Nutrition
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Deficits in weight gain and linear growth are seen frequently among children in areas where malnutrition and recurrent infections are common. Although both inflammation and malnutrition can result in growth hormone (GH) resistance, the interrelationships of infection, inflammation, and growth deficits in developing areas remain unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate relationships between low levels of systemic inflammation, growth factors, and anthropometry in a case-control cohort of underweight and normal weight children in northern Brazil. ⋯ Infection and inflammation were linked to evidence of GH resistance, whereas levels of GH, IGF-1, and IGFBP-3 were associated with growth indices independent of hsCRP. These data implicate complex interrelationships between infection, nutritional status, GH axis, and linear growth in children from a developing area.
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Comparative Study
Association between fat mass and bone mineral density among Brazilian women differs by menopausal status: The Pró-Saúde Study.
The aim of this study was to investigate the association between bone mineral density (BMD) and fat mass (FM) in a multiethnic population of Brazilian women and to evaluate the influence of total body mass and lean mass on this association. ⋯ Independently of the adjustment used, the results of the present study suggest the absence of an inverse association between FM and BMD in postmenopausal women. Additionally, when adjusted for lean mass, a direct association between FM and bone mass can be observed, suggesting that for postmenopausal women being slightly obese does not confer excessive risk for bone loss and may even result in a bone density advantage.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of branched-chain amino acid supplementation after radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma: A randomized trial.
Maintenance of liver function is important for better outcomes after radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to examine the effects of oral branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplementation on liver function, intrahepatic recurrence rate, and incidence of complications after RFA for HCC. ⋯ Aminoleban EN may be beneficial for cirrhotic patients after RFA to relieve mental stress and reduce the risks for intrahepatic recurrence and complications.
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Diet may be defined as a complex process that should involve a deeper comprehension of metabolism, energy balance, and the molecular pathways involved in cellular stress response and survival, gut microflora genetics, enzymatic polymorphism within the human population, and the role of plant-derived polyphenols in this context. Metabolic syndrome, encompassing pathologies with a relatively high morbidity, such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease, is a bullet point of the big concern about how daily dietary habits should promote health and prevent metabolic impairments to prevent hospitalization and the need for health care. From a clinical point of view, very few papers deal with this concern, whereas most of the evidence reported focuses on in vitro and animal models, which study the activity of phytochemicals contained in the daily diet. ⋯ How these compounds may act upon the detoxifying system exerting a scavenging role from reactive oxygen or nitrogen species is still a matter of debate; however, it can be argued that their role is even more complex than expected, acting as signaling molecules in the cross-talk mitochondria-endoplasmic reticulum and in enzymatic pathways involved in the energetic balance. In this relationship, a fundamental role is played by the brain-adipose tissue-gut axis. The aim of this review was to elucidate this topic and the state of art about the role of reactive species in cell signaling and the function of metabolism and survival to reappraise the role of plant-derived chemicals.
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Comparative Study
Estimated height from knee height or ulna length and self-reported height are no substitute for actual height in inpatients.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the precision of estimated height from ulna length (UL) using the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) equation and compare it with predicted height from knee height (KH), and self-reported height in estimating actual body height in inpatients. ⋯ Estimated height from UL (MUST equation), self-reported height and estimated height from KH led to errors in predicting actual height of inpatients.