Agreement between dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and quantitative ultrasound to evaluate bone health in adolescents: The PRO-BONE study

Purpose: The present study aims to investigate the association between dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and quantitative ultrasound (QUS) parameters and the intermethods agreement in active males. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, bone health (by DXA and calcaneal QUS), physical activity (by accelerometers), and anthropometrics measurements were assessed in 117 active adolescents (12–14 y old). Bivariate correlation coefficients were calculated to assess the relationships between DXA standard regions of interest and QUS parameters. Intraclass correlation coefficients and Bland–Altman plots were used to assess the level of agreement between bone mineral content regions derived from DXA and stiffness index. The measurements were z score transformed for comparison. Results: Most QUS parameters were positive and significantly correlated with DXA outcomes (stiffness index: r = .43–.52; broadband ultrasound attenuation: r = .50–.58; speed of sound: r = .25–.27) with the hip showing the highest correlations. Moreover, the present study found fair to good intraclass correlation coefficients of agreement (.60–.68) between DXA and QUS to assess bone health. The Bland–Altman analysis showed a limited percentage of outliers (3.2%–8.6%). Conclusion: QUS device could represent an acceptable alternative method to assess bone health in active adolescent males

Agreement Between Standard Body Composition Methods to Estimate Percentage of Body Fat in Young Male Athletes.

This is author's accepted manuscript.Final version available from Human Kinetics via the DOI in this record.PURPOSE: To examine the intermethods agreement of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and foot-to-foot bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to assess the percentage of body fat (%BF) in young male athletes using air-displacement plethysmography (ADP) as the reference method. METHODS: Standard measurement protocols were carried out in 104 athletes (40 swimmers, 37 footballers, and 27 cyclists, aged 12-14 y). RESULTS: Age-adjusted %BF ADP and %BF BIA were significantly higher in swimmers than footballers. ADP correlates better with DXA than with BIA (r = .84 vs r = .60, P < .001). %BF was lower when measured by DXA and BIA than ADP (P < .001), and the bias was higher when comparing ADP versus BIA than ADP versus DXA. The intraclass correlation coefficients between DXA and ADP showed a good to excellent agreement (r = .67-.79), though it was poor when BIA was compared with ADP (r = .26-.49). The ranges of agreement were wider when comparing BIA with ADP than DXA with ADP. CONCLUSION: DXA and BIA seem to underestimate %BF in young male athletes compared with ADP. Furthermore, the bias significantly increases with %BF in the BIA measurements. At the individual level, BIA and DXA do not seem to predict %BF precisely compared with ADP in young athletic populations.This work was done as part of the PRO-BONE study. It has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no. PCIG13-GA-2013-618496. M.V.N-F. received a PhD Student Internships Abroad scholarship from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq; process: 200340/2015-8) and a Brazilian PhD Student scholarship from the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP; process. 2016/18436-8 and 2017/11732-3). E.U-G. received a PhD scholarship from Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (2014/10340). A.C.F.M. received a postdoctoral scholarship from the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP; process: 2014/13367-2 and 2015/14319-4)

Stabilization and reversal of child obesity in Andalusia using objective anthropometric measures by socioeconomic status

Background: Childhood obesity continues to be a significant public health issue worldwide. Recent national studies in Spain show a stable picture. However, prevalence and trends differ by socio-economic status, age, and region. We present the trend in childhood excess weight prevalence, aged 8–15 years, in Andalusia from 2011-2012 to 2015–2016 by socio-economic status. Results: Overall prevalence of excess weight decreased from 42.0% in 2011–2012 to 35.4% in 2015–2016. Overweight decreased from 28.2 to 24.2% and obesity from 13.8 to 11.2%. In 2011–2012 the prevalence of excess weight in boys was 46.0%and 37.9% in girls; in 2015–2016 the difference became significant with 41% of boys with excess weight compared with 30% in girls. Conclusions: Childhood excess weight prevalence in Andalusia has decreased slightly between 2011-2012 and 2015–2016. Notably, a decrease in obesity prevalence in girls aged 8–15 years was recorded. In 2011–2012 a social gradient for excess weight prevalence across three SES indicators was observed: in 2015–2016 this gradient disappeared. Nonetheless, prevalence remains too high

Effectiveness of an mHealth intervention combining a smartphone app and smart band on body composition in an overweight and obese population: Randomized controlled trial (EVIDENT 3 study)

Background: Mobile health (mHealth) is currently among the supporting elements that may contribute to an improvement in health markers by helping people adopt healthier lifestyles. mHealth interventions have been widely reported to achieve greater weight loss than other approaches, but their effect on body composition remains unclear. Objective: This study aimed to assess the short-term (3 months) effectiveness of a mobile app and a smart band for losing weight and changing body composition in sedentary Spanish adults who are overweight or obese. Methods: A randomized controlled, multicenter clinical trial was conducted involving the participation of 440 subjects from primary care centers, with 231 subjects in the intervention group (IG; counselling with smartphone app and smart band) and 209 in the control group (CG; counselling only). Both groups were counselled about healthy diet and physical activity. For the 3-month intervention period, the IG was trained to use a smartphone app that involved self-monitoring and tailored feedback, as well as a smart band that recorded daily physical activity (Mi Band 2, Xiaomi). Body composition was measured using the InBody 230 bioimpedance device (InBody Co., Ltd), and physical activity was measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Results: The mHealth intervention produced a greater loss of body weight (–1.97 kg, 95% CI –2.39 to –1.54) relative to standard counselling at 3 months (–1.13 kg, 95% CI –1.56 to –0.69). Comparing groups, the IG achieved a weight loss of 0.84 kg more than the CG at 3 months. The IG showed a decrease in body fat mass (BFM; –1.84 kg, 95% CI –2.48 to –1.20), percentage of body fat (PBF; –1.22%, 95% CI –1.82% to 0.62%), and BMI (–0.77 kg/m2, 95% CI –0.96 to 0.57). No significant changes were observed in any of these parameters in men; among women, there was a significant decrease in BMI in the IG compared with the CG. When subjects were grouped according to baseline BMI, the overweight group experienced a change in BFM of –1.18 kg (95% CI –2.30 to –0.06) and BMI of –0.47 kg/m2 (95% CI –0.80 to –0.13), whereas the obese group only experienced a change in BMI of –0.53 kg/m2 (95% CI –0.86 to –0.19). When the data were analyzed according to physical activity, the moderate-vigorous physical activity group showed significant changes in BFM of –1.03 kg (95% CI –1.74 to –0.33), PBF of –0.76% (95% CI –1.32% to –0.20%), and BMI of –0.5 kg/m2 (95% CI –0.83 to –0.19). Conclusions: The results from this multicenter, randomized controlled clinical trial study show that compared with standard counselling alone, adding a self-reported app and a smart band obtained beneficial results in terms of weight loss and a reduction in BFM and PBF in female subjects with a BMI less than 30 kg/m2 and a moderate-vigorous physical activity level. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to ensure that this profile benefits more than others from this intervention and to investigate modifications of this intervention to achieve a global effect

Milk and dairy product consumption and cardiovascular diseases: An overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Milk and dairy products containing milk fat are major food sources of saturated fatty acids, which have been linked to increased risk of cardiovascular-related clinical outcomes such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), coronary heart disease (CHD), and stroke. Therefore, current recommendations by health authorities advise consumption of low-fat or fat-free milk. Today, these recommendations are seriously questioned by meta-analyses of both prospective cohort studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting inconsistent results. The present study includes an overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of follow-up studies, an overview of meta-analyses involving RCTs, and an update on meta-analyses of RCTs (2013–2018) aiming to synthesize the evidence regarding the influence of dairy product consumption on the risk of major cardiovascular-related outcomes and how various doses of different dairy products affect the responses, as well as on selected biomarkers of cardiovascular disease risk, i.e., blood pressure and blood lipids. The search strategies for both designs were conducted in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Web of Science databases from their inception to April 2018. From the 31 full-text articles retrieved for cohort studies, 17 met the eligibility criteria. The pooled risk ratio estimated for the association between the consumption of different dairy products at different dose-responses and cardiovascular outcomes (CVD, CHD, and stroke) showed a statistically significant negative association with RR values <1, or did not find evidence of significant association. The overview of 12 meta-analyses involving RCTs as well as the updated meta-analyses of RCTs did not result in significant changes on risk biomarkers such as systolic and diastolic blood pressure and total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Therefore, the present study states that the consumption of total dairy products, with either regular or low fat content, does not adversely affect the risk of CVD.This study was partially funded by the University of Granada Plan Propio de Investigación 2016, Excellence actions: Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES), Plan Propio de Investigación 2018, Programa Contratos-Puente, the Junta de Andalucía, Consejería de Conocimiento, Investigación y Universidades, and European Regional Development Funds (ref. SOMM17/6107/UGR).Peer reviewe

Importance of canine distemper virus (CDV) infection in free-ranging Iberian lynxes (Lynx pardinus)

Canine distemper virus (CDV) is a morbillivirus that is the etiological agent of one of the most important viral diseases affecting canids and an expanding range of other carnivores. Using real-time RT-PCR, CDV RNA was detected in organs of an Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) found dead in the Doñana National Park, Southwestern Andalusia, Spain. This finding may be of great importance for the conservation of the species; at present the Iberian lynx is the most critically endangered wild felid. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the significance of CDV for the Iberian lynx population. High viral loads were evident in the dead lynx, suggesting an etiological involvement of CDV in its death. When carnivores from the same region were analyzed by CDV RT-PCR, a stone marten (Martes foina) was positive. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrated high identity of the two detected CDVs and a close relationship to the European dog lineage of CDV. Antibodies to CDV were detected in 14.8% of 88 tested free-ranging Iberian lynxes. The sample seroprevalence was significantly higher in lynxes from the Doñana Natural Space (22.9%) than Sierra Morena (5%). The stone marten and a red fox (Vulpes vulpes) also tested seropositive. In conclusion, CDV is present in the Iberian lynx population, especially in the Doñana region, with sporadic cases of disease. To reduce the infectious pressure of CDV on this endangered population, a mass dog vaccination should be considered

Contrasting structural and P-T evolution of tectonic units in the southeastern Betics: Key for understanding the exhumation of the Alboran Domain HP/LT crustal rocks (western Mediterranean)

Thermobarometry using mica-chlorite local equilibria and structural analysis of three tectonic units of the Alpujarride complex in the southeastern Betics indicate that rocks that underwent low-pressure/low-temperature metamorphism are found below higher-grade blueschist facies rocks. Moreover, the high-pressure/low-temperature (HP/LT) units underwent contrasting (P-T) and structural evolutions. The structurally highest unit was exhumed in a typical postorogenic high-temperature geothermal context in the andalusite stability field, while the intermediate unit was exhumed following a cooling and decompression P-T path within the kyanite stability field. The superposition of the three units occurred during the lower Miocene related with north directed brittle-ductile shear zones and associated north vergent overturned folds, after postorogenic exhumation of the top unit. The coexistence of thrusting with lower and middle Miocene brittle extensional systems active in shallower levels of the Alboran orogenic wedge implies that extension was synorogenic. These data strengthen the hypothesis that rocks thinned by postorogenic extension during the latest Oligocene and lower Miocene were entrained in the lower to middle Miocene Alboran orogenic wedge.Peer reviewe

Barriers, facilitators and preferences for the physical activity of school children. Rationale and methods of a mixed study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Physical activity interventions in schools environment seem to have shown some effectiveness in the control of the current obesity epidemic in children. However the complexity of behaviors and the diversity of influences related to this problem suggest that we urgently need new lines of insight about how to support comprehensive population strategies of intervention. The aim of this study was to know the perceptions of the children from Cuenca, about their environmental barriers, facilitators and preferences for physical activity.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>We used a mixed-method design by combining two qualitative methods (analysis of individual drawings and focus groups) together with the quantitative measurement of physical activity through accelerometers, in a theoretical sample of 121 children aged 9 and 11 years of schools in the province of Cuenca, Spain.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Mixed-method study is an appropriate strategy to know the perceptions of children about barriers and facilitators for physical activity, using both qualitative methods for a deeply understanding of their points of view, and quantitative methods for triangulate the discourse of participants with empirical data. We consider that this is an innovative approach that could provide knowledges for the development of more effective interventions to prevent childhood overweight.</p