Dexa Body Composition Assessment in 10-11 Year Healthy Children

Cross-sectional study of patients with VCP multisystem proteinopathy 1 using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry

INTRODUCTION/AIMS

VCP multisystem proteinopathy 1 (MSP1), encompassing inclusion body myopathy (IBM), Paget's disease of bone (PDB) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) (IBMPFD), features progressive muscle weakness, fatty infiltration, and disorganized bone structure in Pagetic bones. The aim of this study is to utilize dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) parameters to examine it as a biomarker of muscle and bone disease in MSP1.

METHODS

DXA scans were obtained in 28 patients to assess body composition parameters (bone mineral density [BMD], T-score, total fat, and lean mass) across different groups: total VCP disease (n = 19), including myopathy without Paget's ("myopathy"; n = 12) and myopathy with Paget's ("Paget"; n = 7), and unaffected first-degree relatives serving as controls (n = 6).

RESULTS

In the VCP disease group, significant declines in left hip BMD and Z-scores were noted versus the control group (p ≤ .03). The VCP disease group showed decreased whole body lean mass % (p = .04), and increased total body fat % (p = .04) compared to controls. Subgroup comparisons indicated osteopenia in 33.3% and osteoporosis in 8.3% of the myopathy group, with 14.3% exhibiting osteopenia in the Paget group. Moreover, the Paget group displayed higher lumbar L1-L4 T-score values than the myopathy group.

DISCUSSION

In MSP1, DXA revealed reduced bone and lean mass, and increased fat mass. These DXA insights could aid in monitoring disease progression of muscle loss and secondary osteopenia/osteoporosis in MSP1, providing value both clinically and in clinical research.

Childhood Obesity and Its Comorbidities in High-Risk Minority Populations: Prevalence, Prevention and Lifestyle Intervention Guidelines

The prevalence of childhood obesity and its associated comorbidities is a growing global health problem that disproportionately affects populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and minority ethnicities in high-income countries (HICs). The increased childhood obesity disparities among populations reflect two concerns: one is HICs' ineffective intervention approaches in terms of lifestyle, nutrition and physical activity in minority populations, and the second is the virtually non-existent lifestyle obesity interventions in LMICs. This article provides guidelines on childhood obesity and its comorbidities in high-risk minority populations based on understanding the prevalence and effectiveness of preventative lifestyle interventions. First, we highlight how inadequate obesity screening by body mass index (BMI) can be resolved by using objective adiposity fat percentage measurements alongside anthropometric and physiological components, including lean tissue and bone density. National healthcare childhood obesity prevention initiatives should embed obesity cut-off points for minority ethnicities, especially Asian and South Asian ethnicities within UK and USA populations, whose obesity-related metabolic risks are often underestimated. Secondly, lifestyle interventions are underutilised in children and adolescents with obesity and its comorbidities, especially in minority ethnicity population groups. The overwhelming evidence on lifestyle interventions involving children with obesity comorbidities from ethnic minority populations shows that personalised physical activity and nutrition interventions are successful in reversing obesity and its secondary cardiometabolic disease risks, including those related to cardiorespiratory capacity, blood pressure and glucose/insulin levels. Interventions combining cultural contextualisation and better engagement with families are the most effective in high-risk paediatric minority populations but are non-uniform amongst different minority communities. A sustained preventative health impact can be achieved through the involvement of the community, with stakeholders comprising healthcare professionals, nutritionists, exercise science specialists and policy makers. Our guidelines for obesity assessment and primary and secondary prevention of childhood obesity and associated comorbidities in minority populations are fundamental to reducing global and local health disparities and improving quality of life.

Assessment of correlation between conventional anthropometric and imaging-derived measures of body fat composition: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of observational studies

BACKGROUND

In studies of the association of adiposity with disease risk, widely used anthropometric measures of adiposity (e.g. body-mass-index [BMI], waist circumference [WC], waist-hip ratio [WHR]) are simple and inexpensive to implement at scale. In contrast, imaging-based techniques (e.g. magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] and dual x-ray absorptiometry [DXA]) are expensive and labour intensive, but can provide more accurate quantification of body fat composition. There is, however, limited evidence about the relationship between conventional and imaging-derived measures of adiposity.

METHODS

We searched Scopus and Web of Science for published reports in English of conventional versus imaging-derived measurements of adiposity. We identified 42 articles (MRI = 22; DXA = 20) that met selection criteria, involving 42,556 (MRI = 15,130; DXA = 27,426) individuals recruited from community or hospital settings. Study-specific correlation coefficients (r) were transformed using Fisher's Z transformation, and meta-analysed to yield weighted average correlations, both overall and by ancestry, sex and age, where feasible. Publication bias was investigated using funnel plots and Egger's test.

RESULTS

Overall, 98% of participants were 18 + years old, 85% male and 95% White. BMI and WC were most strongly correlated with imaging-derived total abdominal (MRI-derived: r = 0.88-; DXA-derived: 0.50-0.86) and subcutaneous abdominal fat (MRI-derived: 0.83-0.85), but were less strongly correlated with visceral abdominal fat (MRI-derived: 0.76-0.79; DXA-derived: 0.80) and with DXA-derived %body fat (0.76). WHR was, at best, strongly correlated with imaging-derived total abdominal (MRI-derived: 0.60; DXA-derived: 0.13), and visceral abdominal fat (MRI-derived: 0.67; DXA-derived: 0.65), and moderately with subcutaneous abdominal (MRI-derived: 0.54), and with DXA-derived %body fat (0.58). All conventional adiposity measures were at best moderately correlated with hepatic fat (MRI-derived: 0.36-0.43). In general, correlations were stronger in women than in men, in Whites than in non-Whites, and in those aged 18 + years.

CONCLUSIONS

In this meta-analysis, BMI and WC, but not WHR, were very strongly correlated with imaging-derived total and subcutaneous abdominal fat. By comparison, all three measures were moderately or strongly correlated with imaging-based visceral abdominal fat, with WC showing the greatest correlation. No anthropometric measure was substantially correlated with hepatic fat. Further larger studies are needed to compare these measures within the same study population, and to assess their relevance for disease risks in diverse populations.

Diagnostic performance of anthropometric indicators used to assess excess body fat in adolescence

Objective:

To compare the performance of anthropometric indicators that identify excess body fat (BF) in adolescents.

Methods:

This is a methodological study that used probability cluster sampling through school and class draws. Data collection included sociodemographic characteristics and anthropometric measures. Body mass index (BMI), waist-to-height ratio (WtHR), conicity index (C index), and waist circumference (WC) were calculated. Body fat percentage (BF%) was calculated from skinfold thickness and used as the gold standard. To analyze the data, descriptive statistics, Student’s t-test, Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve, and Youden’s index were used, in addition to correlation coefficient calculation between the indicators and BF%.

Results:

A total of 997 adolescents enrolled in municipal secondary schools participated in the study. By calculating the BMI, we found that 10.6% of adolescents were overweight, and 4.7% were obese. BMI, WC, and WtHR had the highest accuracy to predict body fatness. All the anthropometric indicators had higher specificity than sensitivity to diagnose excess BF in males. WC had the highest sensitivity in both genders. C index had the smallest area under the ROC curve and the lowest sensitivity in both genders, but its specificity was equivalent to that of the other indicators.

Conclusions:

BMI, WtHR, and WC were the best anthropometric indicators to predict excess BF in adolescents and had the best correlation coefficients. These tools can be considered in the screening to detect excess BF in adolescents.

Visceral, subcutaneous, and total fat mass accumulation in a prospective cohort of adolescents

BACKGROUND

Race and sex differences in adolescents' body fat are demonstrated in cross-sectional cohorts, yet a longitudinal design would better identify patterns of fat distribution over time.

OBJECTIVES

The aim was to examine race and sex differences in adiposity between black and white adolescents over 2 y.

METHODS

A cohort of adolescents aged 10-16 y (38% black; 52% girls; 15% overweight, 34% with obesity) underwent body composition measurements at baseline (n = 309) and 2 y later (n = 236), using DXA to quantify whole-body fat mass (FM) and MRI for abdominal subcutaneous (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) volumes. General linear models were used to examine race and sex differences in log-transformed FM, SAT, and VAT, adjusting for age, sexual maturation, extended BMI percentile, and race-by-sex interaction. SAT and VAT models in addition controlled for baseline FM and change in FM (for change models).

RESULTS

Mean (95% CI) baseline FM (kg) was higher among white [18.5 (17.9, 19.2) than among black adolescents [17.4 (16.6, 18.2), P = 0.03] and girls [19.5 (18.8, 20.3) than boys [16.5 (15.8, 17.2), P < 0.0001]. Mean (95% CI) baseline SAT (L) was higher among girls [4.4 (4.2, 4.6)] than among boys [3.9 (3.7, 4.1), P < 0.0001]. Mean (95% CI) baseline VAT (L) was higher among white [0.5 (0.5, 0.6)] than among black [0.3 (0.3, 0.4)] adolescents (P < 0.0001) and boys [0.5 (0.4, 0.5)] than girls [0.4 (0.4, 0.4), P = 0.04]. Over 2 y mean (95% CI) FM change (kg) was higher among white [3.7 (2.9, 4.5)] than among black adolescents [2.3 (1.3, 3.3), P = 0.04] and girls [4.0 (3.0, 4.9)] than boys [2.0 (1.1, 3.0), P = 0.007], but SAT change (L) did not differ by race or sex. VAT change (L) was higher among white [0.1 (0.1, 0.1)] than among black adolescents [0.0 (0.0, 0.1), P = 0.003] and boys [0.1 (0.1, 0.1)] than girls [0.0 (0.0, 0.1), P = 0.034].

CONCLUSIONS

Sex and race differences in the deposition and accumulation of excess fat are important considerations for understanding obesity prevalence and obesity-related disease risk among adolescents.This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02784509.

Subcutaneous and visceral fat assessment by DXA and MRI in older adults and children

OBJECTIVE

Given the importance of body fat distribution in chronic disease development, feasible methods to assess body fat are essential. This study compared dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in measuring visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue (VAT and SAT) with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

METHODS

VAT and SAT were assessed using similar DXA and MRI protocols among 1,795 elderly participants of the Adiposity Phenotype Study (APS) and 309 children/adolescents in Shape Up! Kids (SKids). Spearman correlations, Bland-Altman plots, and coefficients of determination (R2 ) assessed agreement between DXA and MRI measures.

RESULTS

DXA overestimated SAT values in APS (315 vs. 229 cm2 ) and SKids (212 vs. 161 cm2 ), whereas DXA underestimated VAT measures (141 vs. 167 cm2 ) in adults only. The correlations between DXA and MRI values were stronger for SAT than VAT (APS: r = 0.92 vs. 0.88; SKids: 0.90 vs. 0.74). Bland-Altman plots confirmed better agreement for SAT than VAT despite differences by sex, ethnicity, and weight status with respective R2 values for SAT and VAT of 0.88 and 0.84 (APS) and 0.81 and 0.69 (SKids).

CONCLUSION

These findings indicate that SAT by DXA reflects MRI measures in children and older adults, whereas agreement for VAT is weaker for individuals with low VAT levels.

Associations of midchildhood to early adolescence central adiposity gain with cardiometabolic health in early adolescence

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the associations of central adiposity gain from midchildhood to early adolescence with cardiometabolic health markers in early adolescence.

METHODS

A total of 620 participants were studied in Project Viva. In midchildhood (mean age = 7.8 years) and early adolescence (12.9 years), waist circumference and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry-measured visceral adipose tissue, subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue, and trunk fat were obtained. Central adiposity gain was calculated as change per year between visits. Cardiometabolic health markers, including blood pressure, lipids, markers of insulin resistance, inflammation, and adipokines, were collected in early adolescence.

RESULTS

Greater waist circumference gain was associated with higher log triglycerides (β 0.07 mg/dL; 95% CI: 0.02-0.13), log alanine aminotransferase (0.07 U/L; 95% CI: 0.03-0.12), log high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (0.43 mg/L; 95% CI: 0.28-0.58), and other cardiometabolic markers in early adolescence. Directly measured central adiposity gains were associated with higher systolic blood pressure z score in early adolescence (visceral adipose tissue [0.13 SD units; 95% CI: 0.04-0.23], subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue [0.18 SD units; 95% CI: 0.04-0.31], and trunk fat [0.21 SD units; 95% CI: 0.06-0.36]). These associations were independent of baseline and change in total adiposity from midchildhood to early adolescence.

CONCLUSIONS

Monitoring central adiposity gain may enable identification and intervention in children vulnerable to developing cardiometabolic health risks.

Long-term outcome in patients with juvenile dermatomyositis: A case series

BACKGROUND

Follow-up of juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) patients has demonstrated the impact of the disease on several organs in the long term.

OBJECTIVE

As there is little information on the long-term outcome of JDM, we aimed to assess long-term outcomes in a series of JDM patients.

METHODS

After selection of JDM patients, a consultation with a dermatologist and a rheumatologist was held for each patient. Cutaneous, muscle, and disease damage was assessed using different validated scores including the abbreviated Cutaneous Assessment Tool (aCAT), 8-muscle Manual Muscle Testing (MMT8), Childhood Myositis Assessment Scale (CMAS), Myositis Damage Index (MDI), Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ), and Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ). Long-term disease outcomes were recorded including growth and pubertal development, educational and vocational achievement, and development of comorbidities.

RESULTS

Seven patients were included in the study. After a mean follow-up of 14.9±8.8 years, the mean aCAT score was 0.57±1.4 and only one patient had a positive aCAT activity score. The mean aCAT damage score was 1.4±1.3 and five (71%) patients had a score of ≥1. Five (71.4%) patients had normal muscle strength with an MMT8 score of >72, and none had severe muscle weakness (MMT8 ≤32, and CMAS<35). The mean total extent of damage according to the MDI was ≥1 in five (71%) patients and mainly involved the skin. Two (29%) patients had mild disability according to the CHAQ/HAQ disability index. In terms of quality of life, no patient had a score of<40 (1 SD below the mean for healthy controls).

CONCLUSIONS

Based on validated cutaneous and musculoskeletal scores, our study demonstrated the good functional outcomes of JDM at long-term follow-up.

Relationship between abdominal adiposity, cardiovascular fitness, and biomarkers of cardiovascular risk in British adolescents

BACKGROUND

Puberty is a critical time in the development of overweight and obesity. The aim of this study was to examine relationships between measures of adiposity, cardiovascular fitness, and biomarkers of cardiovascular disease risk in adolescents.

METHODS

In a cross-sectional study design, 129 girls and 95 boys aged 12.9-14.4 years at various stages of puberty were included, along with their mothers (n = 217) and fathers (n = 207). Anthropometric assessments of adiposity were made, along with cardiovascular physical fitness, using the 20-m shuttle run test, and biomarkers associated with cardiovascular risk, including glucose, insulin, triglyceride, fibrinogen, and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations.

RESULTS

Waist-to-height ratio values were similar in boys and girls and correlated positively with diastolic blood pressure, insulin, triglyceride, fibrinogen, and CRP concentrations, and inversely with cardiovascular fitness scores. Skinfold thickness measurements were higher in girls. High-molecular-weight adiponectin concentrations were lower in boys than girls, particularly in late puberty, and CRP levels were higher. Cardiovascular fitness, maternal body mass index (BMI), and paternal BMI contributed independently to the variance in waist measurements in girls and boys. Gender, triceps skinfold thickness, and weight-to-height ratio, but not parental BMI, contributed independently to the variance in cardiovascular fitness.

CONCLUSION

There is a relationship between measures of adolescent adiposity and parental weight that involves factors other than cardiovascular fitness. Adolescent boys have relatively more abdominal fat than girls and a tendency to have a proinflammatory profile of biomarkers. These observations suggest that family and social environmental interventions are best undertaken earlier in childhood, particularly among boys.

Imaging of body composition in children

Overweight and obesity in children and adolescents have become a worldwide public health concern with an ever-increasing prevalence. An excessive accumulation of intraabdominal fat tissue increases the risk of developing insulin resistance, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases in adulthood. Body composition has a role in metabolism regulation in children and adolescents with differences between genders and age groups. Until recently, Air Displacement Plethysmography and Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) have been the most common techniques used to assess body composition in children. Ultrasound (US) is an accurate, readily available, and radiation-free technique to quantify intra-abdominal fat in adults, but its use in children has not yet been validated. Computed tomography (CT) is a reliable tool to assess body composition, but its use in children should be avoided due to the significant radiation burden. Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (qMRI) provides an accurate measurement of body composition, through the quantification of the visceral adipose tissue (VAT), subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), and brown adipose tissue (BAT), as well as lean mass. Furthermore, qMRI provides other significant estimates such as the Proton Density Fat-Fraction of the fat tissue. This review article aims to briefly describe the state of art of the advanced imaging techniques to provide a quantitative assessment of body composition in children and adolescents.

Children and Adolescents' Anthropometrics Body Composition from 3-D Optical Surface Scans

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore the accuracy and precision of three-dimensional optical (3DO) whole-body scanning for automated anthropometry and estimating total and regional body composition.

METHODS

Healthy children and adolescents (n = 181, ages 5-17 years) were recruited for the Shape Up! Kids study. Each participant underwent whole-body dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and 3DO scans; multisite conventional tape measurements served as the anthropometric criterion measure. 3DO body shape was described using automated body circumference, length, and volume measures. 3DO estimates were compared with criterion measures using simple linear regression by the stepwise selection method.

RESULTS

Of the 181 participants, 112 were used for the training set, 49 were used for the test set, and 20 were excluded for technical reasons. 3DO body composition estimates were strongly associated with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry measures for percent body fat, fat mass, and fat-free mass (R² : 0.83, 0.96, and 0.98, respectively). 3DO provided reliable measurements of fat mass (coefficient of variation, 3.30; root mean square error [RMSE], 0.53), fat-free mass (coefficient of variation, 1.34; RMSE, 0.53 kg), and percent body fat (RMSE = 1.2%).

CONCLUSIONS

3DO surface scanning provides accurate and precise anthropometric and body composition estimates in children and adolescents with high precision. 3DO is a safe, accessible, and practical method for evaluating body shape and composition in research and clinical settings.

The Use of a Stem and Leaf Aqueous Extract of Cissus quadrangularis (CQR-300) to Reduce Body Fat and Other Components of Metabolic Syndrome in Overweight Participants

BACKGROUND

Previous work had shown the ability of an aqueous leaf and stem extract of Cissus quandrangularis (300 mg of CQR, CQR-300) to improve components of metabolic syndrome (MS) in overweight individuals.

OBJECTIVE

This small pilot study aimed to confirm the efficacy of CQR-300 in reducing the percentage body fat measured using two different methods-bioelectrical impedance assay versus dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA).

DESIGN

The study was an 8-week double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial on 67 individuals who were requested by a dietary counselor to maintain their normal exercise and dietary routines. Participants were randomly divided into two groups, placebo (32 participants) and the CQR-300 group (35 participants), and received 300 mg of corn starch or CQR-300 daily.

METHODS

Body fat was measured by bioelectrical impedance using a TANITA impedance meter and by DEXA, with blood samples taken at baseline and at 8 weeks for the measurement of lipid parameters.

RESULTS

After 8 weeks of treatment, participants of the placebo group showed a 1.05% decrease in body fat as determined by bioelectrical impedance analysis, but no difference using DEXA. In the same time period, the CQR-300 group had an 8.9% and 12.8% decreases in the body fat as measured by impedance and DEXA, respectively. These values were significantly (p < 0.05) lower than the placebo. Compared with the placebo, the CQR-300 group demonstrated significant (p < 0.05) decreases in the waist and hip circumferences, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, total cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting blood glucose, as well as leptin levels. On the contrary, there were significant (p < 0.05) increases in HDL-cholesterol and adiponectin levels.

CONCLUSION

CQR-300 administered as a single 300 mg dose daily was effective in reducing body fat as well as improving blood parameters associated with MS.

Body composition analysis and references in children: clinical usefulness and limitations

The prevalence of obesity is increasing over the world. Especially in Asians compared to Caucasians, there has been a significant increase in the population with major chronic diseases. This has developed over a shorter time period which is associated with socioeconomic changes in recent decades and a greater predisposition to cardiometabolic disorders. Many Asians could be classified has having normal weight but with obesity as evidenced by body composition (BC) and fat distribution. Overweight in Asian adults is classified as a BMI > 23 kg/m² and obesity as a BMI > 25 kg/m². An effective strategy to manage the obesity epidemic by focusing on childhood obesity is needed because of the huge impact that obesity exerts on population health. However, monitoring tools are limited to anthropometry such as BMI and BMI z-scores which define overweight and obese as a BMI exceeding the 85th and 95th percentiles, respectively, on reference growth charts. To overcome the limitations of BMI, reference values for BC components have been produced using various techniques. The use of BC charts for children in personalized therapeutic approach has increased, although there is a lack of a consensus on a single reference technique. Zones on BC charts and the personalized values of BC components could be practical, especially for the detection of metabolically unhealthy normal weight (MUN) children. BC charts should be included in the growth chart package and BC monitoring through the entire life course will help us understand the association between growth, aging, health and disease.

Obesity Does Not Exacerbate the Protumorigenic Systemic Environment in Sarcoma Subjects

Sarcomas are a rare but fatal tumor type that accounts for <1% of adult solid malignancies and ~15% of childhood malignancies. Although the use of immunotherapy is being actively investigated for other solid tumors, advances in immunotherapy for sarcoma patients are lacking. To better understand the systemic immune environment in sarcoma patients, we performed a detailed multiplex analysis of serum cytokines, chemokines, and protumorigenic factors from treatment-naive subjects with localized, high-grade sarcoma. Because obesity is a major healthcare issue in the United States, we additionally examined the effects of obesity on serum protein profiles in our sarcoma subject cohort. We found that the systemic host environment is profoundly altered to favor tumor progression, with epidermal growth factor, angiopoietin-2, vascular endothelial growth factor A, IL-6, IL-8, and MIP-1β all increased relative to tumor-free controls (all p < 0.05). Surprisingly, we found that obesity did not exacerbate this protumorigenic profile, as epidermal growth factor and IL-8 decreased with increasing subject body mass index (both p < 0.05 versus normal or overweight subjects). The Th2-related cytokines IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 were also decreased in the presence of obesity. Thus, although the systemic environment in sarcoma subjects favors tumor progression, obesity does not further aggravate the production of protumorigenic factors.

Comparisons of Waist Circumference Measurements at Five Different Anatomical Sites in Chinese Children

This study compared the waist circumference (WC) measurements of Chinese children at different sites to determine the relationship between WC measurements and body fat. WC was measured at five sites in 255 subjects aged 9-19 years: immediately below the lowest rib (WC1), at the narrowest waist (WC2), the midpoint between the lowest rib and the iliac crest (WC3), 1 cm above the umbilicus (WC4), and immediately above the iliac crest (WC5). Body fat mass (FM), body fat percentage (% BF), body fat mass in the trunk (FM in the trunk), and fat percentage in the trunk (% BF in the trunk) were determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The WCs were then compared through ANOVA with repeated measurement. The relationship of WC of each site with FM, % BF, FM in the trunk, and % BF in the trunk was examined through partial correlation. The WCs exhibited the following pattern: WC2 < WC1 < WC3 < WC4 < WC5 (p < 0.001) in males and WC2 < WC1 < WC4, WC3 < WC5 (p < 0.001) in females. The measured WCs were strongly correlated with FM, % BF, FM in the trunk, and % BF in the trunk. The WC measurements at five commonly used sites among Chinese children are different from one another. Results indicate that standardizing the anatomic point for the WC measurements is necessary.