OBJECTIVE: To estimate the reliability of anthropometric measurements in overweight and lean subjects, and to examine the in¯uence of this reliability on correlations to other variables, since low reliability leads to underestimation of correlations. DESIGN: Replicate measurements by two observers in 26 overweight and 25 lean subjects measured at two occasions. MEASUREMENTS: Sagittal abdominal diameter (SAD), waist circumference (waist), waist-to-hip ratio (WaH) and skinfold measurements. RESULTS: Intra-class correlation coef®cients (ICCs) for SAD and waist were higher than for WaH (0.98 vs 0.90, P`0.001, and 0.97 vs 0.90, P 0.001, respectively). For waist, the ICC was lower for overweight than for lean subjects (0.85 vs 0.95, P 0.030), but the ICC values were comparable for SAD and WaH (0.92 vs 0.95 and 0.78 vs 0.83, respectively). Intra-observer variations (IOV) for SAD and waist were lower than for WaH (coef®cients of variation; 1.6%, 1.4% and 2.3%, respectively), as were intra-subject variations (ISV) (2.7%, 3.0% and 3.4%, respectively). ICC values ranged from 0.84 to 0.93 and were lower for overweight than for lean subjects for biceps, subscapular and umbilical skinfolds (P 0.031, P`0.001 and P 0.048, respectively). Coef®cients of variations for skinfold measurements ranged between 7.3% and 16.0% for IOV and between 14.9% and 20.8% for ISV. CONCLUSIONS: The low ICC values imply that correlations can be underestimated in overweight groups. We propose that, because of their higher reliability, SAD and waist have a higher predictive capacity for cardiovascular risk than WaH. SAD is the only measurement with high reliability in both weight groups and its use is recommended.

No abstract

Objective: To compare the effects of a rapeseed oil-based diet containing an increased proportion of easily oxidised polyunsaturated fatty acids such as a-linolenic acid with a diet rich in saturated fatty acids on the degree of lipid peroxidation in the human body. Design: A randomised cross-over study. Subjects and interventions: Nineteen healthy moderately hyperlipidemic subjects (six women and 13 men, age 50 AE 8 y and body mass index (BMI) 24.5 AE 2.6 kg=m 2 ) were given a rapeseed oil-based diet (RO) and a control diet (SAT) rich in saturated fatty acids during two consecutive 4 week periods separated by a 4 week wash-out period. Biomarkers of lipid peroxidation and antioxidants were analysed in plasma and urine. Results: No significant differences in plasma or urinary levels of free 8-iso-prostaglandin F 2a , plasma total 8-isoprostaglandin F 2a plasma hydroperoxides or plasma malondialdehyde were observed between the RO and SAT diets (P ¼ 0.14 -0.95). A higher concentration of serum g-tocopherol was detected after the RO diet compared to the SAT diet (P < 0.001), whereas the serum a-tocopherol concentration and plasma antioxidative capacity did not differ between the two test diets. The total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and LDL=HDL ratio were lower after the RO diet compared to the SAT diet (P < 0.001), while HDL cholesterol and total triglyceride levels were similar after the two diets. Conclusion: These results suggest that a rapeseed oil-based diet rich in a-linolenic acid does not seem to increase the degree of lipid peroxidation in plasma and urine compared to a diet rich in saturated fats. This is possibly due to a sufficient content of antioxidants in the rapeseed oil diet to increase circulating concentrations of antioxidants that may protect unsaturated fatty acids from oxidation.

Thus, both non-enzymatic and enzymatic lipid peroxidation during experimental hepatic oxidative injury were suppressed by dietary vitamin E supplementation in rats.

No abstract

Lipid peroxidation is thought to be an important factor in the pathophysiology of a number of diseases and in the process of aging. We investigated the effects of supplementation with vitamin E on lipid peroxidation in rats. Both free radical-induced nonenzymatic- and cyclooxygenase-catalyzed enzymatic lipid peroxidation were investigated by measuring the levels of F(2)-isoprostanes (8-iso-PGF(2alpha)) and PGF(2alpha)-metabolite (15-K-DH-PGF(2alpha)), respectively, in blood, urine and liver. Samples were collected from control rats (n = 6) and from rats supplemented with vitamin E in the diet for 3 wk (n = 8, 20 g/kg diet of DL-alpha-tocopherol hydrogen succinate). Plasma alpha-tocopherol concentration and antioxidative capacity were greater in the vitamin E-supplemented rats than in the control rats (17.9 +/- 1.7 vs. 50.4 +/- 10.4 micromol/L, P < 0.001 and 181 +/- 6 vs. 275 +/- 27 micromol/L trolox equivalents, P < 0.001). Urine 8-iso-PGF(2alpha) tended to be lower in the vitamin E-supplemented rats (0.72 +/- 0.40 vs. 0.34 +/- 0.19 nmol/mmol creatinine, P = 0.056). Urine 15-K-DH-PGF(2alpha) was lower due to vitamin E supplementation (0.97 +/- 0.38 vs. 0.56 +/- 0. 21 nmol/mmol creatinine, P < 0.05), as was liver-free 8-iso-PGF(2alpha) concentration (0.47 +/- 0.11 vs. 0.18 +/- 0.04 nmol/g, P < 0.001). Supplementation with vitamin E did not affect plasma 8-iso-PGF(2alpha) or 15-K-DH-PGF(2alpha) concentrations, liver total 8-iso-PGF(2alpha) or plasma malondialdehyde levels. Thus, vitamin E supplementation reduced urine basal levels of biomarkers of both nonenzymatic and enzymatic lipid peroxidation. In liver, vitamin E reduced the basal level of free 8-iso-PGF(2alpha) but not total 8-iso-PGF(2alpha).

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between the composition of FA in serum lipids, a marker of dietary fat intake, and vascular reactivity using a combination of cross-sectional and intervention approaches. Fifty-six middle-aged subjects were evaluated in a cross-sectional protocol regarding the relationship between the proportion of FA in serum cholesterol esters and vascular reactivity using measurements of forearm blood flow (FBF) with venous occlusion plethysmography during hyperemia. Another 19 middle-aged subjects were given a rapeseed oil-based diet rich in mono- and polyunsaturated FA or a control diet rich in saturated FA during two consecutive 4-wk periods separated by a 4-wk washout period. In the cross-sectional protocol, the FA 18:0 and 20:3 were positively related to resting FBF, whereas an inverse relationship was seen for the FA 20:5 and 22:6 (P < 0.05-0.01). Opposite relationships were seen between these four FA and the relative increase in maximal FBF during hyperemia (P < 0.05-0.01). In the intervention protocol, the saturated diet increased resting FBF, as well as the relative increase in maximal FBF during reactive hyperemia, compared to the diet rich in unsaturated FA (P < 0.05). Both the cross-sectional and intervention data support the view that the composition of serum FA, which at least partly reflects the quality of dietary fat, plays a role in determinations of vascular reactivity.

Asthma is a major driver of health care costs across ages. Despite widely disseminated asthma-treatment guidelines and a growing variety of effective therapeutic options, most patients still experience symptoms and/or refractoriness to standard of care treatments. As a result, most patients undergo a further intensification of therapy to optimize symptom control with a subsequent increased risk of side effects. Raising awareness about the relevance of evaluating aeroallergen sensitizations in asthmatic patients is a key step in better informing clinical practice while new molecular tools, such as the component resolved diagnosis, may be of help in refining the relationship between sensitization and therapeutic recommendations. In addition, patient care should benefit from reliable, easy-to-measure and clinically accessible biomarkers that are able to predict outcome and disease monitoring. To attain a personalized asthma management and to guide adequate treatment decisions, it is of paramount importance to expand clinicians’ knowledge about the tangled relationship between asthma and allergy from a molecular perspective. Our review explores the relevance of allergen testing along the asthma patient’s journey, with a special focus on recurrent wheezing children. Here, we also discuss the unresolved issues regarding currently available biomarkers and summarize the evidence supporting the eosinophil-derived neurotoxin as promising biomarker.