Body composition obtained from the body mass index

BACKGROUND: Since obesity and related diseases are now considered epidemic, new and more accurate formulas for epidemiological studies are of interest to the scientific community. Several equations have been proposed to estimate the body composition simply from anthropometric measurements. However, with time, the body composition of the populations studied changes in relation to their food habits and lifestyle, and, therefore, the equations must be regularly updated and corrected. AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of the study was to develop new equations to determine the body composition among the Italian population using the body mass index and independently by variables such as age and body structure. METHODS: Bioelectrical impedance and anthropometric analysis of 764 Italian Caucasian subjects (342 females and 422 males), 11 to 80 years of age, were analysed. Females and males were analysed separately. Multiple regression analyses were performed in order to estimate the body composition of the subjects. The estimated masses were then compared with the measured masses using Bland and Altman plots. We also calculated the differences between the estimated and measured masses, reported as % of the body weight, for the 95, 85 and 75 degrees percentile of the female and male groups. Finally we compared our formulas with the Watson equations, which are used to estimate the total body water. RESULTS: All body masses estimated were positively correlated to the measured values. Moreover, at any percentile analysed, our formulas resulted more precise than the Watson formula. Equations: Females: FM = 1.9337 BMI - 26.422; FFM = BW - FM; BCM = 0.3655 FFM + 4.865; TBW = 0.5863 FFM + 7.1732; Males: FM = 1.407 BMI - 21.389; FFM = BW - FM; BCM = 0.4485 FFM + 3.3534; TBW = 0.6997 + 1.4567. CONCLUSIONS: Although an inevitable inaccuracy must be expected in epidemiological studies, our equations are adequate to analyze the body composition state and changes occurring among the Italian population by simply considering weight and height

Diaphragmatic Breathing Reduces Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress

Diaphragmatic breathing is relaxing and therapeutic, reduces stress, and is a fundamental procedure of Pranayama Yoga, Zen, transcendental meditation and other meditation practices. Analysis of oxidative stress levels in people who meditate indicated that meditation correlates with lower oxidative stress levels, lower cortisol levels and higher melatonin levels. It is known that cortisol inhibits enzymes responsible for the antioxidant activity of cells and that melatonin is a strong antioxidant; therefore, in this study, we investigated the effects of diaphragmatic breathing on exercise-induced oxidative stress and the putative role of cortisol and melatonin hormones in this stress pathway. We monitored 16 athletes during an exhaustive training session. After the exercise, athletes were divided in two equivalent groups of eight subjects. Subjects of the studied group spent 1 h relaxing performing diaphragmatic breathing and concentrating on their breath in a quiet place. The other eight subjects, representing the control group, spent the same time sitting in an equivalent quite place. Results demonstrate that relaxation induced by diaphragmatic breathing increases the antioxidant defense status in athletes after exhaustive exercise. These effects correlate with the concomitant decrease in cortisol and the increase in melatonin. The consequence is a lower level of oxidative stress, which suggests that an appropriate diaphragmatic breathing could protect athletes from long-term adverse effects of free radicals

Effects of Losartan and Irbesartan administration on brain angiotensinogen mRNA levels

Losartan, 2-n-butyl-4-chloro-5-hydroxymethyl-1-[(2'(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)-biphenil-4-yl)methyl] imidazole, and Irbesartan, 2-n-butyl-3-[(2'-(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)-biphenyl-4-yl)methyl]-1,3-diaza-spiro[4,4]non -1-en-4-one, are two angiotensin AT1 receptor antagonists largely used in human health care as antihypertensive agents. Their ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and to influence the central renin-angiotensin system are widely investigated, but how this brain system responds to the subchronic and chronic block of the angiotensin AT1 receptor is still unknown. Normotensive rats were intragastrically implanted for 7- and 30-day administration, with a dose of 3 and 30 mg/kg body weight. Treatments were shown to influence, in a dose-, time- and brain-area-dependent manner, angiotensinogen mRNA levels in scanned areas. This study showed a general up-regulation of angiotensinogen mRNA expression after 7 days and a widespread down-regulation or basal level of expression after a 30-day administration of two angiotensin AT1 receptor antagonists

Assessment of body fluid balance and voluntary drinking in ultimate players during a match.

AIM: Ultimate is a sport played by hundreds of thousands of people in more than 42 countries; however, it is still mainly known as a recreational more than a team sport, and further studies are needed to define its physical load. Particularly, since no studies relating Ultimate to hydration have been performed, we aimed to determine body fluid balance, voluntary water intake and the most reliable method for assessing the hydration status of players after a typical 80-minute Ultimate match. METHODS: bioimpedance, urine specific gravity and body mass changes to asses the hydration level of the players were measured. RESULTS: It was observed that not all of the methods are adequate to determine dehydration in Ultimate players, and that measurement of body mass changes represents a reliable and accurate technique. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that ultimate as an intense sport that can induce significant fluid loss, which is not always replaced by individual drinking

Effetti della somministrazione di steroidi surrenali sull'espressione genica della preprotachinina A nel tessuto cerebrale di ratto

Tesi di dottorato in modellistca biomodeca. A.a. 1990-94. Coordinatore Mario PolitoConsiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Biblioteca Centrale - P.le Aldo Moro, 7, Rome; Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale - Piazza Cavalleggeri, 1, Florence / CNR - Consiglio Nazionale delle RichercheSIGLEITItal

The Legal Highs of Novel Drugs of Abuse

Abstract The abuse of drugs is a widespread and growing issue, both in United States and Europe, as a number of synthetic drugs have raised popularity over the past years for recreational use. Moreover, the nature of addiction is often debated as either a lifestyle choice that may underline a physiological vulnerability, or a chronic brain disease with remarkable epigenetic, neurodevelopmental and sociocultural components. Consciousness and treatment of new drugs of abuse give challenges for health care practitioners primarily due to a lack of quantitative reports. As law enforcements struggle to ban these often referred as “legal highs”, new compounds are produced. Also, a major problem in tracking these drugs is that they are easily available through head shops, the web and other sources, therefore giving rise to a high risk of suspected intoxication. The aim of this article is to highlight the pharmaco-toxicological features of some common drugs of abuse such as central nervous system stimulants as synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic cathinones, gabapentin, acetyl fentanyl, phenethylamine called NBOMe, hallucinogenic mushrooms, piperazines, tryptamines, salvia, methoxetamine, kratom and performance-enhancing drugs. The tremendous heterogeneity of these drugs results in variable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic effects, thus suspected intoxication is a priority diagnosis in order to ensure safety of patients and needs to be handled with the guide of the patient’s symptoms through specific and detailed urine and blood analysis. Keywords: Drugs of abuse; Cannabinoids; Cathinones; Salvia; Kratom; Gabapenti

Original Article Diaphragmatic Breathing Reduces Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress

Copyright © 2011 Daniele Martarelli et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Diaphragmatic breathing is relaxing and therapeutic, reduces stress, and is a fundamental procedure of Pranayama Yoga, Zen, transcendental meditation and other meditation practices. Analysis of oxidative stress levels in people who meditate indicated that meditation correlates with lower oxidative stress levels, lower cortisol levels and higher melatonin levels. It is known that cortisol inhibits enzymes responsible for the antioxidant activity of cells and that melatonin is a strong antioxidant; therefore, in this study, we investigated the effects of diaphragmatic breathing on exercise-induced oxidative stress and the putative role of cortisol and melatonin hormones in this stress pathway. We monitored 16 athletes during an exhaustive training session. After the exercise, athletes were divided in two equivalent groups of eight subjects. Subjects of the studied group spent 1 h relaxing performing diaphragmatic breathing and concentrating on their breath in a quiet place. The other eight subjects, representing the control group, spent the same time sitting in an equivalent quite place. Results demonstrate that relaxation induced by diaphragmatic breathing increases the antioxidant defense status in athletes after exhaustive exercise. These effects correlate with the concomitant decrease in cortisol and the increase in melatonin. The consequence is a lower level of oxidative stress, which suggests that an appropriate diaphragmatic breathing could protect athletes from long-term adverse effects of free radicals. 1