Blood lipids and body fat in Bahraini women.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine some biomedical parameters of a representative sample from the population of overweight and obese, and average weight Bahraini women visiting 2 health centers in Bahrain. METHODS: This study was conducted over a period of 4 months in 2 health centers in the urban city of Muharraq in Bahrain, namely Muharraq Health Center and Shaikh Salman Health Center. The association was examined between body mass index, and the distribution of body fat determined by the waist hip ratio. Serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, as well as glucose levels were measured. RESULTS: The 2 groups of pre-menopausal women selected for this study were of similar age (mean of 30.4 and 30.7 years) but differed significantly in their body mass index values; however, their mean waist hip ratio was similar (0.80 and 0.82). The type of obesity shown by these Bahraini women was not associated with an elevation of serum glucose concentrations, or with significant differences in either serum cholesterol or triglyceride concentrations. There was however, a statistically significant difference between the 2 groups with respect to the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, which was lower in the obese group, compared with the lean counterparts. Furthermore, the ratio of high-density lipoprotein to low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was significantly lower in the obese subjects, compared with the controls. CONCLUSION: Obesity in a group of Bahraini women was associated with indices predisposing to coronary heart disease, and this has public health implications.

Obesity in Bahraini adults.

In this study the prevalence of obesity and the demographic factors associated with it were analysed on 290 adult Bahraini individuals, of whom 137 were males and 153 were females. The overweight and obesity prevalence rates, using the Body Mass Index (BMI) as a criterion, were 26% and 16% in males and 29% and 31% in females, respectively. The prevalence of underweight (BMI < 20) was 16.8% and 11.8% in the males and females respectively. The mean body fat percentage of females, calculated from the skinfold measurements, was 35%; the fat percentage of males was 18.6%. Bahraini women had greater fat deposition in the subscapular region than the amount reported for American women. Females and males living in urban areas had a greater tendency to be obese than those residing in rural areas. Marriage, ownership of a car as well as a large family ( > 7 members) were positively associated with obesity; unmarried women were more likely to be underweight than married women. The educational level was not associated with obesity in either the males or females. The age of adult females was not found to be associated with obesity, whereas in males the incidence of obesity was more frequent among those who were 50 years of age and above than under 50 years of age. Family monthly income was not associated with the incidence of obesity. The high prevalence of overweight and obesity in the women reported in this study and the difference in the distribution of body fat suggest that genetics may be a determinant factor of this disorder in Bahrainis but certainly social factors are also important.

Occupational exposure to carbon monoxide during charcoal meat grilling.

Charcoal meat grill workers are one of the many occupational groups that are subject to carbon monoxide exposure. This group have often been overlooked and not investigated. Carboxyhemoglobin (%COHb) levels in 100 male workers were assessed before work and after work the same day. Carboxyhemoglobin levels increased significantly after work in both smoking and nonsmoking workers. The mean COHb levels for smoking workers before work was 3.8% and for nonsmokers was 2.4%, whereas after work, the mean COHb level for smokers increased to 8.1% and for nonsmokers to 6.2%. These elevated mean COHb levels exceed the 5% COHb level recommended by WHO and NIOSH. With respect to smokers only, 36 (81.8%) workers after work exceed 5%, whereas the nonsmokers, 29 (51.8%) of the workers exceed 5%. These results indicate that charcoal meat grilling workers are exposed to significant levels of carbon monoxide. Several control measures have been suggested to mitigate exposure to carbon monoxide.

Study of thiol proteases of normal human skin fibroblasts.

The protease activity of cultured normal human skin fibroblasts was studied using the synthetic fluorigenic peptides, the modified protein 4-methylumbelliferyl-casein, the thiol inhibitors and the affinity for concanavalin A-Sepharose. The majority of the activity to N-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-phenylalanyl-L-arginyl-7-amido-4-methyl-coumarin and N-a-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-arginyl-arginyl-7-amido-4-methylcoumarin had a pH optimum of 6.0, and was thiol-dependent and inhibited by leupeptin and antipain. The activity toward N-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-phenylalanyl-L-arginyl-7-amido-4-methylcoumarin represents both cathepsin B and cathepsin L, whereas the activity towards 4-methylumbelliferyl-casein represent only cathepsin L. Cathepsin H could not be detected when assayed with L-arginine-7-amido-4-methylcoumarin substrate. Cathepsin D was present in comparatively small amounts when assayed with 4-methylumbelliferyl-casein. Activity towards 4-methylumbelliferyl-casein had pH optima at 3 and 6 and was stimulated by dithiothreitol. A proportion of the activity at pH 6.0 was not dependent on thiols and not inhibited by leupeptin, and had the general characteristics of a carboxyl proteinase. Over 70 per cent of the activity was in the lysosomal fraction and showed structure-linked latency. All the detectable protein emerged from the immobilized concanavalin A column and the fractions eluted by alpha-methyl-D-mannoside were significantly hydrolysed the synthetic peptides. Only that fraction which bound to concanavalin A was active towards 4-methylumbelliferyl-casein. Cathepsin B had no affinity for concanavalin A-Sepharose due to the absence of glycoprotein content, unlike cathepsin L which showed a strong affinity for concanavalin A-Sepharose.

Novel method of skin substitution in plastic surgery.

A skin substitute has been developed by growing a large number of epidermal cells from a skin biopsy (1 cm2) taken from burn patients. In tissue culture the cells divide and grow quickly to form a monolayer sheet. These sheets were then trypsinized into free cells, which were applied onto the wounds of two patients suffering from full skin thickness burns. The cultured epithelial grafts continued to thicken and expand successfully until they became confluent with the surrounding epidermis. All the wounds healed successfully. Clinically and histologically these cultured epithelial autografts were proven to be of the same quality as split thickness skin grafts.

Aminomethyl coumarin acetic acid and fluorescein isothiocyanate in detection of leishmanial antibodies: a comparative study.

Fluorescein isothiocyanate incorporated in the immunofluorescent antibody test system used for serodiagnosis of leishmanial and other infections suffers certain inherent disadvantages. Aminomethyl coumarin acetic acid, a new fluorescent label for protein, yields better results regarding non-specific background staining and stability, with slower photodecomposition under ultra-violet light when used for detection of leishmanial antibodies. The new labelling agent emits a yellow/green colour with an excitation filter of 450-490 nm and a barrier filter of 520 nm.

Aminomethyl coumarin acetic acid: a new fluorescent labelling agent for proteins.

A new fluorescent protein labelling agent, 7-amino-4-methyl coumarin-3-acetic acid (AMCA), emits in the blue region (440-460 nm) on activation with UV light (350 nm). The active reagent is the N-hydroxysuccinimide ester which reacts with lysine residues under mild conditions to form photostable amide links. The Stokes shift of 100 nm compared to 30 nm for Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) allows easy filter discrimination of exciting and emitting radiation. The agent has been demonstrated in use for fluorohistochemical examination of human kidney glomeruli, using the sandwich technique and compared with the same procedure using FITC-labelled antibodies. The good quantum yield coupled with convenient emission lines in the mercury spectrum allows photographic exposure time of fluorescent labelled sections to be reduced to a quarter of that required for a corresponding FITC conjugate. AMCA-immunoglobulin conjugates were not susceptible to photobleaching and have a storage life at -20 degrees C of more than two years.

Fluorigenic method for the assay of proteinase activity with the use of 4-methylumbelliferyl-casein.

A method for the preparation of casein labelled with the 4-methylumbelliferyl fluorophore is described, and the product was used as a fluorigenic macromolecular substrate for a sensitive assay of the activity of proteinases. Nanogram quantities of trypsin, chymotrypsin, elastase and cathepsin D can be detected, but the substrate is unaffected by cathepsin B.