects included were 2526 children and 3324 adolescents. Body fat percentages and centile curves by age and gender were established. For most age groups, values resulted higher among girls than boys. Participants with values above P-90 were considered to have a high cardiovascular risk due to excess fat (boys > 23.4-28.3, girls > 31.0-34.1).Conclusions. Body fat percentage percentiles measured using bioelectrical impedance by age and gender are presented here and may be used as reference to assess nutritional status and to predict cardiovascular risk due to excess fat at an early age

Oleanolic Acid-Enriched Olive Oil Alleviates the Interleukin-6 Overproduction Induced by Postprandial Triglyceride-Rich Lipoproteins in THP-1 Macrophages

Oleanolic acid (OA), a triterpene that is highly present in olive leaves, has been proposed as a component of functional foods for the prevention of metabolic syndrome, due to its anti-inflammatory activity. We analyzed the effects of OA on inflammatory parameters and signaling proteins in LPS-stimulated THP-1 macrophages. Thus, THP-1 macrophages were incubated with LPS for 48 h after pretreatment with OA at different concentrations. Pretreatment with OA was significantly effective in attenuating IL-6 and TNF-α overproduction induced by LPS in macrophages, and also improved the levels of AMPK-α. We also evaluated the effects of human triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TRLs) derived from individuals consuming an OA-enriched functional olive oil. For this purpose, TRLs were isolated from healthy adolescents before, 2 and 5 h postprandially after the intake of a meal containing the functional olive oil or common olive oil, and were incubated with THP-1 macrophages. THP-1 macrophages incubated with TRLs isolated at 2 h after the consumption of the OA-enriched olive oil showed significant lower levels of IL-6 compared to the TRLs derived from olive oil. Our results suggest that OA might have potential to be used as a lipid-based formulation in functional olive oils to prevent inflammatory processes underlying metabolic syndrome in adolescents.Andalusia 2014–2020 European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Operative Program, grant number B-AGR-287-UGR18

Factores sociodemográficos y adecuación de la atención prenatal asociada a la mortalidad perinatal en gestantes colombianas

el adecuado seguimiento clínico y el cumplimiento de los requerimientos nutricionales, son aspectos esenciales para el adecuado desarrollo fetal y la culminación exitosa del embarazo. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar la asociación entre los factores sociodemográficos y el seguimiento prenatal asociados a la mortalidad perinatal en gestantes de Colombia.An adequate monitoring and the compliance of the nutritional requirements are essential for fetal development and successful control of pregnancy outcomes. This study aimed to determine the association between sociodemographic factors and the pre-birth monitoring associated with

Efectividad de las intervenciones educativas realizadas en América Latina para la prevención del sobrepeso y obesidad infantil en niños escolares de 6 a 17 años: Una revisión sistemática

Introduction: Overweight and obesity are serious public health problem, which is specially among children populations. Objective: To determine the effectiveness of educational interventions conducted in Latino America for the prevention of overweight and obesity in scholar children from 6 to 17 years old. Metodology: MEDLINE, LILACS and EMBASE were searched between february and may 2014 to retrieve randomized controlled trials and longitudinal studies that evaluated the effects of educational interventions intended to retrieve randomized controlled trials and longitudinal studies aiming to prevent overweight and obesity among Latinoamerican children. Risk of bias was evaluated using the PEDro scale and the CASPe tool. Results: Twenty one studies were included (n=12,092). Different types of educational interventions were identified, such as nutritional campaigns, physical activity practice and environmental changes. Mixed approaches combining nutritional campaigns, physical activity promotion and enviromental changes were the most effective interventions, since their results produced the largest improvements in the overweight and obesity of children. None evidence of reporting bias was observed. Conclusion: Educational interventions performed in the educational environment that combined an adequate nutrition and the promotion of physical activity practice, are more effective for preventing overweight and obesity in Latino American children, although familiar interventions are also encouraged approach, associated with better responses on the behavioral change in scholar children. © 2015, Grupo Aula Medica S.A. All rights reserved

The role of body adiposity index in determining body fat percentage in colombian adults with overweight or obesity

The aim of this study is to investigate the accuracy of body adiposity index (BAI) as a convenient tool for assessing body fat percentage (BF%) in a sample of adults with overweight/obesity using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). The study population was composed of 96 volunteers (60% female, mean age 40.6 ± 7.5 years old). Anthropometric characteristics (body mass index, height, waist-to-height ratio, hip and waist circumference), socioeconomic status, and diet were assessed, and BF% was measured by BIA-BF% and by BAIBF%. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the correlation between BAI-BF% and BF% assessed by BIA-BF%, while controlling for potential confounders. The concordance between the BF% measured by both methods was obtained with a paired sample t-test, Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient, and Bland-Altman plot analysis. Overall, the correlation between BF% obtained by BIA-BF% and estimated by BAI-BF% was r = 0.885, p less than 0.001, after adjusting for potential confounders (age, socioeconomic status, and diet). Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient was moderate in both sexes. In the men, the paired t-test showed a significant mean difference in BF% between the methods (-5.6 (95%CI -6.4 to -4.8); p less than 0.001). In the women, these differences were (-3.6 (95%CI -4.7 to -2.5); p less than 0.001). Overall, the bias of the BAI-BF% was -4.8 ± 3.2 BF%; p less than 0.001), indicating that the BAI-BF% method significantly underestimated the BF% in comparison with the reference method. In adults with overweight/obesity, the BAI presents low agreement with BF% measured by BIA-BF%; therefore, we conclude that BIA-BF% is not accurate in either sex when body fat percentage levels are low or high. Further studies are necessary to confirm our findings in different ethnic groups. © 2017 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland