Ulf Hannestad

Comparison of commonly used procedures, including the doubly-labelled water technique, in the estimation of total energy expenditure of women with special reference to the significance of body fatness

According to the report of the World Health Organization (1985), total energy expenditure (TEE) in human subjects can be calculated as BMR x physical activity level (PAL). However, other reports have pointed out limitations in the suggested procedure related to the % body fat of the subjects. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the World Health Organization (1985) procedure in thirty-four healthy women with BMI 18-39 kg/m2. BMR and TEE were measured using indirect calorimetry (BMRmeas) and the doubly-labelled water method (TEEref) respectively. When assessed using the doubly-labelled water and skinfold-thickness methods, the women had 34 (SD 8) and 33 (SD 6) % body fat respectively. On the basis of guidelines provided by the World Health Organization (1985), 1.64 was selected to represent the average PAL of the women. Furthermore, PAL was also assessed by means of an accelerometer (PALacc), heart-rate recordings (PAL(HR)) and a questionnaire (PALq). These estimates were: PALacc 1.71 (SD 0.17), PAL(HR) 1.76 (SD 0.24), PALq 1.86 (SD 0.27). These values were lower than TEEref/BMRref, which was 1.98 (SD 0.21). BMR assessed using equations recommended by the World Health Organization (1985) (BMRpredicted) overestimated BMR by 594 (SD 431) kJ/24 h. However, when TEE was calculated as BMRpredicted x PALacc, BMRpredicted x PAL(HR) and BMRpredicted x PALq respectively, average results were in agreement with TEEref. Furthermore, TEE values based on BMRpredicted and PALacc, PAL(HR), PALq as well as on PAL = 1.64, minus TEEref, were significantly correlated with body fatness. When the same PAL value (1.64) was used for all subjects, this correlation was particularly strong. Thus, the World Health Organization (1985) procedure may give TEE results that are biased with respect to the body fatness of subjects.

A sensitive gas chromatographic method for determination of protein-associated sulfur☆

A sensitive method for the determination of elemental sulfur bound to serum albumin and other proteins has been devised. The sample is treated with a hexane solution of triphenylphosphine, and the triphenylphosphine sulfide formed is determined by gas chromatography with a flame photometric sulfur detector. The detection limit of the method is 0.3 microM albumin-associated sulfur. Protein-associated sulfur was not detected in plasma from rats or normal human beings, findings that do not support an earlier suggested transport function of serum albumin for sulfur. Significant amounts of protein-associated sulfur, however, were found in certain rat tissues.

Asymptomatic Helicobacter pylori gastritis is associated with increased sucrose permeability

Our aim was to investigate whether there arechanges in permeability to sucrose in asymptomaticHelicobacter pylori gastritis. Nineteen asymptomaticsubjects with Helicobacter pylori associated gastritis with no or mild mucosal atrophy and 19 age- andsex-matched normal controls were studied by peroral loadof sucrose (100 g). The fraction of the given oral doseof sucrose excreted in urine was increased in subjects with Helicobacter pylori gastritis(median 0.08% versus 0.04% in controls). Sucroseexcretion was not related to atrophy, intestinalmetaplasia, or inflammation in the gastric mucosa.However, sucrose permeability was related to the degreeof inflammatory (neutrophil) activity, since moderateactivity was associated with higher sucrose excretionthan mild activity (median 0.13% vs 0.07% ).Asymptomatic Helicobacter pylori gastritis was associatedwith an increased sucrose permeability, which could bea sign of gastric mucosal leakage. This could haveimplications for the diseases and complicationsassociated with Helicobacter pylori infection.

3-Mercaptolactate cysteine disulfiduria: Biochemical studies on affected and unaffected members of a family

Abstract Mercaptolactate cysteine disulfiduria (MCDU) was detected in an adult, mentally normal woman. Studies of family members revealed that her father also excreted increased amounts of mercaptolactate, although less than that of the propositus. An increased excretion of mercaptoacetate was also found in both subjects. Erythrocytes from the propositus were devoid of activity of the enzyme mercaptopyruvate sulfrutransferase (MST) and those from her father showed an abnormally low activity. Slightly reduced red cell MST activity together with a slightly increased urinary excretion of mercaptolactate was found in some of the family members and allowed the tentative classification of MCDU as an autosomal recessive hereditary disorder. An increased urinary excretion of mercaptopyruvate was demonstrated in the propositus but not in her father. The excretion of thiosulfate and thiocyanate from both subjects was within the normal range, indicating that significant amounts of these compounds are not formed in human beings through the action of MST.

Fat-free mass hydration in newborns: assessment and implications for body composition studies

Aim:  Equipment (Pea Pod) offering new possibilities to assess infant body composition has recently become available and has already been used in several studies. In the Pea Pod, body density is converted to body composition using one of two models (‘Fomon’ or ‘Butte’) with different water content in fat‐free mass (hydration factor, HF). In healthy full‐term infants, we assessed HF and its biological variability in 12 newborns and calculated body composition using the two models at 1 and 12 weeks in 108 infants. Body weight and volume were assessed in Pea Pod, and body water was assessed using isotope dilution.

Studies on lipoamidase: Characterization of the enzyme in human serum and breast milk

Lipoamidase activity was detected in human serum with both lipoyllysine (epsilon-N-(DL-lipoyl)-L-Lysine) and lipoylPABA (N-DL-lipoyl-p-aminobenzoate) as substrates, whereas lipoamidase in human milk used lipoylPABA, but not lipoyllysine as substrate. This suggested that lipoamidase activities in serum and milk are due to different enzymes. Studies with activators and inhibitors suggested that lipoamidase in serum using lipoylPABA as substrate may be a different enzyme from that using lipoyllysine as substrate. We suggest that these lipoamidases are named lipoyllysine hydrolase (LLH) and lipoylPABA hydrolase (LPH), respectively. Serum LLH was activated by thiol compounds and EDTA and strongly inhibited by sulfhydryl reagents whereas serum LPH was inhibited by sulfhydryl reagents but not activated by thiol compounds or EDTA. Milk LPH was unaffected by these reagents. We suggest that serum LLH and possibly serum LPH are cysteine proteases. LLH was adsorbed on Concanavalin A-Sepharose, indicating that LLH was a glycoprotein.

An agarose derivative containing an arsenical for affinity chromatography of thiol compounds

Abstract An adsorbent for affinity chromatography of thiol compounds was prepared by covalently linking p -aminophenylarsine oxide to CNBr-activated Sepharose 6B. The adsorbent retained mono- and dithiols from acid and neutral solutions. Monothiols and 1,4-dithiols were eluted at pH 12, whereas more alkaline conditions were necessary for elution of 1,2- and 1,3-dithiols. The latter could also be eluted at pH 12 by 0.01 m phenylarsine oxide. Alternatively, thiol compounds may be eluted at neutral or acid conditions by other thiol compounds. Monothiols and 1,4-dithiols were thus eluted by cysteine, whereas 1,2- and 1,3-dithiols required dithiopropylamine for elution.

Derivatization of dithiols and certain monothiols with phenylarsine oxide for gas chromatography

Abstract Dithiols and certain monothiols reacted with phenylarsine oxide to give derivatives suitable for gas chromatography. Dihydrolipoic acid (6,8-dimercapto-n-octanoic acid) was thus determined after derivatization of the dithiol moiety to a dithiarsolane followed by extractive alkylation of the carboxyl group to the benzyl ester. 2,3-Dimercapto-1-propanol was converted into a dithiarsane, whereas bioxatriarsolane derivatives were obtained from dithiothreitol and dithioerythritol (the threo and erythro isomers of 1,4-dimercapto-2,3-butanediol) as each thiol group and its adjacent hydroxyl group in these compounds reacted with the arsenical. Mercaptoethanol and mercaptoacetic acid were also successfully derivatives for gas chromatography with phenylarsine oxide but α-toluenethiol and 1-dodecanethiol were not.

Atrophic Gastritis Is Associated with Increased Sucrose Permeability Related to Chronic Inflammation

Background: Different theories have been presented to explain how atrophic gastritis may lead to gastric cancer development. One contributing factor could be impaired function of the gastric mucosal barrier. The aim of this study was to investigate if there are changes in gastric mucosal permeability to sucrose in atrophic gastritis.Methods: The study comprised 22 patients with atrophic gastritis and 21 normal controls. Gastritis was classified according to the Sydney system from endoscopic biopsies of the gastric corpus and antrum. All subjects were exposed to oral sucrose load (100 g), and the fraction of sucrose excreted in urine was measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Results: The fraction of sucrose excreted in urine after oral load was significantly increased in atrophic gastritis compared with controls (median 0.08 vs. 0.04%; p = 0.003). Sucrose excretion was positively related to the degree of chronic inflammation (median fraction excreted: mild inflammation 0.06%, moderate inflammation 0.08%, severe inflammation 0.18%; p = 0.04) rather than to the degree of atrophy in the gastric mucosa. Occurrence of intestinal metaplasia was also associated with significantly higher sucrose excretion. However, in multivariate analysis, including intestinal metaplasia, only the degree of inflammation was positively related to sucrose excretion. Conclusion: Atrophic gastritis is associated with increased sucrose permeability, suggesting paracellular leakage of the gastric mucosa. This leakage seems to be related to the degree of inflammation rather than the degree of atrophy. The findings may have implications for the diseases and complications associated with atrophic gastritis.

Body-composition development during early childhood and energy expenditure in response to physical activity in 1.5-y-old children

BACKGROUND The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity has increased recently, but the mechanisms involved are incompletely known. Previous research has shown a correlation between the percentage of total body fat (TBF) and physical activity level (PAL). However, the PAL values used may involve a risk of spurious correlations because they are often based on predicted rather than measured estimates of resting energy metabolism. OBJECTIVES We studied the development of body composition during early childhood and the relation between the percentage of TBF and PAL on the basis of the measured resting energy metabolism. DESIGN Body composition was previously measured in 108 children when they were 1 and 12 wk old. When 44 of these children (21 girls and 23 boys) were 1.5 y old, their total energy expenditure and TBF were assessed by using the doubly labeled water method. Resting energy metabolism, which was assessed by using indirect calorimetry, was used to calculate PAL. RESULTS Significant correlations were shown for TBF (r = 0.32, P = 0.035) and fat-free mass (r = 0.34, P = 0.025) between values (kg) assessed at 12 wk and 1.5 y of age. For TBF (kg) a significant interaction (P = 0.035) indicated a possible sex difference. PAL at 1.5 y was negatively correlated with the percentage of TBF (r = -0.40, P = 0.0076) and the increase in the percentage of TBF between 12 wk and 1.5 y (r = -0.38, P = 0.0105). CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that body fatness and physical activity interact during early childhood and thereby influence obesity risk. Our results are based on a small sample, but nevertheless, they motivate additional studies in boys compared with girls regarding the development of body composition during early life.