Is phase angle associated with visceral adiposity and cardiometabolic risk in cardiology outpatients?

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Phase angle (PhA) serves as a prognostic marker in various clinical scenarios, reflecting oxidative stress and cellular damage. Despite its clinical relevance, its connection with adiposity and cardiovascular risk markers remains underexplored. Hence, our study sought to investigate the relationship between PhA and metabolic, adiposity, and cardiovascular risk parameters among outpatients with cardiology diagnosis. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Adults aged between 26 and 59 years, under the care of a cardiology unit, were included. Ultrasound imaging was used to assess visceral adipose tissue (VAT). Single-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) [50 kHz] was employed to calculate PhA, from BIA's resistance and reactance measurements. Muscle strength, body mass index, waist circumference, and waist-to-height ratio were also evaluated. Framingham's risk score was calculated to estimate the cardiovascular risk events. Metabolic blood samples' results were obtained from medical records. RESULTS: One hundred and five participants were included in our study. Low PhA was observed in 29.5% of our sample. Higher PhA values were independently and inversely associated with both higher VAT and cardiovascular risk (adjusted OR: 0.79 [95% CI 0.69;0.91], OR: 0.74 [95% CI 0.60;0.89], respectively). Lower PhA values (≤5.59) were goodly associated with high VAT (AUC: 0.82 p < 0.001). Lower PhA values (≤5.06) were fairly associated with higher cardiovascular risk (AUC: 0.70 p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: Our study provides evidence that PhA is independently and inversely associated with elevated VAT and cardiovascular risk. These findings underscore the potential of PhA as a valuable complementary marker in assessing cardiometabolic health.

Associação entre o consumo alimentar e o estado nutricional de pacientes com alterações hepáticas / Association between food consumption and the nutritional status of patients with hepatic disorders

Introduction: Chronic liver diseases induce changes in the intermediary metabolism of macronutrients and micronutrients, related to the degree of liver impairment, influencing the nutritional status of patients. Thus, the reduction in dietary intake is one of the main etiological components of malnutrition, being a clinical-social pathology. These factors have impactful consequences on the evolution of the patient’s clinical status, worsening the prognosis, with an increase in the length of hospital stay and the incidence of complications.Objective: To evaluate the dietary intake and nutritionalstatus of patients with liver disease.Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional studycarried out with patients with chronic liver disease, treated at the hepatology outpatient clinic of Instituto de MedicinaProfessor Fernando Figueira (IMIP) between December 2020and May 2021. The sample was selected for convenience. and with patients older than 18 years. Data were obtainedthrough interviews covering information about the socioeconomic and demographic profile, food consumption, lifestyle and medical history. The assessment of habitual food consumption was performed using the semiquantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire validated.Results: Fifty-six patients were evaluated, in which 44.6%were overweight when evaluating the body mass index (BMI), and eutrophy according to the corrected arm muscle area (AMBC), arm circumference (AC), arm muscle circumference (AMC) and calf circumference (CP). A correlation was observed between higher consumption of oilseeds (p=0.009), cereals, tubers and roots (p=0.008), sweets and sweets (p=0.005), with AMBc adequacy, in addition to higher consumption of sweets and sweets, associated with adequacy according to the parameters of AC (p=0.043) and CP (p=0.040). Thus, a positive correlation was observed only between these parameters...(AU)

Introdução: As doenças hepáticas crônicas induzem altera-ções no metabolismo intermediário dos macronutrientes e mi-cronutrientes, relacionados ao grau de comprometimento do fí-gado, influenciando negativamente no estado nutricional dospacientes. Assim, a redução da ingestão dietética é um dos prin-cipais componentes etiológicos da desnutrição, sendo uma pa-tologia de caráter clínico-social. Esses fatores provocam conse-quências impactantes no estado clínico e evolução do paciente,piorando o prognóstico, com aumento no tempo de internaçãohospitalar e na incidência de infecções e complicações. Objetivo: Avaliar o consumo alimentar e o estado nutricional de pacientes com doenças hepáticas. Materiais e Métodos: Tratase de um estudo transversalrealizado com os pacientes com doença hepática crônica,atendidos no ambulatório de hepatologia do Instituto de Medicina Professor Fernando Figueira (IMIP) entre dezembrode 2020 a maio de 2021. A amostra foi selecionada por con-veniência e com pacientes maiores de 18 anos. Os dados foram obtidos por meio de entrevista abrangendo informaçõessobre o perfil socioeconômico, demográfico, o consumo ali-mentar, estilo de vida e história clínica. A avaliação do con-sumo alimentar habitual foi realizada pelo Questionário deFrequência Alimentar Semiquantitativo validado. Resultados: Foram avaliados 56 pacientes, em que 44,6%apresentaram excesso de peso ao avaliar o índice de massacorporal e eutrofia de acordo com a área muscular do braçocorrigido, circunferência de braço, circunferência muscular dobraço e circunferência da panturrilha. Foi observada uma correlação entre o maior consumo de oleaginosas, cereais, tu-bérculos e raízes, doces e guloseimas, além do maior consumo de doces e guloseimas. Assim, sendo observada umacorrelação positiva apenas entre esses parâmetros...(AU)

Lactation in large litters influences anxiety, memory, and spreading depression in adult male rats that were chronically subjected to a non-convulsive pilocarpine dose.

Objectives: Unfavorable lactation influences brain excitability and behavioral reactions in adults. Administration early in life of the cholinergic agonist, pilocarpine, even at non-convulsive doses, alters the brain excitability-related phenomenon known as cortical spreading depression (CSD), and produce anxiogenic-like behavior. However, the influence of unfavorable lactation on the CSD- and memory-effects of pilocarpine administration late in life has not been investigated. Herein, we analyzed the ponderal, electrophysiological (CSD), and behavioral effects of chronic treatment with a non-convulsive dose of pilocarpine, in adult rats suckled under favorable and unfavorable conditions.Methods: Wistar rats were suckled in litters with 9 or 15 pups (groups L9 and L15, respectively). A very low dose of pilocarpine (45/mg/kg/day) was chronically administered in mature rats from postnatal day (PND) 69-90. Behavioral tests occurred at PND91 [elevated plus maze (EPM)], PND93 [open field (OF)], and PND94-95 [object recognition memory (ORM)]. CSD was recorded between PND96-120.Results: Pilocarpine-treated rats performed worse in the anxiety and memory tests, and displayed lower CSD propagation velocity when compared with saline-treated controls. In addition, L15 rats showed an increase in the distance traveled and a decrease in the immobility time in the EPM, impaired ORM, and accelerated CSD propagation when compared with L9 rats (p ≤ 0.05).Discussion: These data suggest that sub-convulsive pilocarpine treatment in adult rats can affect behavioral and excitability-related reactions. In addition, unfavorable lactation increases the ambulatory effects of pilocarpine. Further studies should investigate the possible cholinergic molecular mechanisms involved in these effects.