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Background Recently, a new model has been proposed to assess hydration in patients by measurement of total body electrical resistance (TBER), with results expressed in ohm rather than in liter body water. According to this approach, hydration is considered to be normal if TBER is within the normal range. As TBER is inversely related to the size of the limb muscle compartment, this relationship can be used to calculate the patient-specific TBER normal value (TBER.sub.norm). The present study investigates whether the prediction of TBER.sub.norm can be improved by the use of ultrasound (US) instead of anthropometrically derived parameters of limb muscularity. Methods In total, 129 healthy subjects (60 men and 69 women) ranging in age from 18 to 75 yr, and in BMI from 17.4 to 52.0 kg/m.sup.2 were included in the study. Arm muscle cross-sectional area assessed by anthropometry (AMA.sub.caliper) was compared with mean muscle thickness (MMT) of arm and leg assessed by B-mode US. Results MMT correlated stronger with TBER than AMA, and reduced the standard error of the estimate (SEE) by 15% in men and by 26% in women. Muscularity was overestimated by AMA.sub.caliper due to a systematic error directly proportional to subcutaneous fat layer thickness. The gender independent relation between MMT and TBER.sub.norm is described by the equation: TBER.sub.norm = 705-75.4*MMT (R.sup.2 = 0.85, SEE = 22.3 [OMEGA]/m, P < 0.001). Conclusions US-based measurement of limb muscularity provides a more precise prediction of TBER.sub.norm, in particular in obese subjects, and is recommended as the method of choice., Author(s): E. Boksem [sup.1] , J. M. Schotman [sup.1] , F. B. M. Joosten [sup.2] , M. M. G. J. van Borren [sup.3] , H. de Boer [sup.1] Author Affiliations: [...]

Background Fluid balance management in hospitalized patients is hampered by the limited sensitivity of currently available tools. The aim of this study was to assess the sensitivity of total body electrical resistance (TBER) measurements for the detection of extracellular volume (ECV) expansion. Methods TBER and plasma resistivity ([rho].sub.plasma) were measured during a 4-h infusion of NaCl 0.9% at a rate of 500 mL/h in 23 patients undergoing a diagnostic saline infusion test for primary hyperaldosteronism. Extracellular fluid gain (EFG) was defined as infusion volume minus urinary volume. Results Infusion of 2.0 L NaCl 0.9% was associated with a mean diuresis of 1.1 [plus or minus] 0.5 L, an EFG of 0.9 [plus or minus] 0.5 L, a decrease in [rho].sub.plasma of 1.1 [plus or minus] 0.7 [OMEGA]·cm or 1.7 [plus or minus] 1.0% (P < 0.001), and a decline in TBER of 23.2 [plus or minus] 10.9 [OMEGA] or 4.6 [plus or minus] 2.2% (P < 0.001). At group level, infusion of 80 mL saline was sufficient to induce a statistically significant decline in mean TBER. At personal level, the decline in TBER was significant on 76% of occasions after an EFG of 0.5-0.75 L, and on all occasions after an EFG of 1.0 L or greater. Conclusion Raw TBER data are very informative for the detection of ECV expansion induced by the infusion of NaCl 0.9%, with a sensitivity at a personal level that is relevant for clinical practice., Author(s): J. M. Schotman [sup.1] , M. M. G. J. van Borren [sup.2] , J. F. M. Wetzels [sup.3] , H. J. Kloke [sup.3] , L. J. M. Reichert [sup.1] [...]

Objective: To assess the effect of supplementation with an antioxidant fortified margarine on the body's antioxidant status and on parameters of oxidative damage to lipids., Design: Single blind, placebo controlled trial, two treatment groups balanced for sex, age and Quetelet Index., Setting: Unilever Research Laboratorium, The Netherlands., Subjects: Thirty-one healthy adult volunteers accomplished the study. Volunteers were recruited among inhabitants of the surrounding area of the research laboratory., Interventions: Volunteers consumed during the four weeks either 15 g/d of an antioxidant fortified margarine (providing 121 mg vitamin C, 31 mg vitamin E, 2.7 mg alpha-carotene and 5.3 mg beta-carotene) or an ordinary margarine. Fasting blood samples were taken before and at the end of the study., Results: Consumption of the antioxidant fortified margarine significantly increased the levels of the supplied antioxidants in plasma and LDL as compared to the changes found after consumption of the control margarine, with the largest increases found in LDL levels of alpha-carotene (15.5-fold increase, 95% CI: 8.4-27.8-fold) and beta-carotene (4.3-fold increase, 95% CI: 2.2-7.9-fold). This increased antioxidant status in the antioxidant fortified margarine group resulted in a significantly increased total antioxidant activity of LDL and resistance of LDL to oxidation (lag time and rate of oxidation) as compared to baseline but not in comparison to the changes found in the control group., Conclusion: Consumption of moderate doses of vitamin E, vitamin C, alpha-carotene and beta-carotene, supplied in a full-fat margarine and consumed as part of a normal diet, effectively increases the blood levels of these antioxidants.