rome and Body-Weight

It is a common understanding that fat-free mass (FFM) increases with body weight. However, limited information is available as to the relationship between weight increase and changes in body composition. We performed the present study to determine quantitatively the relationship between body composition, total body weight, age, and sex. Body composition data were obtained by isotopic dilution on 273 subjects ranging in body mass index (BMI) from about 13 to 70 kg/m(2). Adipose free tissue (AFT) was modeled as a nonlinear, increase-limited function of body weight. Model parameters were evaluated as functions of sex, age, and height. The relationship between AFT and body weight was very well approximated by means of the nonlinear model (R(2) =.95), with maximal AFT being determined by both sex and height and with AFT growth rate determined only by sex. AFT clearly shows a nonlinear behavior, tending to increase less and less with progressively increasing body weight. With the proposed model, an asymptotic maximal AFT may be postulated. The organism seems to have an intrinsic limitation to how much skeletal muscle development may take place to accommodate the necessities of an ever-increasing load. These limits are different between the sexes, with women tending to approach more rapidly than men a lower maximal AFT for the same height.

Topics: Adipose Tissue; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aging; Anorexia Nervosa; Body Composition; Body Height; Body Mass Index; Body Weight; Female; Humans; Lipid Metabolism; Lipids; Male; Middle Aged; Models, Biological; Muscle, Skeletal; Obesity; Reference Values; Rome; Sex Factors; White People

The Rome Project of Coronary Heart Disease Prevention is a primary preventive trial carried out among 6,027 working men ages 40-59; 3,131 constituted the treatment group and the remaining 2,896 the control group. The preventive action aimed at reducing mean levels of serum cholesterol (generally through dietary prescription and, in a small number of subjects, by drug treatment), high blood pressure (by drugs), smoking habits (by advice to reduce or stop smoking), overweight (by means of diet), and sedentary lifestyle by increased physical activity). The treatment was carried out during a 6-year period and consisted of individual sessions administered to about one-third of higher-risk subjects, while mass education was administered to all men allocated to treatment. No intervention was offered to the control group. The mean changes in levels of the main coronary risk factors in the treatment vs the control group were computed in different ways. Net changes in the treatment group after 6 years, after adjustment for several confounding variables, were -0.71% for body weight, +0.77% for the cigarette consumption, -3.00% for systolic blood pressure, -5.39% for serum cholesterol, and -18% for the estimated multivariate coronary risk. After 8 years of observation, mortality from all causes was lower by 9.8% (one-tailed P = 0.140) in the treatment than in the control group, whereas mortality from coronary heart disease was lower by 23.7% (one-tailed P = 0.059). The incidence of fatal plus nonfatal coronary heart disease events (hard criteria), which could be measured only for the first 6 years, was reduced by 30.9% (one-tailed P = 0.005) in the treatment as compared with the control group.

Topics: Adult; Blood Pressure; Body Weight; Cholesterol; Coronary Disease; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Life Style; Male; Middle Aged; Patient Dropouts; Primary Prevention; Risk; Rome; Smoking

To simplify body weight measurement and, particularly, to encourage children and their parents to participate in the Italian nutritional surveillance system OKkio alla SALUTE, children were measured with clothes and then the weight was corrected for the estimated weight of the clothes. In the present study we compared the children's weight measured in underwear, as recommended by the WHO (WWHO), with that obtained using the OKkio alla SALUTE protocol (WOK) and investigated how the latter affects the calculation of BMI and the assessment of overweight and obesity prevalence.. Weight (twice in close sequence, with and without clothing) and height were measured. A checklist was used to describe the type of clothing worn. The estimated weight of clothing was subtracted from the WOK. BMI was calculated considering both values of weight and height; ponderal status was defined using both the International Obesity Task Force and WHO BMI cut-offs.. Thirty-seven third grade classes of thirteen primary schools in Rome and in two towns in the Lazio Region were recruited.. The anthropometric measurements were taken on 524 children aged 8-9 years.. The error in the calculation of BMI from WOK was very low, 0·005 kg/m2 (95 % CI -0·185, 0·195 kg/m2); the agreement between the percentages of overweight (not including obesity) and obese children calculated with the two methods was very close to 1 (κ = 0·98).. The error in BMI and in nutritional classification can be considered minor in a surveillance system for monitoring overweight/obesity, but eases the procedure for measuring children.

Topics: Body Mass Index; Body Weight; Child; Clothing; Female; Humans; Male; Obesity; Overweight; Population Surveillance; Reference Values; Rome; Schools

Topics: Body Weight; Brain Injuries; Football; History, 19th Century; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; History, Ancient; Humans; Neurosurgery; Rome; United States; Universities

Identification of variables influencing surgical outcome in patients treated for pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect and major aortopulmonary collateral arteries.. A total of 90 consecutive patients (median age, 12 months; range, 20 days to 35 years), who had primarily undergone either 1-stage unifocalization (n = 69) or palliation to promote native pulmonary arterial development (n = 21), were studied. Chromosome 22q11 deletion had occurred in 37% of the cases. Ventricular septal defect closure was accomplished in 70 patients (78%), with a mean postoperative right/left ventricular pressure ratio of 0.48 ± 0.14.. The rate of 14-year survival, freedom from conduit reintervention, and freedom from percutaneous intervention on the pulmonary arteries was 75%, 46%, and 52%, respectively. At a median interval of 95 months (range, 1.5-164 months), the right/left ventricular pressure ratio did not differ significantly from early postoperatively. Univariate analysis showed that an absence of confluent intrapericardial pulmonary arteries favorably affected the postoperative right/left ventricular pressure ratio after ventricular septal defect closure (P = .04). Kaplan-Meier estimates showed age of 30 days or younger (P = .0004) and weight of 3 kg or less (P = .0004) at unifocalization and chromosome 22q11 deletion (P = .001) significantly affected survival. Chromosome 22q11 deletion was significantly associated with mortality, even in the Cox regression model (hazard ratio, 8.26; P = .003). Finally, ventricular septal defect closure during single-stage and single/multiple-stage procedures significantly correlated with both early (P = .0013 and P < .00001, respectively) and overall (P = .013 and P = .0007, respectively) survival.. The results of surgery were satisfactory and durable, despite the need for repeated percutaneous or surgical reinterventions. The outcomes were negatively affected by neonatal age and low body weight and positively affected by simultaneous or staged ventricular septal defect closure. Finally, chromosome 22q11 deletion remained an independent variable affecting survival.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Aorta; Body Weight; Cardiac Surgical Procedures; Child; Child, Preschool; Chromosome Deletion; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 22; Collateral Circulation; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Kaplan-Meier Estimate; Palliative Care; Proportional Hazards Models; Pulmonary Atresia; Pulmonary Circulation; Regional Blood Flow; Reoperation; Retrospective Studies; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; Rome; Tetralogy of Fallot; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome; Ventricular Function, Left; Ventricular Pressure; Young Adult

The last few years have seen an increased necessity to assess the cardiovascular risk factors on large samples of the population in Italy. A look at the citizens of a small rural town Brisighella is well known.. Three hundred and five individuals of average age 40.8 years (+/-8.22), recruited between September 1988 and December 1989 (198 men, 107 women) were taken into consideration. Clinical and instrumental investigations were then performed (intern visits with data obtained from primary anthropometric, otorhinolaryngological and ocular variables, heart X-ray, electrocardiogram). The following analyses were also performed: haemochrome, ESR, uricemia, azotemia, glycemia, AST, ALT, bilirubinemia, protein electrophoresis, triglyceridemia, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, creatinine level and urine analysis. Women also received PAP-test. Another variable was lifestyle habits which may be considered a risk for cardiovascular disease. Hygienic and diet suggestions were made. After seven years, in 1997, 100 of these individuals (51 men, 49 women - mean age 42.7+/-6.5 years) were chosen at random and administered the same clinical and laboratory examinations as before.. The analysis of the data show average BMI values 24.07+/-2.7 in men and 22.8+/-2.6 in women, inferior to those found in other Italian investigations. We observed an increase of BMI along with age, despite measures of preventive medicine, in married subjects and along with education and occupation level. Mean values of cholesterol level in men increased between the ages 30 and 39 and stabilised after 40 years; in women they increased only after the 5th decade of life.. We observed a direct correlation between the increase of uricemia and triglyceride levels, triglyceride and cholesterol levels, BMI and triglyceride levels conferming the tight bond among these metabolisms and the importance of obesity as a risk factor. Uricemia levels correlate with systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Topics: Adult; Blood Glucose; Body Mass Index; Body Weight; Cardiovascular Diseases; Cholesterol; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Prospective Studies; Risk Factors; Rome; Triglycerides; Uric Acid

The purpose of this study is to assess the body fat content of 871 Roman children, aged 7-14 years, by a simple method based on measurement of body density from skinfold thickness. Weight, height, triceps, biceps, subscapular and suprailiac skinfold were measured for every child and calculated body mass index and percentage of body fat. Girls tended to have more fat than boys and an increase of values with age; boys presented an increase of fat until 11 years, than a decrease more considerable at 14 years. Body fat percentage has a higher correlation with age than BMI and therefore is added to other body mass indices, based on weight and height, for a careful assessment of body composition.

Topics: Adolescent; Body Height; Body Mass Index; Body Weight; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Humans; Male; Nutritional Status; Obesity; Rome; Skinfold Thickness; Urban Population

A cross-sectional study on 64 institutionalized and 65 noninstitutionalized elderly women has been undertaken. The age range was 60 through 90 years. Vitamin C status was assessed by serum ascorbic acid measurement and the nutritional status was evaluated by a three-day dietary record and main anthropometric measurements. Mean concentration of ascorbic acid was 1.03 mg/dl in the noninstitutionalized and 0.67 mg/dl in the institutionalized group (p less than 0.001). A serum ascorbic acid level less than 0.2 mg/dl was found in one (1.5%) and seven (10.9%) subjects respectively (p less than 0.03). Mean intake of vitamin C was 104.1 mg/d in the former and 87.3 mg/d in the latter group (p = NS), being less than 45 mg/d in 16 living at home and 11 institutionalized women. Serum ascorbic acid level did not correlate significantly to dietary nutrient intake but correlated to activity of daily living level (r = 0.29), vitamin C intake (r = 0.23), ideal body weight (r = -0.15), relative body weight (r = 0.15) and body mass index (r = 0.14). Suggestions are made concerning a higher intake of vitamin C and a more careful catering to improve the health status of the elderly people living in large institutions. The authors also suggest to include the serum ascorbic level determination in the assessment of the general health status of the elderly.

Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anthropometry; Ascorbic Acid; Ascorbic Acid Deficiency; Body Weight; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depression; Eating; Energy Metabolism; Female; Humans; Institutionalization; Middle Aged; Nutritional Status; Risk Factors; Rome; Surveys and Questionnaires

Within four middle-aged population groups enrolled in the Rome Project of Coronary Heart Disease Prevention, a theoretic estimation of coronary heart disease (CHD) incidence in 5 years has been made on the basis of some risk factors (age, systolic blood pressure, serum cholesterol, smoking habit, physical activity at work, body mass index), employing four different solutions of the multiple longistic function (MLF) derived from previous population studies and a simple risk score adopted by the WHO European Collaborative Group to which this study belongs. The use of different MLF solutions provides rather different levels of estimated incidence, but the ranking and the relative risk between population groups are substancially constant and little dependent on the different solutions. Moreover, an acceptable similarity has been found in terms of estimated risk between the pool of the treatment and that of the control population groups (ratio between 0.97 and 1.09). A reasonable hypothesis indicates that in the absence of preventive action the annual incidence of severe CHD (hard criteria) should be around 6 per 1,000. The estimation of the relative risk within single population groups allows to identify strata of people with different risk, which suggests, again in the absence of any preventive action, a concentration of 25-30% of all new cases of disease in a 10% of the population and about 40-45% in a 20% of the same.

Topics: Adult; Age Factors; Body Weight; Coronary Disease; Humans; Hypercholesterolemia; Hyperlipidemias; Hypertension; Middle Aged; Occupations; Risk; Rome; Smoking

Topics: Adult; Age Factors; Antihypertensive Agents; Body Weight; Cholesterol; Coronary Disease; Humans; Hypertension; Male; Mass Screening; Middle Aged; Occupations; Physical Exertion; Rome; Smoking; Stress, Physiological

Topics: Age Determination by Skeleton; Age Factors; Body Composition; Body Height; Body Weight; Boston; Child; Child Development; Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Dentition; Ecology; Ethnicity; Family Characteristics; Female; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Intelligence Tests; Male; Occupations; Physical Examination; Psychological Tests; Religion; Rome; Socioeconomic Factors; Tunisia; United States; Urban Population

Topics: Birth Weight; Body Weight; Body Weights and Measures; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Italy; Rome