How to estimate body composition in Huntington's disease. A cross-sectional, observational study using multiple frequencies bioimpedance

INTRODUCTION

Huntington´s disease (HD) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder. Reliable information about nutritional status, especially body composition from individuals with HD is critical for clinical care and research. The ease of application and portability of multiple frequencies bioelectrical impedance analysis (mfBIA) make it an attractive tool for measuring body composition, but its accuracy in HD is unknown.

AIM

To evaluate the accuracy of mfBIA vs. Dual X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) in HD.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Cross-sectional, observational, and single-center study. HD severity was measured using motor subscale of the unified Huntington´s disease rating scale (m-UHDRS) and the total functional capacity (TFC). Body composition was measured in terms of fat-free mass (FFM), fat mass (FM), fat-free mass index (FFMI), and fat mass index (FMI). Using Bland-Altman plots, we analyzed reliability between DEXA and mfBIA using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and bias estimates for all.

RESULTS

We included 16 patients with HD, 7 men, and 9 women, median age of 58.5 (32;68) years, TFC: 10 (3;13), and m-UHDRS: 31 (7;85). The reliability between mfBIA and DEXA were high for FFMI in men: 0.88 (95% CI 0.17-0.98), and women: 0.90 (95% CI 0.61- 0.98); for FMI, men: 0.97 (95% CI 0.83-0.99), and women: 0.91 (95% CI 0.68-0.98). Compared to DEXA, mfBIA slightly overestimated FFM, FM, FMI and FFMI in men and underestimated FFMI in women.

CONCLUSIONS

mfBIA is an easy-to-use, safe, non-invasive, accurate method for measuring body composition and nutritional status in patients with mild-moderate HD.

Fatiga ocasionada por diferentes formatos de juegos reducidos en futbolistas jóvenes

El principal objetivo de este estudio fue analizar la influencia de diferentes formatos de juego reducido (JR) en la carga interna medida mediante el esfuerzo percibido (CI EP) declarado por los futbolistas, y en el rendimiento del salto horizontal (SH) y la capacidad de acelerar y esprintar. Diez futbolistas cadetes (sub-16) participaron en el estudio. Los jugadores disputaron 4 formatos de JR con modificaciones en el espacio de juego y en la duración de las repeticiones. Los participantes realizaron un esprint de 30 m y un SH antes y después de cada repetición y también declararon el EP. Los resultados mostraron una mayor CI EP. Además, se observó un empeoramiento del esprint en 10 y 30 m después de la última repetición. Este conocimiento podría ayudar a los cuerpos técnicos a establecer de manera más apropiada la duración total y de cada repetición de los JRs.

Arabidopsis thaliana mitogen-activated protein kinase 6 is involved in seed formation and modulation of primary and lateral root development

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPKs) cascades are signal transduction modules highly conserved in all eukaryotes regulating various aspects of plant biology, including stress responses and developmental programmes. In this study, we characterized the role of MAPK 6 (MPK6) in Arabidopsis embryo development and in post-embryonic root system architecture. We found that the mpk6 mutation caused altered embryo development giving rise to three seed phenotypes that, post-germination, correlated with alterations in root architecture. In the smaller seed class, mutant seedlings failed to develop the primary root, possibly as a result of an earlier defect in the division of the hypophysis cell during embryo development, but they had the capacity to develop adventitious roots to complete their life cycle. In the larger class, the MPK6 loss of function did not cause any evident alteration in seed morphology, but the embryo and the mature seed were bigger than the wild type. Seedlings developed from these bigger seeds were characterized by a primary root longer than that of the wild type, accompanied by significantly increased lateral root initiation and more and longer root hairs. Apparently, the increment in primary root growth resulted from an enhanced cell production and cell elongation. Our data demonstrated that MPK6 plays an important role during embryo development and acts as a repressor of primary and lateral root development.