Bacterial community variation in human body habitats across space and time.

PubMed

Costello, Elizabeth K; Lauber, Christian L; Hamady, Micah; Fierer, Noah; Gordon, Jeffrey I; Knight, Rob

2009-12-18

Elucidating the biogeography of bacterial communities on the human body is critical for establishing healthy baselines from which to detect differences associated with diseases. To obtain an integrated view of the spatial and temporal distribution of the human microbiota, we surveyed bacteria from up to 27 sites in seven to nine healthy adults on four occasions. We found that community composition was determined primarily by body habitat. Within habitats, interpersonal variability was high, whereas individuals exhibited minimal temporal variability. Several skin locations harbored more diverse communities than the gut and mouth, and skin locations differed in their community assembly patterns. These results indicate that our microbiota, although personalized, varies systematically across body habitats and time; such trends may ultimately reveal how microbiome changes cause or prevent disease.

Biogeography of the ecosystems of the healthy human body.

PubMed

Zhou, Yanjiao; Gao, Hongyu; Mihindukulasuriya, Kathie A; La Rosa, Patricio S; Wylie, Kristine M; Vishnivetskaya, Tatiana; Podar, Mircea; Warner, Barb; Tarr, Phillip I; Nelson, David E; Fortenberry, J Dennis; Holland, Martin J; Burr, Sarah E; Shannon, William D; Sodergren, Erica; Weinstock, George M

2013-01-14

Characterizing the biogeography of the microbiome of healthy humans is essential for understanding microbial associated diseases. Previous studies mainly focused on a single body habitat from a limited set of subjects. Here, we analyzed one of the largest microbiome datasets to date and generated a biogeographical map that annotates the biodiversity, spatial relationships, and temporal stability of 22 habitats from 279 healthy humans. We identified 929 genera from more than 24 million 16S rRNA gene sequences of 22 habitats, and we provide a baseline of inter-subject variation for healthy adults. The oral habitat has the most stable microbiota with the highest alpha diversity, while the skin and vaginal microbiota are less stable and show lower alpha diversity. The level of biodiversity in one habitat is independent of the biodiversity of other habitats in the same individual. The abundances of a given genus at a body site in which it dominates do not correlate with the abundances at body sites where it is not dominant. Additionally, we observed the human microbiota exhibit both cosmopolitan and endemic features. Finally, comparing datasets of different projects revealed a project-based clustering pattern, emphasizing the significance of standardization of metagenomic studies. The data presented here extend the definition of the human microbiome by providing a more complete and accurate picture of human microbiome biogeography, addressing questions best answered by a large dataset of subjects and body sites that are deeply sampled by sequencing.

Biogeography of the ecosystems of the healthy human body

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Characterizing the biogeography of the microbiome of healthy humans is essential for understanding microbial associated diseases. Previous studies mainly focused on a single body habitat from a limited set of subjects. Here, we analyzed one of the largest microbiome datasets to date and generated a biogeographical map that annotates the biodiversity, spatial relationships, and temporal stability of 22 habitats from 279 healthy humans. Results We identified 929 genera from more than 24 million 16S rRNA gene sequences of 22 habitats, and we provide a baseline of inter-subject variation for healthy adults. The oral habitat has the most stable microbiota with the highest alpha diversity, while the skin and vaginal microbiota are less stable and show lower alpha diversity. The level of biodiversity in one habitat is independent of the biodiversity of other habitats in the same individual. The abundances of a given genus at a body site in which it dominates do not correlate with the abundances at body sites where it is not dominant. Additionally, we observed the human microbiota exhibit both cosmopolitan and endemic features. Finally, comparing datasets of different projects revealed a project-based clustering pattern, emphasizing the significance of standardization of metagenomic studies. Conclusions The data presented here extend the definition of the human microbiome by providing a more complete and accurate picture of human microbiome biogeography, addressing questions best answered by a large dataset of subjects and body sites that are deeply sampled by sequencing. PMID:23316946

Body height and weight of patients with childhood onset and adult onset thyrotoxicosis.

PubMed

Takamatsu, J; Kobe, N; Ito, M; Ohsawa, N

1999-03-01

The present study has compared body height and weight of thyrotoxic female patients of childhood onset and adult onset. The body height of 141 out of 143 (99%) adult-onset thyrotoxic patients was within the range of mean +/- 2SD for the age-matched general Japanese female population. On the other hand, in 42 patients with childhood-onset thyrotoxicosis, 6 (14%) had their height being greater than the mean + 2SD of general population, and 34 (81%) were taller than the mean value. In 86 patients with siblings, 42 (49%) were at least 2 cm taller than their sisters, and 26 (30%) were more than 2 cm shorter than their sisters. The body weight of 27 out of 42 (68%) patients younger than 20 years was not decreased but was even greater than the mean value for the age-matched general population. The results indicate that excessive thyroid hormone in vivo enhances body height in humans. The increased body weight in some young patients suggests that enhanced dietary intake due to increased appetite in hyperthyroidism has overcome the energy loss with increased metabolism.

Towards Whole-Body Fluorescence Imaging in Humans

PubMed Central

Piper, Sophie K.; Habermehl, Christina; Schmitz, Christoph H.; Kuebler, Wolfgang M.; Obrig, Hellmuth; Steinbrink, Jens; Mehnert, Jan

2013-01-01

Dynamic near-infrared fluorescence (DNIF) whole-body imaging of small animals has become a popular tool in experimental biomedical research. In humans, however, the field of view has been limited to body parts, such as rheumatoid hands, diabetic feet or sentinel lymph nodes. Here we present a new whole-body DNIF-system suitable for adult subjects. We explored whether this system (i) allows dynamic whole-body fluorescence imaging and (ii) can detect modulations in skin perfusion. The non-specific fluorescent probe indocyanine green (ICG) was injected intravenously into two subjects, and fluorescence images were obtained at 5 Hz. The in- and out-flow kinetics of ICG have been shown to correlate with tissue perfusion. To validate the system, skin perfusion was modulated by warming and cooling distinct areas on the chest and the abdomen. Movies of fluorescence images show a bolus passage first in the face, then in the chest, abdomen and finally in the periphery (∼10, 15, 20 and 30 seconds, respectively). When skin perfusion is augmented by warming, bolus arrives about 5 seconds earlier than when the skin is cooled and perfusion decreased. Calculating bolus arrival times and spatial fitting of basis time courses extracted from different regions of interest allowed a mapping of local differences in subcutaneous skin perfusion. This experiment is the first to demonstrate the feasibility of whole-body dynamic fluorescence imaging in humans. Since the whole-body approach demonstrates sensitivity to circumscribed alterations in skinperfusion, it may be used to target autonomous changes in polyneuropathy and to screen for peripheral vascular diseases. PMID:24391820

Maternal and child undernutrition: consequences for adult health and human capital.

PubMed

Victora, Cesar G; Adair, Linda; Fall, Caroline; Hallal, Pedro C; Martorell, Reynaldo; Richter, Linda; Sachdev, Harshpal Singh

2008-01-26

In this paper we review the associations between maternal and child undernutrition with human capital and risk of adult diseases in low-income and middle-income countries. We analysed data from five long-standing prospective cohort studies from Brazil, Guatemala, India, the Philippines, and South Africa and noted that indices of maternal and child undernutrition (maternal height, birthweight, intrauterine growth restriction, and weight, height, and body-mass index at 2 years according to the new WHO growth standards) were related to adult outcomes (height, schooling, income or assets, offspring birthweight, body-mass index, glucose concentrations, blood pressure). We undertook systematic reviews of studies from low-income and middle-income countries for these outcomes and for indicators related to blood lipids, cardiovascular disease, lung and immune function, cancers, osteoporosis, and mental illness. Undernutrition was strongly associated, both in the review of published work and in new analyses, with shorter adult height, less schooling, reduced economic productivity, and--for women--lower offspring birthweight. Associations with adult disease indicators were not so clear-cut. Increased size at birth and in childhood were positively associated with adult body-mass index and to a lesser extent with blood pressure values, but not with blood glucose concentrations. In our new analyses and in published work, lower birthweight and undernutrition in childhood were risk factors for high glucose concentrations, blood pressure, and harmful lipid profiles once adult body-mass index and height were adjusted for, suggesting that rapid postnatal weight gain--especially after infancy--is linked to these conditions. The review of published works indicates that there is insufficient information about long-term changes in immune function, blood lipids, or osteoporosis indicators. Birthweight is positively associated with lung function and with the incidence of some cancers, and

Bacterial Community Variation in Human Body Habitats Across Space and Time

PubMed Central

Costello, Elizabeth K.; Lauber, Christian L.; Hamady, Micah; Fierer, Noah; Gordon, Jeffrey I.; Knight, Rob

2010-01-01

Elucidating the biogeography of bacterial communities on the human body is critical for establishing healthy baselines from which to detect differences associated with diseases. To obtain an integrated view of the spatial and temporal distribution of the human microbiota, we surveyed bacteria from up to 27 sites in 7–9 healthy adults on four occasions. We found that community composition was determined primarily by body habitat. Within habitats, interpersonal variability was high, while individuals exhibited minimal temporal variability. Several skin locations harbored more diverse communities than the gut and mouth, and skin locations differed in their community assembly patterns. These results indicate that our microbiota, although personalized, varies systematically across body habitats and time: such trends may ultimately reveal how microbiome changes cause or prevent disease. PMID:19892944

Assessment of body perception among Swedish adolescents and young adults.

PubMed

Bergström, E; Stenlund, H; Svedjehäll, B

2000-01-01

To assess body perception in adolescents and young adults without anorexia nervosa. Using a visual size estimation technique, perceived body size was estimated in four groups of Swedish adolescents and young adults without anorexia nervosa (86 males and 95 females). Perceived body size was estimated at nine different body sites comparing these estimations to real body size. The results show that 95% of males and 96% of females overestimated their body size (mean overestimation: males +22%, females +33%). The overestimations were greatest in females. The greatest overestimations were made of the waist (males +31%, females +46%), buttocks (males +22%, females +42%), and thighs (males +27%, females +41%). The results indicate that overestimation of body size may be a general phenomenon in adolescents and young adults in a country such as Sweden, implying a similar, but less pronounced distortion of body image as in individuals with anorexia nervosa.

Microbial community pattern detection in human body habitats via ensemble clustering framework.

PubMed

Yang, Peng; Su, Xiaoquan; Ou-Yang, Le; Chua, Hon-Nian; Li, Xiao-Li; Ning, Kang

2014-01-01

The human habitat is a host where microbial species evolve, function, and continue to evolve. Elucidating how microbial communities respond to human habitats is a fundamental and critical task, as establishing baselines of human microbiome is essential in understanding its role in human disease and health. Recent studies on healthy human microbiome focus on particular body habitats, assuming that microbiome develop similar structural patterns to perform similar ecosystem function under same environmental conditions. However, current studies usually overlook a complex and interconnected landscape of human microbiome and limit the ability in particular body habitats with learning models of specific criterion. Therefore, these methods could not capture the real-world underlying microbial patterns effectively. To obtain a comprehensive view, we propose a novel ensemble clustering framework to mine the structure of microbial community pattern on large-scale metagenomic data. Particularly, we first build a microbial similarity network via integrating 1920 metagenomic samples from three body habitats of healthy adults. Then a novel symmetric Nonnegative Matrix Factorization (NMF) based ensemble model is proposed and applied onto the network to detect clustering pattern. Extensive experiments are conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of our model on deriving microbial community with respect to body habitat and host gender. From clustering results, we observed that body habitat exhibits a strong bound but non-unique microbial structural pattern. Meanwhile, human microbiome reveals different degree of structural variations over body habitat and host gender. In summary, our ensemble clustering framework could efficiently explore integrated clustering results to accurately identify microbial communities, and provide a comprehensive view for a set of microbial communities. The clustering results indicate that structure of human microbiome is varied systematically across body

Microbial community pattern detection in human body habitats via ensemble clustering framework

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The human habitat is a host where microbial species evolve, function, and continue to evolve. Elucidating how microbial communities respond to human habitats is a fundamental and critical task, as establishing baselines of human microbiome is essential in understanding its role in human disease and health. Recent studies on healthy human microbiome focus on particular body habitats, assuming that microbiome develop similar structural patterns to perform similar ecosystem function under same environmental conditions. However, current studies usually overlook a complex and interconnected landscape of human microbiome and limit the ability in particular body habitats with learning models of specific criterion. Therefore, these methods could not capture the real-world underlying microbial patterns effectively. Results To obtain a comprehensive view, we propose a novel ensemble clustering framework to mine the structure of microbial community pattern on large-scale metagenomic data. Particularly, we first build a microbial similarity network via integrating 1920 metagenomic samples from three body habitats of healthy adults. Then a novel symmetric Nonnegative Matrix Factorization (NMF) based ensemble model is proposed and applied onto the network to detect clustering pattern. Extensive experiments are conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of our model on deriving microbial community with respect to body habitat and host gender. From clustering results, we observed that body habitat exhibits a strong bound but non-unique microbial structural pattern. Meanwhile, human microbiome reveals different degree of structural variations over body habitat and host gender. Conclusions In summary, our ensemble clustering framework could efficiently explore integrated clustering results to accurately identify microbial communities, and provide a comprehensive view for a set of microbial communities. The clustering results indicate that structure of human microbiome is

Body composition among HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative adult patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in Uganda.

PubMed

Mupere, Ezekiel; Zalwango, Sarah; Chiunda, Allan; Okwera, Alphonse; Mugerwa, Roy; Whalen, Christopher

2010-03-01

We determined whether human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection affects body cell mass and fat mass wasting among adults with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). We screened 967 Ugandan adults for PTB and HIV infection in a cross-sectional study. We compared anthropometric and bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) body composition parameters among HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative men and women with or without PTB by using a non-parametric test. We found that poor nutritional status associated with TB differed among men and women. Anthropometric and BIA body composition did not differ between HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative patients regardless of gender. Average weight group difference in men consisted of body cell mass and fat mass in equal proportions of 43%. In women, average weight group difference consisted predominantly of fat mass of 73% and body cell mass of 13%. Compared to individuals without TB, patients with TB had lower body mass index, weight, body cell mass, and fat mass regardless of gender and HIV status. Gender, but not HIV status, was associated with body composition changes in TB. TB appears to be the dominant factor driving the wasting process among co-infected patients. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Body Composition among HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative Adult Patients with Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Uganda

PubMed Central

Mupere, Ezekiel; Zalwango, Sarah; Chiunda, Allan; Okwera, Alphonse; Mugerwa, Roy; Whalen, Christopher

2009-01-01

Purpose We determined whether human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection affects body cell mass and fat mass wasting among adults with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). Methods We screened 967 Ugandan adults for PTB and HIV infection in a cross-sectional study. We compared anthropometric and bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) body composition parameters among HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative men and women with or without PTB using a non-parametric test. Results We found that poor nutritional status associated with TB differed among men and women. Anthropometric and BIA body composition did not differ between HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative patients regardless of gender. Average weight group difference in men comprised of body cell mass and fat mass in equal proportions of 43%. In women, average weight group difference comprised predominantly of fat mass of 73% and body cell mass of 13%. Compared to individuals without TB, patients with TB had lower body mass index, weight, body cell mass, and fat mass regardless of gender and HIV status. Conclusions Gender but not HIV status was associated with body composition changes in TB. Tuberculosis appears to be the dominant factor driving the wasting process among co-infected patients. PMID:20159491

Body image disturbance in adults treated for cancer - a concept analysis.

PubMed

Rhoten, Bethany A

2016-05-01

To report an analysis of the concept of body image disturbance in adults who have been treated for cancer as a phenomenon of interest to nurses. Although the concept of body image disturbance has been clearly defined in adolescents and adults with eating disorders, adults who have been treated for cancer may also experience body image disturbance. In this context, the concept of body image disturbance has not been clearly defined. Concept analysis. PubMed, Psychological Information Database and Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature were searched for publications from 1937 - 2015. Search terms included body image, cancer, body image disturbance, adult and concept analysis. Walker and Avant's 8-step method of concept analysis was used. The defining attributes of body image disturbance in adults who have been treated for cancer are: (1) self-perception of a change in appearance and displeasure with the change or perceived change in appearance; (2) decline in an area of function; and (3) psychological distress regarding changes in appearance and/or function. This concept analysis provides a foundation for the development of multidimensional assessment tools and interventions to alleviate body image disturbance in this population. A better understanding of body image disturbance in adults treated for cancer will assist nurses and other clinicians in identifying this phenomenon and nurse scientists in developing instruments that accurately measure this condition, along with interventions that will promote a better quality of life for survivors. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Impact of brown adipose tissue on body fatness and glucose metabolism in healthy humans.

PubMed

Matsushita, M; Yoneshiro, T; Aita, S; Kameya, T; Sugie, H; Saito, M

2014-06-01

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is involved in the regulation of whole-body energy expenditure and adiposity. Some clinical studies have reported an association between BAT and blood glucose in humans. To examine the impact of BAT on glucose metabolism, independent of that of body fatness, age and sex in healthy adult humans. Two hundred and sixty healthy volunteers (184 males and 76 females, 20-72 years old) underwent fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography and computed tomography after 2 h of cold exposure to assess maximal BAT activity. Blood parameters including glucose, HbA1c and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)/high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol were measured by conventional methods, and body fatness was estimated from body mass index (BMI), body fat mass and abdominal fat area. The impact of BAT on body fatness and blood parameters was determined by logistic regression with the use of univariate and multivariate models. Cold-activated BAT was detected in 125 (48%) out of 260 subjects. When compared with subjects without detectable BAT, those with detectable BAT were younger and showed lower adiposity-related parameters such as the BMI, body fat mass and abdominal fat area. Although blood parameters were within the normal range in the two subject groups, HbA1c, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol were significantly lower in the BAT-positive group. Blood glucose also tended to be lower in the BAT-positive group. Logistic regression demonstrated that BAT, in addition to age and sex, was independently associated with BMI, body fat mass, and abdominal visceral and subcutaneous fat areas. For blood parameters, multivariate analysis after adjustment for age, sex and body fatness revealed that BAT was a significantly independent determinant of glucose and HbA1c. BAT, independent of age, sex and body fatness, has a significant impact on glucose metabolism in adult healthy humans.

Swallowed foreign bodies in adults.

PubMed

Ambe, Peter; Weber, Sebastian A; Schauer, Mathias; Knoefel, Wolfram T

2012-12-01

Foreign-body ingestion is a common event most often seen in children from 6 months to 6 years of age. In adults, foreign bodies are usually ingested accidentally together with food. This happens more commonly in persons with certain pathological changes of the gastrointestinal tract. We present a selective review of pertinent literature retrieved by a search in the PubMed database. The foreign bodies most commonly ingested by adults are fish bones and chicken bones. The clinical approach to the problem depends on the type of material ingested and on the patient's symptoms and physical findings. In about 80% of cases, the ingested material passes uneventfully through the gastrointestinal tract; endoscopy is performed in about 20% of cases, and surgery in less than 1%. Emergency esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) is recommended when the esophagus is completely occluded (because of the risk of aspiration and/or pressure necrosis), when the ingested object has a sharp point or edge (because of the risk of perforation, with ensuing mediastinitis or peritonitis), and when a battery has been ingested (because of the risk of necrosis and fistula formation). For non-occluding esophageal foreign bodies, including magnets, an urgent but non-emergency EGD within 12 to 24 hours is recommended. Most patients can be treated conservatively by observation alone, but there should be a low threshold for deciding to proceed to endoscopic retrieval. Surgery is reserved for complicated cases.

Role of media and peers on body change strategies among adult men: is body size important?

PubMed

McCabe, Marita P; McGreevy, Shauna J

2011-01-01

There has been limited previous research that has examined the role of sociocultural influences on body change strategies among adult men. The current study investigated the role of specific types of messages (encouragement, teasing and modelling) from peers and the media on the strategies to change weight among adult men. Differences were evaluated between 526 men aged from 18 to 60 years from three groups (normal weight, overweight and obese) on body image, body change strategies and messages about their body received from peers and the media. Men were primarily drawn from United States, Australia and Europe. Results showed that messages received by men regarding losing weight or increasing muscle size differed according to weight. Body image and media messages were the strongest predictors of losing weight, whereas body image importance and messages from peers were the strongest predictors of increasing muscles. These findings highlight the importance of sociocultural influences on body change strategies among adult males. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Thermal Harvesting Potential of the Human Body

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thielen, Moritz; Kara, Gökhan; Unkovic, Ivana; Majoe, Dennis; Hierold, Christofer

2018-02-01

Thermoelectric energy harvesting of human body heat might supplement or even replace conventional energy storage in wearable devices for healthcare and the Internet of Humans. Although a number of thermal harvesters are presented in the literature, no conclusive data can be found on the amount of available thermal energy provided by different individuals and activities. We here present the results of an observational study with 56 test subjects of different ages (children, adults and elderly) and gender, performing predefined activities (sitting, walking) in varying environments (indoor, outdoor). Our study showed a statistical difference of thermal potential and skin properties between age groups, but not between genders. On average, stationary elderly test subjects produced ˜ 32% less heat flux compared to minors (mean: children = 13.9 mW/cm2, adults = 11.4 mW/cm2, elderly = 9.4 mW/cm2). This potentially correlates with an increase in thermal skin resistance with age (children = 494 cm2 K/W, adults = 549 cm2 K/W, elderly = 835 cm2 K/W). The mean harvested power varied from 12.2 μW/cm2 (elderly) to 26.2 μW/cm2 (children) for stationary, and from 20.2 μW/cm2 (elderly) to 69.5 μW/cm2 (children) for active subjects inside of a building. The findings of this study can be used to better anticipate the available energy for different usage scenarios of thermal harvesters and optimize wearable systems accordingly.

Thermal Harvesting Potential of the Human Body

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thielen, Moritz; Kara, Gökhan; Unkovic, Ivana; Majoe, Dennis; Hierold, Christofer

2018-06-01

Thermoelectric energy harvesting of human body heat might supplement or even replace conventional energy storage in wearable devices for healthcare and the Internet of Humans. Although a number of thermal harvesters are presented in the literature, no conclusive data can be found on the amount of available thermal energy provided by different individuals and activities. We here present the results of an observational study with 56 test subjects of different ages (children, adults and elderly) and gender, performing predefined activities (sitting, walking) in varying environments (indoor, outdoor). Our study showed a statistical difference of thermal potential and skin properties between age groups, but not between genders. On average, stationary elderly test subjects produced ˜ 32% less heat flux compared to minors (mean: children = 13.9 mW/cm2, adults = 11.4 mW/cm2, elderly = 9.4 mW/cm2). This potentially correlates with an increase in thermal skin resistance with age (children = 494 cm2 K/W, adults = 549 cm2 K/W, elderly = 835 cm2 K/W). The mean harvested power varied from 12.2 μW/cm2 (elderly) to 26.2 μW/cm2 (children) for stationary, and from 20.2 μW/cm2 (elderly) to 69.5 μW/cm2 (children) for active subjects inside of a building. The findings of this study can be used to better anticipate the available energy for different usage scenarios of thermal harvesters and optimize wearable systems accordingly.

Aging human body: changes in bone, muscle and body fat with consequent changes in nutrient intake.

PubMed

JafariNasabian, Pegah; Inglis, Julia E; Reilly, Wendimere; Kelly, Owen J; Ilich, Jasminka Z

2017-07-01

Aging affects almost all physiological processes, but changes in body composition and body phenotype are most observable. In this review, we focus on these changes, including loss of bone and muscle and increase in body fat or redistribution of the latter, possibly leading to osteosarcopenic obesity syndrome. We also address low-grade chronic inflammation, prevalent in aging adults and a cause of many disorders including those associated with body composition. Changes in dietary intake and nutritional requirements of older individuals, that all may lead to some disturbances on tissue and organ levels, are discussed as well. Finally, we discuss the hormonal changes in the aging body, considering each of the tissues, bone, muscle and fat as separate endocrine organs, but yet in the continuous interface and communication with each other. Although there are still many unanswered questions in this field, this review will enable the readers to better understand the aging human body and measures needing to be implemented toward reducing impaired health and disability in older individuals. © 2017 Society for Endocrinology.

Physiological responses during whole body suspension of adult rats

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steffen, J. M.; Fell, R. D.; Musacchia, X. J.

1987-01-01

The objective of this study was to characterize responses of adult rats to one and two weeks of whole body suspension. Body weights and food and water intakes were initially reduced during suspension, but, while intake of food and water returned to presuspension levels, body weight remained depressed. Diuresis was evident, but only during week two. Hindlimb muscle responses were differential, with the soleus exhibiting the greatest atrophy and the EDL a relative hypertrophy. These findings suggest that adult rats respond qualitatively in a manner similar to juveniles during suspension.

Foreign body aspiration in adult airways: therapeutic approach

PubMed Central

Hewlett, Justin C.; Rickman, Otis B.; Lentz, Robert J.; Prakash, Udaya B.

2017-01-01

Tracheobronchial foreign body (FB) aspiration is an uncommon but potentially life-threatening event in adults. Symptoms typically consist of a choking event followed by cough and dyspnea, however, these findings are inconsistent and symptoms may mimic more chronic lung diseases such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Chest radiography and computed tomography can provide information regarding the location and characteristics of foreign bodies and aid in diagnosis. Bronchoscopy remains the gold standard for diagnosis and management of FB aspiration. The authors describe the typical clinical presentation, diagnostic evaluation, and bronchoscopic management of foreign bodies in adult airways with a focus on bronchoscopic techniques and potential complications of FB extraction. PMID:29221325

Are there effects of age, gender, height, and body fat on the functional muscle-bone unit in children and adults?

PubMed

Duran, I; Martakis, K; Hamacher, S; Stark, C; Semler, O; Schoenau, E

2018-05-01

The aim was to describe the effect of age, gender, height, different stages of human life, and body fat on the functional muscle-bone unit. All these factors had a significant effect on the functional muscle-bone unit and should be addressed when assessing functional muscle-bone unit in children and adults. For the clinical evaluation of the functional muscle-bone unit, it was proposed to evaluate the adaptation of the bone to the acting forces. A frequently used parameter for this is the total body less head bone mineral content (TBLH-BMC) determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in relation to the lean body mass (LBM by DXA). LBM correlates highly with muscle mass. Therefore, LBM is a surrogate parameter for the muscular forces acting in everyday life. The aim of the study was to describe the effect of age and gender on the TBLH-BMC for LBM and to evaluate the impact of other factors, such as height, different stages of human life, and of body fat. As part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) study, between the years 1999-2006 whole-body DXA scans on randomly selected Americans from 8 years of age were carried out. From all eligible DXA scans (1999-2004), three major US ethnic groups were evaluated (non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Blacks, and Mexican Americans) for further statistical analysis. For the statistical analysis, the DXA scans of 8190 non-Hispanic White children and adults (3903 female), of 4931 non-Hispanic Black children and adults (2250 female) and 5421 of Mexican-American children and adults (2424 female) were eligible. Age, gender, body height, and especially body fat had a significant effect on the functional muscle-bone unit. When assessing TBLH-BMC for LBM in children and adults, the effects of age, gender, body fat, and body height should be addressed. These effects were analyzed for the first time in such a large cohort.

Phages in the Human Body.

PubMed

Navarro, Ferran; Muniesa, Maite

2017-01-01

Bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, have re-emerged as powerful regulators of bacterial populations in natural ecosystems. Phages invade the human body, just as they do other natural environments, to such an extent that they are the most numerous group in the human virome. This was only revealed in recent metagenomic studies, despite the fact that the presence of phages in the human body was reported decades ago. The influence of the presence of phages in humans has yet to be evaluated; but as in marine environments, a clear role in the regulation of bacterial populations could be envisaged, that might have an impact on human health. Moreover, phages are excellent vehicles of genetic transfer, and they contribute to the evolution of bacterial cells in the human body by spreading and acquiring DNA horizontally. The abundance of phages in the human body does not pass unnoticed and the immune system reacts to them, although it is not clear to what extent. Finally, the presence of phages in human samples, which most of the time is not considered, can influence and bias microbiological and molecular results; and, in view of the evidences, some studies suggest that more attention needs to be paid to their interference.

7 CFR 273.24 - Time limit for able-bodied adults.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 4 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Time limit for able-bodied adults. 273.24 Section 273.24 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE... Program Alternatives § 273.24 Time limit for able-bodied adults. (a) Definitions. For purposes of the food...

7 CFR 273.24 - Time limit for able-bodied adults.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 4 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Time limit for able-bodied adults. 273.24 Section 273.24 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE... Program Alternatives § 273.24 Time limit for able-bodied adults. (a) Definitions. For purposes of the food...

7 CFR 273.24 - Time limit for able-bodied adults.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 4 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Time limit for able-bodied adults. 273.24 Section 273.24 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE... Program Alternatives § 273.24 Time limit for able-bodied adults. (a) Definitions. For purposes of the food...

7 CFR 273.24 - Time limit for able-bodied adults.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 4 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Time limit for able-bodied adults. 273.24 Section 273.24 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE... Program Alternatives § 273.24 Time limit for able-bodied adults. (a) Definitions. For purposes of the food...

Effect of body composition methodology on heritability estimation of body fatness

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Heritability estimates of human body fatness vary widely and the contribution of body composition methodology to this variability is unknown. The effect of body composition methodology on estimations of genetic and environmental contributions to body fatness variation was examined in 78 adult male ...

Adults are intuitive mind-body dualists.

PubMed

Forstmann, Matthias; Burgmer, Pascal

2015-02-01

In the present research, we tested the hypotheses that (a) adults are intuitive mind-body dualists, (b) that this belief can be considered a default, and (c) that it is partially explained by essentialistic reasoning about the nature of the mind. Over 8 studies, using various thought experiment paradigms, participants reliably ascribed to a physically duplicated being a greater retention of physical than of mental properties. This difference was unrelated to whether or not this being was given a proper name (Study 1b) and was only found for entities that were considered to actually possess a mind (Study 1c). Further, we found that an intuitive belief in mind-body dualism may in fact be considered a default: Taxing participants' cognitive resources (Study 2) or priming them with an intuitive (vs. analytical) thinking style (Studies 3a and 3b) both increased dualistic beliefs. In a last set of studies, we found that beliefs in mind-body dualism are indeed related to essentialistic reasoning about the mind. When a living being was reassembled from its original molecules rather than recreated from new molecules, dualistic beliefs were significantly reduced (Studies 4a and 4b). Thus, results of the present research indicate that, despite any acquired scientific knowledge about the neurological origins of mental life, most adults remain "essentialistic mind-body dualists" at heart.

Human body fluid proteome analysis

PubMed Central

Hu, Shen; Loo, Joseph A.; Wong, David T.

2010-01-01

The focus of this article is to review the recent advances in proteome analysis of human body fluids, including plasma/serum, urine, cerebrospinal fluid, saliva, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, synovial fluid, nipple aspirate fluid, tear fluid, and amniotic fluid, as well as its applications to human disease biomarker discovery. We aim to summarize the proteomics technologies currently used for global identification and quantification of body fluid proteins, and elaborate the putative biomarkers discovered for a variety of human diseases through human body fluid proteome (HBFP) analysis. Some critical concerns and perspectives in this emerging field are also discussed. With the advances made in proteomics technologies, the impact of HBFP analysis in the search for clinically relevant disease biomarkers would be realized in the future. PMID:17083142

Human body fluid proteome analysis.

PubMed

Hu, Shen; Loo, Joseph A; Wong, David T

2006-12-01

The focus of this article is to review the recent advances in proteome analysis of human body fluids, including plasma/serum, urine, cerebrospinal fluid, saliva, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, synovial fluid, nipple aspirate fluid, tear fluid, and amniotic fluid, as well as its applications to human disease biomarker discovery. We aim to summarize the proteomics technologies currently used for global identification and quantification of body fluid proteins, and elaborate the putative biomarkers discovered for a variety of human diseases through human body fluid proteome (HBFP) analysis. Some critical concerns and perspectives in this emerging field are also discussed. With the advances made in proteomics technologies, the impact of HBFP analysis in the search for clinically relevant disease biomarkers would be realized in the future.

Associations among body size across the life course, adult height and endometriosis.

PubMed

Farland, L V; Missmer, S A; Bijon, A; Gusto, G; Gelot, A; Clavel-Chapelon, F; Mesrine, S; Boutron-Ruault, M C; Kvaskoff, M

2017-08-01

associated with lean body size across the life course and total adult height. They also suggest that components of height are associated with endometriosis, which should be investigated further. The Mutuelle Générale de l'Education Nationale (MGEN); the European Community; the French League against Cancer (LNCC); Gustave Roussy; the French Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm). L.V.F. was supported by a T32 grant (#HD060454) in reproductive, perinatal and pediatric epidemiology from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Cancer Institute (3R25CA057711) National Institutes of Health. M.K. was supported by a Marie Curie Fellowship within the seventh European Community Framework Programme (#PIOF-GA-2011-302078). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

[Survival Strategies of Aspergillus in the Human Body].

PubMed

Tashiro, Masato; Izumikawa, Koichi

2017-01-01

 The human body is a hostile environment for Aspergillus species, which originally live outside the human body. There are lots of elimination mechanisms against Aspergillus inhaled into the human body, such as high body temperature, soluble lung components, mucociliary clearance mechanism, or responses of phagocytes. Aspergillus fumigatus, which is the primary causative agent of human infections among the human pathogenic species of Aspergillus, defend itself from the hostile human body environment by various mechanisms, such as thermotolerance, mycotoxin production, and characteristic morphological features. Here we review mechanisms of defense in Aspergillus against elimination from the human body.

Acute normobaric hypoxia reduces body temperature in humans.

PubMed

DiPasquale, Dana M; Kolkhorst, Fred W; Buono, Michael J

2015-03-01

Anapyrexia is the regulated decrease in body temperature during acute exposure to hypoxia. This study examined resting rectal temperature (Trec) in adult humans during acute normobaric hypoxia (NH). Ten subjects breathed air consisting of 21% (NN), 14% (NH14), and 12% oxygen (NH12) for 30 min each in thermoneutral conditions while Trec and blood oxygen saturation (Spo2) were measured. Linear regression indicated that Spo2 was progressively lower in NH14 (p=0.0001) and NH12 (p=0.0001) compared to NN, and that Spo2 in NH14 was different than NH12 (p=0.00001). Trec was progressively lower during NH14 (p=0.014) and in NH12 (p=0.0001) compared to NN. The difference in Trec between NH14 and NH12 was also significant (p=0.0287). Spo2 was a significant predictor of Trec such that for every 1% decrease in Spo2, Trec decreased by 0.15°C (p=0.0001). The present study confirmed that, similar to many other species, human adults respond to acute hypoxia exposure by lowering rectal temperature.

Wisdom, the Body, and Adult Learning: Insights from Neuroscience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swartz, Ann L.

2011-01-01

In adult education, there has recently been a recognition of the body's role in adult learning. Attention to neuroscience is somewhat limited, though is emerging. These two perspectives are not integrated. With this article, the author argues that adult education must look to science to achieve a deeper understanding of the evolving…

Early Childhood Poverty and Adult Body Mass Index

PubMed Central

Duncan, Greg J.; Kalil, Ariel

2009-01-01

Objectives. We estimated associations between poverty in early, middle, and later childhood and adult body mass index to further elucidate the effects of socioeconomic status on health. Methods. We conducted secondary analyses of data from men and women (N = 885) born between 1968 and 1975 who were tracked between their prenatal and birth years and adulthood in the nationally representative Panel Study of Income Dynamics. We used multivariate regression techniques and spline models to estimate the relationship between income in different stages of childhood and adult body mass index, overweight, and obesity. We controlled for other family characteristics, including income in other periods of childhood. Results. Mean annual family income in the prenatal and birth years for children whose annual family incomes averaged less than $25 000 was significantly associated with increased adult body mass index, but mean annual family income between 1 and 5 years of age and between 6 and 15 years of age was not. Conclusions. Our results indicated that economic conditions in the earliest period of life (during the prenatal and birth years) may play an important role in eventual anthropometric measures. PMID:19106427

Protection of obstetric dimensions in a small-bodied human sample.

PubMed

Kurki, Helen K

2007-08-01

In human females, the bony pelvis must find a balance between being small (narrow) for efficient bipedal locomotion, and being large to accommodate a relatively large newborn. It has been shown that within a given population, taller/larger-bodied women have larger pelvic canals. This study investigates whether in a population where small body size is the norm, pelvic geometry (size and shape), on average, shows accommodation to protect the obstetric canal. Osteometric data were collected from the pelves, femora, and clavicles (body size indicators) of adult skeletons representing a range of adult body size. Samples include Holocene Later Stone Age (LSA) foragers from southern Africa (n = 28 females, 31 males), Portuguese from the Coimbra-identified skeletal collection (CISC) (n = 40 females, 40 males) and European-Americans from the Hamann-Todd osteological collection (H-T) (n = 40 females, 40 males). Patterns of sexual dimorphism are similar in the samples. Univariate and multivariate analyses of raw and Mosimann shape-variables indicate that compared to the CISC and H-T females, the LSA females have relatively large midplane and outlet canal planes (particularly posterior and A-P lengths). The LSA males also follow this pattern, although with absolutely smaller pelves in multivariate space. The CISC females, who have equally small stature, but larger body mass, do not show the same type of pelvic canal size and shape accommodation. The results suggest that adaptive allometric modeling in at least some small-bodied populations protects the obstetric canal. These findings support the use of population-specific attributes in the clinical evaluation of obstetric risk. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Human body segmentation via data-driven graph cut.

PubMed

Li, Shifeng; Lu, Huchuan; Shao, Xingqing

2014-11-01

Human body segmentation is a challenging and important problem in computer vision. Existing methods usually entail a time-consuming training phase for prior knowledge learning with complex shape matching for body segmentation. In this paper, we propose a data-driven method that integrates top-down body pose information and bottom-up low-level visual cues for segmenting humans in static images within the graph cut framework. The key idea of our approach is first to exploit human kinematics to search for body part candidates via dynamic programming for high-level evidence. Then, by using the body parts classifiers, obtaining bottom-up cues of human body distribution for low-level evidence. All the evidence collected from top-down and bottom-up procedures are integrated in a graph cut framework for human body segmentation. Qualitative and quantitative experiment results demonstrate the merits of the proposed method in segmenting human bodies with arbitrary poses from cluttered backgrounds.

Body Partonomy: How Children Partition the Human Body.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Carl Nils; Kendrick, Kimberly

1984-01-01

Concepts of body parts and their relationships were assessed in children ages three, four, and five, as well as in adults. Three specific questions were addressed: (1) What do children understand about such "partonomic" relations? (2) Is there an order in the acquisition of partonomic concepts? and (3) Do children exhibit any confusions in their…

Normative aspects of the human body.

PubMed

Siep, Ludwig

2003-04-01

In cultural history the human body has been the object of a great variety of opposing valuations, ranging from "imago dei" to "the devil's tool". At present, the body is commonly regarded as a mere means to fulfill the wishes of its "owner". According to these wishes it can be technically improved in an unlimited way. Against this view the text argues for a conception of the human body as a valuable "common heritage". The "normal" human body as the result of natural and cultural history is an essential condition of the modern social and legal order. The consequences of its technical alteration should be the subject of public debates and common decisions.

Genetics Home Reference: adult polyglucosan body disease

MedlinePlus

... This Page Klein CJ, Boes CJ, Chapin JE, Lynch CD, Campeau NG, Dyck PJ, Dyck PJ. Adult polyglucosan body disease: case description of an expanding genetic and clinical syndrome. Muscle Nerve. 2004 Feb;29(2):323-8. ...

Biophoton emission of human body.

PubMed

Cohen, S; Popp, F A

2003-05-01

For the first time systematic measurements of the "ultraweak" photon emission of the human body (biophotons) have been performed by means of a photon detector device set up in darkness. About 200 persons have been investigated. In a particular case one person has been examined daily over several months. It turned out that this biophoton emission reflects, (i) the left-right symmetry of the human body; (ii) biological rhythms such as 14 days, 1 month, 3 months and 9 months; (iii) disease in terms of broken symmetry between left and right side; and (iv) light channels in the body, which regulate energy and information transfer between different parts. The results show that besides a deeper understanding of health, disease and body field, this method provides a new powerful tool of non-invasive medical diagnosis in terms of basic regulatory functions of the body.

Human body may produce bacteria.

PubMed

Salerian, Alen J

2017-06-01

"Human body may produce bacteria" proposes that human body may produce bacteria and represent an independent source of infections contrary to the current paradigm of infectious disorders proposed by Louis Pasteur in 1880. The following observations are consistent with this hypothesis: A. Bidirectional transformations of both living and nonliving things have been commonly observed in nature. B. Complex multicellular organisms harbor the necessary properties to produce bacteria (water, nitrogen and oxygen). C. Physical laws suggest any previously observed phenomenon or action will occur again (life began on earth; a non living thing). D. Animal muscle cells may generate energy (fermentation). E. Sterilized food products (i.e. boiled eggs), may produce bacteria and fungus under special conditions and without any exposure to foreign living cells. "Human body may produce bacteria" may challenge the current medical paradigm that views human infectious disorders as the exclusive causative byproducts of invading foreign cells. It may also introduce new avenues to treat infectious disorders. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Systematic review: body composition in adults with inflammatory bowel disease.

PubMed

Bryant, R V; Trott, M J; Bartholomeusz, F D; Andrews, J M

2013-08-01

There is a paucity of data on body composition in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Alterations of fat and muscle may affect bone health, muscle performance, quality of life (QoL) and overall morbidity. To systematically review the literature on body composition in adults with IBD, and to discuss potential contributory factors and associations. A systematic search was performed in July 2012 of OVID SP MEDLINE, OVID EMBASE and National Library of Medicine's PubMed Central Medline (Limitations: English, humans, from 1992). A total of 19 articles comparing body composition in patients with IBD with healthy age- and sex-matched control populations were included in the primary analysis. A total of 631 patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and 295 with ulcerative colitis (UC), mean age 37.1 (s.d. ± 9.2) years; 485 (52%) female, were reported upon. Data were heterogeneous and methodology varied. Compared with controls, a statistically significant reduction in body mass index (BMI) was reported in 37% of CD and 20% of UC patients; reduced fat-free mass in 28% CD and 13% UC patients, and reduced fat mass in 31% CD and 13% UC patients. There was no consistent association between body composition and disease activity, duration, extent or therapies. BMI did not accurately predict body composition. Current data, although heterogeneous, suggest that many patients with IBD are affected by aberrations in fat and lean mass, which may not be detected during routine clinical assessment. The prevalence and impact of altered body composition amongst this population warrant further investigation. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

An estimation of the number of cells in the human body.

PubMed

Bianconi, Eva; Piovesan, Allison; Facchin, Federica; Beraudi, Alina; Casadei, Raffaella; Frabetti, Flavia; Vitale, Lorenza; Pelleri, Maria Chiara; Tassani, Simone; Piva, Francesco; Perez-Amodio, Soledad; Strippoli, Pierluigi; Canaider, Silvia

2013-01-01

All living organisms are made of individual and identifiable cells, whose number, together with their size and type, ultimately defines the structure and functions of an organism. While the total cell number of lower organisms is often known, it has not yet been defined in higher organisms. In particular, the reported total cell number of a human being ranges between 10(12) and 10(16) and it is widely mentioned without a proper reference. To study and discuss the theoretical issue of the total number of cells that compose the standard human adult organism. A systematic calculation of the total cell number of the whole human body and of the single organs was carried out using bibliographical and/or mathematical approaches. A current estimation of human total cell number calculated for a variety of organs and cell types is presented. These partial data correspond to a total number of 3.72 × 10(13). Knowing the total cell number of the human body as well as of individual organs is important from a cultural, biological, medical and comparative modelling point of view. The presented cell count could be a starting point for a common effort to complete the total calculation.

Ontogeny of modern human longitudinal body and transverse shoulder proportions.

PubMed

Frelat, Mélanie A; Coquerelle, Michael; Trinkaus, Erik

2017-03-01

Whereas variation of modern human adult body size and shape has been widely studied in the context of ecogeographical clines, little is known about the differential growth patterns of transverse and longitudinal dimensions among human populations. Our study explored the ontogenetic variation of those body proportions in modern humans. We compared results from four different approaches to study cross-sectional skeletal samples of Africans (n = 43), Amerindians (n = 69) and Europeans (n = 40) from 0 to 14 years of age. Clavicle, humerus, and femur intermetaphyseal lengths, and femoral distal metaphyseal breadth, were measured. Average ontogenetic trajectories were computed in order to compare the growth patterns of the three groups. Our findings demonstrated that the three geographical groups shared similar absolute and relative patterns of change with age for the four dimensions considered. Although interpopulation differences existed in transverse to longitudinal as well as in interlimb proportions, those differences did not seem to remain constant throughout ontogeny, similar to what has been shown for intralimb proportions. Growth rates of transverse shoulder proportions differed between populations from different regions after 10 years, whereas those for longitudinal proportions were very similar. The ontogeny of transverse shoulder proportions is more complex than what is observed for bi-iliac breadth, suggesting that transverse shoulder to limb proportions are not solely influenced by ecogeographical conditions. Our analysis demonstrates that methodologies that incorporate critical dimensions of body form could shed new light on human adaptation in both paleontological and neontological contexts. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Aggregation of Human Eyelid Adipose-derived Stem Cells by Human Body Fluids

PubMed Central

Song, Yeonhwa; Yun, Sujin; Yang, Hye Jin; Yoon, A Young; Kim, Haekwon

2012-01-01

Fetal bovine serum (FBS) is the most frequently used serum for the cultivation of mammalian cells. However, since animal-derived materials might not be appropriate due to safety issues, allogeneic human serum (HS) has been used to replace FBS, particularly for the culture of human cells. While there has been a debate about the advantages of HS, its precise effect on human adult stem cells have not been clarified. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of HS on the human eyelid adipose stem cells (HEACs) in vitro. When HEACs were cultivated in a medium containing 10% HS, many cells moved into several spots and aggregated there. The phenomenon was observed as early as 9 days following 10% HS treatment, and 12 days following 5% HS plus 5% FBS treatment. However, the aggregation was never observed when the same cells were cultivated with 10% FBS or bovine serum albumin. To examine whether cell density might affect the aggregation, cells were seeded with different densities on 12-well dish. Until the beginning of aggregation, cells seeded at low densities exhibited the longest culture period of 16 days whereas cells seeded at high densities showed the shortest period of 9 days to form aggregation. The number of cells was 15.1±0.2×104 as the least for the low density group, and 29.3±2.8×104 as the greatest for the high density group. When human cord blood serum or normal bovine serum was examined for the same effect on HEACs, interestingly, cord blood serum induced the aggregation of cells whereas bovine serum treatment has never induced. When cells were cultivated with 10% HS for 9 days, they were obtained and analyzed by RT-PCR. Compared to FBS-cultivated HEACs, HS-cultivated HEACs did not express VIM, and less expressed GATA4, PALLD. On the other hand, HS-cultivated HEACs expressed MAP2 more than FBS-cultivated HEACs. In conclusion, human adult stem cells could move and form aggregates by the treatment with human body fluids. PMID:25949109

Human body and head characteristics as a communication medium for Body Area Network.

PubMed

Kifle, Yonatan; Hun-Seok Kim; Yoo, Jerald

2015-01-01

An in-depth investigation of the Body Channel Communication (BCC) under the environment set according to the IEEE 802.15.6 Body Area Network (BAN) standard is conducted to observe and characterize the human body as a communication medium. A thorough measurement of the human head as part of the human channel is also carried out. Human forehead, head to limb, and ear to ear channel is characterized. The channel gain of the human head follows the same bandpass profile of the human torso and limbs with the maximum channel gain occurring at 35MHz. The human body channel gain distribution histogram at given frequencies, while all the other parameters are held constant, exhibits a maximum variation of 2.2dB in the channel gain at the center frequency of the bandpass channel gain profile.

Endoscopic management of suspected esophageal foreign body in adults.

PubMed

Wu, W-T; Chiu, C-T; Kuo, C-J; Lin, C-J; Chu, Y-Y; Tsou, Y-K; Su, M-Y

2011-04-01

Foreign bodies should not be allowed to remain in the esophagus beyond 24 hours after presentation. However, some patients with esophageal foreign body ingestion do not come to the hospital immediately and may delay medical intervention from the time of ingestion. The aim of this study was to investigate the outcomes of adults with suspected esophageal foreign body ingestion according to the time of ingestion and types of foreign bodies. A total of 326 adult patients (151 men and 175 women) were analyzed, and divided into two groups according to the time period: within or beyond 24 hours from ingestion to endoscopic intervention. A total of 172 patients (52.7%) were found to have ingested foreign bodies; 73.5% were removed smoothly, 10.3% were treated by push technique and 16.0% with failed retrieval received alternative treatments. A higher proportion of patients in the beyond-24 hours group suffered from odynophagia (25.9 vs. 12.9%, P < 0.05). Negative identification of esophageal foreign bodies was more frequent in the beyond-24 hours group (67 vs. 40.2%, P < 0.05), but these patients showed higher proportions of esophageal ulcers (21.1 vs. 7.2%, P < 0.05). The beyond-24 hours group also showed a significantly higher rate of foreign bodies in the lower esophagus (40.0 vs. 15.3%, P < 0.05). Patients with esophageal food bolus impaction had significant delayed endoscopic intervention, longer therapeutic endoscopic time, higher proportions of esophageal cancer, stricture and fewer complications. Endoscopic intervention within 24 hours from the time of ingestion should be considered early in adults, because delaying intervention may produce more symptomatic esophageal ulcerations with odynophagia. © 2010 Copyright the Authors. Journal compilation © 2010, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus.

Dynamics and associations of microbial community types across the human body.

PubMed

Ding, Tao; Schloss, Patrick D

2014-05-15

A primary goal of the Human Microbiome Project (HMP) was to provide a reference collection of 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences collected from sites across the human body that would allow microbiologists to better associate changes in the microbiome with changes in health. The HMP Consortium has reported the structure and function of the human microbiome in 300 healthy adults at 18 body sites from a single time point. Using additional data collected over the course of 12-18 months, we used Dirichlet multinomial mixture models to partition the data into community types for each body site and made three important observations. First, there were strong associations between whether individuals had been breastfed as an infant, their gender, and their level of education with their community types at several body sites. Second, although the specific taxonomic compositions of the oral and gut microbiomes were different, the community types observed at these sites were predictive of each other. Finally, over the course of the sampling period, the community types from sites within the oral cavity were the least stable, whereas those in the vagina and gut were the most stable. Our results demonstrate that even with the considerable intra- and interpersonal variation in the human microbiome, this variation can be partitioned into community types that are predictive of each other and are probably the result of life-history characteristics. Understanding the diversity of community types and the mechanisms that result in an individual having a particular type or changing types, will allow us to use their community types to assess disease risk and to personalize therapies.

Dynamics and associations of microbial community types across the human body

PubMed Central

Ding, Tao; Schloss, Patrick D.

2014-01-01

A primary goal of the Human Microbiome Project (HMP) was to provide a reference collection of 16S rRNA gene sequences collected from sites across the human body that would allow microbiologists to better associate changes in the microbiome with changes in health 1. The HMP Consortium has reported the structure and function of the human microbiome in 300 healthy adults at 18 body sites from a single time point 2,3. Using additional data collected over the course of 12–18 months, we used Dirichlet multinomial mixture models 4 to partition the data into community types for each body site and made three important observations. First, there were strong associations between whether they had been breastfed as an infant, their gender, and their level of education with their community types at several body sites. Second, although the specific taxonomic compositions of the oral and gut microbiomes were different, the community types observed at these sites these sites were predictive of each other. Finally, over the course of the sampling period, the community types from sites within the oral cavity were the least stable, while those in the vagina and gut were the most stable. Our results demonstrate that even with the considerable intra- and inter-personal variation in the human microbiome, this variation can be partitioned into community types that are predictive of each other and are likely the result of life history characteristics. Understanding the diversity of community types and the mechanisms that result in an individual having a particular type or changing types, will allow us to use their community types to assess disease risk and to personalize therapies. PMID:24739969

[Research progress on free radicals in human body].

PubMed

Wang, Q B; Xu, F P; Wei, C X; Peng, J; Dong, X D

2016-08-10

Free radicals are the intermediates of metabolism, widely exist in the human bodies. Under normal circumstances, the free radicals play an important role in the metabolic process on human body, cell signal pathway, gene regulation, induction of cell proliferation and apoptosis, so as to maintain the normal growth and development of human body and to inhibit the growth of bacteria, virus and cancer. However, when organic lesion occurs affected by external factors or when equilibrium of the free radicals is tipped in the human body, the free radicals will respond integratedly with lipids, protein or nucleic acid which may jeopardize the health of human bodies. This paper summarizes the research progress of the free radicals conducted in recent years, in relations to the perspective of the types, origins, test methods of the free radicals and their relationship with human's health. In addition, the possible mechanisms of environmental pollutants (such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) mediating oxidative stress and free radicals scavenging in the body were also summarized.

Inclusion bodies in loggerhead erythrocytes are associated with unstable hemoglobin and resemble human Heinz bodies.

PubMed

Basile, Filomena; Di Santi, Annalisa; Caldora, Mercedes; Ferretti, Luigi; Bentivegna, Flegra; Pica, Alessandra

2011-08-01

The aim of this study was to clarify the role of the erythrocyte inclusions found during the hematological screening of loggerhead population of the Mediterranean Sea. We studied the erythrocyte inclusions in blood specimens collected from six juvenile and nine adult specimens of the loggerhead turtle, Caretta caretta, from the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian Seas. Our study indicates that the percentage of mature erythrocytes containing inclusions ranged from 3 to 82%. Each erythrocyte contained only one round inclusion body. Inclusion bodies stained with May Grünwald-Giemsa show that their cytochemical and ultrastructure characteristics are identical to those of human Heinz bodies. Because Heinz bodies originate from the precipitation of unstable hemoglobin (Hb) and cause globular osmotic resistance to increase, we analyzed loggerhead Hb using electrophoresis and high-performance liquid chromatography to detect and quantitate Hb fractions. We also tested the resistance of Hb to alkaline pH, heat, isopropanol denaturation, and globular osmosis. Our hemogram results excluded the occurrence of any infection, which could be associated with an inclusion body, in all the specimens. Negative Feulgen staining indicated that the inclusion bodies are not derived from DNA fragmentation. We hypothesize that amino acid substitutions could explain why loggerhead Hb precipitates under normal physiologic conditions, forming Heinz bodies. The identification of inclusion bodies in loggerhead erythrocytes allow us to better understand the haematological characteristics and the physiology of these ancient reptiles, thus aiding efforts to conserve such an endangered species. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc., A Wiley Company.

Pelvic dimorphism in relation to body size and body size dimorphism in humans.

PubMed

Kurki, Helen K

2011-12-01

Many mammalian species display sexual dimorphism in the pelvis, where females possess larger dimensions of the obstetric (pelvic) canal than males. This is contrary to the general pattern of body size dimorphism, where males are larger than females. Pelvic dimorphism is often attributed to selection relating to parturition, or as a developmental consequence of secondary sexual differentiation (different allometric growth trajectories of each sex). Among anthropoid primates, species with higher body size dimorphism have higher pelvic dimorphism (in converse directions), which is consistent with an explanation of differential growth trajectories for pelvic dimorphism. This study investigates whether the pattern holds intraspecifically in humans by asking: Do human populations with high body size dimorphism also display high pelvic dimorphism? Previous research demonstrated that in some small-bodied populations, relative pelvic canal size can be larger than in large-bodied populations, while others have suggested that larger-bodied human populations display greater body size dimorphism. Eleven human skeletal samples (total N: male = 229, female = 208) were utilized, representing a range of body sizes and geographical regions. Skeletal measurements of the pelvis and femur were collected and indices of sexual dimorphism for the pelvis and femur were calculated for each sample [ln(M/F)]. Linear regression was used to examine the relationships between indices of pelvic and femoral size dimorphism, and between pelvic dimorphism and female femoral size. Contrary to expectations, the results suggest that pelvic dimorphism in humans is generally not correlated with body size dimorphism or female body size. These results indicate that divergent patterns of dimorphism exist for the pelvis and body size in humans. Implications for the evaluation of the evolution of pelvic dimorphism and rotational childbirth in Homo are considered. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights

Moving human full body and body parts detection, tracking, and applications on human activity estimation, walking pattern and face recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Hai-Wen; McGurr, Mike

2016-05-01

We have developed a new way for detection and tracking of human full-body and body-parts with color (intensity) patch morphological segmentation and adaptive thresholding for security surveillance cameras. An adaptive threshold scheme has been developed for dealing with body size changes, illumination condition changes, and cross camera parameter changes. Tests with the PETS 2009 and 2014 datasets show that we can obtain high probability of detection and low probability of false alarm for full-body. Test results indicate that our human full-body detection method can considerably outperform the current state-of-the-art methods in both detection performance and computational complexity. Furthermore, in this paper, we have developed several methods using color features for detection and tracking of human body-parts (arms, legs, torso, and head, etc.). For example, we have developed a human skin color sub-patch segmentation algorithm by first conducting a RGB to YIQ transformation and then applying a Subtractive I/Q image Fusion with morphological operations. With this method, we can reliably detect and track human skin color related body-parts such as face, neck, arms, and legs. Reliable body-parts (e.g. head) detection allows us to continuously track the individual person even in the case that multiple closely spaced persons are merged. Accordingly, we have developed a new algorithm to split a merged detection blob back to individual detections based on the detected head positions. Detected body-parts also allow us to extract important local constellation features of the body-parts positions and angles related to the full-body. These features are useful for human walking gait pattern recognition and human pose (e.g. standing or falling down) estimation for potential abnormal behavior and accidental event detection, as evidenced with our experimental tests. Furthermore, based on the reliable head (face) tacking, we have applied a super-resolution algorithm to enhance

A bacteriophages journey through the human body.

PubMed

Barr, Jeremy J

2017-09-01

The human body is colonized by a diverse collective of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses. The smallest entity of this microbial conglomerate are the bacterial viruses. Bacteriophages, or phages for short, exert significant selective pressure on their bacterial hosts, undoubtedly influencing the human microbiome and its impact on our health and well-being. Phages colonize all niches of the body, including the skin, oral cavity, lungs, gut, and urinary tract. As such our bodies are frequently and continuously exposed to diverse collections of phages. Despite the prevalence of phages throughout our bodies, the extent of their interactions with human cells, organs, and immune system is still largely unknown. Phages physically interact with our mucosal surfaces, are capable of bypassing epithelial cell layers, disseminate throughout the body and may manipulate our immune system. Here, I establish the novel concept of an "intra-body phageome," which encompasses the collection of phages residing within the classically "sterile" regions of the body. This review will take a phage-centric view of the microbiota, human body, and immune system with the ultimate goal of inspiring a greater appreciation for both the indirect and direct interactions between bacteriophages and their mammalian hosts. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Functional neuronal processing of human body odors.

PubMed

Lundström, Johan N; Olsson, Mats J

2010-01-01

Body odors carry informational cues of great importance for individuals across a wide range of species, and signals hidden within the body odor cocktail are known to regulate several key behaviors in animals. For a long time, the notion that humans may be among these species has been dismissed. We now know, however, that each human has a unique odor signature that carries information related to his or her genetic makeup, as well as information about personal environmental variables, such as diet and hygiene. Although a substantial number of studies have investigated the behavioral effects of body odors, only a handful have studied central processing. Recent studies have, however, demonstrated that the human brain responds to fear signals hidden within the body odor cocktail, is able to extract kin specific signals, and processes body odors differently than other perceptually similar odors. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the current knowledge of how the human brain processes body odors and the potential importance these signals have for us in everyday life. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Functional Neuronal Processing of Human Body Odors

PubMed Central

Lundström, Johan N.; Olsson, Mats J.

2013-01-01

Body odors carry informational cues of great importance for individuals across a wide range of species, and signals hidden within the body odor cocktail are known to regulate several key behaviors in animals. For a long time, the notion that humans may be among these species has been dismissed. We now know, however, that each human has a unique odor signature that carries information related to his or her genetic makeup, as well as information about personal environmental variables, such as diet and hygiene. Although a substantial number of studies have investigated the behavioral effects of body odors, only a handful have studied central processing. Recent studies have, however, demonstrated that the human brain responds to fear signals hidden within the body odor cocktail, is able to extract kin specific signals, and processes body odors differently than other perceptually similar odors. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the current knowledge of how the human brain processes body odors and the potential importance these signals have for us in everyday life. PMID:20831940

The nutrition intervention improved adult human capital and economic productivity.

PubMed

Martorell, Reynaldo; Melgar, Paul; Maluccio, John A; Stein, Aryeh D; Rivera, Juan A

2010-02-01

This article reviews key findings about the long-term impact of a nutrition intervention carried out by the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama from 1969 to 1977. Results from follow-up studies in 1988-89 and 2002-04 show substantial impact on adult human capital and economic productivity. The 1988-89 study showed that adult body size and work capacity increased for those provided improved nutrition through age 3 y, whereas the 2002-04 follow-up showed that schooling was increased for women and reading comprehension and intelligence increased in both men and women. Participants were 26-42 y of age at the time of the 2002-04 follow-up, facilitating the assessment of economic productivity. Wages of men increased by 46% in those provided with improved nutrition through age 2 y. Findings for cardiovascular disease risk factors were heterogeneous; however, they suggest that improved nutrition in early life is unlikely to increase cardiovascular disease risk later in life and may indeed lower risk. In conclusion, the substantial improvement in adult human capital and economic productivity resulting from the nutrition intervention provides a powerful argument for promoting improvements in nutrition in pregnant women and young children.

Developmental variation in ecogeographic body proportions.

PubMed

Cowgill, Libby W; Eleazer, Courtney D; Auerbach, Benjamin M; Temple, Daniel H; Okazaki, Kenji

2012-08-01

While ecogeographic variation in adult human body proportions has been extensively explored, relatively less attention has been paid to the effect of Bergmann's and Allen's rules on human body shape during growth. The relationship between climate and immature body form is particularly important, as immature mortality is high, mechanisms of thermoregulation differ between young and mature humans, and immature body proportions fluctuate due to basic parameters of growth. This study explores changes in immature ecogeographic body proportions via analyses of anthropometric data from children included in Eveleth and Tanner's (1976) Worldwide Variation in Human Growth, as well as limb proportion measurements in eight different skeletal samples. Moderate to strong correlations exist between climatic data and immature stature, weight, BMI, and bi-iliac breadth; these relationships are as strong, if not stronger, in immature individuals as they are in adults. Correlations between climate and trunk height relative to stature are weak or nonexistent. Altitude also has significant effects on immature body form, with children from higher altitudes displaying smaller statures and lower body weights. Brachial and crural indices remain constant over the course of growth and display consistent, moderate correlations with latitude across ontogeny that are just as high as those detected in adults. The results of this study suggest that while some features of immature body form, such as bi-iliac breadth and intralimb indices, are strongly dictated by ecogeographic principles, other characteristics of immature body proportions are influenced by intrinsic and extrinsic factors such as nutrition and basic constraints of growth. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Biodynamics of deformable human body motion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strauss, A. M.; Huston, R. L.

1976-01-01

The objective is to construct a framework wherein the various models of human biomaterials fit in order to describe the biodynamic response of the human body. The behavior of the human body in various situations, from low frequency, low amplitude vibrations to impact loadings in automobile and aircraft crashes, is very complicated with respect to all aspects of the problem: materials, geometry and dynamics. The materials problem is the primary concern, but the materials problem is intimately connected with geometry and dynamics.

Comparisons of percentage body fat, body mass index, waist circumference, and waist-stature ratio in adults.

PubMed

Flegal, Katherine M; Shepherd, John A; Looker, Anne C; Graubard, Barry I; Borrud, Lori G; Ogden, Cynthia L; Harris, Tamara B; Everhart, James E; Schenker, Nathaniel

2009-02-01

Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and the waist-stature ratio (WSR) are considered to be possible proxies for adiposity. The objective was to investigate the relations between BMI, WC, WSR, and percentage body fat (measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) in adults in a large nationally representative US population sample from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). BMI, WC, and WSR were compared with percentage body fat in a sample of 12,901 adults. WC, WSR, and BMI were significantly more correlated with each other than with percentage body fat (P < 0.0001 for all sex-age groups). Percentage body fat tended to be significantly more correlated with WC than with BMI in men but significantly more correlated with BMI than with WC in women (P < 0.0001 except in the oldest age group). WSR tended to be slightly more correlated with percentage body fat than was WC. Percentile values of BMI, WC, and WSR are shown that correspond to percentiles of percentage body fat increments of 5 percentage points. More than 90% of the sample could be categorized to within one category of percentage body fat by each measure. BMI, WC, and WSR perform similarly as indicators of body fatness and are more closely related to each other than with percentage body fat. These variables may be an inaccurate measure of percentage body fat for an individual, but they correspond fairly well overall with percentage body fat within sex-age groups and distinguish categories of percentage body fat.

Long-Term Excessive Body Weight and Adult Left Ventricular Hypertrophy Are Linked Through Later-Life Body Size and Blood Pressure: The Bogalusa Heart Study.

PubMed

Zhang, Huijie; Zhang, Tao; Li, Shengxu; Guo, Yajun; Shen, Wei; Fernandez, Camilo; Harville, Emily; Bazzano, Lydia A; Urbina, Elaine M; He, Jiang; Chen, Wei

2017-05-12

Childhood adiposity is associated with cardiac structure in later life, but little is known regarding to what extent childhood body weight affects adult left ventricular geometric patterns through adult body size and blood pressure (BP). Determine quantitatively the mediation effect of adult body weight and BP on the association of childhood body mass index (BMI) with adult left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy. This longitudinal study consisted of 710 adults, aged 26 to 48 years, who had been examined for BMI and BP measured ≥4× during childhood and ≥2× during adulthood, with a mean follow-up period of 28.0 years. After adjusting for age, race, and sex, adult BMI had a significant mediation effect (76.4%; P <0.01) on the childhood BMI-adult LV mass index association. The mediation effects of adult systolic BP (15.2%), long-term burden (12.1%), and increasing trends of systolic BP (7.9%) were all significant ( P <0.01). Furthermore, these mediators also had significant mediation effects on the association of childhood BMI with adult LV hypertrophy, eccentric hypertrophy, and concentric hypertrophy. Importantly, the mediation effects of adult BMI were all significantly stronger than those of adult systolic BP on LV mass index, LV hypertrophy, and LV remodeling patterns ( P <0.01). Additionally, the mediation effect of systolic BP on concentric hypertrophy was significantly stronger than that on eccentric hypertrophy ( P <0.01). These findings suggest that increased childhood BMI has long-term adverse impact on subclinical changes in adult cardiac structure, and early life excessive body weight and adult LV hypertrophy are linked through later life excessive body weight and elevated BP. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

Short and long-term energy intake patterns and their implications for human body weight regulation.

PubMed

Chow, Carson C; Hall, Kevin D

2014-07-01

Adults consume millions of kilocalories over the course of a few years, but the typical weight gain amounts to only a few thousand kilocalories of stored energy. Furthermore, food intake is highly variable from day to day and yet body weight is remarkably stable. These facts have been used as evidence to support the hypothesis that human body weight is regulated by active control of food intake operating on both short and long time scales. Here, we demonstrate that active control of human food intake on short time scales is not required for body weight stability and that the current evidence for long term control of food intake is equivocal. To provide more data on this issue, we emphasize the urgent need for developing new methods for accurately measuring energy intake changes over long time scales. We propose that repeated body weight measurements can be used along with mathematical modeling to calculate long-term changes in energy intake and thereby quantify adherence to a diet intervention and provide dynamic feedback to individuals that seek to control their body weight. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Short and long-term energy intake patterns and their implications for human body weight regulation

PubMed Central

Chow, Carson C.; Hall, Kevin D.

2014-01-01

Adults consume millions of kilocalories over the course of a few years, but the typical weight gain amounts to only a few thousand kilocalories of stored energy. Furthermore, food intake is highly variable from day to day and yet body weight is remarkably stable. These facts have been used as evidence to support the hypothesis that human body weight is regulated by active control of food intake operating on both short and long time scales. Here, we demonstrate that active control of human food intake on short time scales is not required for body weight stability and that the current evidence for long term control of food intake is equivocal. To provide more data on this issue, we emphasize the urgent need for developing new methods for accurately measuring energy intake changes over long time scales. We propose that repeated body weight measurements can be used along with mathematical modeling to calculate long-term changes in energy intake and thereby quantify adherence to a diet intervention and provide dynamic feedback to individuals that seek to control their body weight. PMID:24582679

Who wants a slimmer body? The relationship between body weight status, education level and body shape dissatisfaction among young adults in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Cheung, Yee Tak Derek; Lee, Antoinette Marie; Ho, Sai Yin; Li, Edmund Tsze Shing; Lam, Tai Hing; Fan, Susan Yun Sun; Yip, Paul Siu Fai

2011-10-31

Body shape dissatisfaction has been thought to have an indispensable impact on weight control behaviors. We investigated the prevalence of body shape dissatisfaction (BSD) and explored its association with weight status, education level and other determinants among young adults in Hong Kong. Information on anthropometry, BSD, and socio-demographics was collected from a random sample of 1205 young adults (611 men and 594 women) aged 18-27 in a community-based household survey. BSD was defined as a discrepancy between current and ideal body shape based on a figure rating scale. Cross-tabulations, homogeneity tests and logistic regression models were applied. The percentages of underweight men and women were 16.5% and 34.9% respectively, and the corresponding percentages of being overweight or obese were 26.7% and 13.2% for men and women respectively. Three-quarters of young adults had BSD. Among women, 30.9% of those underweight and 75.5% of those with normal weight desired a slimmer body shape. Overweight men and underweight women with lower education level were more likely to have a mismatch between weight status and BSD than those with higher education level. After controlling for other determinants, underweight women were found to have a higher likelihood to maintain their current body shapes than other women. Men were found to be less likely to have a mismatch between weight status and BSD than women. Overweight and obesity in men and underweight in women were prevalent among Hong Kong young adults. Inappropriate body shape desire might predispose individuals to unhealthy weight loss or gain behaviors. Careful consideration of actual weight status in body shape desire is needed in health promotion and education, especially for underweight and normal weight women and those with a low education level.

Intrapersonal characteristics of body-related guilt, shame, pride, and envy in Canadian adults.

PubMed

Pila, Eva; Brunet, Jennifer; Crocker, Peter R E; Kowalski, Kent C; Sabiston, Catherine M

2016-03-01

This study examined differences in body-related shame, guilt, pride, and envy based on intrapersonal characteristics of sex, age, and weight status in 527 Canadian adults. Compared to men, women reported significantly higher shame and guilt contextualized to the body. No sex differences were observed for envy or pride. Middle-aged adults reported higher shame and lower pride compared with young adults, whereas no age differences were observed with body-related guilt. Meanwhile, shame and guilt were highest for individuals who had overweight or obese weight status, and pride was highest in individuals with average weight status. Overall, effect sizes were small and there were no significant interaction effects between sex, age, and weight status across body-related emotions. Further research is needed to capture similarities and differences of body-related self-conscious emotions between intrapersonal characteristics, to aid the development of intervention strategies to manage this important dimension of body image. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Predicted body weight relationships for protective ventilation - unisex proposals from pre-term through to adult.

PubMed

Martin, Dion C; Richards, Glenn N

2017-05-23

The lung-protective ventilation bundle has been shown to reduce mortality in adult acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This concept has expanded to other areas of acute adult ventilation and is recommended for pediatric ventilation. A component of lung-protective ventilation relies on a prediction of lean body weight from height. The predicted body weight (PBW) relationship employed in the ARDS Network trial is considered valid only for adults, with a dedicated formula required for each sex. No agreed PBW formula applies to smaller body sizes. This analysis investigated whether it might be practical to derive a unisex PBW formula spanning all body sizes, while retaining relevance to established adult protective ventilation practice. Historic population-based growth charts were adopted as a reference for lean body weight, from pre-term infant through to adult median weight. The traditional ARDSNet PBW formulae acted as the reference for prevailing protective ventilation practice. Error limits for derived PBW models were relative to these references. The ARDSNet PBW formulae typically predict weights heavier than the population median, therefore no single relationship could satisfy both references. Four alternate piecewise-linear lean body-weight predictive formulae were presented for consideration, each with different balance between the objectives. The 'PBWuf + MBW' model is proposed as an appropriate compromise between prevailing practice and simplification, while also better representing lean adult body-weight. This model applies the ARDSNet 'female' formula to both adult sexes, while providing a tight fit to median body weight at smaller statures down to pre-term. The 'PBWmf + MBW' model retains consistency with current practice over the adult range, while adding prediction for small statures.

Localization and regulation of PML bodies in the adult mouse brain.

PubMed

Hall, Małgorzata H; Magalska, Adriana; Malinowska, Monika; Ruszczycki, Błażej; Czaban, Iwona; Patel, Satyam; Ambrożek-Latecka, Magdalena; Zołocińska, Ewa; Broszkiewicz, Hanna; Parobczak, Kamil; Nair, Rajeevkumar R; Rylski, Marcin; Pawlak, Robert; Bramham, Clive R; Wilczyński, Grzegorz M

2016-06-01

PML is a tumor suppressor protein involved in the pathogenesis of promyelocytic leukemia. In non-neuronal cells, PML is a principal component of characteristic nuclear bodies. In the brain, PML has been implicated in the control of embryonic neurogenesis, and in certain physiological and pathological phenomena in the adult brain. Yet, the cellular and subcellular localization of the PML protein in the brain, including its presence in the nuclear bodies, has not been investigated comprehensively. Because the formation of PML bodies appears to be a key aspect in the function of the PML protein, we investigated the presence of these structures and their anatomical distribution, throughout the adult mouse brain. We found that PML is broadly expressed across the gray matter, with the highest levels in the cerebral and cerebellar cortices. In the cerebral cortex PML is present exclusively in neurons, in which it forms well-defined nuclear inclusions containing SUMO-1, SUMO 2/3, but not Daxx. At the ultrastructural level, the appearance of neuronal PML bodies differs from the classic one, i.e., the solitary structure with more or less distinctive capsule. Rather, neuronal PML bodies have the form of small PML protein aggregates located in the close vicinity of chromatin threads. The number, size, and signal intensity of neuronal PML bodies are dynamically influenced by immobilization stress and seizures. Our study indicates that PML bodies are broadly involved in activity-dependent nuclear phenomena in adult neurons.

Upper Body Venous Compliance Exceeds Lower Body Venous Compliance in Humans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watenpaugh, Donald E.

1996-01-01

Human venous compliance hypothetically decreases from upper to lower body as a mechanism for maintenance of the hydrostatic indifference level 'headward' in the body, near the heart. This maintains cardiac filling pressure, and thus cardiac output and cerebral perfusion, during orthostasis. This project entailed four steps. First, acute whole-body tilting was employed to alter human calf and neck venous volumes. Subjects were tilted on a tilt table equipped with a footplate as follows: 90 deg, 53 deg, 30 deg, 12 deg, O deg, -6 deg, -12 deg, -6 deg, O deg, 12 deg, 30 deg, 53 deg, and 90 deg. Tilt angles were held for 30 sec each, with 10 sec transitions between angles. Neck volume increased and calf volume decreased during head-down tilting, and the opposite occurred during head-up tilt. Second, I sought to cross-validate Katkov and Chestukhin's (1980) measurements of human leg and neck venous pressures during whole-body tilting, so that those data could be used with volume data from the present study to calculate calf and neck venous compliance (compliance = (Delta)volume/(Delta)pressure). Direct measurements of venous pressures during postural chances and whole-body tilting confirmed that the local changes in venous pressures seen by Katkov and Chestukhin (1980) are valid. The present data also confirmed that gravitational changes in calf venous pressure substantially exceed those changes in upper body venous pressure. Third, the volume and pressure data above were used to find that human neck venous compliance exceeds calf venous compliance by a factor of 6, thereby upholding the primary hypothesis. Also, calf and neck venous compliance correlated significantly with each other (r(exp 2) = 0.56). Fourth, I wished to determine whether human calf muscle activation during head-up tilt reduces calf venous compliance. Findings from tilting and from supine assessments of relaxed calf venous compliance were similar, indicating that tilt-induced muscle activation is

[Wireless human body communication technology].

PubMed

Sun, Lei; Zhang, Xiaojuan

2014-12-01

The Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) is a key part of the wearable monitoring technologies, which has many communication technologies to choose from, like Bluetooth, ZigBee, Ultra Wideband, and Wireless Human Body Communication (WHBC). As for the WHBC developed in recent years, it is worthy to be further studied. The WHBC has a strong momentum of growth and a natural advantage in the formation of WBAN. In this paper, we first briefly describe the technical background of WHBC, then introduce theoretical model of human-channel communication and digital transmission machine based on human channel. And finally we analyze various of the interference of the WHBC and show the AFH (Adaptive Frequency Hopping) technology which can effectively deal with the interference.

Automated fudicial labeling on human body data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewark, Erick A.; Nurre, Joseph H.

1998-03-01

The Cyberware WB4 whole body scanner generates a high- resolution data set of the outer surface of the human body. The acquisition of anthropometric data from this data set is important for the development of custom sizing for the apparel industry. Software for locating anthropometric landmarks from a cloud of more than 200,000 three-dimensional data points, captured from a human subject, is presented. The first phase of identification is to locate externally placed fudicials on the human body using luminance information captured at scan time. The fudicials are then autonomously labeled and categorized according to their general position and anthropometric significance in the scan. Once registration of the landmarks is complete, body measurements may be extracted for apparel sizing.

Human body region enhancement method based on Kinect infrared imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Lei; Fan, Yubo; Song, Xiaowei; Cai, Wenjing

2016-10-01

To effectively improve the low contrast of human body region in the infrared images, a combing method of several enhancement methods is utilized to enhance the human body region. Firstly, for the infrared images acquired by Kinect, in order to improve the overall contrast of the infrared images, an Optimal Contrast-Tone Mapping (OCTM) method with multi-iterations is applied to balance the contrast of low-luminosity infrared images. Secondly, to enhance the human body region better, a Level Set algorithm is employed to improve the contour edges of human body region. Finally, to further improve the human body region in infrared images, Laplacian Pyramid decomposition is adopted to enhance the contour-improved human body region. Meanwhile, the background area without human body region is processed by bilateral filtering to improve the overall effect. With theoretical analysis and experimental verification, the results show that the proposed method could effectively enhance the human body region of such infrared images.

Body Mass, Total Body Fat Percentage, and Visceral Fat Level Predict Insulin Resistance Better Than Waist Circumference and Body Mass Index in Healthy Young Male Adults in Indonesia.

PubMed

Kurniawan, Liong Boy; Bahrun, Uleng; Hatta, Mochammad; Arif, Mansyur

2018-05-01

The incidence of obesity which leads to insulin resistance (IR) and metabolic disorder is increasing in developing countries, including Indonesia. Male adults have a higher risk of abdominal obesity than females. This is associated with cardiometabolic disorders. Several anthropometric measurements have been proposed to predict IR. The aim of this study was to investigate whether body mass, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), body fat percentage (BF) or visceral fat level (VF) could become a better predictor of IR in healthy young male adults. A total of 140 healthy young male adults ranging from 18⁻25 years were recruited in the study. Insulin resistance was measured by calculating their Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR). Subjects with a HOMA-IR value ≥75th percentile, with cut off 3.75, were defined as IR. Anthropometric measurements including body weight, BMI, and WC were performed, whereas BF and VC were measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). IR had a strong correlation with body weight, BMI, WC, BF, and VF. In the area under the curve of body mass, BF and VF were slightly greater than WC and BMI. Anthropometric measurements correlated strongly with IR but body weight, BF, VF had a stronger correlation than WC and BMI in healthy young male adults.

The association of body size in early to mid-life with adult urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels among night shift health care workers.

PubMed

Ramin, Cody A; Massa, Jennifer; Wegrzyn, Lani R; Brown, Susan B; Pierre-Paul, Jeffrey; Devore, Elizabeth E; Hankinson, Susan E; Schernhammer, Eva S

2015-05-06

Adult body mass index (BMI) has been associated with urinary melatonin levels in humans; however, whether earlier-life body size is associated with melatonin, particularly among night shift workers, remains unknown. We evaluated associations of birth weight, body shape (or somatotype) at ages 5 and 10, BMI at age 18 and adulthood, weight change since age 18, waist circumference, waist to hip ratio, and height with creatinine-adjusted morning urinary melatonin (6-sulfatoxymelatonin, aMT6s) levels among 1,343 healthy women (aged 32-53 at urine collection, 1996-1999) in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) II cohort. Using multivariable linear regression, we computed least-square mean aMT6s levels across categories of body size, and evaluated whether these associations were modified by night shift work. Adult BMI was inversely associated with aMT6s levels (mean aMT6s levels = 34 vs. 50 ng/mg creatinine, comparing adult BMI ≥ 30 vs. <20 kg/m(2); P trend < 0.0001); however, other measures of body size were not related to aMT6s levels after accounting for adult BMI. Night shifts worked prior to urine collection, whether recent or cumulatively over time, did not modify the association between adult BMI and aMT6s levels (e.g., P interaction = 0.72 for night shifts worked within two weeks of urine collection). Our results suggest that adult BMI, but not earlier measures of body size, is associated with urinary aMT6s levels in adulthood. These observations did not vary by night shift work status, and suggest that adult BMI may be an important mechanism by which melatonin levels are altered and subsequently influence chronic disease risk.

[An interactive three-dimensional model of the human body].

PubMed

Liem, S L

2009-01-01

Driven by advanced computer technology, it is now possible to show the human anatomy on a computer. On the internet, the Visible Body programme makes it possible to navigate in all directions through the anatomical structures of the human body, using mouse and keyboard. Visible Body is a wonderful tool to give insight in the human structures, body functions and organs.

Expansion and differentiation of neural progenitors derived from the human adult enteric nervous system.

PubMed

Metzger, Marco; Bareiss, Petra M; Danker, Timm; Wagner, Silvia; Hennenlotter, Joerg; Guenther, Elke; Obermayr, Florian; Stenzl, Arnulf; Koenigsrainer, Alfred; Skutella, Thomas; Just, Lothar

2009-12-01

Neural stem and progenitor cells from the enteric nervous system have been proposed for use in cell-based therapies against specific neurogastrointestinal disorders. Recently, enteric neural progenitors were generated from human neonatal and early postnatal (until 5 years after birth) gastrointestinal tract tissues. We investigated the proliferation and differentiation of enteric nervous system progenitors isolated from human adult gastrointestinal tract. Human enteric spheroids were generated from adult small and large intestine tissues and then expanded and differentiated, depending on the applied cell culture conditions. For implantation studies, spheres were grafted into fetal slice cultures and embryonic aganglionic hindgut explants from mice. Differentiating enteric neural progenitors were characterized by 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine labeling, in situ hybridization, immunocytochemistry, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, and electrophysiological studies. The yield of human neurosphere-like bodies was increased by culture in conditional medium derived from fetal mouse enteric progenitors. We were able to generate proliferating enterospheres from adult human small or large intestine tissues; these enterospheres could be subcultured and maintained for several weeks in vitro. Spheroid-derived cells could be differentiated into a variety of neuronal subtypes and glial cells with characteristics of the enteric nervous system. Experiments involving implantation into organotypic intestinal cultures showed the differentiation capacity of neural progenitors in a 3-dimensional environment. It is feasible to isolate and expand enteric progenitor cells from human adult tissue. These findings offer new strategies for enteric stem cell research and future cell-based therapies.

Magnetic human body communication.

PubMed

Park, Jiwoong; Mercier, Patrick P

2015-01-01

This paper presents a new human body communication (HBC) technique that employs magnetic resonance for data transfer in wireless body-area networks (BANs). Unlike electric field HBC (eHBC) links, which do not necessarily travel well through many biological tissues, the proposed magnetic HBC (mHBC) link easily travels through tissue, offering significantly reduced path loss and, as a result, reduced transceiver power consumption. In this paper the proposed mHBC concept is validated via finite element method simulations and measurements. It is demonstrated that path loss across the body under various postures varies from 10-20 dB, which is significantly lower than alternative BAN techniques.

The ownership of human body: an islamic perspective.

PubMed

Aramesh, Kiarash

2009-01-01

Using human dead body for medical purposes is a common practice in medical schools and hospitals throughout the world. Iran, as an Islamic country is not an exception. According to the Islamic view, the body, like the soul, is a "gift" from God; therefore, human being does not possess absolute ownership on his or her body. But, the ownership of human beings on their bodies can be described as a kind of "stewardship". Accordingly, any kind of dissection or mutilation of the corpse is forbidden, even with the informed consent of the dead or his/her relatives. The exception of this principle is when such procedures are necessary for saving lives of other persons. In this article using the human dead body for medical education, research and treatment is discussed and the perspective of Iranian Shiite religious scholars in this regard is explained.

Youth and young adult physical activity and body composition of young adult women: findings from the dietary intervention study in children.

PubMed

Hodge, Melissa G; Hovinga, Mary; Shepherd, John A; Egleston, Brian; Gabriel, Kelley; Van Horn, Linda; Robson, Alan; Snetselaar, Linda; Stevens, Victor K; Jung, Seungyoun; Dorgan, Joanne

2015-02-01

This study prospectively investigates associations between youth moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) and body composition in young adult women using data from the Dietary Intervention Study in Children (DISC) and the DISC06 Follow-Up Study. MVPA was assessed by questionnaire on 5 occasions between the ages 8 and 18 years and at age 25-29 years in 215 DISC female participants. Using whole body dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), overall adiposity and body fat distribution were assessed at age 25-29 years by percent body fat (%fat) and android-to-gynoid (A:G) fat ratio, respectively. Linear mixed effects models and generalized linear latent and mixed models were used to assess associations of youth MVPA with both outcomes. Young adult MVPA, adjusted for other young adult characteristics, was significantly inversely associated with young adult %fat (%fat decreased from 37.4% in the lowest MVPA quartile to 32.8% in the highest (p-trend = 0.02)). Adjusted for youth and young adult characteristics including young adult MVPA, youth MVPA also was significantly inversely associated with young adult %fat (β=-0.40 per 10 MET-hrs/wk, p = .02) . No significant associations between MVPA and A:G fat ratio were observed. Results suggest that youth and young adult MVPA are important independent predictors of adiposity in young women.

Body mass index through self-reported data and body image perception in Spanish adults attending dietary consultation.

PubMed

Acevedo, Paula; López-Ejeda, Noemí; Alférez-García, Irene; Martínez-Álvarez, Jesús R; Villarino, Antonio; Cabañas, M Dolores; Marrodán, M Dolores

2014-06-01

The aim of this study was to explore, based on sex and age, knowledge regarding weight, height, and the perception of body shape in Spanish adults who attend dietary consultation. We also wanted to determine the participants' desired body shapes and what they considered their best health status. The sample consisted of 8100 women and 1220 men from Spain. They were between the ages of 18 and 75 y. Weight (kg) and height (cm) were measured and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Participants were nutritionally classified following the cutoffs proposed by the World Health Organization. Each individual was asked about his or her weight and height and self-reported BMI was calculated. They also answered a test of body image perception through drawings of human silhouettes that corresponded to an exact BMI. With this, perceived BMI, desired BMI, and BMI considered healthy were estimated. Parametric statistic tests for contrast of mean and percentages were applied. Self-reported and perceived BMI underestimate the BMI obtained through anthropometry. Differences between measured and self-reported BMI are lower in women and increase with age in both sexes. The same result was obtained when comparing measured BMI with perceived BMI through silhouette test. On average, desired BMI and healthy BMI were in the limits of normal weight for all ages and both sexes. However, the difference between them was also lower in women. Age and sex influence the perception of excess weight and body image. This could condition the demand of dietary treatment to improve the nutritional status. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Neurobeachin, a Regulator of Synaptic Protein Targeting, Is Associated with Body Fat Mass and Feeding Behavior in Mice and Body-Mass Index in Humans

PubMed Central

Olszewski, Pawel K.; Rozman, Jan; Jacobsson, Josefin A.; Rathkolb, Birgit; Strömberg, Siv; Hans, Wolfgang; Klockars, Anica; Alsiö, Johan; Risérus, Ulf; Becker, Lore; Hölter, Sabine M.; Elvert, Ralf; Ehrhardt, Nicole; Gailus-Durner, Valérie; Fuchs, Helmut; Fredriksson, Robert; Wolf, Eckhard; Klopstock, Thomas; Wurst, Wolfgang; Levine, Allen S.; Marcus, Claude; Hrabě de Angelis, Martin; Klingenspor, Martin; Schiöth, Helgi B.; Kilimann, Manfred W.

2012-01-01

Neurobeachin (Nbea) regulates neuronal membrane protein trafficking and is required for the development and functioning of central and neuromuscular synapses. In homozygous knockout (KO) mice, Nbea deficiency causes perinatal death. Here, we report that heterozygous KO mice haploinsufficient for Nbea have higher body weight due to increased adipose tissue mass. In several feeding paradigms, heterozygous KO mice consumed more food than wild-type (WT) controls, and this consumption was primarily driven by calories rather than palatability. Expression analysis of feeding-related genes in the hypothalamus and brainstem with real-time PCR showed differential expression of a subset of neuropeptide or neuropeptide receptor mRNAs between WT and Nbea+/− mice in the sated state and in response to food deprivation, but not to feeding reward. In humans, we identified two intronic NBEA single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are significantly associated with body-mass index (BMI) in adult and juvenile cohorts. Overall, data obtained in mice and humans suggest that variation of Nbea abundance or activity critically affects body weight, presumably by influencing the activity of feeding-related neural circuits. Our study emphasizes the importance of neural mechanisms in body weight control and points out NBEA as a potential risk gene in human obesity. PMID:22438821

Human body odour, symmetry and attractiveness.

PubMed Central

Rikowski, A; Grammer, K

1999-01-01

Several studies have found body and facial symmetry as well as attractiveness to be human mate choice criteria. These characteristics are presumed to signal developmental stability. Human body odour has been shown to influence female mate choice depending on the immune system, but the question of whether smell could signal general mate quality, as do other cues, was not addressed in previous studies. We compared ratings of body odour, attractiveness, and measurements of facial and body asymmetry of 16 male and 19 female subjects. Subjects wore a T-shirt for three consecutive nights under controlled conditions. Opposite-sex raters judged the odour of the T-shirts and another group evaluated portraits of the subjects for attractiveness. We measured seven bilateral traits of the subject's body to assess body asymmetry. Facial asymmetry was examined by distance measurements of portrait photographs. The results showed a significant positive correlation between facial attractiveness and sexiness of body odour for female subjects. We found positive relationships between body odour and attractiveness and negative ones between smell and body asymmetry for males only if female odour raters were in the most fertile phase of their menstrual cycle. The outcomes are discussed in the light of different male and female reproductive strategies. PMID:10380676

The Ownership of Human Body: An Islamic Perspective

PubMed Central

Aramesh, Kiarash

2009-01-01

Using human dead body for medical purposes is a common practice in medical schools and hospitals throughout the world. Iran, as an Islamic country is not an exception. According to the Islamic view, the body, like the soul, is a “gift” from God; therefore, human being does not possess absolute ownership on his or her body. But, the ownership of human beings on their bodies can be described as a kind of “stewardship”. Accordingly, any kind of dissection or mutilation of the corpse is forbidden, even with the informed consent of the dead or his/her relatives. The exception of this principle is when such procedures are necessary for saving lives of other persons. In this article using the human dead body for medical education, research and treatment is discussed and the perspective of Iranian Shiite religious scholars in this regard is explained. PMID:23908718

Heterotopic synaptic bodies in the auditory hair cells of adult lizards.

PubMed

Miller, M R; Beck, J

1987-07-01

The auditory hair cells of adults of eight species of lizards (three gekkonids: Coleonyx variegatus, Gekko gecko, and Cosymbotus platyurus; two teiids: Ameiva ameiva and Cnemidophorus tigris; one anguid: Celestus costatus; one lacertid: Podarcis (Lacerta) sicula; and one iguanid: Crotaphytus wislizeni) were studied by transmission electron microscopy. Heterotopic synaptic bodies were found in some of the auditory hair cells of all of the above species, occurring frequently in the gekkonids but infrequently in other species. The groups of heterotopic synaptic bodies occurred mainly in the infranuclear cytoplasm between the hair cell nucleus and the hair cell plasma membrane. The groups of synaptic bodies that were close to the hair cell nucleus were usually associated with specialized arrays of rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum. The numbers of heterotopic synaptic bodies were greatest in the gekkonid species and were especially large in Coleonyx variegatus, where an average of 36.8 synaptic bodies occur in one group. The functional significance of the presence of heterotopic synaptic bodies in the auditory hair cells of adults animals is not known.

Gender differences in predictors of body weight and body weight change in healthy adults.

PubMed

Chiriboga, David E; Ma, Yunsheng; Li, Wenjun; Olendzki, Barbara C; Pagoto, Sherry L; Merriam, Philip A; Matthews, Charles E; Hebert, James R; Ockene, Ira S

2008-01-01

Overweight and obesity are important predictors of a wide variety of health problems. Analysis of naturally occurring changes in body weight can provide valuable insights in improving our understanding of the influence of demographic, lifestyle, and psychosocial factors on weight gain in middle-age adults. To identify gender-specific predictors of body weight using cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Anthropometric, lifestyle and psychosocial factors were measured at baseline and then quarterly for 1 year in 572 healthy adult volunteers from Central Massachusetts who were recruited between 1994 and 1998. Linear mixed models were used to analyze the relationship between body weight and potential predictors, including demographic (e.g., age, educational level), lifestyle (e.g., diet, physical activity, smoking), and psychosocial (e.g., anxiety, depression) factors. Over the 1-year study period, on average, men gained 0.3 kg and women lost 0.2 kg. Predictors of lower body weight at baseline in both men and women included current cigarette smoking, greater leisure-time physical activity, and lower depression and anxiety scores. Lower body weights were associated with a lower percentage of caloric intake from protein and greater occupational physical activity levels only among men; and with higher education level only among women. Longitudinal predictors of 1-year weight gain among women included increased total caloric intake and decreased leisure-time physical activity, and among men, greater anxiety scores. Demographic, lifestyle and psychosocial factors are independently related to naturally occurring changes in body weight and have marked differential gender effects. These effects should be taken into consideration when designing interventions for weight-loss and maintenance at the individual and population levels.

Noninvasive, three-dimensional full-field body sensor for surface deformation monitoring of human body in vivo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Zhenning; Shao, Xinxing; He, Xiaoyuan; Wu, Jialin; Xu, Xiangyang; Zhang, Jinlin

2017-09-01

Noninvasive, three-dimensional (3-D), full-field surface deformation measurements of the human body are important for biomedical investigations. We proposed a 3-D noninvasive, full-field body sensor based on stereo digital image correlation (stereo-DIC) for surface deformation monitoring of the human body in vivo. First, by applying an improved water-transfer printing (WTP) technique to transfer optimized speckle patterns onto the skin, the body sensor was conveniently and harmlessly fabricated directly onto the human body. Then, stereo-DIC was used to achieve 3-D noncontact and noninvasive surface deformation measurements. The accuracy and efficiency of the proposed body sensor were verified and discussed by considering different complexions. Moreover, the fabrication of speckle patterns on human skin, which has always been considered a challenging problem, was shown to be feasible, effective, and harmless as a result of the improved WTP technique. An application of the proposed stereo-DIC-based body sensor was demonstrated by measuring the pulse wave velocity of human carotid artery.

Cross- and triple-ratios of human body parts during development.

PubMed

Lundh, Torbjörn; Udagawa, Jun; Hänel, Sven-Erik; Otani, Hiroki

2011-08-01

Recently developed landmark-based geometric morphometry has been used to depict the morphological development of organisms. In geometry, four landmarks can be mapped to any other four by Möbius transformations, if the cross-ratio of the landmarks is invariant and vice versa. To geometrically analyze the morphological development of the human body, we examined the cross-ratio of three consecutive body parts that are segmented by four landmarks in their configuration. Moreover, we introduced the triple-ratio of five landmarks that segments four consecutive parts (e.g., the shoulder, upper arm, forearm, and hand) and examined their growth patterns. The cross- and triple-ratios of the upper limb and shoulder girdle in fetuses were constant when biomechanical landmarks were used, although the cross-ratio of the upper limb varied when anatomical landmarks were used. The cross-ratios of the lower limbs, trunk, and pelvic girdles in fetuses differed from their corresponding cross-ratios in adults. These results suggest Möbius growth in the fetal upper limb and shoulder girdle but not in the other body parts examined. However, the growth balance of the three contiguous body parts was represented by the developmental change in the cross-ratio. Therefore, the cross- and triple-ratios may be applicable for simple but significant assessments of growth balance or proportion of the body parts. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

A biokinetic model for systemic technetium in adult humans

DOE PAGES

Leggett, Richard Wayne; Giussani, Augusto

2015-04-10

The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) currently is updating its biokinetic and dosimetric models for internally deposited radionuclides. Technetium (Tc), the lightest element that exists only in radioactive form, has two important isotopes from the standpoint of potential risk to humans: the long-lived isotope 99Tm(T 1/2=2.1x10 5 y) is present in high concentration in nuclear waste, and the short-lived isotope 99mTc (T 1/2=6.02 h) is the most commonly used radionuclide in diagnostic nuclear medicine. This paper reviews data on the biological behavior of technetium and proposes a biokinetic model for systemic technetium in the adult human body formore » use in radiation protection. Compared with the ICRP s current occupational model for systemic technetium, the proposed model provides a more realistic description of the paths of movement of technetium in the body; provides greater consistency with experimental and medical data; and, for most radiosensitive organs, yields substantially different estimates of cumulative activity (total radioactive decays within the organ) following uptake of 99Tm or 99mTc to blood.« less

Microwave non-contact imaging of subcutaneous human body tissues.

PubMed

Kletsov, Andrey; Chernokalov, Alexander; Khripkov, Alexander; Cho, Jaegeol; Druchinin, Sergey

2015-10-01

A small-size microwave sensor is developed for non-contact imaging of a human body structure in 2D, enabling fitness and health monitoring using mobile devices. A method for human body tissue structure imaging is developed and experimentally validated. Subcutaneous fat tissue reconstruction depth of up to 70 mm and maximum fat thickness measurement error below 2 mm are demonstrated by measurements with a human body phantom and human subjects. Electrically small antennas are developed for integration of the microwave sensor into a mobile device. Usability of the developed microwave sensor for fitness applications, healthcare, and body weight management is demonstrated.

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone immunoreactivity in the adult and fetal human olfactory system.

PubMed

Kim, K H; Patel, L; Tobet, S A; King, J C; Rubin, B S; Stopa, E G

1999-05-01

Studies in fetal brain tissue of rodents, nonhuman primates and birds have demonstrated that cells containing gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) migrate from the olfactory placode across the nasal septum into the forebrain. The purpose of this study was to examine GnRH neurons in components of the adult and fetal human olfactory system. In the adult human brain (n=4), immunoreactive GnRH was evident within diffusely scattered cell bodies and processes in the olfactory bulb, olfactory nerve, olfactory cortex, and nervus terminalis located on the anterior surface of the gyrus rectus. GnRH-immunoreactive structures showed a similar distribution in 20-week human fetal brains (n=2), indicating that the migration of GnRH neurons is complete at this time. In 10-11-week fetal brains (n=2), more cells were noted in the nasal cavity than in the brain. Our data are consistent with observations made in other species, confirming olfactory derivation and migration of GnRH neurons into the brain from the olfactory placode. Copyright 1999 Elsevier Science B.V.

Visceral fat and body weight are reduced in overweight adults by the supplementation of Doenjang, a fermented soybean paste.

PubMed

Cha, Youn-Soo; Yang, Ji-Ae; Back, Hyang-Im; Kim, Soo-Ran; Kim, Min-Gul; Jung, Su-Jin; Song, Won O; Chae, Soo-Wan

2012-12-01

Various forms of fermented soybean products are well documented for their health benefits. The efficacy of anti-obesogenic effect of Doenjang, one of the most commonly used seasonings in Korean cuisine, has been reported only in animal models; thus, an evaluation of Doenjang needs to be conducted in human studies. We aimed to test the hypothesis that Doenjang supplementation reduces body weight and changes body composition in overweight adults. A total of 51 overweight adults participated in this study. A group of males with BMI ≥ 23 kg/m(2) and waist to hip ratio (WHR) ≥ 0.90, and a group of females with BMI ≥ 23 kg/m(2) and WHR ≥ 0.85 were randomly assigned to either a Doenjang supplement (9.9 g dry/day) group or a placebo group for a 12-week randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study. Anthropometric parameters, abdominal fat distribution by computerized tomography (CT) and blood components were measured before and after the intervention period. After the 12-week study, the Doenjang supplementation group had significant reductions in body weight (kg), body fat mass (kg) and body fat (%) compared to the placebo group, the supplementation of Doenjang resulted in a significant reduction in visceral fat (cm(2)), although no changes were observed in total and subcutaneous fat are as (cm(2)), serum lipid profiles and dietary intakes. The present study demonstrated that daily supplementation of 9.9 g dry/day of Doenjang for 12 weeks reduces body weight and visceral fat in overweight adults.

Stretch sensors for human body motion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Brien, Ben; Gisby, Todd; Anderson, Iain A.

2014-03-01

Sensing motion of the human body is a difficult task. From an engineers' perspective people are soft highly mobile objects that move in and out of complex environments. As well as the technical challenge of sensing, concepts such as comfort, social intrusion, usability, and aesthetics are paramount in determining whether someone will adopt a sensing solution or not. At the same time the demands for human body motion sensing are growing fast. Athletes want feedback on posture and technique, consumers need new ways to interact with augmented reality devices, and healthcare providers wish to track recovery of a patient. Dielectric elastomer stretch sensors are ideal for bridging this gap. They are soft, flexible, and precise. They are low power, lightweight, and can be easily mounted on the body or embedded into clothing. From a commercialisation point of view stretch sensing is easier than actuation or generation - such sensors can be low voltage and integrated with conventional microelectronics. This paper takes a birds-eye view of the use of these sensors to measure human body motion. A holistic description of sensor operation and guidelines for sensor design will be presented to help technologists and developers in the space.

Human body burden of polychlorinated dibenzofurans associated with toxicity based on the yusho and yucheng incidents

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ryan, J.J.; Gasiewicz, T.A.; Brown, J.F. Jr.

1990-11-01

The polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) are one group of man-made toxicants for which reasonably extensive data exist relevant to dose-response relationships in humans. Examination of contaminated food oil consumption from the yusho (Japan) poisoning incident indicates the mean uptake or body burden of 2, 3, 4, 7, 8-pentachlorodibenzofuran (PnCDF) equivalents (PEQ) associated with nausea and anorexia to be 4.4 micrograms/kg body wt and that associated with chloracne to be 5.9 micrograms/kg. For the yucheng (Taiwan) poisoning incident, blood measurements for chloracne show a similar body burden of 4.0 micrograms/kg. The latter value is toxicologically equivalent to a 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin equivalent (TEQ) bodymore » burden of 2.0 micrograms/kg body wt or about 150 micrograms for an adult person. This corresponds to an adipose tissue level of about 10 micrograms/kg fat, and is comparable to that known to cause chloracne in rhesus monkeys. These body burdens on a TEQ basis are more than 200 times higher than the average current levels of PCDDs/PCDFs found in North American populations and are the first to relate human body burdens of PCDFs with a known effect and to compare them to animal data. Since the effects reported may not be the most sensitive indicator of human toxicity, lower body burdens could be associated with more subtle toxicological events.« less

[Total body composition in adult patients with growth hormone deficiency before and after its administration].

PubMed

Weiss, V; Krsek, M; Marek, J; Stĕpán, J; Malík, J

2003-08-01

Effect of growth hormone (GH) on the growth and development of children is generally known. Effects of GH in adults are favorable, though. The aim of the work was to verify effects of GH administration on body composition in adult patients with GH deficit (GHD). The authors examined 15 adult patients with GHD originated in 13 of them in adulthood and in two of them in childhood. Their mean age was 43.9 +/- 11.3 years, the mean body mass was 80.0 +/- 15.2 kg. The GH deficit was verified by the stimulation insulin tolerance test. For the period of 12 months, they were subcutaneously administered recombinant human GH in a substitution dose of 0.5 to 1.5 IU/m2 body surface/day. A stable substitution of the hormone was applied for the period of at least six months in all these patients provided any deficit of other hormones had not been demonstrated. The examination by whole-body dosimeter Lunar DPX-L was made in the patients before the GH treatment began and after 12 months of therapy. It enabled to determine the amount of lean body mass (LBM) and fatty mass. After 12 months of GH treatment the mean level of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I) was increased (P = 0.002). A statistically significant increase of total LBM (48.6 +/- 9.8 vs. 50.8 +/- 9.9 kg, P = 0.004) developed, the fatty mass did not change. Nine of these 15 patients were further followed and the administration of GH proceeded for six months. The densitometric examination was repeated, but no change of LBM was observed. The administration of GH was halted and after the period of 12 months the whole-body densitometric examination was done. The increase of LBM lasted. The amount of fat mass did not change, a decrease of fatty mass was observed after the GH administration ended. After 12 months of GH treatment there was also an increase of maximal output reached on bicycle ergometer (157.3 +/- 34.2 vs. 197.5 +/- 68.1 W, P = 0.006). A positive correlation between LBM and maximal output reached on bicycle

Human gut microbiome: the second genome of human body.

PubMed

Zhu, Baoli; Wang, Xin; Li, Lanjuan

2010-08-01

The human body is actually a super-organism that is composed of 10 times more microbial cells than our body cells. Metagenomic study of the human microbiome has demonstrated that there are 3.3 million unique genes in human gut, 150 times more genes than our own genome, and the bacterial diversity analysis showed that about 1000 bacterial species are living in our gut and a majority of them belongs to the divisions of Firmicutes and Bacteriodetes. In addition, most people share a core microbiota that comprises 50-100 bacterial species when the frequency of abundance at phylotype level is not considered, and a core microbiome harboring more than 6000 functional gene groups is present in the majority of human gut surveyed till now. Gut bacteria are not only critical for regulating gut metabolism, but also important for host immune system as revealed by animal studies.

[Body image satisfaction in Mexican adolescents and adults and its relation with body selfperception and real body mass index].

PubMed

Sámano, Reyna; Rodríguez-Ventura, Ana Lilia; Sánchez-Jiménez, Bernarda; Godínez Martínez, Estela Ytelina; Noriega, Almudena; Zelonka, Rosa; Garza, Marien; Nieto, Javier

2014-12-16

Body Image (BI) perception could determine the nutritional care search, even though there is not always concordance between the real BMI and the self-perceived one. To determine the correlation between self-perceived and real BMI, and their relation with body image (BI) satisfaction in a sample of Mexican adolescents and adults. An cross-sectional and analytical study, conformed by 556 participants; of which 330 were adolescents and 217 were adults with anthropometric, self-perception and BI satisfaction assessment. The BMI was higher 23±6 vs 29.3±5 p<0.001 in adults, which doubled the level of overweight and obesity present in the adolescents 79% vs 43%. About 50% of participants had concordance between their real BMI and their perceived one (p<0.001). Of all adults with overweight and obesity 68% had satisfaction with their BI, whereas the prevalence of satisfaction with the BI in adolescents was 80%. The predictive variables of BI insatisfaction were being an adult, being a woman and having overweight/obesity (p=0.013). Those ones who referred a positive judgment about their BI, they also reported being satisfied with their BI and presented a real normal or overweight BMI. Half of the participants had concordance of their perceived BI with their real BMI. The satisfaction with BI was more frequent between the lower real and perceived BMI, but subjects with overweight and obesity also reported satisfaction with their BI even though it is considered a risk condition. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

Post-human body and beauty.

PubMed

Russo, Maria Teresa; Di Stefano, Nicola

2014-01-01

The article calls into question the very possibility of a post-human aesthetics, starting from the following premise: rather than post-human, it is more correct to speak of post-natural, indicating by this expression a reality produced through a new type of evolution, which does not simply change human nature, but de-natures it, radically transforming it into an artefact. This post-nature which aspires to be perfect, immortal, invulnerable, is entirely devoid of beauty. In fact, while there may be an aesthetic of the artificial and of the artefact if it is in relation to objects, there is, however, no aesthetic of the post-human body. This is because is configured as a non-body and does not have the characteristics for what is commonly intended as beauty (harmony between matter and form, a reflection of inner life, uniqueness). Also in this case, it is more correct to speak of post-beauty, which in its properties appears to be the mirror image of beauty and ultimately, represents its complete dissolution.

Body size and human energy requirements: Reduced mass-specific total energy expenditure in tall adults.

PubMed

Heymsfield, Steven B; Pietrobelli, Angelo

2010-01-01

Mammalian resting energy expenditure (REE) increases as approximately weight(0.75) while mass-specific REE scales as approximately weight(-0.25). Energy needs for replacing resting losses are thus less relative to weight (W) in large compared with small mammals, a classic observation with biological implications. Human weight scales as approximately height(2) and tall adults thus have a greater weight than their short counterparts. However, it remains unknown if mass-specific energy requirements are less in tall adults; allometric models linking total energy expenditure (TEE) and weight with height (H) are lacking. We tested the hypothesis that mass-specific energy requirements scale inversely to height in adults by evaluating TEE (doubly labeled water) data collected by the National Academy of Sciences. Activity energy expenditure (AEE) was calculated from TEE, REE (indirect calorimetry), and estimated diet-induced energy expenditure. Main analyses focused on nonmorbidly obese subjects < or =50 yrs of age with non-negative AEE values (n = 404), although results were directionally similar for all samples. Allometric models, including age as a covariate, revealed significantly (P < 0.05) greater REE, AEE, and TEE as a function of height (range H(1.5-1.7)) in both men and women. TEE/W scaled negatively to height ( approximately H(-0.7), P < 0.01) with predicted mass-specific TEE (kcal/kg/d) at +/-2 SD for US height lower in tall compared with short men (40.3 vs. 46.5) and women (37.7 vs. 42.7). REE/W also scaled negatively to height in men (P < 0.001) and women (P < 0.01). Results were generally robust across several different analytic strategies. These observations reveal previously unforeseen associations between human stature and energy requirements that have implications for modeling efforts and provide new links to mammalian biology as a whole.

Noninvasive, three-dimensional full-field body sensor for surface deformation monitoring of human body in vivo.

PubMed

Chen, Zhenning; Shao, Xinxing; He, Xiaoyuan; Wu, Jialin; Xu, Xiangyang; Zhang, Jinlin

2017-09-01

Noninvasive, three-dimensional (3-D), full-field surface deformation measurements of the human body are important for biomedical investigations. We proposed a 3-D noninvasive, full-field body sensor based on stereo digital image correlation (stereo-DIC) for surface deformation monitoring of the human body in vivo. First, by applying an improved water-transfer printing (WTP) technique to transfer optimized speckle patterns onto the skin, the body sensor was conveniently and harmlessly fabricated directly onto the human body. Then, stereo-DIC was used to achieve 3-D noncontact and noninvasive surface deformation measurements. The accuracy and efficiency of the proposed body sensor were verified and discussed by considering different complexions. Moreover, the fabrication of speckle patterns on human skin, which has always been considered a challenging problem, was shown to be feasible, effective, and harmless as a result of the improved WTP technique. An application of the proposed stereo-DIC-based body sensor was demonstrated by measuring the pulse wave velocity of human carotid artery. (2017) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).

Electronic imaging of the human body

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vannier, Michael W.; Yates, Randall E.; Whitestone, Jennifer J.

1992-09-01

The Human Engineering Division of the Armstrong Laboratory (USAF); the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology; the Washington University School of Medicine; and the Lister-Hill National Center for Biomedical Communication, National Library of Medicine are sponsoring a working group on electronic imaging of the human body. Electronic imaging of the surface of the human body has been pursued and developed by a number of disciplines including radiology, forensics, surgery, engineering, medical education, and anthropometry. The applications range from reconstructive surgery to computer-aided design (CAD) of protective equipment. Although these areas appear unrelated, they have a great deal of commonality. All the organizations working in this area are faced with the challenges of collecting, reducing, and formatting the data in an efficient and standard manner; storing this data in a computerized database to make it readily accessible; and developing software applications that can visualize, manipulate, and analyze the data. This working group is being established to encourage effective use of the resources of all the various groups and disciplines involved in electronic imaging of the human body surface by providing a forum for discussing progress and challenges with these types of data.

Microwave non-contact imaging of subcutaneous human body tissues

PubMed Central

Chernokalov, Alexander; Khripkov, Alexander; Cho, Jaegeol; Druchinin, Sergey

2015-01-01

A small-size microwave sensor is developed for non-contact imaging of a human body structure in 2D, enabling fitness and health monitoring using mobile devices. A method for human body tissue structure imaging is developed and experimentally validated. Subcutaneous fat tissue reconstruction depth of up to 70 mm and maximum fat thickness measurement error below 2 mm are demonstrated by measurements with a human body phantom and human subjects. Electrically small antennas are developed for integration of the microwave sensor into a mobile device. Usability of the developed microwave sensor for fitness applications, healthcare, and body weight management is demonstrated. PMID:26609415

Sex and Age Differences in Body-Image, Self-Esteem, and Body Mass Index in Adolescents and Adults After Single-Ventricle Palliation

PubMed Central

Evangelista, Lorraine S.; Doering, Lynn V.; Eastwood, Jo-Ann; Lewis, Alan B.; Child, John S.

2012-01-01

Single-ventricle congenital heart disease (SVCHD) requires multiple palliative surgical procedures that leave visible surgical scars and physical deficits, which can alter body-image and self-esteem. This study aimed to compare sex and age differences in body-image, self-esteem, and body mass index (BMI) in adolescents and adults with SVCHD after surgical palliation with those of a healthy control group. Using a comparative, cross-sectional design, 54 adolescent and adult (26 male and 28 female) patients, age 15–50 years, with SVCHD were compared with 66 age-matched healthy controls. Body-image and self-esteem were measured using the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire–Appearance Scale and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Height and weight were collected from retrospective chart review, and BMI was calculated. Female adolescents and adult patients with SVCHD reported lower body image compared with males patients with SVCHD and healthy controls (p = 0.003). Specific areas of concern were face (p = 0.002), upper torso or chest (p = 0.002), and muscle tone (p = 0.001). Patients with SVCHD who were <21 years of age had lower body image compared with healthy controls (p = 0.006). Self-esteem was comparable for both patients with SVCHD and healthy peers. There were no sex differences in BMI; BMI was higher in subjects >21 years of age (p = 0.01). Despite the similarities observed in self-esteem between the two groups, female patients with SVCHD <21 years of age reported lower perceived body-image. Our findings support the need to recognize poor psychological adjustment related to low self-esteem in patients with SVCHD; female patients warrant increased scrutiny. Strategies to help patients with SVCHD cope with nonmodifiable aspects of body-image during the difficult adolescent–to–young adult years may potentially enhance self-esteem and decrease psychological distress. PMID:22314368

Sex and age differences in body-image, self-esteem, and body mass index in adolescents and adults after single-ventricle palliation.

PubMed

Pike, Nancy A; Evangelista, Lorraine S; Doering, Lynn V; Eastwood, Jo-Ann; Lewis, Alan B; Child, John S

2012-06-01

Single-ventricle congenital heart disease (SVCHD) requires multiple palliative surgical procedures that leave visible surgical scars and physical deficits, which can alter body-image and self-esteem. This study aimed to compare sex and age differences in body-image, self-esteem, and body mass index (BMI) in adolescents and adults with SVCHD after surgical palliation with those of a healthy control group. Using a comparative, cross-sectional design, 54 adolescent and adult (26 male and 28 female) patients, age 15–50 years, with SVCHD were compared with 66 age-matched healthy controls. Body-image and self-esteem were measured using the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire–Appearance Scale and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Height and weight were collected from retrospective chart review, and BMI was calculated. Female adolescents and adult patients with SVCHD reported lower body image compared with males patients with SVCHD and healthy controls (p = 0.003). Specific areas of concern were face (p = 0.002), upper torso or chest (p = 0.002), and muscle tone (p = 0.001). Patients with SVCHD who were \\21 years of age had lower body image compared with healthy controls (p = 0.006). Self-esteem was comparable for both patients with SVCHD and healthy peers. There were no sex differences in BMI; BMI was higher in subjects[21 years of age (p = 0.01). Despite the similarities observed in self-esteem between the two groups, female patients with SVCHD\\21 years of age reported lower perceived body-image. Our findings support the need to recognize poor psychological adjustment related to low self-esteem in patients with SVCHD; female patients warrant increased scrutiny. Strategies to help patients with SVCHD cope with nonmodifiable aspects of body-image during the difficult adolescent–to–young adult years may potentially enhance self-esteem and decrease psychological distress.

HUMAN BODY SHAPE INDEX BASED ON AN EXPERIMENTALLY DERIVED MODEL OF HUMAN GROWTH

PubMed Central

Lebiedowska, Maria K.; Alter, Katharine E.; Stanhope, Steven J.

2009-01-01

Objectives To test the assumption of geometrically similar growth by developing experimentally derived models of human body growth during the age interval of 5–18 years; to use the derived growth models to establish a new Human Body Shape Index (HBSI) based on natural age related changes in HBS; and to compare various metrics of relative body weight (body mass index, ponderal index, HBSI) in a sample of 5–18 year old children. Study design Non-disabled Polish children (N=847) participated in this descriptive study. To model growth, the best fit between body height (H) and body mass (M) was calculated for each sex with the allometric equation M= miHχ. HBSI and HBSI were calculated separately for girls and boys, using sex-specific values for χ and a general HBSI from combined data. The customary body mass and ponderal indices were calculated and compared to HBSI values. Results The models of growth were M=13.11H2.84 (R2=.90) and M=13.64H2.68 (R2=.91) for girls and boys respectively. HBSI values contained less inherent variability and were influenced least by growth (age and height) than customary indices. Conclusion Age-related growth during childhood is sex-specific and not geometrically similar. Therefore, indices of human body shape formulated from experimentally derived models of human growth are superior to customary geometric similarity-based indices for the characterization of human body shape in children during the formative growth years. PMID:18154897

Multi-body dynamics modelling of seated human body under exposure to whole-body vibration.

PubMed

Yoshimura, Takuya; Nakai, Kazuma; Tamaoki, Gen

2005-07-01

In vehicle systems occupational drivers might expose themselves to vibration for a long time. This may cause illness of the spine such as chronic lumbago or low back pain. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the influence of vibration to the spinal column and to make up appropriate guidelines or counter plans. In ISO2631-1 or ISO2631-5 assessment of vibration effects to human in the view of adverse-health effect was already presented. However, it is necessary to carry out further research to understand the effect of vibration to human body to examine their validity and to prepare for the future revision. This paper shows the detail measurement of human response to vibration, and the modelling of the seated human body for the assessment of the vibration risk. The vibration transmissibilities from the seat surface to the spinal column and to the head are measured during the exposure to vertical excitation. The modal paramters of seated subject are extracted in order to understand the dominant natural modes. For the evaluation of adverse-health effect the multi-body modelling of the spinal column is introduced. A simplified model having 10 DOFs is counstructed so that the transmissibilities of the model fit to those of experiment. The transient response analysis is illustrated when a half-sine input is applied. The relative displacements of vertebrae are evaluated, which can be a basis for the assessment of vibration risk. It is suggested that the multi-body dynamic model is used to evaluate the vibration effect to the spinal column for seated subjects.

Cling film plastic wrap: An innovation for dead body packaging, preservation and transportation by first responders as a replacement for cadaver body bag in large scale disasters.

PubMed

Khoo, Lay See; Lai, Poh Soon; Saidin, Mohd Hilmi; Noor, Zahari; Mahmood, Mohd Shah

2018-04-01

Cadaver body bags are the conventional method to contain a human body or human remains, which includes the use for storage and transportation of the deceased at any crime scene or disaster scene. During disasters, most often than not, the first responders including the police will be equipped with cadaver body bags to do scene processing of human remains and collection of personal belongings at the disaster site. However, in an unanticipated large scale disasters involving hundreds and thousands of fatalities, cadaver body bags supplies may be scarce. The authors have therefore innovated the cling film plastic wrap as an alternative for the cadaver body bag used at the disaster site. The plastic wrap was tested on six different experimental subjects, i.e. both adult and child mannequins; body parts of the mannequin figure (arm and hand); a human adult subject and an unknown dead body. The strengths of the cling film plastic wrap are discussed in comparison with the cadaver body bag in the aspects of costing, weight, duration of the wrap, water and body fluid resistant properties, visibility and other advantages. An average savings of more than 5000% are noted for both adult body wrap and child body wrap compared to the cadaver body wrap. This simply means that the authors can either wrap 25 adult dead bodies or 80 children dead bodies with the cost of 1 cadaver body bag. The cling film plastic wrap has proven to have significant innovation impact for dead body management particularly by the first responders in large scale disasters. With proper handling of dead bodies, first responders can manage the dead with dignity and respect in an overwhelmed situation to facilitate the humanitarian victim identification process later. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparison of percent body fat estimates using air displacement plethysmography and hydrodensitometry in adults and children.

PubMed

Demerath, E W; Guo, S S; Chumlea, W C; Towne, B; Roche, A F; Siervogel, R M

2002-03-01

The purpose of the study was to compare estimates of body density and percentage body fat from air displacement plethysmography (ADP) to those from hydrodensitometry (HD) in adults and children and to provide a review of similar recent studies. Body density and percentage body fat (% BF) were assessed by ADP and HD on the same day in 87 adults aged 18-69 y (41 males and 46 females) and 39 children aged 8-17 y (19 males and 20 females). Differences between measured and predicted thoracic gas volumes determined during the ADP procedure and the resultant effects of those differences on body composition estimates were also compared. In a subset of 50 individuals (31 adults and 19 children), reliability of ADP was measured and the relative ease or difficulty of ADP and HD were probed with a questionnaire. The coefficient of reliability between %BF on day 1 and day 2 was 96.4 in adults and 90.1 in children, and the technical error of measurement of 1.6% in adults and 1.8% in children. Using a predicted rather than a measured thoracic gas volume did not significantly affect percentage body fat estimates in adults, but resulted in overestimates of percentage body fat in children. Mean percentage body fat from ADP was higher than percentage body fat from HD, although this was statistically significant only in adults (29.3 vs 27.7%, P<0.05). The 95% confidence interval of the between-method differences for all subjects was -7 to +9% body fat, and the root mean square error (r.m.s.e.) was approximately 4% body fat. In the subset of individuals who were asked to compare the two methods, 46 out of 50 (92%) indicated that they preferred the ADP to HD. ADP is a reliable method of measuring body composition that subjects found preferable to underwater weighing. However, as shown here and in most other studies, there are differences in percentage body fat estimates assessed by the two methods, perhaps related to body size, age or other factors, that are sufficient to preclude ADP

Electric Shock and the Human Body.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Colin

1986-01-01

Discusses electricity's documented effects on the human body, including both the dangers to human health and the medical application of electrical stimulation to heart problems. Discusses the teaching of such physics topics to potential medical students. (TW)

Body composition analysis: Cellular level modeling of body component ratios.

PubMed

Wang, Z; Heymsfield, S B; Pi-Sunyer, F X; Gallagher, D; Pierson, R N

2008-01-01

During the past two decades, a major outgrowth of efforts by our research group at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital is the development of body composition models that include cellular level models, models based on body component ratios, total body potassium models, multi-component models, and resting energy expenditure-body composition models. This review summarizes these models with emphasis on component ratios that we believe are fundamental to understanding human body composition during growth and development and in response to disease and treatments. In-vivo measurements reveal that in healthy adults some component ratios show minimal variability and are relatively 'stable', for example total body water/fat-free mass and fat-free mass density. These ratios can be effectively applied for developing body composition methods. In contrast, other ratios, such as total body potassium/fat-free mass, are highly variable in vivo and therefore are less useful for developing body composition models. In order to understand the mechanisms governing the variability of these component ratios, we have developed eight cellular level ratio models and from them we derived simplified models that share as a major determining factor the ratio of extracellular to intracellular water ratio (E/I). The E/I value varies widely among adults. Model analysis reveals that the magnitude and variability of each body component ratio can be predicted by correlating the cellular level model with the E/I value. Our approach thus provides new insights into and improved understanding of body composition ratios in adults.

Neurotrophic Properties, Chemosensory Responses and Neurogenic Niche of the Human Carotid Body.

PubMed

Ortega-Sáenz, Patricia; Villadiego, Javier; Pardal, Ricardo; Toledo-Aral, Juan José; López-Barneo, José

2015-01-01

The carotid body (CB) is a polymodal chemoreceptor that triggers the hyperventilatory response to hypoxia necessary for the maintenance of O(2) homeostasis essential for the survival of organs such as the brain or heart. Glomus cells, the sensory elements in the CB, are also sensitive to hypercapnia, acidosis and, although less generally accepted, hypoglycemia. Current knowledge on CB function is mainly based on studies performed on lower mammals, but the information on the human CB is scant. Here we describe the structure, neurotrophic properties, and cellular responses to hypoxia and hypoglycemia of CBs dissected from human cadavers. The adult CB parenchyma contains clusters of chemosensitive glomus (type I) and sustentacular (type II) cells as well as nestin-positive progenitor cells. This organ also expresses high levels of the dopaminotrophic glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF). GDNF production and the number of progenitor and glomus cells were preserved in the CBs of human subjects of advanced age. As reported for other mammalian species, glomus cells responded to hypoxia by external Ca(2+)-dependent increase of cytosolic [Ca(2+)] and quantal catecholamine release. Human glomus cells are also responsive to hypoglycemia and together the two stimuli, hypoxia and hypoglycemia, can potentiate each other's effects. The chemo-sensory responses of glomus cells are also preserved at an advanced age. Interestingly, a neurogenic niche similar to that recently described in rodents is also preserved in the adult human CB. These new data on the cellular and molecular physiology of the CB pave the way for future pathophysiological studies involving this organ in humans.

In-to-out body path loss for wireless radio frequency capsule endoscopy in a human body.

PubMed

Vermeeren, G; Tanghe, E; Thielens, A; Martens, L; Joseph, W

2016-08-01

Physical-layer characterization is important for design of in-to-out body communication for wireless body area networks (WBANs). This paper numerically investigates the path loss of an in-to-out body radio frequency (RF) wireless link between an endoscopy capsule and a receiver outside the body using a 3D electromagnetic solver. A spiral antenna in the endoscopy capsule is tuned to operate in the Medical Implant Communication Service (MICS) band at 402 MHz, accounting for the properties of the human body. The influence of misalignment, rotation of the capsule, and human body model are investigated. Semi-empirical path loss models for various homogeneous tissues and 3D realistic human body models are provided for manufacturers to evaluate the performance of in-to-out-body WBAN systems.

Family dinner frequency, settings and sources, and body weight in US adults.

PubMed

Sobal, Jeffery; Hanson, Karla

2014-07-01

Contemporary families and food systems are both becoming more dynamic and complex, and current associations between adult family meals and body mass index (BMI) are not well understood. This investigation took a new approach by examining diverse settings and sources of food for family dinners in relationship to BMI in a cross-sectional nationally representative survey of 360 US adults age 18-85 living with family members. In this sample, 89% of adults ate family dinners at least 5 days per week and almost all ate family dinners cooked and eaten at home. About half of these adults also ate family dinners at restaurants, fast food places, or ate takeout food at home, and less common were family dinners at homes of relatives or friends. Family dinners eaten at fast food places, but not other settings or sources, were significantly associated with higher BMI. Overall, adult family dinners were commonplace, usually involved home cooking, and when at fast food places may be related with higher adult body weights. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Globalization and the trade in human body parts.

PubMed

Harrison, T

1999-02-01

Since the early 1980s, the number and variety of organ transplantations has increased enormously worldwide. Accompanying this increase has been the emergence of a market for human body parts. This paper argues that, while the trade in human body parts is conditioned by technological advances, it must be understood in the broader context of globalization, specifically the extension and intensification of a capitalist mode of exchange. In this regard, it is argued that the trade in human body parts mirrors the "normal" system of unequal exchanges that mark other forms of trade between the developed and undeveloped regions of the world.

What determines human body odour?

PubMed

Hamada, Kaoru; Haruyama, Sanehito; Yamaguchi, Takashi; Yamamoto, Kayo; Hiromasa, Kana; Yoshioka, Manabu; Nishio, Daisuke; Nakamura, Motonobu

2014-05-01

Human body odour and earwax type are genetically dependent on a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located in the ABCC11 gene. So far, it still remains to be clear how SNP in the ABCC11 gene is associated with human malodour. In a recent issue of Experimental Dermatology, Baumann et al. propose one of the underlying molecular pathways. Although one of the amino acid conjugated of the odorants, Cys-Gly-3-methyl-3-sulfanylhexanol (3M3SH), was not taken up by the transporter ABCC11, glutathione conjugate of 3MSH (SG-3MSH) was transported by ABCC11. Moreover, SG-3MSH was processed to 3M3SH by γ-glutamyl-transferase 1 (GGT1), which was abundantly expressed in apocrine sweat glands. These findings may pave a way for the pharmacogenetics of human body odour and the development of innovative deodorant products. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Three-dimensional surface anthropometry: Applications to the human body

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Peter R. M.; Rioux, Marc

1997-09-01

Anthropometry is the study of the measurement of the human body. By tradition this has been carried out taking the measurements from body surface landmarks, such as circumferences and breadths, using simple instruments like tape measures and calipers. Three-dimensional (3D) surface anthropometry enables us to extend the study to 3D geometry and morphology of mainly external human body tissues. It includes the acquisition, indexing, transmission, archiving, retrieval, interrogation and analysis of body size, shape, and surface together with their variability throughout growth and development to adulthood. While 3D surface anthropometry surveying is relatively new, anthropometric surveying using traditional tools, such as calipers and tape measures, is not. Recorded studies of the human form date back to ancient times. Since at least the 17th century 1 investigators have made attempts to measure the human body for physical properties such as weight, size, and centre of mass. Martin documented 'standard' body measurement methods in a handbook in 1928. 2 This paper reviews the past and current literature devoted to the applications of 3D anthropometry because true 3D scanning of the complete human body is fast becoming a reality. We attempt to take readers through different forms of technology which deal with simple forms of projected light to the more complex advanced forms of laser and video technology giving low and/or high resolution 3D data. Information is also given about image capture of size and shape of the whole as well as most component parts of the human body. In particular, the review describes with explanations a multitude of applications, for example, medical, product design, human engineering, anthropometry and ergonomics etc.

[EVALUATION OF THE BODY ADIPOSITY INDEX IN PREDICTING PERCENTAGE BODY FAT AMONG COLOMBIAN ADULTS].

PubMed

González-Ruíz, Katherine; Correa-Bautista, Jorge Enrique; Ramírez-Vélez, Robinson

2015-07-01

the body adiposity index (BAI) is a new simplistic method for predicting body fat percentage (BF%) via a simple equation of hip circumference to height. Up to now, few studies have evaluated the performance of BAI in determining excess fat in Colombians. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of BAI as a predictor of body fat in among Colombian adults. cross-sectional study carried out in a sample of 204 male belonging to the education sector from Bogotá, Colombia. BAI was calculated based on the equation reported in the Bergman et al. %BF determined by tetrapolar bioimpedance analysis (BIA) was used as the reference measure of adiposity. Bland-Altman analysis was used to assess the agreement between the two methods: BAI and BIA. Associations between anthropometric measures of adiposity were investigated by Pearson correlation analysis. in general pupulation, the BAI overestimates %BF (mean difference: 12.5 % [95%CI = -4.04 % to -21.02 %]), mainly at lower levels of adiposity (mean difference: 10.2 ± 3.3). Significant correlations were found between BAI and all measurements, being the strongest-moderate correlation with %BF (r = 0.777, p < 0.001), waist to height ratio (r = 0.557, p < 0.001) and BMI (r = 0.480, p < 0.001). the results of this investigation indicate that BAI results in large individual errors when predicting BF% among Colombian adults and has a tendency to provide overestimated values as BF% decreases. Therefore, this method can be a useful tool to predict %BF in Colombian adults, although it has some limitations. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

Body size, body proportions, and encephalization in a Middle Pleistocene archaic human from northern China.

PubMed

Rosenberg, Karen R; Zuné, Lü; Ruff, Christopher B

2006-03-07

The unusual discovery of associated cranial and postcranial elements from a single Middle Pleistocene fossil human allows us to calculate body proportions and relative cranial capacity (encephalization quotient) for that individual rather than rely on estimates based on sample means from unassociated specimens. The individual analyzed here (Jinniushan) from northeastern China at 260,000 years ago is the largest female specimen yet known in the human fossil record and has body proportions (body height relative to body breadth and relative limb length) typical of cold-adapted populations elsewhere in the world. Her encephalization quotient of 4.15 is similar to estimates for late Middle Pleistocene humans that are based on mean body size and mean brain size from unassociated specimens.

Facilitated early cortical processing of nude human bodies.

PubMed

Alho, Jussi; Salminen, Nelli; Sams, Mikko; Hietanen, Jari K; Nummenmaa, Lauri

2015-07-01

Functional brain imaging has identified specialized neural systems supporting human body perception. Responses to nude vs. clothed bodies within this system are amplified. However, it remains unresolved whether nude and clothed bodies are processed by same cerebral networks or whether processing of nude bodies recruits additional affective and arousal processing areas. We recorded simultaneous MEG and EEG while participants viewed photographs of clothed and nude bodies. Global field power revealed a peak ∼145ms after stimulus onset to both clothed and nude bodies, and ∼205ms exclusively to nude bodies. Nude-body-sensitive responses were centered first (100-200ms) in the extrastriate and fusiform body areas, and subsequently (200-300ms) in affective-motivational areas including insula and anterior cingulate cortex. We conclude that visibility of sexual features facilitates early cortical processing of human bodies, the purpose of which is presumably to trigger sexual behavior and ultimately ensure reproduction. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Circuit Model of Real Time Human Body Hydration.

PubMed

Asogwa, Clement Ogugua; Teshome, Assefa K; Collins, Stephen F; Lai, Daniel T H

2016-06-01

Changes in human body hydration leading to excess fluid losses or overload affects the body fluid's ability to provide the necessary support for healthy living. We propose a time-dependent circuit model of real-time human body hydration, which models the human body tissue as a signal transmission medium. The circuit model predicts the attenuation of a propagating electrical signal. Hydration rates are modeled by a time constant τ, which characterizes the individual specific metabolic function of the body part measured. We define a surrogate human body anthropometric parameter θ by the muscle-fat ratio and comparing it with the body mass index (BMI), we find theoretically, the rate of hydration varying from 1.73 dB/min, for high θ and low τ to 0.05 dB/min for low θ and high τ. We compare these theoretical values with empirical measurements and show that real-time changes in human body hydration can be observed by measuring signal attenuation. We took empirical measurements using a vector network analyzer and obtained different hydration rates for various BMI, ranging from 0.6 dB/min for 22.7 [Formula: see text] down to 0.04 dB/min for 41.2 [Formula: see text]. We conclude that the galvanic coupling circuit model can predict changes in the volume of the body fluid, which are essential in diagnosing and monitoring treatment of body fluid disorder. Individuals with high BMI would have higher time-dependent biological characteristic, lower metabolic rate, and lower rate of hydration.

Mouse xenograft modeling of human adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia provides mechanistic insights into adult LIC biology

PubMed Central

Dey, Aditi; Castleton, Anna Z.; Schwab, Claire; Samuel, Edward; Sivakumaran, Janani; Beaton, Brendan; Zareian, Nahid; Zhang, Christie Yu; Rai, Lena; Enver, Tariq; Moorman, Anthony V.; Fielding, Adele K.

2014-01-01

The distinct nature of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in adults, evidenced by inferior treatment outcome and different genetic landscape, mandates specific studies of disease-initiating mechanisms. In this study, we used NOD/LtSz-scid IL2Rγ nullc (NSG) mouse xenotransplantation approaches to elucidate leukemia-initiating cell (LIC) biology in primary adult precursor B (pre-B) ALL to optimize disease modeling. In contrast with xenografting studies of pediatric ALL, we found that modification of the NSG host environment using preconditioning total body irradiation (TBI) was indispensable for efficient engraftment of adult non-t(4;11) pre-B ALL, whereas t(4;11) pre-B ALL was successfully reconstituted without this adaptation. Furthermore, TBI-based xenotransplantation of non-t(4;11) pre-B ALL enabled detection of a high frequency of LICs (<1:6900) and permitted frank leukemic engraftment from a remission sample containing drug-resistant minimal residual disease. Investigation of TBI-sensitive stromal-derived factor-1/chemokine receptor type 4 signaling revealed greater functional dependence of non-t(4;11) pre-B ALL on this niche-based interaction, providing a possible basis for the differential engraftment behavior. Thus, our studies establish the optimal conditions for experimental modeling of human adult pre-B ALL and demonstrate the critical protumorogenic role of microenvironment-derived SDF-1 in regulating adult pre-B LIC activity that may present a therapeutic opportunity. PMID:24825861

An exploration of adult body shape and limb proportions at Kellis 2, Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt.

PubMed

Bleuze, Michele M; Wheeler, Sandra M; Dupras, Tosha L; Williams, Lana J; El Molto, J

2014-03-01

Several studies have shown that the human body generally conforms to the ecogeographical expectations of Bergmann's and Allen's rules; however, recent evidence suggests that these expectations may not hold completely for some populations. Egypt is located at the crossroads of Sub-Saharan Africa, Southern Europe, and the Near East, and gene flow among groups in these regions may confound ecogeographical patterning. In this study, we test the fit of the adult physique of a large sample (N = 163) of females and males from the Kellis 2 cemetery (Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt) against ecogeographical predictions. Body shape (i.e., body mass relative to stature) was assessed by the femur head diameter to bicondylar femur length index (FHD/BFL), and brachial and crural indices were calculated to examine intralimb proportions. Body shape in the Kellis 2 sample is not significantly different from high-latitude groups and a Lower Nubian sample, and intralimb proportions are not significantly different from mid-latitude and other low-latitude groups. This study demonstrates the potential uniqueness of body shape and intralimb proportions in an ancient Egyptian sample, and further highlights the complex relationship between ecogeographic patterning and adaptation. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Body mass index and body fat percentage in assessment of obesity prevalence in saudi adults.

PubMed

Habib, Syed Shahid

2013-02-01

To assess the obesity prevalence in Saudi adults according to the international standards of body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage (BF%). Five hundred and thirty healthy Saudi adults aged 18-72 years (mean 36.91 ± 15.22 years) were enrolled in this study. Their body composition was assessed by bioelectrical impendence analysis with a commercially available body composition analyzer. Standard BMI and BF% values were used to define obesity. The prevalence of underweight, normal underweight, overweight and obesity in Saudi adults according to the BMI criteria (<18.5 kg/m², 18.5-24.4 kg/m², 25-29.9 kg/m², 30 kg/m² and above, respectively) was 2.5%, 30.2%, 33.6%, and 33.8%, respectively, whereas the obesity prevalence was 60% (n=318) in Saudi adults according to the BF% criteria (25% for males and 30% for females), which was significantly higher than that according to BMI criteria. However, it was 50.6% (n=268) when the BMI cutoff point was 27.5 kg/m², proposed by WHO for the Asian population. Kappa analysis showed that the obesity prevalence defined by BMI and BF% was higher in females than in males (k=0.530 vs k=0.418, P<0.0001). The sensitivity and specificity of BMI (30 kg/m² and 27.5 kg/m²) were 54.1% and 96.7% and 76.4% and 88.2%, respectively, for obesity. A lower BMI cutoff point (26.60 kg/m²) was proposed in this study, which gave the maximum sensitivity (84.3%) and specificity (85.4%), with a moderate kappa agreement (k=0.686). Moreover, the obesity prevalence at this cutoff point (56.4%) was significantly higher than that recommended by WHO. The specificity of BMI for obesity is high and its sensitivity is low in both sexes. Its sensitivity can be increased by changing BMI cutoff to a lower value. The choice of BF% reference is of great influence for the assessment of obesity prevalence according to the BMI. Copyright © 2013 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.

Human body mass estimation: a comparison of "morphometric" and "mechanical" methods.

PubMed

Auerbach, Benjamin M; Ruff, Christopher B

2004-12-01

In the past, body mass was reconstructed from hominin skeletal remains using both "mechanical" methods which rely on the support of body mass by weight-bearing skeletal elements, and "morphometric" methods which reconstruct body mass through direct assessment of body size and shape. A previous comparison of two such techniques, using femoral head breadth (mechanical) and stature and bi-iliac breadth (morphometric), indicated a good general correspondence between them (Ruff et al. [1997] Nature 387:173-176). However, the two techniques were never systematically compared across a large group of modern humans of diverse body form. This study incorporates skeletal measures taken from 1,173 Holocene adult individuals, representing diverse geographic origins, body sizes, and body shapes. Femoral head breadth, bi-iliac breadth (after pelvic rearticulation), and long bone lengths were measured on each individual. Statures were estimated from long bone lengths using appropriate reference samples. Body masses were calculated using three available femoral head breadth (FH) formulae and the stature/bi-iliac breadth (STBIB) formula, and compared. All methods yielded similar results. Correlations between FH estimates and STBIB estimates are 0.74-0.81. Slight differences in results between the three FH estimates can be attributed to sampling differences in the original reference samples, and in particular, the body-size ranges included in those samples. There is no evidence for systematic differences in results due to differences in body proportions. Since the STBIB method was validated on other samples, and the FH methods produced similar estimates, this argues that either may be applied to skeletal remains with some confidence. 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Human blood metabolite timetable indicates internal body time

PubMed Central

Kasukawa, Takeya; Sugimoto, Masahiro; Hida, Akiko; Minami, Yoichi; Mori, Masayo; Honma, Sato; Honma, Ken-ichi; Mishima, Kazuo; Soga, Tomoyoshi; Ueda, Hiroki R.

2012-01-01

A convenient way to estimate internal body time (BT) is essential for chronotherapy and time-restricted feeding, both of which use body-time information to maximize potency and minimize toxicity during drug administration and feeding, respectively. Previously, we proposed a molecular timetable based on circadian-oscillating substances in multiple mouse organs or blood to estimate internal body time from samples taken at only a few time points. Here we applied this molecular-timetable concept to estimate and evaluate internal body time in humans. We constructed a 1.5-d reference timetable of oscillating metabolites in human blood samples with 2-h sampling frequency while simultaneously controlling for the confounding effects of activity level, light, temperature, sleep, and food intake. By using this metabolite timetable as a reference, we accurately determined internal body time within 3 h from just two anti-phase blood samples. Our minimally invasive, molecular-timetable method with human blood enables highly optimized and personalized medicine. PMID:22927403

Reprint of: Cling film plastic wrap: An innovation for dead body packaging, preservation and transportation by first responders as a replacement for cadaver body bag in large scale disasters.

PubMed

Khoo, Lay See; Lai, Poh Soon; Saidin, Mohd Hilmi; Noor, Zahari; Mahmood, Mohd Shah

2018-07-01

Cadaver body bags are the conventional method to contain a human body or human remains, which includes the use for storage and transportation of the deceased at any crime scene or disaster scene. During disasters, most often than not, the first responders including the police will be equipped with cadaver body bags to do scene processing of human remains and collection of personal belongings at the disaster site. However, in an unanticipated large scale disasters involving hundreds and thousands of fatalities, cadaver body bags supplies may be scarce. The authors have therefore innovated the cling film plastic wrap as an alternative for the cadaver body bag used at the disaster site. The plastic wrap was tested on six different experimental subjects, i.e. both adult and child mannequins; body parts of the mannequin figure (arm and hand); a human adult subject and an unknown dead body. The strengths of the cling film plastic wrap are discussed in comparison with the cadaver body bag in the aspects of costing, weight, duration of the wrap, water and body fluid resistant properties, visibility and other advantages. An average savings of more than 5000% are noted for both adult body wrap and child body wrap compared to the cadaver body wrap. This simply means that the authors can either wrap 25 adult dead bodies or 80 children dead bodies with the cost of 1 cadaver body bag. The cling film plastic wrap has proven to have significant innovation impact for dead body management particularly by the first responders in large scale disasters. With proper handling of dead bodies, first responders can manage the dead with dignity and respect in an overwhelmed situation to facilitate the humanitarian victim identification process later. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An unusual presentation of a chronic ingested foreign body in an adult.

PubMed

Kropf, Jesse A H; Jeanmonod, Rebecca; Yen, David M

2013-01-01

Sore throat is a common complaint for patients presenting to the emergency department (ED). Although most are caused by viral and bacterial sources, an ingested foreign body must be considered in the right patient population. Retained foreign bodies occur in both children and adults. In children, the objects are usually non-food items, whereas adults are more likely to have impacted food boluses. Typically, patients present acutely, and chronic foreign bodies are rare, especially in adults. We use an unusual presentation of a retained foreign body in a previously undiagnosed Zenker diverticulum to review ingested foreign bodies and Zenker diverticuli. We report the case of an 82-year-old woman who presented to the ED with a chief complaint of 12 h of worsening pharyngitis and odynophagia. She reported she had a capsule endoscopy performed approximately 4 months earlier during which the device had malfunctioned and no images were transmitted from beyond the esophagus. A soft tissue film of the neck showed the endoscopic capsule retained at the level of the clavicles. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy demonstrated a previously undiagnosed Zenker diverticulum containing the endoscope capsule. This was subsequently removed with laryngoscopy. Complaints related to sore throat commonly have a simple explanation. Recurrent symptoms and a physical examination inconsistent with common explanations require the differential to be broadened and less common causes considered. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Microbiota and representations of the human body].

PubMed

Dodet, Betty

2016-11-01

Although the presence of an intestinal flora has been known for a long time, the discovery of the role of gut microbiota in human health and disease has been widely recognized as one of the most important advances in the recent years. Chronic diseases may result from dysbiosis, i.e. a disruption of the balance within the bacterial population hosted by the human body. These developments open new prospects in terms of prevention and treatment, including the design of adapted diets, the development of functional foods and fecal transplantation. These discoveries have profoundly altered our view of microbes, of health and disease, of self and non-self, as well as our representations of the body and its relationship with its ecosystem. Gut microbiota is now generally considered as an organ in its own right. A model of the "microbiotic person" thus arises, in which the human organism is defined as an ecosystem, a chimeric superorganism with a double genome, both human and microbial. Thought should be given to the way in which these new paradigms modify lay perceptions of the human body. © 2016 médecine/sciences – Inserm.

Anatomical localization, gene expression profiling and functional characterization of adult human neck brown fat.

PubMed

Cypess, Aaron M; White, Andrew P; Vernochet, Cecile; Schulz, Tim J; Xue, Ruidan; Sass, Christina A; Huang, Tian Liang; Roberts-Toler, Carla; Weiner, Lauren S; Sze, Cathy; Chacko, Aron T; Deschamps, Laura N; Herder, Lindsay M; Truchan, Nathan; Glasgow, Allison L; Holman, Ashley R; Gavrila, Alina; Hasselgren, Per-Olof; Mori, Marcelo A; Molla, Michael; Tseng, Yu-Hua

2013-05-01

The imbalance between energy intake and expenditure is the underlying cause of the current obesity and diabetes pandemics. Central to these pathologies is the fat depot: white adipose tissue (WAT) stores excess calories, and brown adipose tissue (BAT) consumes fuel for thermogenesis using tissue-specific uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1). BAT was once thought to have a functional role in rodents and human infants only, but it has been recently shown that in response to mild cold exposure, adult human BAT consumes more glucose per gram than any other tissue. In addition to this nonshivering thermogenesis, human BAT may also combat weight gain by becoming more active in the setting of increased whole-body energy intake. This phenomenon of BAT-mediated diet-induced thermogenesis has been observed in rodents and suggests that activation of human BAT could be used as a safe treatment for obesity and metabolic dysregulation. In this study, we isolated anatomically defined neck fat from adult human volunteers and compared its gene expression, differentiation capacity and basal oxygen consumption to different mouse adipose depots. Although the properties of human neck fat vary substantially between individuals, some human samples share many similarities with classical, also called constitutive, rodent BAT.

Eating regulation styles, appearance schemas, and body satisfaction predict changes in body fat for emerging adults.

PubMed

Morgan, Ali Zaremba; Keiley, Margaret K; Ryan, Aubrey E; Radomski, Juliana Groves; Gropper, Sareen S; Connell, Lenda Jo; Simmons, Karla P; Ulrich, Pamela V

2012-09-01

. Overall, males and females with high autonomous regulation and high motivational salience are likely to maintain (instead of increase) percent body fat over the college years. Knowing the influence of these predictors can be useful for promoting health and intervening with young adults in the college setting and other emerging adults who are not enrolled in postsecondary institutions.

[The gift of human body's products: philosophical and ethical aspects].

PubMed

Baertschi, B

2014-09-01

In continental Europe, there is a very strong moral condemnation against putting parts or products of the human body on sale-and, consequently, against putting sperms and oocytes on sale. Only a gift is morally permissible. The situation is different in Anglo-Saxon countries. Who is right? Above all, it must be noticed that two views of the human body are facing each other here: for the first, the human body is a part of the person (so, it partakes of the person's dignity), whereas for the second, the human body is a possession of the person (the person is the owner of his/her body). In my opinion, the argument of dignity comes up against serious objections, and the property argument is more consistent. However, it does not follow that it would be judicious to put parts and products of the human body for sale on a market. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Endoscopic Management of Foreign Bodies in the Upper Gastrointestinal Tract of Adults

PubMed Central

Yao, Chih-Chien; Wu, I-Ting; Lu, Lung-Sheng; Lin, Sheng-Chieh; Liang, Chih-Ming; Kuo, Yuan-Hung; Yang, Shih-Cheng; Wu, Cheng-Kun; Wang, Hsing-Ming; Kuo, Chung-Huang; Chiou, Shue-Shian; Wu, Keng-Liang; Chiu, Yi-Chun; Chuah, Seng-Kee; Tai, Wei-Chen

2015-01-01

Background. Foreign object ingestion and food bolus impaction are a common clinical problem. We report our clinical experiences in endoscopic management for adults, foreign body ingestion, and food bolus impaction. Method. A retrospective chart review study was conducted on adult patients with foreign body ingestion and food bolus impaction between January 2011 and November 2014. Patients with incomplete medical records were excluded. Results. A total of 198 patients (226 incidents) were included in the study (male/female: 1.54/1; age 57 ± 16 years). Among them, 168 foreign bodies were found successfully (74.3%). 75.6% of the foreign bodies were located in the esophagus. Food bolus impaction was most common (41.6%). 93.5% of foreign bodies in current study cohort were successfully extracted and 5 patients required surgical interventions. Comparisons between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients revealed that locations of foreign bodies in the pharynx and esophagus were the significant relevant factors (P < 0.001). Shorter time taken to initiate endoscopic interventions increased detection rate (289.75 ± 465.94 versus 471.06 ± 659.93 minutes, P = 0.028). Conclusion. Endoscopic management is a safe and highly effective procedure in extracting foreign body ingestion and food bolus impaction. Prompt endoscopic interventions can increase the chance of successful foreign bodies' detection. PMID:26258140

Endoscopic Management of Foreign Bodies in the Upper Gastrointestinal Tract of Adults.

PubMed

Yao, Chih-Chien; Wu, I-Ting; Lu, Lung-Sheng; Lin, Sheng-Chieh; Liang, Chih-Ming; Kuo, Yuan-Hung; Yang, Shih-Cheng; Wu, Cheng-Kun; Wang, Hsing-Ming; Kuo, Chung-Huang; Chiou, Shue-Shian; Wu, Keng-Liang; Chiu, Yi-Chun; Chuah, Seng-Kee; Tai, Wei-Chen

2015-01-01

Foreign object ingestion and food bolus impaction are a common clinical problem. We report our clinical experiences in endoscopic management for adults, foreign body ingestion, and food bolus impaction. A retrospective chart review study was conducted on adult patients with foreign body ingestion and food bolus impaction between January 2011 and November 2014. Patients with incomplete medical records were excluded. A total of 198 patients (226 incidents) were included in the study (male/female: 1.54/1; age 57 ± 16 years). Among them, 168 foreign bodies were found successfully (74.3%). 75.6% of the foreign bodies were located in the esophagus. Food bolus impaction was most common (41.6%). 93.5% of foreign bodies in current study cohort were successfully extracted and 5 patients required surgical interventions. Comparisons between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients revealed that locations of foreign bodies in the pharynx and esophagus were the significant relevant factors (P < 0.001). Shorter time taken to initiate endoscopic interventions increased detection rate (289.75 ± 465.94 versus 471.06 ± 659.93 minutes, P = 0.028). Endoscopic management is a safe and highly effective procedure in extracting foreign body ingestion and food bolus impaction. Prompt endoscopic interventions can increase the chance of successful foreign bodies' detection.

Acinetobacter baumannii in Human Body Louse

PubMed Central

Raoult, Didier

2004-01-01

While we were isolating Bartonella quintana from body lice, 40 Acinetobacter baumannii strains were also isolated and genotyped. One clone was unique and the other was ampicillin susceptible. A. baumannii DNA was later detected in 21% of 622 lice collected worldwide. These findings show an A. baumannii epidemic in human body lice. PMID:15498175

Body mass estimates of hominin fossils and the evolution of human body size.

PubMed

Grabowski, Mark; Hatala, Kevin G; Jungers, William L; Richmond, Brian G

2015-08-01

Body size directly influences an animal's place in the natural world, including its energy requirements, home range size, relative brain size, locomotion, diet, life history, and behavior. Thus, an understanding of the biology of extinct organisms, including species in our own lineage, requires accurate estimates of body size. Since the last major review of hominin body size based on postcranial morphology over 20 years ago, new fossils have been discovered, species attributions have been clarified, and methods improved. Here, we present the most comprehensive and thoroughly vetted set of individual fossil hominin body mass predictions to date, and estimation equations based on a large (n = 220) sample of modern humans of known body masses. We also present species averages based exclusively on fossils with reliable taxonomic attributions, estimates of species averages by sex, and a metric for levels of sexual dimorphism. Finally, we identify individual traits that appear to be the most reliable for mass estimation for each fossil species, for use when only one measurement is available for a fossil. Our results show that many early hominins were generally smaller-bodied than previously thought, an outcome likely due to larger estimates in previous studies resulting from the use of large-bodied modern human reference samples. Current evidence indicates that modern human-like large size first appeared by at least 3-3.5 Ma in some Australopithecus afarensis individuals. Our results challenge an evolutionary model arguing that body size increased from Australopithecus to early Homo. Instead, we show that there is no reliable evidence that the body size of non-erectus early Homo differed from that of australopiths, and confirm that Homo erectus evolved larger average body size than earlier hominins. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of Propagation Characteristics Using the Human Body as an Antenna

PubMed Central

Li, Jingzhen; Liu, Yuhang; Hao, Yang

2017-01-01

In this paper, an inhomogeneous human body model was presented to investigate the propagation characteristics when the human body was used as an antenna to achieve signal transmission. Specifically, the channel gain of four scenarios, namely, (1) both TX electrode and RX electrode were placed in the air, (2) TX electrode was attached on the human body, and RX electrode was placed in the air, (3) TX electrode was placed in the air, and RX electrode was attached on the human body, (4) both the TX electrode and RX electrode were attached on the human body, were studied through numerical simulation in the frequency range 1 MHz to 90 MHz. Furthermore, the comparisons of input efficiency, accepted efficiency, total efficiency, absorption power of human body, and electric field distribution of different distances of four aforementioned scenarios were explored when the frequency was at 44 MHz. In addition, the influences of different human tissues, electrode position, and the distance between electrode and human body on the propagation characteristics were investigated respectively at 44 MHz. The results showed that the channel gain of Scenario 4 was the maximum when the frequency was from 1 MHz to 90 MHz. The propagation characteristics were almost independent of electrode position when the human body was using as an antenna. However, as the distance between TX electrode and human body increased, the channel gain decreased rapidly. The simulations were verified by experimental measurements. The results showed that the simulations were in agreement with the measurements. PMID:29232905

Evaluation of Propagation Characteristics Using the Human Body as an Antenna.

PubMed

Li, Jingzhen; Nie, Zedong; Liu, Yuhang; Wang, Lei; Hao, Yang

2017-12-11

In this paper, an inhomogeneous human body model was presented to investigate the propagation characteristics when the human body was used as an antenna to achieve signal transmission. Specifically, the channel gain of four scenarios, namely, (1) both TX electrode and RX electrode were placed in the air, (2) TX electrode was attached on the human body, and RX electrode was placed in the air, (3) TX electrode was placed in the air, and RX electrode was attached on the human body, (4) both the TX electrode and RX electrode were attached on the human body, were studied through numerical simulation in the frequency range 1 MHz to 90 MHz. Furthermore, the comparisons of input efficiency, accepted efficiency, total efficiency, absorption power of human body, and electric field distribution of different distances of four aforementioned scenarios were explored when the frequency was at 44 MHz. In addition, the influences of different human tissues, electrode position, and the distance between electrode and human body on the propagation characteristics were investigated respectively at 44 MHz. The results showed that the channel gain of Scenario 4 was the maximum when the frequency was from 1 MHz to 90 MHz. The propagation characteristics were almost independent of electrode position when the human body was using as an antenna. However, as the distance between TX electrode and human body increased, the channel gain decreased rapidly. The simulations were verified by experimental measurements. The results showed that the simulations were in agreement with the measurements.

Adult Human Neurogenesis: From Microscopy to Magnetic Resonance Imaging

PubMed Central

Sierra, Amanda; Encinas, Juan M.; Maletic-Savatic, Mirjana

2011-01-01

Neural stem cells reside in well-defined areas of the adult human brain and are capable of generating new neurons throughout the life span. In rodents, it is well established that the new born neurons are involved in olfaction as well as in certain forms of memory and learning. In humans, the functional relevance of adult human neurogenesis is being investigated, in particular its implication in the etiopathology of a variety of brain disorders. Adult neurogenesis in the human brain was discovered by utilizing methodologies directly imported from the rodent research, such as immunohistological detection of proliferation and cell-type specific biomarkers in postmortem or biopsy tissue. However, in the vast majority of cases, these methods do not support longitudinal studies; thus, the capacity of the putative stem cells to form new neurons under different disease conditions cannot be tested. More recently, new technologies have been specifically developed for the detection and quantification of neural stem cells in the living human brain. These technologies rely on the use of magnetic resonance imaging, available in hospitals worldwide. Although they require further validation in rodents and primates, these new methods hold the potential to test the contribution of adult human neurogenesis to brain function in both health and disease. This review reports on the current knowledge on adult human neurogenesis. We first review the different methods available to assess human neurogenesis, both ex vivo and in vivo and then appraise the changes of adult neurogenesis in human diseases. PMID:21519376

Body Fat Measurements in Singaporean Adults Using Four Methods

PubMed Central

Bi, Xinyan; Loo, Yi Ting

2018-01-01

Few studies have been conducted to measure body composition in Asian populations. In this study, we determined the percent body fat (PBF) by using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), air-displacement plethysmography (ADP or BOD POD), bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and skinfold (SKF) in 445 healthy Singaporean adults. We observed that the BOD POD, BIA and SKF estimates of PBF were highly correlated with that from DEXA (as a reference method) among Singaporean adults. However, they all underestimated PBF (differences of 3.9% for BOD POD, 5.6% for BIA and 12.5% for SKF). Our results filled a gap in the literature by testing the relationships between DEXA and BOD POD, BIA and SKF in a large sample with a wide range of body mass index (BMI) from 16.1 to 37.5 kg/m2 and age from 21 to 69.2 years. The differences of PBF measured by different methods were dependent on age, gender and ethnicity. No significant difference was observed between DEXA and BOD POD in men aged > 40 or in BMI tertile 3. However, the mean difference between DEXA and BOD POD was significant in women. Different measuring methods of estimating PBF therefore must be cautiously interpreted. PMID:29510545

Dynamic Human Body Modeling Using a Single RGB Camera.

PubMed

Zhu, Haiyu; Yu, Yao; Zhou, Yu; Du, Sidan

2016-03-18

In this paper, we present a novel automatic pipeline to build personalized parametric models of dynamic people using a single RGB camera. Compared to previous approaches that use monocular RGB images, our system can model a 3D human body automatically and incrementally, taking advantage of human motion. Based on coarse 2D and 3D poses estimated from image sequences, we first perform a kinematic classification of human body parts to refine the poses and obtain reconstructed body parts. Next, a personalized parametric human model is generated by driving a general template to fit the body parts and calculating the non-rigid deformation. Experimental results show that our shape estimation method achieves comparable accuracy with reconstructed models using depth cameras, yet requires neither user interaction nor any dedicated devices, leading to the feasibility of using this method on widely available smart phones.

Human bipedalism and body-mass index.

PubMed

Yi, Su Do; Noh, Jae Dong; Minnhagen, Petter; Song, Mi-Young; Chon, Tae-Soo; Kim, Beom Jun

2017-06-16

Body-mass index, abbreviated as BMI and given by M/H 2 with the mass M and the height H, has been widely used as a useful proxy to measure a general health status of a human individual. We generalise BMI in the form of M/H p and pursue to answer the question of the value of p for populations of animal species including human. We compare values of p for several different datasets for human populations with the ones obtained for other animal populations of fish, whales, and land mammals. All animal populations but humans analyzed in our work are shown to have p ≈ 3 unanimously. In contrast, human populations are different: As young infants grow to become toddlers and keep growing, the sudden change of p is observed at about one year after birth. Infants younger than one year old exhibit significantly larger value of p than two, while children between one and five years old show p ≈ 2, sharply different from other animal species. The observation implies the importance of the upright posture of human individuals. We also propose a simple mechanical model for a human body and suggest that standing and walking upright should put a clear division between bipedal human (p ≈ 2) and other animals (p ≈ 3).

Analysis and evaluation of the biofidelity of the human body finite element model in lateral impact simulations according to ISO-TR9790 procedures.

PubMed

Ruan, Jesse S; El-Jawahri, Raed; Rouhana, Stephen W; Barbat, Saeed; Prasad, Priya

2006-11-01

The biofidelity of the Ford Motor Company human body finite element (FE) model in side impact simulations was analyzed and evaluated following the procedures outlined in ISO technical report TR9790. This FE model, representing a 50th percentile adult male, was used to simulate the biomechanical impact tests described in ISO-TR9790. These laboratory tests were considered as suitable for assessing the lateral impact biofidelity of the head, neck, shoulder, thorax, abdomen, and pelvis of crash test dummies, subcomponent test devices, and math models that are used to represent a 50th percentile adult male. The simulated impact responses of the head, neck, shoulder, thorax, abdomen, and pelvis of the FE model were compared with the PMHS (Post Mortem Human Subject) data upon which the response requirements for side impact surrogates was based. An overall biofidelity rating of the human body FE model was determined using the ISO-TR9790 rating method. The resulting rating for the human body FE model was 8.5 on a 0 to 10 scale with 8.6-10 being excellent biofidelity. In addition, in order to explore whether there is a dependency of the impact responses of the FE model on different analysis codes, three commercially available analysis codes, namely, LS-DYNA, Pamcrash, and Radioss were used to run the human body FE model. Effects of these codes on biofidelity when compared with ISO-TR9790 data are discussed. Model robustness and numerical issues arising with three different code simulations are also discussed.

Human body shape index based on an experimentally derived model of human growth.

PubMed

Lebiedowska, Maria K; Alter, Katharine E; Stanhope, Steven J

2008-01-01

To test the assumption of geometrically similar growth by developing experimentally derived models of human body growth during the age interval of 5 to 18 years; to use these derived growth models to establish a new human body shape index (HBSI) based on natural age-related changes in human body shape (HBS); and to compare various metrics of relative body weight (body mass index [BMI], ponderal index [PI], and HBSI) in a sample of 5- to 18-year-old children. Nondisabled Polish children (n = 847) participated in this descriptive study. To model growth, the best fit between body height (H) and body mass (M) was calculated for each sex using the allometric equation M = m(i) H(chi). HBSI was calculated separately for girls and boys, using sex-specific values for chi and a general HBSI from combined data. The customary BMI and PI were calculated and compared with HBSI values. The models of growth were M = 13.11H(2.84) (R2 = 0.90) for girls and M = 13.64H(2.68) (R2 = 0.91) for boys. HBSI values contained less inherent variability and were less influenced by growth (age and height) compared with BMI and PI. Age-related growth during childhood is sex-specific and not geometrically similar. Therefore, indices of HBS formulated from experimentally derived models of human growth are superior to customary geometric similarity-based indices for characterizing HBS in children during the formative growth years.

Managing Body Image Difficulties of Adult Cancer Patients: Lessons from Available Research

PubMed Central

Fingeret, Michelle Cororve; Teo, Irene; Epner, Daniel E.

2013-01-01

Background Body image is a critical psychosocial issue for cancer patients as they often undergo significant changes to appearance and functioning. In this review article, our primary purpose was to identify empirically-supported approaches to treat body image difficulties of adult cancer patients that can be incorporated into high-quality comprehensive cancer care. Methods We provided an overview of theoretical models of body image relevant to cancer patients, and presented findings from published literature on body image and cancer from 2003–2013. We integrated these data with information from the patient-doctor communication literature to delineate a practical approach for assessing and treating body image concerns of adult cancer patients. Results Body image difficulties were found across patients with diverse cancer sites, and were most prevalent in the immediate postoperative and treatment period. Age, body mass index, and specific cancer treatments have been identified as potential risk factors for body image disturbance in cancer patients. Current evidence supports the use of time-limited cognitive-behavioral therapy interventions for addressing these difficulties. Other intervention strategies also show promise but require further study. We identified potential indicators of body image difficulties to alert healthcare professionals when to refer patients for psychosocial care, and proposed a framework for approaching conversations about body image that can be used by the oncologic treatment team. Conclusions Body image issues affect a wide array of cancer patients. Providers can use available evidence combined with information from the healthcare communication literature to develop practical strategies for treating body image concerns of cancer patients. PMID:24895287

Managing body image difficulties of adult cancer patients: lessons from available research.

PubMed

Fingeret, Michelle Cororve; Teo, Irene; Epner, Daniel E

2014-03-01

Body image is a critical psychosocial issue for patients with cancer because they often undergo significant changes to appearance and functioning. The primary purpose of this review article was to identify empirically-supported approaches to treat body image difficulties of adult cancer patients that can be incorporated into high-quality comprehensive cancer care. An overview was provided of theoretical models of body image relevant to cancer patients, and findings were presented from published literature on body image and cancer from 2003 to 2013. These data were integrated with information from the patient-doctor communication literature to delineate a practical approach for assessing and treating body image concerns of adult cancer patients. Body image difficulties were found across patients with diverse cancer sites, and were most prevalent in the immediate postoperative and treatment period. Age, body mass index, and specific cancer treatments have been identified as potential risk factors for body image disturbance in cancer patients. Current evidence supports the use of time-limited cognitive-behavioral therapy interventions for addressing these difficulties. Other intervention strategies also show promise but require further study. Potential indicators of body image difficulties were identified to alert health care professionals when to refer patients for psychosocial care, and a framework was proposed for approaching conversations about body image that can be used by the oncologic treatment team. Body image issues affect a wide array of cancer patients. Providers can use available evidence combined with information from the health care communication literature to develop practical strategies for treating body image concerns of patients with cancer. © 2013 American Cancer Society.

Estimation of Human Body Volume (BV) from Anthropometric Measurements Based on Three-Dimensional (3D) Scan Technique.

PubMed

Liu, Xingguo; Niu, Jianwei; Ran, Linghua; Liu, Taijie

2017-08-01

This study aimed to develop estimation formulae for the total human body volume (BV) of adult males using anthropometric measurements based on a three-dimensional (3D) scanning technique. Noninvasive and reliable methods to predict the total BV from anthropometric measurements based on a 3D scan technique were addressed in detail. A regression analysis of BV based on four key measurements was conducted for approximately 160 adult male subjects. Eight total models of human BV show that the predicted results fitted by the regression models were highly correlated with the actual BV (p < 0.001). Two metrics, the mean value of the absolute difference between the actual and predicted BV (V error ) and the mean value of the ratio between V error and actual BV (RV error ), were calculated. The linear model based on human weight was recommended as the most optimal due to its simplicity and high efficiency. The proposed estimation formulae are valuable for estimating total body volume in circumstances in which traditional underwater weighing or air displacement plethysmography is not applicable or accessible. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

Relationships Between Body Size Satisfaction and Weight Control Practices Among US Adults

PubMed Central

Millstein, Rachel A.; Carlson, Susan A.; Fulton, Janet E.; Galuska, Deborah A.; Zhang, Jian; Blanck, Heidi M.; Ainsworth, Barbara E.

2008-01-01

Context Few studies of US adults have specifically examined body size satisfaction Objectives Describe correlates of body size satisfaction and examine whether satisfaction was associated with trying to lose weight or specific weight control practices among US adults using a national sample of women and men. Design, Setting & Participants The National Physical Activity and Weight Loss Survey (NPAWLS) was a population-based, cross-sectional telephone survey of US adults (n = 9740). Main Outcome Measures Participants reported their weight, height, body size satisfaction, and weight loss practices. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for each dependent variable. Results Among women and men, higher body mass index (BMI) was significantly associated with body size dissatisfaction. Dissatisfaction, compared with being very satisfied, was positively associated with trying to lose weight among women and men. This association was modified by BMI for women (OR normal weight = 19.69, overweight = 8.79, obese = 4.05; P < .01 for interaction) but not men (OR normal weight = 8.72, overweight = 10.50, obese = 7.86; P = 0.93 for interaction). Compared with women who were very satisfied, dissatisfied women used diet more (OR = 2.03), but not physical activity/exercise (OR = 0.55) or both strategies (OR = 0.63), to try to lose weight. Men who were somewhat satisfied, compared with those who were very satisfied, were more likely to use physical activity/exercise (OR = 1.64) and both diet and physical activity/exercise (OR = 1.54) to try to lose weight. Conclusion These findings highlight the sex differences in body size satisfaction, actions taken to try to lose weight, and the importance of considering body size satisfaction when designing weight-management programs. PMID:18596944

Natural User Interface Sensors for Human Body Measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boehm, J.

2012-08-01

The recent push for natural user interfaces (NUI) in the entertainment and gaming industry has ushered in a new era of low cost three-dimensional sensors. While the basic idea of using a three-dimensional sensor for human gesture recognition dates some years back it is not until recently that such sensors became available on the mass market. The current market leader is PrimeSense who provide their technology for the Microsoft Xbox Kinect. Since these sensors are developed to detect and observe human users they should be ideally suited to measure the human body. We describe the technology of a line of NUI sensors and assess their performance in terms of repeatability and accuracy. We demonstrate the implementation of a prototype scanner integrating several NUI sensors to achieve full body coverage. We present the results of the obtained surface model of a human body.

Walking Activity, Body Composition and Blood Pressure in Adults with Intellectual Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanish, Heidi I.; Draheim, Christopher C.

2007-01-01

Background: Individuals with intellectual disabilities engage in limited physical activity which places their health at risk. This study examined the walking activity, body composition and blood pressure of adults with intellectual disabilities. Methods: A group of male and female adults (n = 103) wore a pedometer for 7 days and were categorized…

Dynamic Human Body Modeling Using a Single RGB Camera

PubMed Central

Zhu, Haiyu; Yu, Yao; Zhou, Yu; Du, Sidan

2016-01-01

In this paper, we present a novel automatic pipeline to build personalized parametric models of dynamic people using a single RGB camera. Compared to previous approaches that use monocular RGB images, our system can model a 3D human body automatically and incrementally, taking advantage of human motion. Based on coarse 2D and 3D poses estimated from image sequences, we first perform a kinematic classification of human body parts to refine the poses and obtain reconstructed body parts. Next, a personalized parametric human model is generated by driving a general template to fit the body parts and calculating the non-rigid deformation. Experimental results show that our shape estimation method achieves comparable accuracy with reconstructed models using depth cameras, yet requires neither user interaction nor any dedicated devices, leading to the feasibility of using this method on widely available smart phones. PMID:26999159

Perceived impact of body feedback from romantic partners on young adults' body image and sexual well-being.

PubMed

Goldsmith, Kaitlyn M; Byers, E Sandra

2016-06-01

This study investigated the messages individuals receive from their partners about their bodies and their perceived impact on body image and sexual well-being. Young adult men (n=35) and women (n=57) completed open-ended questions identifying messages they had received from partners and the impact of these messages on their body image and sexual well-being. Content coding revealed three verbal (expressions of approval and pride, challenging negative beliefs, expressions of sexual attraction/arousal/desire) and two nonverbal (physical affection, physical expressions of sexual attraction/arousal/desire) positive messages as well as one verbal (disapproval/disgust) and two nonverbal (rejection, humiliation) negative messages. Some participants reported gender-related messages (muscularity/strength, genital appearance, breast appearance, weight, and comparison to others). Positive messages were seen to increase confidence, self-acceptance, and sexual empowerment/fulfillment, whereas negative messages decreased these feelings. Our findings suggest that even everyday, seemingly neutral messages are perceived to have an important impact on young adults. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of 6 weeks of whole body vibration training on total and segmental body composition in healthy young adults.

PubMed

Rubio-Arias, J A; Esteban, P; Martínez, F; Ramos-Campo, D J; Mendizábal, S; Berdejo-Del-Fresno, D; Jiménez-Díaz, J F

2015-12-01

The applied use of new technologies to enhance performance and improve health has been increasing. Initially, whole body vibration training (WBVT) was used as system to improve elite athlete performance. However, this is also used to improve body composition, especially there is a great attention on the effectiveness of WBVT to reduce fat and body weight, with a potential increase in muscle tissue. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a 6-week vibration-training program on total and segmental body composition in a group of physically healthy participants. The final study sample included 64 healthy young adults. Subjects were randomly allocated into the control group (CG: n = 26; 16 males and 10 females) and the experimental group (EGWBVT: n = 38; 19 males and 19 females). The program lasted six weeks with a frequency of three sessions per week and each session varied in intensity. There were not found statistically significant differences in any of the body composition variables analysed. This study suggests that a six-week vibration-training program with an increasing intensity (7.2 g-32.6 g) in healthy young adults that are not overweight did not alter total and segmental body composition.

New Window into the Human Body

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1985-01-01

Michael Vannier, MD, a former NASA engineer, recognized the similarity between NASA's computerized image processing technology and nuclear magnetic resonance. With technical assistance from Kennedy Space Center, he developed a computer program for Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology enabling Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) to scan body tissue for earlier diagnoses. Dr. Vannier feels that "satellite imaging" has opened a new window into the human body.

Human whole body cold adaptation.

PubMed

Daanen, Hein A M; Van Marken Lichtenbelt, Wouter D

2016-01-01

Reviews on whole body human cold adaptation generally do not distinguish between population studies and dedicated acclimation studies, leading to confusing results. Population studies show that indigenous black Africans have reduced shivering thermogenesis in the cold and poor cold induced vasodilation in fingers and toes compared to Caucasians and Inuit. About 40,000 y after humans left Africa, natives in cold terrestrial areas seems to have developed not only behavioral adaptations, but also physiological adaptations to cold. Dedicated studies show that repeated whole body exposure of individual volunteers, mainly Caucasians, to severe cold results in reduced cold sensation but no major physiological changes. Repeated cold water immersion seems to slightly reduce metabolic heat production, while repeated exposure to milder cold conditions shows some increase in metabolic heat production, in particular non-shivering thermogenesis. In conclusion, human cold adaptation in the form of increased metabolism and insulation seems to have occurred during recent evolution in populations, but cannot be developed during a lifetime in cold conditions as encountered in temperate and arctic regions. Therefore, we mainly depend on our behavioral skills to live in and survive the cold.

Human whole body cold adaptation

PubMed Central

Daanen, Hein A.M.; Van Marken Lichtenbelt, Wouter D.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Reviews on whole body human cold adaptation generally do not distinguish between population studies and dedicated acclimation studies, leading to confusing results. Population studies show that indigenous black Africans have reduced shivering thermogenesis in the cold and poor cold induced vasodilation in fingers and toes compared to Caucasians and Inuit. About 40,000 y after humans left Africa, natives in cold terrestrial areas seems to have developed not only behavioral adaptations, but also physiological adaptations to cold. Dedicated studies show that repeated whole body exposure of individual volunteers, mainly Caucasians, to severe cold results in reduced cold sensation but no major physiological changes. Repeated cold water immersion seems to slightly reduce metabolic heat production, while repeated exposure to milder cold conditions shows some increase in metabolic heat production, in particular non-shivering thermogenesis. In conclusion, human cold adaptation in the form of increased metabolism and insulation seems to have occurred during recent evolution in populations, but cannot be developed during a lifetime in cold conditions as encountered in temperate and arctic regions. Therefore, we mainly depend on our behavioral skills to live in and survive the cold. PMID:27227100

Body shape by 3-D photonic scanning in Thai and UK adults: comparison of national sizing surveys.

PubMed

Wells, J C K; Treleaven, P; Charoensiriwath, S

2012-01-01

Body mass index (BMI) cut-offs associated with increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease differ between European and Asian populations, and among Asian populations. Within-population and ethnic variability in body shape has likewise been linked with variability in cardiovascular risk in western settings. To explore differences between Thai and White UK adults in body shape and its associations with height, age and BMI. Data on weight and body shape by 3-D photonic scanning from National Sizing Surveys of UK (3542 men, 4130 women) and Thai (5889 men, 6499 women) adults aged 16-90 years, using a common protocol and methodology, were analysed. Thai adults in both sexes had significantly smaller body girths than UK adults after adjusting for age and height. Matching for BMI, and adjusting for height and age, Thais in both sexes tended to have similar or greater limb girths, but significantly smaller torso girths (especially waist and hip) than UK individuals. These results were replicated within narrow BMI bands at ∼20 and ∼25 kg m(-2). Shape-age associations also differed between the populations. Young Thai adults have a significantly slighter physique than White UK adults, with a less central distribution of body weight. However these differences reduce with age, especially in males. The 3-D photonic scanning provides detailed digital anthropometric data capable of monitoring between- and within-individual shape variability. The technology merits further application to investigate whether variability in body shape is more sensitive to metabolic risk than BMI within and between-populations.

Human vocal attractiveness as signaled by body size projection.

PubMed

Xu, Yi; Lee, Albert; Wu, Wing-Li; Liu, Xuan; Birkholz, Peter

2013-01-01

Voice, as a secondary sexual characteristic, is known to affect the perceived attractiveness of human individuals. But the underlying mechanism of vocal attractiveness has remained unclear. Here, we presented human listeners with acoustically altered natural sentences and fully synthetic sentences with systematically manipulated pitch, formants and voice quality based on a principle of body size projection reported for animal calls and emotional human vocal expressions. The results show that male listeners preferred a female voice that signals a small body size, with relatively high pitch, wide formant dispersion and breathy voice, while female listeners preferred a male voice that signals a large body size with low pitch and narrow formant dispersion. Interestingly, however, male vocal attractiveness was also enhanced by breathiness, which presumably softened the aggressiveness associated with a large body size. These results, together with the additional finding that the same vocal dimensions also affect emotion judgment, indicate that humans still employ a vocal interaction strategy used in animal calls despite the development of complex language.

Towards an IMU Evaluation Framework for Human Body Tracking.

PubMed

Venek, Verena; Kremser, Wolfgang; Schneider, Cornelia

2018-01-01

Existing full-body tracking systems, which use Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) as sensing unit, require expert knowledge for setup and data collection. Thus, the daily application for human body tracking is difficult. In particular, in the field of active and assisted living (AAL), tracking human movements would enable novel insights not only into the quantity but also into the quality of human movement, for example by monitoring functional training. While the current market offers a wide range of products with vastly different properties, literature lacks guidelines for choosing IMUs for body tracking applications. Therefore, this paper introduces developments towards an IMU evaluation framework for human body tracking which compares IMUs against five requirement areas that consider device features and data quality. The data quality is assessed by conducting a static and a dynamic error analysis. In a first application to four IMUs of different component consumption, the IMU evaluation framework convinced as promising tool for IMU selection.

Relationship among serum taurine, serum adipokines, and body composition during 8-week human body weight control program.

PubMed

You, Jeong Soon; Park, Ji Yeon; Zhao, Xu; Jeong, Jin Seok; Choi, Mi Ja; Chang, Kyung Ja

2013-01-01

Human adipose tissue is not only a storage organ but also an active endocrine organ to release adipokines. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship among serum taurine and adipokine levels, and body composition during 8-week human body weight control program in obese female college students. The program consisted of diet therapy, exercise, and behavior modification. After the program, body weight, body fat mass, percent body fat, and body mass index (BMI) were significantly decreased. Serum triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels were significantly decreased. Also serum adiponectin level was significantly increased and serum leptin level was significantly decreased. There were no differences in serum taurine and homocysteine levels. The change of serum adiponectin level was positively correlated with change of body fat mass and percent body fat. These results may suggest that body fat loss by human body weight control program is associated with an increase in serum adiponectin in obese female college students. Therefore, further study such as taurine intervention study is needed to know more exact correlation between dietary taurine intake and serum adipokines or body composition.

Digitization of the human body in the present-day economy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Apuzzo, Nicola

2004-12-01

In this paper we report on the historic development of human body digitization and on the actual state of commercially available technology. Complete systems for the digitization of the human body exist since more than ten years. One of the main users of this technology was the entertainment industry. Every new movie excited with attractive visual effects, but only few people knew that the most thrilling cuts were realized by using virtual persons. The faces and bodies of actors were digitized and the "virtual twin" replaced the actor in the movie. Nowadays, the state of the human body digitization is so high that it is not possible any more to distinguish the real actor from the virtual one. Indeed, for the rush technical development has to be thanked the movie industry, which was one of the strong economic motors for this technology. Today, with the possibility of a massive cost reduction given by new technologies, methods for digitization of the human body are used also in other fields of application, such as ergonomics, medical applications, computer games, biometry and anthropometrics. With the time, this technology becomes interesting also for sport, fitness, fashion and beauty. A large expansion of human body digitization is expected in the near future. To date, different technologies are used commercially for the measurement of the human body. They can be divided into three distinguished groups: laser-scanning, projection of light patterns, combination modeling and image processing. The different solutions have strengths and weaknesses that profile their suitability for specific applications. This paper gives an overview of their differences and characteristics and expresses clues for the selection of the adequate method. Practical examples of commercial exploitation of human body digitization are also presented and new interesting perspectives are introduced.

Digitization of the human body in the present-day economy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Apuzzo, Nicola

2005-01-01

In this paper we report on the historic development of human body digitization and on the actual state of commercially available technology. Complete systems for the digitization of the human body exist since more than ten years. One of the main users of this technology was the entertainment industry. Every new movie excited with attractive visual effects, but only few people knew that the most thrilling cuts were realized by using virtual persons. The faces and bodies of actors were digitized and the "virtual twin" replaced the actor in the movie. Nowadays, the state of the human body digitization is so high that it is not possible any more to distinguish the real actor from the virtual one. Indeed, for the rush technical development has to be thanked the movie industry, which was one of the strong economic motors for this technology. Today, with the possibility of a massive cost reduction given by new technologies, methods for digitization of the human body are used also in other fields of application, such as ergonomics, medical applications, computer games, biometry and anthropometrics. With the time, this technology becomes interesting also for sport, fitness, fashion and beauty. A large expansion of human body digitization is expected in the near future. To date, different technologies are used commercially for the measurement of the human body. They can be divided into three distinguished groups: laser-scanning, projection of light patterns, combination modeling and image processing. The different solutions have strengths and weaknesses that profile their suitability for specific applications. This paper gives an overview of their differences and characteristics and expresses clues for the selection of the adequate method. Practical examples of commercial exploitation of human body digitization are also presented and new interesting perspectives are introduced.

Tensor body: real-time reconstruction of the human body and avatar synthesis from RGB-D.

PubMed

Barmpoutis, Angelos

2013-10-01

Real-time 3-D reconstruction of the human body has many applications in anthropometry, telecommunications, gaming, fashion, and other areas of human-computer interaction. In this paper, a novel framework is presented for reconstructing the 3-D model of the human body from a sequence of RGB-D frames. The reconstruction is performed in real time while the human subject moves arbitrarily in front of the camera. The method employs a novel parameterization of cylindrical-type objects using Cartesian tensor and b-spline bases along the radial and longitudinal dimension respectively. The proposed model, dubbed tensor body, is fitted to the input data using a multistep framework that involves segmentation of the different body regions, robust filtering of the data via a dynamic histogram, and energy-based optimization with positive-definite constraints. A Riemannian metric on the space of positive-definite tensor splines is analytically defined and employed in this framework. The efficacy of the presented methods is demonstrated in several real-data experiments using the Microsoft Kinect sensor.

Reconstructing the human body using biomaterials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agrawal, C. Mauli

1998-01-01

The use of metals and other materials to repair the human body has been recorded for centuries, dating back several millenia. Advances in biomaterials have enabled doctors and scientists to replace diseased body parts with natural or synthetic materials such as metals, ceramics, or polymers. In addition, recent advances in tissue engineering may soon enable the development of organs and tissues to replace those damaged by disease or trauma.

Human Adult Neurogenesis: Evidence and Remaining Questions.

PubMed

Kempermann, Gerd; Gage, Fred H; Aigner, Ludwig; Song, Hongjun; Curtis, Maurice A; Thuret, Sandrine; Kuhn, H Georg; Jessberger, Sebastian; Frankland, Paul W; Cameron, Heather A; Gould, Elizabeth; Hen, Rene; Abrous, D Nora; Toni, Nicolas; Schinder, Alejandro F; Zhao, Xinyu; Lucassen, Paul J; Frisén, Jonas

2018-04-18

Renewed discussion about whether or not adult neurogenesis exists in the human hippocampus, and the nature and strength of the supporting evidence, has been reignited by two prominently published reports with opposite conclusions. Here, we summarize the state of the field and argue that there is currently no reason to abandon the idea that adult-generated neurons make important functional contributions to neural plasticity and cognition across the human lifespan. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Relationship Between Muscle Strength Asymmetry and Body Sway in Older Adults.

PubMed

Koda, Hitoshi; Kai, Yoshihiro; Murata, Shin; Osugi, Hironori; Anami, Kunihiko; Fukumoto, Takahiko; Imagita, Hidetaka

2018-05-31

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between muscle strength asymmetry and body sway while walking. We studied 63 older adult women. Strong side and weak side of knee extension strength, toe grip strength, hand grip strength, and body sway while walking were measured. The relationship between muscle strength asymmetry for each muscle and body sway while walking was evaluated using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Regarding the muscles recognized to have significant correlation with body sway, the asymmetry cutoff value causing an increased sway was calculated. Toe grip strength asymmetry was significantly correlated with body sway. Toe grip strength asymmetry causing an increased body sway had a cutoff value of 23.5%. Our findings suggest toe grip strength asymmetry may be a target for improving gait stability.

Occurrence of artificial sweeteners in human liver and paired blood and urine samples from adults in Tianjin, China and their implications for human exposure.

PubMed

Zhang, Tao; Gan, Zhiwei; Gao, Chuanzi; Ma, Ling; Li, Yanxi; Li, Xiao; Sun, Hongwen

2016-09-14

In this study, acesulfame (ACE), saccharin (SAC) and cyclamate (CYC) were found in all paired urine and blood samples collected from healthy adults, with mean values of 4070, 918 and 628 ng mL(-1), respectively, in urine and 9.03, 20.4 and 0.72 ng mL(-1), respectively, in blood. SAC (mean: 84.4 ng g(-1)) and CYC (4.29 ng g(-1)) were detectable in all liver samples collected from liver cancer patients, while ACE was less frequently detected. Aspartame (ASP) was not found in any analyzed human sample, which can be explained by the fact that this chemical metabolized rapidly in the human body. Among all adults, significantly positive correlations between SAC and CYC levels were observed (p < 0.001), regardless of human matrices. Nevertheless, no significant correlations between concentrations of SAC (or CYC) and ACE were found in any of the human matrices. Our results suggest that human exposure to SAC and CYC is related, whereas ACE originates from a discrete source. Females (or young adults) were exposed to higher levels of SAC and CYC than males (or elderly). The mean renal clearance of SAC was 730 mL per day per kg in adults, which was significantly (p < 0.001) lower than those for CYC (10 800 mL per day per kg) and ACE (10 300 mL per day per kg). The average total daily intake of SAC and ACE was 9.27 and 33.8 μg per kg bw per day, respectively.

Negative association between acrylamide exposure and body composition in adults: NHANES, 2003–2004

PubMed Central

Chu, P-L; Lin, L-Y; Chen, P-C; Su, T-C; Lin, C-Y

2017-01-01

Background/Objectives: Acrylamide is present in mainstream cigarette smoke and in some food prepared at high temperature. Animal studies have shown that acrylamide exposure reduces body weight. Prenatal exposure to acrylamide also has been linked to reduced birth weight in human. Whether acrylamide exposure is associated with altered body compositions in adults is not clear. Subjects/Methods: We selected 3623 subjects (aged ⩾20 years) from a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in 2003–2004 to determine the relationship among hemoglobin adducts of acrylamide (HbAA), hemoglobin adducts of glycidamide (HbGA) and body composition (body measures, bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA)). Data were adjusted for potential confounding variables. Results: The geometric means and 95% CI concentrations of HbAA and HbGA were 60.48 (59.32–61.65) pmol/g Hb and 55.64 (54.40–56.92) pmol/g Hb, respectively. After weighting for sampling strategy, we identified that one-unit increase in natural log-HbAA, but not HbGA, was associated with reduction in body measures (body weight, body mass index (BMI), subscapular/triceps skinfold), parameters of BIA (fat-free mass, fat mass, percent body fat, total body water) and parameters of DXA (android fat mass, android percent fat, gynoid fat/lean mass, gynoid percent mass, android to gynoid ratio). Subgroup analysis showed that these associations were more evident in subjects at younger age, male gender, whites, lower education level, active smokers and those with lower BMI. Conclusions: Higher concentrations of HbAA are associated with a decrease in body composition in the US general population. Further studies are warranted to clarify this association. PMID:28287631

Sex impacts the relation between body composition and physical function in older adults.

PubMed

Valentine, Rudy J; Misic, Mark M; Rosengren, Karl S; Woods, Jeffrey A; Evans, Ellen M

2009-01-01

To determine the sex-specific relationships between physical activity, aerobic fitness, adiposity (%Fat), mineral-free lean mass (MFLM), and balance and gait performance in older adults. Eighty-five female and 49 male sedentary, healthy, community-dwelling older adults (mean [SD] age, 69.6 [5.4] and 70.3 [4.7] years, respectively) were evaluated on habitual physical activity via questionnaire, aerobic fitness by a maximal oxygen consumption treadmill test, whole and regional body composition by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, and lower extremity physical function using gait tasks and computerized dynamic posturography. As expected, men had less body fat, more lean mass, and higher aerobic fitness than did women and tended to perform better on all lower extremity physical function tasks (all P 0.50, all P < 0.05). Body fat was related to gait in women (r = -0.38, P < 0.05) but not in men. Neither fitness nor body composition was related to balance in men, whereas in women, leg MFLM was positively associated (r = 0.27, P < 0.05). Women, but not men, with a greater ratio of body weight to leg MFLM performed worse on gait tasks (P < 0.001). There was an interaction with sex for %Fat on gait (P = 0.05) and for leg MFLM on balance (P < 0.05). In sedentary healthy older adults, the relation between body composition, aerobic fitness, and balance and gait differs between sexes such that women are more strongly affected by alterations in body composition. Lower %Fat and preservation of lower body lean mass have important implications for reducing the risk of physical disability, especially in older women.

Safety of dietary supplementation with arginine in adult humans.

PubMed

McNeal, Catherine J; Meininger, Cynthia J; Wilborn, Colin D; Tekwe, Carmen D; Wu, Guoyao

2018-06-01

Previous studies with animals and humans have shown beneficial effects of dietary supplementation with L-arginine (Arg) on reducing white fat and improving health. At present, a long-term safe level of Arg administration to adult humans is unknown. The objective of this study was to conduct a randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial to evaluate the safety and tolerability of oral Arg in overweight or obese but otherwise healthy adults with a body mass index of ≥ 25 kg/m 2 . A total of 142 subjects completed a 7-day wash-in period using a 12 g Arg/day dose. All the remaining eligible 101 subjects who tolerated the wash-in dose (45 men and 56 women) were assigned randomly to ingest 0, 15 or 30 g Arg (as pharmaceutical-grade Arg-HCl) per day for 90 days. Arg was taken daily in at least two divided doses by mixing with a flavored beverage. At Days 0 and 90, blood pressures of study subjects were recorded, their physical examinations were performed, and their blood and 24-h urine samples were obtained to measure: (1) serum concentrations of amino acids, glucose, fatty acids, and related metabolites; and (2) renal, hepatic, endocrine and metabolic parameters. Our results indicate that the serum concentration of Arg in men or women increased (P < 0.05) progressively with increasing oral Arg doses from 0 to 30 g/day. Dietary supplementation with 30 g Arg/day reduced (P < 0.05) systolic blood pressure and serum glucose concentration in females, as well as serum concentrations of free fatty acids in both males and females. Based on physiological and biochemical variables, study subjects tolerated oral administration of 15 and 30 g Arg/day without adverse events. We conclude that a long-term safe level of dietary Arg supplementation is at least 30 g/day in adult humans.

Associations between body mass index-related genetic variants and adult body composition: the Fenland cohort study

PubMed Central

Clifton, Emma A D; Day, Felix R; De Lucia Rolfe, Emanuella; Forouhi, Nita G; Brage, Soren; Griffin, Simon J; Wareham, Nicholas J; Ong, Ken K

2016-01-01

Background/Objective Body mass index (BMI) is a surrogate measure of adiposity but does not distinguish fat from lean or bone mass. The genetic determinants of BMI are thought to predominantly influence adiposity but this has not been confirmed. Here we characterise the association between BMI-related genetic variants and body composition in adults. Subjects/Methods Among 9667 adults aged 29-64 years from the Fenland study, a genetic risk score for BMI (BMI-GRS) was calculated for each individual as the weighted sum of BMI-increasing alleles across 96 reported BMI-related variants. Associations between the BMI-GRS and body composition, estimated by DXA scans, were examined using age-adjusted linear regression models, separately by sex. Results The BMI-GRS was positively associated with all fat, lean and bone variables. Across body regions, associations of the greatest magnitude were observed for adiposity variables e.g. for each standard deviation (SD) increase in BMI-GRS predicted BMI, we observed a 0.90 SD (95% CI: 0.71, 1.09) increase in total fat mass for men (P=3.75×10−21) and a 0.96 SD (95% CI: 0.77, 1.16) increase for women (P=6.12×10−22). Associations of intermediate magnitude were observed with lean variables e.g. total lean mass: men: 0.68 SD (95% CI: 0.49, 0.86) (P=1.91×10−12); women: 0.85 SD (95% CI: 0.65, 1.04) (P=2.66×10−17) and of a lower magnitude with bone variables e.g. total bone mass: men: 0.39 SD (95% CI: 0.20, 0.58) (P=5.69×10−5); women: 0.45 SD (95% CI: 0.26, 0.65) (P=3.96×10−6). Nominally significant associations with BMI were observed for 28 SNPs. All 28 were positively associated with fat mass and 13 showed adipose-specific effects. Conclusion In adults, genetic susceptibility to elevated BMI influences adiposity more than lean or bone mass. This mirrors the association between BMI and body composition. The BMI-GRS can be used to model the effects of measured BMI and adiposity on health and other outcomes. PMID:28096530

Have you got any cholesterol? Adults' views of human nutrition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schibeci, Renato; Wong, Khoon Yoong

1994-12-01

The general aim of our human nutrition project is to develop a health education model grounded in ‘everyday’ or ‘situated’ cognition (Hennessey, 1993). In 1993, we began pilot work to document adult understanding of human nutrition. We used a HyperCard stack as the basis for a series of interviews with 50 adults (25 university students, and 25 adults from offcampus). The interviews were transcribed and analysed using the NUDIST computer program. A summary of the views of these 50 adults on selected aspects of human nutrition is presented in this paper.

Perceptions and behaviours towards high body weight among adults in Northeast China.

PubMed

Gao, Chunshi; Lv, Xin; Yin, Yutian; Song, Yuanyuan; Zhang, Peng; Wang, Rui; Jiang, Lingling; Wang, Yuhan; Yu, Yaqin; Li, Bo

2017-06-01

To determine the prevalence of high weight at different characteristics, understand the perceptions and behaviours towards high body weight, and determine potential influencing factors of body weight misperception among high-weight adults in Jilin Province. A cross-sectional survey with complex sampling design was conducted. We described the prevalence and perception of high body weight. Northeast China in 2012. Adults (n 20 552) aged 18-79 years. Of overweight individuals, 37·4 % considered themselves as 'normal weight', 4·8 % reported themselves as being 'very thin' and only 53·1 % were aware of their own weight being 'overweight'. About 1·8 % of both male and female obese individuals perceived themselves as 'very thin'. Only 29·1 % of obese people thought of themselves as 'too fat'. Nearly 30·0 % of centrally obese men and women perceived that their waist circumference was about right and they were of 'normal weight'; 5·7 % of the centrally obese even perceived themselves as being 'very thin'. Only 51·8 and 12·5 % of centrally obese individuals reported themselves to be 'overweight' or 'too fat'. Body weight misperception was more common in rural residents (OR; 95 % CI: 1·340; 1·191, 1·509). The prevalence of body weight misperception increased with age (middle age: 1·826; 1·605, 2·078; old people: 3·101; 2·648, 3·632) and declined with increased education level (junior middle school: 0·628; 0·545, 0·723; senior middle school: 0·498; 0·426, 0·583; undergraduate and above: 0·395; 0·320, 0·487). Body weight misperception was common among adults from Jilin Province.

Experimental investigation of biodynamic human body models subjected to whole-body vibration during a vehicle ride.

PubMed

Taskin, Yener; Hacioglu, Yuksel; Ortes, Faruk; Karabulut, Derya; Arslan, Yunus Ziya

2018-02-06

In this study, responses of biodynamic human body models to whole-body vibration during a vehicle ride were investigated. Accelerations were acquired from three different body parts, such as the head, upper torso and lower torso, of 10 seated passengers during a car ride while two different road conditions were considered. The same multipurpose vehicle was used during all experiments. Additionally, by two widely used biodynamic models in the literature, a set of simulations were run to obtain theoretical accelerations of the models and were compared with those obtained experimentally. To sustain a quantified comparison between experimental and theoretical approaches, the root mean square acceleration and acceleration spectral density were calculated. Time and frequency responses of the models demonstrated that neither of the models showed the best prediction performance of the human body behaviour in all cases, indicating that further models are required for better prediction of the human body responses.

Nine-month-old infants prefer unattractive bodies over attractive bodies

PubMed Central

Heron-Delaney, Michelle; Quinn, Paul C.; Lee, Kang; Slater, Alan M.; Pascalis, Olivier

2013-01-01

Infant responses to adult-defined unattractive male body shapes versus attractive male body shapes were assessed using visual preference and habituation procedures. Looking behavior indicated that 9-month-olds have a preference for unattractive male body shapes over attractive ones; however, this preference is demonstrated only when head information is obscured. In contrast, 6- and 3.5-month-olds did not show a preference for unattractive or attractive bodies. The 6-month-olds discriminated between the two categories, whereas the 3.5-month-olds did not. Because unattractive body shapes are more common than attractive/athletic body shapes in our everyday environment, a preference for unattractive body shapes at 9 months of age suggests that preferences for particular human body shapes reflect level of exposure and familiarity rather than culturally defined stereotypes of body attractiveness. PMID:23473995

Nine-month-old infants prefer unattractive bodies over attractive bodies.

PubMed

Heron-Delaney, Michelle; Quinn, Paul C; Lee, Kang; Slater, Alan M; Pascalis, Olivier

2013-05-01

Infant responses to adult-defined unattractive male body shapes versus attractive male body shapes were assessed using visual preference and habituation procedures. Looking behavior indicated that 9-month-olds have a preference for unattractive male body shapes over attractive ones; however, this preference is demonstrated only when head information is obscured. In contrast, 6- and 3.5-month-olds did not show a preference for unattractive or attractive bodies. The 6-month-olds discriminated between the two categories, whereas the 3.5-month-olds did not. Because unattractive body shapes are more common than attractive/athletic body shapes in our everyday environment, a preference for unattractive body shapes at 9 months of age suggests that preferences for particular human body shapes reflect level of exposure and familiarity rather than culturally defined stereotypes of body attractiveness. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of alcohol consumption on whole-body protein turnover in healthy adults.

PubMed

Wutzke, Klaus D; Krentz, Helga; Bruns, Gerrit

2011-03-01

The aim of the study was to investigate the whole-body protein turnover, either before or after continuous, moderate ethanol-induced oxidative stress by red wine consumption over a relatively short period in healthy volunteers. Ten healthy adults received an individual regular diet over 20 days. After 10 days, the subjects consumed 0.4 ml ethanol kg(-1) day(-1) as red wine together with dinner over a 10-day period. After 8 and 18 days, respectively, a (15)N-labelled yeast protein was administered in a dosage of 4.2 mg kg(-1) body weight. Urine and faeces were collected over 48 h, respectively. The (15)N-enrichment was measured by isotope ratio mass spectrometry, whereas the protein flux rates were calculated by a three-compartment model. The whole-body protein turnover without/with red wine consumption amounted to 3.73±0.6 and 3.49±0.6 g kg(-1) day(-1) (not significant), respectively. Moderate alcohol consumption does not induce significant short-term changes in the whole-body protein turnover of healthy adults.

An automated method to morph finite element whole-body human models with a wide range of stature and body shape for both men and women.

PubMed

Zhang, Kai; Cao, Libo; Fanta, Abeselom; Reed, Matthew P; Neal, Mark; Wang, Jenne-Tai; Lin, Chin-Hsu; Hu, Jingwen

2017-07-26

Field data analyses have shown that small female, obese, and/or older occupants are at increased risks of death and serious injury in motor-vehicle crashes compared with mid-size young men. The current adult finite element (FE) human models represent occupants in the same three body sizes (large male, mid-size male, and small female) as those for the contemporary adult crash dummies. Further, the time needed to develop an FE human model using the traditional method is measured in months or even years. In the current study, an improved regional mesh morphing method based on landmark-based radial basis function (RBF) interpolation was developed to rapidly morph a mid-size male FE human model into different geometry targets. A total of 100 human models with a wide range of human attributes were generated. A pendulum chest impact condition was applied to each model as an initial assessment of the resulting variability in response. The morphed models demonstrated mesh quality similar to the baseline model. The peak impact forces and chest deflections in the chest pendulum impacts varied substantially with different models, supportive of consideration of population variation in evaluating the occupant injury risks. The method developed in this study will enable future safety design optimizations targeting at various vulnerable populations that cannot be considered with the current models. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rhythm Pattern of Sole through Electrification of the Human Body When Walking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takiguchi, Kiyoaki; Wada, Takayuki; Tohyama, Shigeki

The rhythm of automatic cyclic movements such as walking is known to be generated by a rhythm generator called CPG in the spinal cord. The measurement of rhythm characteristics in walking is considered to be important for analyzing human bipedal walking and adaptive walking on irregular terrain. In particular, the soles that contact the terrain surface perform flexible movements similar to the movement of the fins of a lungfish, which is considered to be the predecessor of land animals. The sole movements are believed to be a basic movement acquired during prehistoric times. The detailed rhythm pattern of sole motion is considered to be important. We developed a method for measuring electrification without installing device on a subject's body and footwear for stabilizing the electrification of the human body. We measured the rhythm pattern of 20 subjects including 4 infants when walking by using this system and the corresponding equipment. Therefore, we confirmed the commonality of the correlative rhythm patterns of 20 subjects. Further, with regard to an individual subject, the reproducibility of a rhythm pattern with strong correlation coefficient > 0.93 ± 0.5 (mean ± SD) concerning rhythms of trials that are differently conducted on adult subjects could be confirmed.

"Scientific peep show": the human body in contemporary science museums.

PubMed

Canadelli, Elena

2011-01-01

The essay focuses on the discourse about the human body developed by contemporary science museums with educational and instructive purposes directed at the general public. These museums aim mostly at mediating concepts such as health and prevention. The current scenario is linked with two examples of past museums: the popular anatomical museums which emerged during the 19th century and the health museums thrived between 1910 and 1940. On the museological path about the human body self-care we went from the emotionally involving anatomical Venuses to the inexpressive Transparent Man, from anatomical specimens of ill organs and deformed subjects to the mechanical and electronic models of the healthy body. Today the body is made transparent by the new medical diagnostics and by the latest discoveries of endoscopy. The way museums and science centers presently display the human body involves computers, 3D animation, digital technologies, hands-on models of large size human parts.

A functional-based segmentation of human body scans in arbitrary postures.

PubMed

Werghi, Naoufel; Xiao, Yijun; Siebert, Jan Paul

2006-02-01

This paper presents a general framework that aims to address the task of segmenting three-dimensional (3-D) scan data representing the human form into subsets which correspond to functional human body parts. Such a task is challenging due to the articulated and deformable nature of the human body. A salient feature of this framework is that it is able to cope with various body postures and is in addition robust to noise, holes, irregular sampling and rigid transformations. Although whole human body scanners are now capable of routinely capturing the shape of the whole body in machine readable format, they have not yet realized their potential to provide automatic extraction of key body measurements. Automated production of anthropometric databases is a prerequisite to satisfying the needs of certain industrial sectors (e.g., the clothing industry). This implies that in order to extract specific measurements of interest, whole body 3-D scan data must be segmented by machine into subsets corresponding to functional human body parts. However, previously reported attempts at automating the segmentation process suffer from various limitations, such as being restricted to a standard specific posture and being vulnerable to scan data artifacts. Our human body segmentation algorithm advances the state of the art to overcome the above limitations and we present experimental results obtained using both real and synthetic data that confirm the validity, effectiveness, and robustness of our approach.

Investigating interoception and body awareness in adults with and without autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Fiene, Lisa; Brownlow, Charlotte

2015-12-01

This study aimed to investigate the current gap in the literature with regard to how adults with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) interpret elements of the interoceptive sense, which includes thirst, hunger, temperature, satiety, and the prediction of onset of illness. Adults with a diagnosed ASD (n = 74; 36 males, 38 females) were compared to a control group (n = 228; 53 males, 174 females, 1 unspecified) in their self-reported perceptions of body awareness utilizing the Body Awareness Questionnaire (BAQ) and thirst awareness using the Thirst Awareness Scale (TAS). Those in the ASD group reported a clinically significant lower body and thirst awareness compared to the control group, and this was a large effect (BAQ; d = -1.26, P < 0.001; TAS; d = -1.02, P < 0.001). These findings are of clinical importance, as difficulty with sensing internal bodily states could theoretically impact on the physical and mental health, social interactions and self-awareness of adults with ASD. © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

[The importance of handprint morphometry for determining the human body length].

PubMed

Grigor'eva, M A

2018-01-01

Handprint morphometry for the purpose of personality identification still remains a relatively novel approach. The methods employed for the measurements are not infrequently difficult to reproduce and therefore cause controversy. The objective of the present study was to introduce the system of methods for the measurement of handprints suitable for the reliable determination of the human body length. The study included the measurement of the size of 40 handprints left by124 adult subjects (52 men and 72 women). Two methods of the regression analysis, stepwise and forced inclusion, were applied to the combined group of handprints to select the equations with the high (R>0.800) coefficients of multiple correlation with the body length. 13 equations of multiple regression were obtained and analyzed. The standard error of estimating (SEE) varied from 4.30 to 5.19 cm. The best results were obtained with the equations constructed from the sizes I, II, and III of the rays without their distal phalanges. It was shown that the body length can be successfully reconstructed within the height range from 168 to 183 cm for men and from 157 to 176 cm for women. The examples of the use of the equations for the purpose of expertise of illegible and incomplete handprints are presented.

Modeling the human body/seat system in a vibration environment.

PubMed

Rosen, Jacob; Arcan, Mircea

2003-04-01

The vibration environment is a common man-made artificial surrounding with which humans have a limited tolerance to cope due to their body dynamics. This research studied the dynamic characteristics of a seated human body/seat system in a vibration environment. The main result is a multi degrees of freedom lumped parameter model that synthesizes two basic dynamics: (i) global human dynamics, the apparent mass phenomenon, including a systematic set of the model parameters for simulating various conditions like body posture, backrest, footrest, muscle tension, and vibration directions, and (ii) the local human dynamics, represented by the human pelvis/vibrating seat contact, using a cushioning interface. The model and its selected parameters successfully described the main effects of the apparent mass phenomenon compared to experimental data documented in the literature. The model provided an analytical tool for human body dynamics research. It also enabled a primary tool for seat and cushioning design. The model was further used to develop design guidelines for a composite cushion using the principle of quasi-uniform body/seat contact force distribution. In terms of evenly distributing the contact forces, the best result for the different materials and cushion geometries simulated in the current study was achieved using a two layer shaped geometry cushion built from three materials. Combining the geometry and the mechanical characteristics of a structure under large deformation into a lumped parameter model enables successful analysis of the human/seat interface system and provides practical results for body protection in dynamic environment.

High School Students' Understanding of the Human Body System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Assaraf, Orit Ben-Zvi; Dodick, Jeff; Tripto, Jaklin

2013-01-01

In this study, 120 tenth-grade students from 8 schools were examined to determine the extent of their ability to perceive the human body as a system after completing the first stage in their biology curriculum--"The human body, emphasizing homeostasis". The students' systems thinking was analyzed according to the STH thinking model, which roughly…

Sex differences in chronometric mental rotation with human bodies.

PubMed

Voyer, Daniel; Jansen, Petra

2016-11-01

The present experiment investigated sex differences across stimulus types in a chronometric mental rotation task. The working hypothesis was that human bodies as stimuli would reduce the magnitude of sex differences compared to cubes as stimuli, from the embodied cognition perspective. One hundred and twenty participants, 60 men and 60 women solved chronometric mental rotation items with Shepard-Metzler cube figures, head-cubes, and human bodies, all designed so that they were similar in shape. Two figures of a given stimulus type were presented on the screen and participants had to judge if both items were mirrored or non-mirrored. Results showed better mental rotation performance with human bodies than with other types of stimuli for both sexes, although the effect of stimulus type was more pronounced in men than in women. Furthermore, regardless of stimulus type, men were more accurate than women. Altogether, the results suggest that sex differences are not reduced when human bodies are used as stimuli in a chronometric task. Implications for accounts of sex differences in mental rotations are discussed.

Dietary energy density and body weight in adults and children: a systematic review.

PubMed

Pérez-Escamilla, Rafael; Obbagy, Julie E; Altman, Jean M; Essery, Eve V; McGrane, Mary M; Wong, Yat Ping; Spahn, Joanne M; Williams, Christine L

2012-05-01

Energy density is a relatively new concept that has been identified as an important factor in body weight control in adults and in children and adolescents. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 encourages consumption of an eating pattern low in energy density to manage body weight. This article describes the systematic evidence-based review conducted by the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC), with support from the US Department of Agriculture's Nutrition Evidence Library, which resulted in this recommendation. An update to the committee's review was prepared for this article. PubMed was searched for English-language publications from January 1980 to May 2011. The literature review included 17 studies (seven randomized controlled trials, one nonrandomized controlled trial, and nine cohort studies) in adults and six cohort studies in children and adolescents. Based on this evidence, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee concluded that strong and consistent evidence in adults indicates that dietary patterns relatively low in energy density improve weight loss and weight maintenance. In addition, the committee concluded that there was moderately strong evidence from methodologically rigorous longitudinal cohort studies in children and adolescents to suggest that there is a positive association between dietary energy density and increased adiposity. This review supports a relationship between energy density and body weight in adults and in children and adolescents such that consuming diets lower in energy density may be an effective strategy for managing body weight. Copyright © 2012 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Digit ratio (2D:4D) as an indicator of body size, testosterone concentration and number of children in human males.

PubMed

Klimek, Magdalena; Galbarczyk, Andrzej; Nenko, Ilona; Alvarado, Louis Calistro; Jasienska, Grazyna

2014-01-01

The 2nd to 4th digit ratio (2D:4D) is thought to reflect exposure to androgens during foetal development. This study examined the relationship between low (more masculine) and high (more feminine) 2D:4D and body size at different stages of the life course, adult testosterone levels and number of children among males. Five hundred and fifty-eight men from rural Poland at the Mogielica Human Ecology Study Site participated in this study. Life history data and anthropometric measurements were collected. Salivary morning and evening testosterone levels among 110 men from the same population were measured. Low 2D:4D was related to higher birth weight (p = 0.04), higher birth length (p = 0.01), higher body mass during childhood and adolescence (p = 0.01), higher BMI (borderline significance, p = 0.06), higher number of children among fathers (p = 0.04) and higher testosterone levels during adulthood (p = 0.04). This study shows, for the first time in a single population, that digit ratio is related to sub-adult body size at different stages of the life course, adult testosterone levels and number of children. The observed results suggest that digit ratio might be a valuable predictor of male body size and reproductive characteristics.

Sys-BodyFluid: a systematical database for human body fluid proteome research

PubMed Central

Li, Su-Jun; Peng, Mao; Li, Hong; Liu, Bo-Shu; Wang, Chuan; Wu, Jia-Rui; Li, Yi-Xue; Zeng, Rong

2009-01-01

Recently, body fluids have widely become an important target for proteomic research and proteomic study has produced more and more body fluid related protein data. A database is needed to collect and analyze these proteome data. Thus, we developed this web-based body fluid proteome database Sys-BodyFluid. It contains eleven kinds of body fluid proteomes, including plasma/serum, urine, cerebrospinal fluid, saliva, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, synovial fluid, nipple aspirate fluid, tear fluid, seminal fluid, human milk and amniotic fluid. Over 10 000 proteins are presented in the Sys-BodyFluid. Sys-BodyFluid provides the detailed protein annotations, including protein description, Gene Ontology, domain information, protein sequence and involved pathways. These proteome data can be retrieved by using protein name, protein accession number and sequence similarity. In addition, users can query between these different body fluids to get the different proteins identification information. Sys-BodyFluid database can facilitate the body fluid proteomics and disease proteomics research as a reference database. It is available at http://www.biosino.org/bodyfluid/. PMID:18978022

Sys-BodyFluid: a systematical database for human body fluid proteome research.

PubMed

Li, Su-Jun; Peng, Mao; Li, Hong; Liu, Bo-Shu; Wang, Chuan; Wu, Jia-Rui; Li, Yi-Xue; Zeng, Rong

2009-01-01

Recently, body fluids have widely become an important target for proteomic research and proteomic study has produced more and more body fluid related protein data. A database is needed to collect and analyze these proteome data. Thus, we developed this web-based body fluid proteome database Sys-BodyFluid. It contains eleven kinds of body fluid proteomes, including plasma/serum, urine, cerebrospinal fluid, saliva, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, synovial fluid, nipple aspirate fluid, tear fluid, seminal fluid, human milk and amniotic fluid. Over 10,000 proteins are presented in the Sys-BodyFluid. Sys-BodyFluid provides the detailed protein annotations, including protein description, Gene Ontology, domain information, protein sequence and involved pathways. These proteome data can be retrieved by using protein name, protein accession number and sequence similarity. In addition, users can query between these different body fluids to get the different proteins identification information. Sys-BodyFluid database can facilitate the body fluid proteomics and disease proteomics research as a reference database. It is available at http://www.biosino.org/bodyfluid/.

Categorical discrimination of human body parts by magnetoencephalography

PubMed Central

Nakamura, Misaki; Yanagisawa, Takufumi; Okamura, Yumiko; Fukuma, Ryohei; Hirata, Masayuki; Araki, Toshihiko; Kamitani, Yukiyasu; Yorifuji, Shiro

2015-01-01

Humans recognize body parts in categories. Previous studies have shown that responses in the fusiform body area (FBA) and extrastriate body area (EBA) are evoked by the perception of the human body, when presented either as whole or as isolated parts. These responses occur approximately 190 ms after body images are visualized. The extent to which body-sensitive responses show specificity for different body part categories remains to be largely clarified. We used a decoding method to quantify neural responses associated with the perception of different categories of body parts. Nine subjects underwent measurements of their brain activities by magnetoencephalography (MEG) while viewing 14 images of feet, hands, mouths, and objects. We decoded categories of the presented images from the MEG signals using a support vector machine (SVM) and calculated their accuracy by 10-fold cross-validation. For each subject, a response that appeared to be a body-sensitive response was observed and the MEG signals corresponding to the three types of body categories were classified based on the signals in the occipitotemporal cortex. The accuracy in decoding body-part categories (with a peak at approximately 48%) was above chance (33.3%) and significantly higher than that for random categories. According to the time course and location, the responses are suggested to be body-sensitive and to include information regarding the body-part category. Finally, this non-invasive method can decode category information of a visual object with high temporal and spatial resolution and this result may have a significant impact in the field of brain–machine interface research. PMID:26582986

Categorical discrimination of human body parts by magnetoencephalography.

PubMed

Nakamura, Misaki; Yanagisawa, Takufumi; Okamura, Yumiko; Fukuma, Ryohei; Hirata, Masayuki; Araki, Toshihiko; Kamitani, Yukiyasu; Yorifuji, Shiro

2015-01-01

Humans recognize body parts in categories. Previous studies have shown that responses in the fusiform body area (FBA) and extrastriate body area (EBA) are evoked by the perception of the human body, when presented either as whole or as isolated parts. These responses occur approximately 190 ms after body images are visualized. The extent to which body-sensitive responses show specificity for different body part categories remains to be largely clarified. We used a decoding method to quantify neural responses associated with the perception of different categories of body parts. Nine subjects underwent measurements of their brain activities by magnetoencephalography (MEG) while viewing 14 images of feet, hands, mouths, and objects. We decoded categories of the presented images from the MEG signals using a support vector machine (SVM) and calculated their accuracy by 10-fold cross-validation. For each subject, a response that appeared to be a body-sensitive response was observed and the MEG signals corresponding to the three types of body categories were classified based on the signals in the occipitotemporal cortex. The accuracy in decoding body-part categories (with a peak at approximately 48%) was above chance (33.3%) and significantly higher than that for random categories. According to the time course and location, the responses are suggested to be body-sensitive and to include information regarding the body-part category. Finally, this non-invasive method can decode category information of a visual object with high temporal and spatial resolution and this result may have a significant impact in the field of brain-machine interface research.

Relationship between alertness, performance, and body temperature in humans.

PubMed

Wright, Kenneth P; Hull, Joseph T; Czeisler, Charles A

2002-12-01

Body temperature has been reported to influence human performance. Performance is reported to be better when body temperature is high/near its circadian peak and worse when body temperature is low/near its circadian minimum. We assessed whether this relationship between performance and body temperature reflects the regulation of both the internal biological timekeeping system and/or the influence of body temperature on performance independent of circadian phase. Fourteen subjects participated in a forced desynchrony protocol allowing assessment of the relationship between body temperature and performance while controlling for circadian phase and hours awake. Most neurobehavioral measures varied as a function of internal biological time and duration of wakefulness. A number of performance measures were better when body temperature was elevated, including working memory, subjective alertness, visual attention, and the slowest 10% of reaction times. These findings demonstrate that an increased body temperature, associated with and independent of internal biological time, is correlated with improved performance and alertness. These results support the hypothesis that body temperature modulates neurobehavioral function in humans.

Relationship between alertness, performance, and body temperature in humans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, Kenneth P Jr; Hull, Joseph T.; Czeisler, Charles A.

2002-01-01

Body temperature has been reported to influence human performance. Performance is reported to be better when body temperature is high/near its circadian peak and worse when body temperature is low/near its circadian minimum. We assessed whether this relationship between performance and body temperature reflects the regulation of both the internal biological timekeeping system and/or the influence of body temperature on performance independent of circadian phase. Fourteen subjects participated in a forced desynchrony protocol allowing assessment of the relationship between body temperature and performance while controlling for circadian phase and hours awake. Most neurobehavioral measures varied as a function of internal biological time and duration of wakefulness. A number of performance measures were better when body temperature was elevated, including working memory, subjective alertness, visual attention, and the slowest 10% of reaction times. These findings demonstrate that an increased body temperature, associated with and independent of internal biological time, is correlated with improved performance and alertness. These results support the hypothesis that body temperature modulates neurobehavioral function in humans.

FASH and MASH: female and male adult human phantoms based on polygon mesh surfaces: I. Development of the anatomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cassola, V. F.; de Melo Lima, V. J.; Kramer, R.; Khoury, H. J.

2010-01-01

Among computational models, voxel phantoms based on computer tomographic (CT), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) or colour photographic images of patients, volunteers or cadavers have become popular in recent years. Although being true to nature representations of scanned individuals, voxel phantoms have limitations, especially when walled organs have to be segmented or when volumes of organs or body tissues, like adipose, have to be changed. Additionally, the scanning of patients or volunteers is usually made in supine position, which causes a shift of internal organs towards the ribcage, a compression of the lungs and a reduction of the sagittal diameter especially in the abdominal region compared to the regular anatomy of a person in the upright position, which in turn can influence organ and tissue absorbed or equivalent dose estimates. This study applies tools developed recently in the areas of computer graphics and animated films to the creation and modelling of 3D human organs, tissues, skeletons and bodies based on polygon mesh surfaces. Female and male adult human phantoms, called FASH (Female Adult meSH) and MASH (Male Adult meSH), have been designed using software, such as MakeHuman, Blender, Binvox and ImageJ, based on anatomical atlases, observing at the same time organ masses recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection for the male and female reference adult in report no 89. 113 organs, bones and tissues have been modelled in the FASH and the MASH phantoms representing locations for adults in standing posture. Most organ and tissue masses of the voxelized versions agree with corresponding data from ICRP89 within a margin of 2.6%. Comparison with the mesh-based male RPI_AM and female RPI_AF phantoms shows differences with respect to the material used, to the software and concepts applied, and to the anatomies created.

Human and animal sounds influence recognition of body language.

PubMed

Van den Stock, Jan; Grèzes, Julie; de Gelder, Beatrice

2008-11-25

In naturalistic settings emotional events have multiple correlates and are simultaneously perceived by several sensory systems. Recent studies have shown that recognition of facial expressions is biased towards the emotion expressed by a simultaneously presented emotional expression in the voice even if attention is directed to the face only. So far, no study examined whether this phenomenon also applies to whole body expressions, although there is no obvious reason why this crossmodal influence would be specific for faces. Here we investigated whether perception of emotions expressed in whole body movements is influenced by affective information provided by human and by animal vocalizations. Participants were instructed to attend to the action displayed by the body and to categorize the expressed emotion. The results indicate that recognition of body language is biased towards the emotion expressed by the simultaneously presented auditory information, whether it consist of human or of animal sounds. Our results show that a crossmodal influence from auditory to visual emotional information obtains for whole body video images with the facial expression blanked and includes human as well as animal sounds.

[Nuclear techniques in nutrition: assessment of body fat and intake of human milk in breast-fed infants].

PubMed

Pallaro, Anabel; Tarducci, Gabriel

2014-12-01

The application of nuclear techniques in the area of nutrition is safe because they use stable isotopes. The deuterium dilution method is used in body composition and human milk intake analysis. It is a reference method for body fat and validates inexpensive tools because of its accuracy, simplicity of application in individuals and population and the background of its usefulness in adults and children as an evaluation tool in clinical and health programs. It is a non-invasive technique as it uses saliva, which facilitates the assessment in pediatric populations. Changes in body fat are associated with non-communicable diseases; moreover, normal weight individuals with high fat deposition were reported. Furthermore, this technique is the only accurate way to determine whether infants are exclusively breast-fed and validate conventional methods based on surveys to mothers.

Effects of targeted delivery of propionate to the human colon on appetite regulation, body weight maintenance and adiposity in overweight adults

PubMed Central

Chambers, Edward S; Viardot, Alexander; Psichas, Arianna; Morrison, Douglas J; Murphy, Kevin G; Zac-Varghese, Sagen E K; MacDougall, Kenneth; Preston, Tom; Tedford, Catriona; Finlayson, Graham S; Blundell, John E; Bell, Jimmy D; Thomas, E Louise; Mt-Isa, Shahrul; Ashby, Deborah; Gibson, Glen R; Kolida, Sofia; Dhillo, Waljit S; Bloom, Stephen R; Morley, Wayne; Clegg, Stuart; Frost, Gary

2015-01-01

Objective The colonic microbiota ferment dietary fibres, producing short chain fatty acids. Recent evidence suggests that the short chain fatty acid propionate may play an important role in appetite regulation. We hypothesised that colonic delivery of propionate would increase peptide YY (PYY) and glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1) secretion in humans, and reduce energy intake and weight gain in overweight adults. Design To investigate whether propionate promotes PYY and GLP-1 secretion, a primary cultured human colonic cell model was developed. To deliver propionate specifically to the colon, we developed a novel inulin-propionate ester. An acute randomised, controlled cross-over study was used to assess the effects of this inulin-propionate ester on energy intake and plasma PYY and GLP-1 concentrations. The long-term effects of inulin-propionate ester on weight gain were subsequently assessed in a randomised, controlled 24-week study involving 60 overweight adults. Results Propionate significantly stimulated the release of PYY and GLP-1 from human colonic cells. Acute ingestion of 10 g inulin-propionate ester significantly increased postprandial plasma PYY and GLP-1 and reduced energy intake. Over 24 weeks, 10 g/day inulin-propionate ester supplementation significantly reduced weight gain, intra-abdominal adipose tissue distribution, intrahepatocellular lipid content and prevented the deterioration in insulin sensitivity observed in the inulin-control group. Conclusions These data demonstrate for the first time that increasing colonic propionate prevents weight gain in overweight adult humans. Trial registration number NCT00750438. PMID:25500202

Electric field prediction for a human body-electric machine system.

PubMed

Ioannides, Maria G; Papadopoulos, Peter J; Dimitropoulou, Eugenia

2004-01-01

A system consisting of an electric machine and a human body is studied and the resulting electric field is predicted. A 3-phase induction machine operating at full load is modeled considering its geometry, windings, and materials. A human model is also constructed approximating its geometry and the electric properties of tissues. Using the finite element technique the electric field distribution in the human body is determined for a distance of 1 and 5 m from the machine and its effects are studied. Particularly, electric field potential variations are determined at specific points inside the human body and for these points the electric field intensity is computed and compared to the limit values for exposure according to international standards.

Observation of temperature trace, induced by changing of temperature inside the human body, on the human body skin using commercially available IR camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trofimov, Vyacheslav A.; Trofimov, Vladislav V.

2015-05-01

As it is well-known, application of the passive THz camera for the security problems is very promising way. It allows seeing concealed object without contact with a person and this camera is non-dangerous for a person. In previous papers, we demonstrate new possibility of the passive THz camera using for a temperature difference observing on the human skin if this difference is caused by different temperatures inside the body. For proof of validity of our statement we make the similar physical experiment using the IR camera. We show a possibility of temperature trace on human body skin, caused by changing of temperature inside the human body due to water drinking. We use as a computer code that is available for treatment of images captured by commercially available IR camera, manufactured by Flir Corp., as well as our developed computer code for computer processing of these images. Using both codes we demonstrate clearly changing of human body skin temperature induced by water drinking. Shown phenomena are very important for the detection of forbidden samples and substances concealed inside the human body using non-destructive control without X-rays using. Early we have demonstrated such possibility using THz radiation. Carried out experiments can be used for counter-terrorism problem solving. We developed original filters for computer processing of images captured by IR cameras. Their applications for computer processing of images results in a temperature resolution enhancing of cameras.

In-situ electric field in human body model in different postures for wireless power transfer system in an electrical vehicle.

PubMed

Shimamoto, Takuya; Laakso, Ilkka; Hirata, Akimasa

2015-01-07

The in-situ electric field of an adult male model in different postures is evaluated for exposure to the magnetic field leaked from a wireless power transfer system in an electrical vehicle. The transfer system is located below the centre of the vehicle body and the transferred power and frequency are 7 kW and 85 kHz, respectively. The in-situ electric field is evaluated for a human model (i) crouching near the vehicle, (ii) lying on the ground with or without his arm stretched, (iii) sitting in the driver's seat, and (iv) standing on a transmitting coil without a receiving coil. In each scenario, the maximum in-situ electric fields are lower than the allowable limit prescribed by international guidelines, although the local magnetic field strength in regions of the human body is higher than the allowable external magnetic field strength. The highest in-situ electric field is observed when the human body model is placed on the ground with his arm extended toward the coils, because of a higher magnetic field around the arm.

The place of the body in young adults' use of the new technologies: Virtual bodies?

PubMed

Riazuelo, H; Chaudoye, G; Cupa, D

2015-01-01

This research was initiated by the remark that new technologies allow young adults (from 18 to 25 years old) to have a faster and more direct access to the world, as well as a social life that is both broader and hidden from parental view. The aim of this research is therefore to understand better the role of new technologies in young adults' life, especially how they perceive their body through both images and others' eyes. Also, we intended to study the impact of new technologies on the psychical links and psychical functioning during the transition to adulthood. From a methodological point of view, we obtained qualitative results from semi-directive interviews.

In vivo organ mass of Korean adults obtained from whole-body magnetic resonance data.

PubMed

Park, S; Lee, J K; Kim, J I; Lee, Y J; Lim, Y K; Kim, C S; Lee, C

2006-01-01

In vivo organ mass of the Korean adult, male and female were presented for the purpose of radiation protection. A total of 121 healthy volunteers (66 males and 55 females), whose body dimensions were close to that of average Korean adults, were recruited for this study. Whole-body magnetic resonance (MR) images were obtained, and contours of 15 organs (brain, eye, gall bladder, heart, kidney, liver, lung, pancreas, stomach, spleen, testes, thymus, thyroid, urinary bladder and uterus) and 9 bones (femur, tibia + fibula, humerus, radius + ulna, pelvis, cervical spine, thoracic and lumber spine, skull and clavicle) were segmented for organ volume rendering by anatomists using commercial software. Organ and bone masses were calculated by multiplying the Asian reference densities of the corresponding organs and bones by the measured volumes. The resulting organ and bone masses were compared with those of the International Commission of Radiological Protection (ICRP) and the Asian reference data. Significantly large standard deviation was shown in the moving organs of the respiratory and circulatory systems and in the alimentary and urogenital organs that are variable in volume in a single person. Gall bladder and pancreas showed unique Korean organ masses compared with those of ICRP and the Asian reference adults. Different from anatomical data based on autopsy, the in vivo volume and mass in this study can more exactly describe the organ volume of a living human subject for radiation protection. A larger sample size would be required for obtaining statistically more reliable results. It is also needed to establish the reference organ mass of younger age groups for which it is difficult to recruit volunteers and to immobilise the subjects for long-time MR scanning. At present, the data from this study will contribute to the establishment of a Korean reference database.

Bodies in nature: Associations between exposure to nature, connectedness to nature, and body image in U.S. adults.

PubMed

Swami, Viren; Barron, David; Weis, Laura; Furnham, Adrian

2016-09-01

Here, we sought to replicate previous work showing a relationship between connectedness to nature and body appreciation, and extend it by examining associations between exposure to natural environments and other body image-related variables. An online sample of 399 U.S. women and men (Mage=34.55 years) completed measures of body appreciation, connectedness to nature, nature exposure, appearance investment, sociocultural attitudes towards appearance, and self-esteem. Path analysis showed that nature exposure and connectedness to nature, respectively, were associated with body appreciation in women and men, both directly and indirectly via self-esteem. Connectedness to nature also mediated the link between nature exposure and body appreciation. In men, but not women, the link between connectedness to nature and body appreciation was also mediated by appearance investment and internalisation of a muscular ideal. These results may point to novel methods for promoting more positive body image in adults through engagement with nature. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sarcomeric Myosin Expression in the Tongue Body of Humans, Macaques and Rats

PubMed Central

Rahnert, Jill A.; Sokoloff, Alan J.; Burkholder, Thomas J.

2010-01-01

Expression of developmental and unconventional myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms in some adult head and neck muscles is thought to reflect specific contractile demands of muscle fibers active during kinematically complex movements. Mammalian tongue muscles are active during oromotor behaviors that encompass a wide range of tongue movement speeds and tongue shape changes (e.g. respiration, oral transport, swallowing, rejection), but the extent to which tongue muscles express developmental and unconventional MHC is not known. Quantitative PCR was used to determine the mRNA content of conventional MHC-beta, MHC-2a, MHC-2b and MHC-2x, the developmental isoforms embryonic MHC and neonatal MHC and the unconventional isoforms atrial/cardiac-α MHC (MHC-alpha), extraocular MHC, masseter MHC and slow tonic MHC in tongue body muscles of the rat, macaque and human. In all species, conventional MHC isoforms predominate. MHC-2b and MHC-2x account for 98% of total MHC mRNA in the rat. MHC-2a, MHC-2x and MHC-beta account for 94% of total MHC mRNA in humans and 96% of total MHC mRNA in macaque. With the exception of MHC-alpha in humans (5%), developmental and unconventional MHC mRNA represents less than 0.3% of total MHC mRNA. We conclude that in these species, there is limited expression of developmental and unconventional MHC and that diversity of tongue body muscle fiber contractile properties is achieved primarily by MHC-beta, MHC-2a, MHC-2x and MHC-2b. Whether expression of MHC-alpha mRNA in tongue is unique to humans or present in other hominoids awaits further investigation. PMID:19907142

Wide range of body composition measures are associated with cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults.

PubMed

Won, Huiloo; Abdul Manaf, Zahara; Mat Ludin, Arimi Fitri; Shahar, Suzana

2017-04-01

Studies of the association between body composition, both body fat and body muscle, and cognitive function are rarely reported. The aim of the present study was to determine the association between a wide range of body composition measures with cognitive function in older adults. A total of 2322 Malaysian older adults aged 60 years and older were recruited using multistage random sampling in a population-based cross-sectional study. Out of 2322 older adults recruited, 2309 (48% men) completed assessments on cognitive function and body composition. Cognitive functions were assessed using the Malay version of the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Bahasa Malaysia version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Digit Span Test, Digit Symbol Test and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. Body composition included body mass index, mid-upper arm circumference, waist circumference, calf circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, percentage body fat and skeletal muscle mass. The association between body composition and cognitive functions was analyzed using multiple linear regression. After adjustment for age, education years, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus, depression, smoking status and alcohol consumption, we found that calf circumference appeared as a significant predictor for all cognitive tests among both men and women (P < 0.05), except for the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. Waist-to-hip ratio was detected as a significant predictor for all cognitive tests among women (P < 0.05), but was only a significant predictor for the Bahasa Malaysia version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment among men (P < 0.05). These results suggest that there is a need to maintain muscle mass and lower adipose tissue among older adults for optimal cognitive function. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 554-560. © 2016 Japan Geriatrics Society.

Influence of lower body pressure support on the walking patterns of healthy children and adults.

PubMed

Kurz, Max J; Deffeyes, Joan E; Arpin, David J; Karst, Gregory M; Stuberg, Wayne A

2012-11-01

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effect of a lower body positive pressure support system on the joint kinematics and activity of the lower extremity antigravity musculature of adults and children during walking. Adults (age = 25 ± 4 years) and children (age = 13 ± 2 years) walked at a preferred speed and a speed that was based on the Froude number, while 0-80% of their body weight was supported. Electrogoniometers were used to monitor knee and ankle joint kinematics. Surface electromyography was used to quantify the magnitude of the vastus lateralis and gastrocnemius muscle activity. There were three key findings: (1) The lower extremity joint angles and activity of the lower extremity antigravity muscles of children did not differ from those of adults. (2) The magnitude of the changes in the lower extremity joint motion and antigravity muscle activity was dependent upon an interaction between body weight support and walking speed. (3) Lower body positive pressure support resulted in reduced activation of the antigravity musculature, and reduced range of motion of the knee and ankle joints.

Body Image Discomfort of Adolescent and Young Adult Hematologic Cancer Survivors.

PubMed

Zucchetti, Giulia; Bellini, Simona; Bertolotti, Marina; Bona, Francesca; Biasin, Eleonora; Bertorello, Nicoletta; Tirtei, Elisa; Fagioli, Franca

2017-06-01

This study focuses on body image discomfort (BID) of 50 adolescent and young adult (AYA) hematologic cancer survivors (age range 15-23; 52% males). The study results were obtained through data from a self-report questionnaire: the Body Uneasiness Test. Findings differed according to gender: a greater proportion of females were in the Risk category of impaired body image than males (χ 2  = 5.258, p < 0.05). No significant body image differences were found according to the type of diagnosis or to the length of survival. To manage survivors' BIDs and to improve their quality of life, assessing BID in AYA cancer survivors is important for identifying those who might be in need of additional supportive care or a program.

Effect of clothing material on thermal responses of the human body

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fengzhi, Li; Yi, Li

2005-09-01

The influence of clothing material on thermal responses of the human body are investigated by using an integrated model of a clothed thermoregulatory human body. A modified 25-nodes model considering the sweat accumulation on the skin surface is applied to simulate the human physiological regulatory responses. The heat and moisture coupled transfer mechanisms, including water vapour diffusion, the moisture evaporation/condensation, the moisture sorbtion/desorption by fibres, liquid sweat transfer under capillary pressure, and latent heat absorption/release due to phase change, are considered in the clothing model. On comparing prediction results with the experimental data in the literature, the proposed model seems able to predict dynamic heat and moisture transfer between the human body and the clothing system. The human body's thermal responses and clothing temperature and moisture variations are compared for different clothing materials during transient periods. We concluded that the hygroscopicity of clothing materials influences the human thermoregulation process significantly during environmental transients.

Heat Exchange in “Human body - Thermal protection - Environment” System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khromova, I. V.

2017-11-01

This article is devoted to the issues of simulation and calculation of thermal processes in the system called “Human body - Thermal protection - Environment” under low temperature conditions. It considers internal heat sources and convective heat transfer between calculated elements. Overall this is important for the Heat Transfer Theory. The article introduces complex heat transfer calculation method and local thermophysical parameters calculation method in the system called «Human body - Thermal protection - Environment», considering passive and active thermal protections, thermophysical and geometric properties of calculated elements in a wide range of environmental parameters (water, air). It also includes research on the influence that thermal resistance of modern materials, used in special protective clothes development, has on heat transfer in the system “Human body - Thermal protection - Environment”. Analysis of the obtained results allows adding of the computer research data to experiments and optimizing of individual life-support system elements, which are intended to protect human body from exposure to external factors.

Body Maps in the Infant Brain

PubMed Central

Marshall, Peter J.; Meltzoff, Andrew N.

2015-01-01

Researchers have examined representations of the body in the adult brain, but relatively little attention has been paid to ontogenetic aspects of neural body maps in human infants. Novel applications of methods for recording brain activity in infants are delineating cortical body maps in the first months of life. Body maps may facilitate infants’ registration of similarities between self and other—an ability that is foundational to developing social cognition. Alterations in interpersonal aspects of body representations might also contribute to social deficits in certain neurodevelopmental disorders. PMID:26231760

Adult Education & Human Resource Development: Overlapping and Disparate Fields

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watkins, Karen E.; Marsick, Victoria J.

2014-01-01

Adult education and human resource development as fields of practice and study share some roots in common but have grown in different directions in their histories. Adult education's roots focused initially on citizenship for a democratic society, whereas human resource development's roots are in performance at work. While they have…

Scanning 3D full human bodies using Kinects.

PubMed

Tong, Jing; Zhou, Jin; Liu, Ligang; Pan, Zhigeng; Yan, Hao

2012-04-01

Depth camera such as Microsoft Kinect, is much cheaper than conventional 3D scanning devices, and thus it can be acquired for everyday users easily. However, the depth data captured by Kinect over a certain distance is of extreme low quality. In this paper, we present a novel scanning system for capturing 3D full human body models by using multiple Kinects. To avoid the interference phenomena, we use two Kinects to capture the upper part and lower part of a human body respectively without overlapping region. A third Kinect is used to capture the middle part of the human body from the opposite direction. We propose a practical approach for registering the various body parts of different views under non-rigid deformation. First, a rough mesh template is constructed and used to deform successive frames pairwisely. Second, global alignment is performed to distribute errors in the deformation space, which can solve the loop closure problem efficiently. Misalignment caused by complex occlusion can also be handled reasonably by our global alignment algorithm. The experimental results have shown the efficiency and applicability of our system. Our system obtains impressive results in a few minutes with low price devices, thus is practically useful for generating personalized avatars for everyday users. Our system has been used for 3D human animation and virtual try on, and can further facilitate a range of home–oriented virtual reality (VR) applications.

Investigation of human body potential measured by a non-contact measuring system.

PubMed

Ichikawa, Norimitsu

2016-12-07

A human body is occasionally electrified in a room. This charged object will be a source of electrostatic accidents, including the malfunction of electronic equipment. Hence, prevention of these accidents is required. Accidents occasionally occur, even though antistatic clothes and shoes are used. One of the causes for these accidents is that there is a lack of the preventive measures. This situation occurs when using, for example, unconductive wax. In this study, human body potential (voltage) is measured using a non-contact measuring system. An investigation of the human body's voltage when using this system is conducted. The result demonstrates that the voltage of a human body wearing antistatic clothes and shoes or light clothes and slippers exceeds a malfunctioning voltage of a microelectronics device when the body walks on floors. Thus, accidents may occur even if a human body wearing the antistatic clothes walks on flooring. These results will be useful in estimating determination whether electrostatic accidents occur or not.

Germline stem cells and neo-oogenesis in the adult human ovary.

PubMed

Liu, Yifei; Wu, Chao; Lyu, Qifeng; Yang, Dongzi; Albertini, David F; Keefe, David L; Liu, Lin

2007-06-01

It remains unclear whether neo-oogenesis occurs in postnatal ovaries of mammals, based on studies in mice. We thought to test whether adult human ovaries contain germline stem cells (GSCs) and undergo neo-oogenesis. Rather than using genetic manipulation which is unethical in humans, we took the approach of analyzing the expression of meiotic marker genes and genes for germ cell proliferation, which are required for neo-oogenesis, in adult human ovaries covering an age range from 28 to 53 years old, compared to testis and fetal ovaries served as positive controls. We show that active meiosis, neo-oogenesis and GSCs are unlikely to exist in normal, adult, human ovaries. No early meiotic-specific or oogenesis-associated mRNAs for SPO11, PRDM9, SCP1, TERT and NOBOX were detectable in adult human ovaries using RT-PCR, compared to fetal ovary and adult testis controls. These findings are further corroborated by the absence of early meiocytes and proliferating germ cells in adult human ovarian cortex probed with markers for meiosis (SCP3), oogonium (OCT3/4, c-KIT), and cell cycle progression (Ki-67, PCNA), in contrast to fetal ovary controls. If postnatal oogenesis is confirmed in mice, then this species would represent an exception to the rule that neo-oogenesis does not occur in adults.

A comparative analysis of adult body size and its correlates in acanthocephalan parasites.

PubMed

Poulin, Robert; Wise, Megan; Moore, Janice

2003-07-30

Adult acanthocephalan body sizes vary interspecifically over more than two orders of magnitude; yet, despite its importance for our understanding of the coevolutionary links between hosts and parasites, this variation remains unexplained. Here, we used a comparative analysis to investigate how final adult sizes and relative increments in size following establishment in the definitive host are influenced by three potential determinants of acanthocephalan sizes: initial (cystacanth) size at infection, host body mass, and the thermal regime experienced during growth, i.e. whether the definitive host is an ectotherm or an endotherm. Relative growth from the cystacanth stage to the adult stage ranged from twofold to more than 10,000-fold across acanthocephalan species, averaging just over 100-fold. However, this relative increment in size did not correlate with host mass, and did not differ between acanthocephalan species using ectothermic hosts and those growing in endothermic hosts. In contrast, final acanthocephalan adult sizes correlated positively with host mass, and after correction for host mass, final adult sizes were higher in species parasitising endotherms than in those found in ectotherms. The relationship between host mass and acanthocephalan adult size practically disappears, however, once phylogenetic influences are taken into account. Positive relationships between adult acanthocephalan size, cystacanth size and egg size indicate that a given relative size is a feature of an acanthocephalan species at all stages of its life cycle. These relationships also suggest that adult size is to some extent determined by cystacanth size, and that the characteristics of the definitive host are not the sole determinants of parasite life history traits.

The evolution of body size and shape in the human career

PubMed Central

Grabowski, Mark; Hatala, Kevin G.; Richmond, Brian G.

2016-01-01

Body size is a fundamental biological property of organisms, and documenting body size variation in hominin evolution is an important goal of palaeoanthropology. Estimating body mass appears deceptively simple but is laden with theoretical and pragmatic assumptions about best predictors and the most appropriate reference samples. Modern human training samples with known masses are arguably the ‘best’ for estimating size in early bipedal hominins such as the australopiths and all members of the genus Homo, but it is not clear if they are the most appropriate priors for reconstructing the size of the earliest putative hominins such as Orrorin and Ardipithecus. The trajectory of body size evolution in the early part of the human career is reviewed here and found to be complex and nonlinear. Australopith body size varies enormously across both space and time. The pre-erectus early Homo fossil record from Africa is poor and dominated by relatively small-bodied individuals, implying that the emergence of the genus Homo is probably not linked to an increase in body size or unprecedented increases in size variation. Body size differences alone cannot explain the observed variation in hominin body shape, especially when examined in the context of small fossil hominins and pygmy modern humans. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Major transitions in human evolution’. PMID:27298459

The evolution of body size and shape in the human career.

PubMed

Jungers, William L; Grabowski, Mark; Hatala, Kevin G; Richmond, Brian G

2016-07-05

Body size is a fundamental biological property of organisms, and documenting body size variation in hominin evolution is an important goal of palaeoanthropology. Estimating body mass appears deceptively simple but is laden with theoretical and pragmatic assumptions about best predictors and the most appropriate reference samples. Modern human training samples with known masses are arguably the 'best' for estimating size in early bipedal hominins such as the australopiths and all members of the genus Homo, but it is not clear if they are the most appropriate priors for reconstructing the size of the earliest putative hominins such as Orrorin and Ardipithecus The trajectory of body size evolution in the early part of the human career is reviewed here and found to be complex and nonlinear. Australopith body size varies enormously across both space and time. The pre-erectus early Homo fossil record from Africa is poor and dominated by relatively small-bodied individuals, implying that the emergence of the genus Homo is probably not linked to an increase in body size or unprecedented increases in size variation. Body size differences alone cannot explain the observed variation in hominin body shape, especially when examined in the context of small fossil hominins and pygmy modern humans.This article is part of the themed issue 'Major transitions in human evolution'. © 2016 The Author(s).

Upper body push and pull strength ratio in recreationally active adults.

PubMed

Negrete, Rodney J; Hanney, William J; Pabian, Patrick; Kolber, Morey J

2013-04-01

Agonist to antagonist strength data is commonly analyzed due to its association with injury and performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the agonist to antagonist ratio of upper body strength using two simple field tests (timed push up/timed modified pull up) in recreationally active adults and to establish the basis for reference standards. One hundred eighty (180) healthy recreationally active adults (111 females and 69 males, aged 18-45 years) performed two tests of upper body strength in random order: 1. Push-ups completed during 3 sets of 15 seconds with a 45 second rest period between each set and 2. Modified pull-ups completed during 3 sets of 15 seconds with a 45 second rest period between each set. The push-up to modified pull-up ratio for the males was 1.57:1, whereas females demonstrated a ratio of 2.72:1. The results suggest that for our group of healthy recreationally active subjects, the upper body "pushing" musculature is approximately 1.5-2.7 times stronger than the musculature involved for pulling. In this study, these recreationally active adults displayed greater strength during the timed push-ups than the modified pull-ups. The relationship of these imbalances to one's performance and or injury risk requires further investigation. The reference values, however, may serve the basis for future comparison and prospective investigations. The field tests in this study can be easily implemented by clinicians and an agonist/antagonist ratio can be determined and compared to our findings. 2b.

[The solidarity of the human body].

PubMed

Bioy, Xavier

2014-06-01

The legal and bioethical regulation of the uses of the elements of the human body can be described by means of the concept of solidarity. From the French example, we can so show that the State tries to frame solidarities which already exist, for example between people who share the same genome, in the family, or, on the contrary, tent to impose or to direct the sharing of the human biological resources (organs, tissues, gametes, stem cell...).

Statistical multi-path exposure method for assessing the whole-body SAR in a heterogeneous human body model in a realistic environment.

PubMed

Vermeeren, Günter; Joseph, Wout; Martens, Luc

2013-04-01

Assessing the whole-body absorption in a human in a realistic environment requires a statistical approach covering all possible exposure situations. This article describes the development of a statistical multi-path exposure method for heterogeneous realistic human body models. The method is applied for the 6-year-old Virtual Family boy (VFB) exposed to the GSM downlink at 950 MHz. It is shown that the whole-body SAR does not differ significantly over the different environments at an operating frequency of 950 MHz. Furthermore, the whole-body SAR in the VFB for multi-path exposure exceeds the whole-body SAR for worst-case single-incident plane wave exposure by 3.6%. Moreover, the ICNIRP reference levels are not conservative with the basic restrictions in 0.3% of the exposure samples for the VFB at the GSM downlink of 950 MHz. The homogeneous spheroid with the dielectric properties of the head suggested by the IEC underestimates the absorption compared to realistic human body models. Moreover, the variation in the whole-body SAR for realistic human body models is larger than for homogeneous spheroid models. This is mainly due to the heterogeneity of the tissues and the irregular shape of the realistic human body model compared to homogeneous spheroid human body models. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A Comparison of Three Methods to Measure Percent Body Fat on Mentally Retarded Adults.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burkett, Lee N.; And Others

1994-01-01

Reports a study that compared three measures for determining percent body fat in mentally retarded adults (multiple skinfolds and circumference measurements, Infrared Interactance, and Bioelectrical Impedance). Results indicated the Bioelectrical Impedance Analyzer and Infrared Interactance Analyzer produced values for percent body fat that were…

FDTD calculations of specific energy absorption rate in a seated voxel model of the human body from 10 MHz to 3 GHz

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Findlay, R. P.; Dimbylow, P. J.

2006-05-01

Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) calculations have been performed to investigate the frequency dependence of the specific energy absorption rate (SAR) in a seated voxel model of the human body. The seated model was derived from NORMAN (NORmalized MAN), an anatomically realistic voxel phantom in the standing posture with arms to the side. Exposure conditions included both vertically and horizontally polarized plane wave electric fields between 10 MHz and 3 GHz. The resolution of the voxel model was 4 mm for frequencies up to 360 MHz and 2 mm for calculations in the higher frequency range. The reduction in voxel size permitted the calculation of SAR at these higher frequencies using the FDTD method. SAR values have been calculated for the seated adult phantom and scaled versions representing 10-, 5- and 1-year-old children under isolated and grounded conditions. These scaled models do not exactly reproduce the dimensions and anatomy of children, but represent good geometric information for a seated child. Results show that, when the field is vertically polarized, the sitting position causes a second, smaller resonance condition not seen in resonance curves for the phantom in the standing posture. This occurs at ~130 MHz for the adult model when grounded. Partial-body SAR calculations indicate that the upper and lower regions of the body have their own resonant frequency at ~120 MHz and ~160 MHz, respectively, when the grounded adult model is orientated in the sitting position. These combine to produce this second resonance peak in the whole-body averaged SAR values calculated. Two resonance peaks also occur for the sitting posture when the incident electric field is horizontally polarized. For the adult model, the peaks in the whole-body averaged SAR occur at ~180 and ~600 MHz. These peaks are due to resonance in the arms and feet, respectively. Layer absorption plots and colour images of SAR in individual voxels show the specific regions in which the seated

FDTD calculations of specific energy absorption rate in a seated voxel model of the human body from 10 MHz to 3 GHz.

PubMed

Findlay, R P; Dimbylow, P J

2006-05-07

Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) calculations have been performed to investigate the frequency dependence of the specific energy absorption rate (SAR) in a seated voxel model of the human body. The seated model was derived from NORMAN (NORmalized MAN), an anatomically realistic voxel phantom in the standing posture with arms to the side. Exposure conditions included both vertically and horizontally polarized plane wave electric fields between 10 MHz and 3 GHz. The resolution of the voxel model was 4 mm for frequencies up to 360 MHz and 2 mm for calculations in the higher frequency range. The reduction in voxel size permitted the calculation of SAR at these higher frequencies using the FDTD method. SAR values have been calculated for the seated adult phantom and scaled versions representing 10-, 5- and 1-year-old children under isolated and grounded conditions. These scaled models do not exactly reproduce the dimensions and anatomy of children, but represent good geometric information for a seated child. Results show that, when the field is vertically polarized, the sitting position causes a second, smaller resonance condition not seen in resonance curves for the phantom in the standing posture. This occurs at approximately 130 MHz for the adult model when grounded. Partial-body SAR calculations indicate that the upper and lower regions of the body have their own resonant frequency at approximately 120 MHz and approximately 160 MHz, respectively, when the grounded adult model is orientated in the sitting position. These combine to produce this second resonance peak in the whole-body averaged SAR values calculated. Two resonance peaks also occur for the sitting posture when the incident electric field is horizontally polarized. For the adult model, the peaks in the whole-body averaged SAR occur at approximately 180 and approximately 600 MHz. These peaks are due to resonance in the arms and feet, respectively. Layer absorption plots and colour images of SAR in

Variability in human body size

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Annis, J. F.

1978-01-01

The range of variability found among homogeneous groups is described and illustrated. Those trends that show significantly marked differences between sexes and among a number of racial/ethnic groups are also presented. Causes of human-body size variability discussed include genetic endowment, aging, nutrition, protective garments, and occupation. The information is presented to aid design engineers of space flight hardware and equipment.

Mathematical Model for Localised and Surface Heat Flux of the Human Body Obtained from Measurements Performed with a Calorimetry Minisensor.

PubMed

Socorro, Fabiola; Rodríguez de Rivera, Pedro Jesús; Rodríguez de Rivera, Miriam; Rodríguez de Rivera, Manuel

2017-11-28

The accuracy of the direct and local measurements of the heat power dissipated by the surface of the human body, using a calorimetry minisensor, is directly related to the calibration rigor of the sensor and the correct interpretation of the experimental results. For this, it is necessary to know the characteristics of the body's local heat dissipation. When the sensor is placed on the surface of the human body, the body reacts until a steady state is reached. We propose a mathematical model that represents the rate of heat flow at a given location on the surface of a human body by the sum of a series of exponentials: W ( t ) = A ₀ + ∑A i exp( -t / τ i ). In this way, transient and steady states of heat dissipation can be interpreted. This hypothesis has been tested by simulating the operation of the sensor. At the steady state, the power detected in the measurement area (4 cm²) varies depending on the sensor's thermostat temperature, as well as the physical state of the subject. For instance, for a thermostat temperature of 24 °C, this power can vary between 100-250 mW in a healthy adult. In the transient state, two exponentials are sufficient to represent this dissipation, with 3 and 70 s being the mean values of its time constants.

Transcriptome identification of putative genes involved in protein catabolism and innate immune response in human body louse (Pediculicidae: Pediculus humanus).

PubMed

Pedra, Joao H F; Brandt, Amanda; Li, Hong-Mei; Westerman, Rick; Romero-Severson, Jeanne; Pollack, Richard J; Murdock, Larry L; Pittendrigh, Barry R

2003-11-01

Genomics information relating to human body lice is surprisingly scarce, and this has constrained studies of their physiology, immunology and vector biology. To identify novel body louse genes, we used engorged adult lice to generate a cDNA library. Initially, 1152 clones were screened for inserts, edited for removal of vector sequences and base pairs of poor quality, and viewed for splicing variations, gene families and polymorphism. Computational methods identified 506 inferred open reading frames including the first predicted louse defensin. The inferred defensin aligns well with other insect defensins and has highly conserved cysteine residues, as are known for other defensin sequences. Two cysteine and five serine proteinases were categorized according to their inferred catalytic sites. We also discovered seven putative ubiquitin-pathway genes and four iron metabolizing deduced enzymes. Finally, glutathione-S-transferases and cytochrome P450 genes were among the detoxification enzymes found. Results from this first systematic effort to discover human body louse genes should promote further studies in Phthiraptera and lice.

Effects of geolocation archival tags on reproduction and adult body mass of sooty shearwaters (Puffinus griseus)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Adams, J.; Scott, D.; McKechnie, S.; Blackwell, G.; Shaffer, S.A.; Moller, H.

2009-01-01

We attached 11 g (1.4% body-mass equivalent) global location sensing (GLS) archival tag packages to tarsi of 25 breeding sooty shearwaters (Puffinus griseus, titi) on Whenua Hou (Codfish Island), New Zealand during the chick-rearing period in 2005. Compared with chicks reared by non-handled adults that did not carry tags, deployment of tags on one or both adult parents ultimately resulted in 35% reduction in chick body mass and significantly reduced chick skeletal size preceding fledging (19 April). However, body mass between chick groups was not significantly different after controlling for skeletal size. Effects on chicks were more pronounced in six pairs where both parents carried tags. Chick mass was negatively related to the duration that adults carried tags. In this study, none of the chicks reared by pairs where both parents were tagged, 54% of chicks reared by pairs where one parent was tagged, and 83% of chicks reared by non-handled and non-tagged parents achieved a previously determined pre-fledging mass threshold (564 g; Sagar & Horning 1998). Body mass of adults carrying tags and returning from transequatorial migration the following year were 4% lighter on average than non-tagged birds, but this difference was not statistically significant. Reduced mass among chicks reared by adults carrying tags during the chick-provisioning period indicated that adults altered "normal" provisioning behaviours to maintain their own body condition at the expense of their chicks. Population-level information derived from telemetry studies can reveal important habitat-linked behaviours, unique aspects of seabird foraging behaviours, and migration ecology. Information for some species (e.g., overlap with fisheries) can aid conservation and marine ecosystem management. We advise caution, however, when interpreting certain data related to adult provisioning behaviours (e.g., time spent foraging, provisioning rates, etc.). If effects on individuals are of concern, we suggest

Mind-Body Practice and Body Weight Status in a Large Population-Based Sample of Adults.

PubMed

Camilleri, Géraldine M; Méjean, Caroline; Bellisle, France; Hercberg, Serge; Péneau, Sandrine

2016-04-01

In industrialized countries characterized by a high prevalence of obesity and chronic stress, mind-body practices such as yoga or meditation may facilitate body weight control. However, virtually no data are available to ascertain whether practicing mind-body techniques is associated with weight status. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the practice of mind-body techniques and weight status in a large population-based sample of adults. A total of 61,704 individuals aged ≥18 years participating in the NutriNet-Santé study (2009-2014) were included in this cross-sectional analysis conducted in 2014. Data on mind-body practices were collected, as well as self-reported weight and height. The association between the practice of mind-body techniques and weight status was assessed using multiple linear and multinomial logistic regression models adjusted for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and dietary factors. After adjusting for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, regular users of mind-body techniques were less likely to be overweight (OR=0.68, 95% CI=0.63, 0.74) or obese (OR=0.55, 95% CI=0.50, 0.61) than never users. In addition, regular users had a lower BMI than never users (-3.19%, 95% CI=-3.71, -2.68). These data provide novel information about an inverse relationship between mind-body practice and weight status. If causal links were demonstrated in further prospective studies, such practice could be fostered in obesity prevention and treatment. Copyright © 2016 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Analysis of Long-Term Temperature Variations in the Human Body.

PubMed

Dakappa, Pradeepa Hoskeri; Mahabala, Chakrapani

2015-01-01

Body temperature is a continuous physiological variable. In normal healthy adults, oral temperature is estimated to vary between 36.1°C and 37.2°C. Fever is a complex host response to many external and internal agents and is a potential contributor to many clinical conditions. Despite being one of the foremost vital signs, temperature and its analysis and variations during many pathological conditions has yet to be examined in detail using mathematical techniques. Classical fever patterns based on recordings obtained every 8-12 h have been developed. However, such patterns do not provide meaningful information in diagnosing diseases. Because fever is a host response, it is likely that there could be a unique response to specific etiologies. Continuous long-term temperature monitoring and pattern analysis using specific analytical methods developed in engineering and physics could aid in revealing unique fever responses of hosts and in different clinical conditions. Furthermore, such analysis can potentially be used as a novel diagnostic tool and to study the effect of pharmaceutical agents and other therapeutic protocols. Thus, the goal of our article is to present a comprehensive review of the recent relevant literature and analyze the current state of research regarding temperature variations in the human body.

Human body motion tracking based on quantum-inspired immune cloning algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Hong; Yue, Lichuan; Jiao, Licheng; Wu, Xing

2009-10-01

In a static monocular camera system, to gain a perfect 3D human body posture is a great challenge for Computer Vision technology now. This paper presented human postures recognition from video sequences using the Quantum-Inspired Immune Cloning Algorithm (QICA). The algorithm included three parts. Firstly, prior knowledge of human beings was used, the key joint points of human could be detected automatically from the human contours and skeletons which could be thinning from the contours; And due to the complexity of human movement, a forecasting mechanism of occlusion joint points was addressed to get optimum 2D key joint points of human body; And then pose estimation recovered by optimizing between the 2D projection of 3D human key joint points and 2D detection key joint points using QICA, which recovered the movement of human body perfectly, because this algorithm could acquire not only the global optimal solution, but the local optimal solution.

Scaling of human body composition to stature: new insights into body mass index.

PubMed

Heymsfield, Steven B; Gallagher, Dympna; Mayer, Laurel; Beetsch, Joel; Pietrobelli, Angelo

2007-07-01

Although Quetelet first reported in 1835 that adult weight scales to the square of stature, limited or no information is available on how anatomical body compartments, including adipose tissue (AT), scale to height. We examined the critical underlying assumptions of adiposity-body mass index (BMI) relations and extended these analyses to major anatomical compartments: skeletal muscle (SM), bone, residual mass, weight (AT+SM+bone), AT-free mass, and organs (liver, brain). This was a cross-sectional analysis of 2 body-composition databases: one including magnetic resonance imaging and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) estimates of evaluated components in adults (total n=411; organs=76) and the other a larger DXA database (n=1346) that included related estimates of fat, fat-free mass, and bone mineral mass. Weight, primary lean components (SM, residual mass, AT-free mass, and fat-free mass), and liver scaled to height with powers of approximately 2 (all P<0.001); bone and bone mineral mass scaled to height with powers >2 (2.31-2.48), and the fraction of weight as bone mineral mass was significantly (P<0.001) correlated with height in women. AT scaled weakly to height with powers of approximately 2, and adiposity was independent of height. Brain mass scaled to height with a power of 0.83 (P=0.04) in men and nonsignificantly in women; the fraction of weight as brain was inversely related to height in women (P=0.002). These observations suggest that short and tall subjects with equivalent BMIs have similar but not identical body composition, provide new insights into earlier BMI-related observations and thus establish a foundation for height-normalized indexes, and create an analytic framework for future studies.

Affordable measurement of human total energy expenditure and body composition using one-tenth dose doubly labelled water.

PubMed

Mann, D V; Ho, C S; Critchley, L; Fok, B S P; Pang, E W H; Lam, C W K; Hjelm, N M

2007-05-01

The doubly labelled water (DLW) method is the technique of choice for measurement of free-living total energy expenditure (TEE) in humans. A major constraint on the clinical applicability of the method has been the expense of the (18)O isotope. We have used a reduced-dose (one-tenth of the currently recommended standard dose) of DLW for the measurement of TEE and body composition in nine healthy adult male volunteers. TEE measured by reduced-dose DLW was positively correlated with resting energy expenditure measured by metabolic cart (r=0.87, P<0.01). Isotope-derived fat mass and body mass index were strongly correlated (r=0.86, P<0.01). In four subjects in whom we performed a complementary evaluation using standard-dose isotope enrichment, the TEE measurements were satisfactorily comparable (mean+/-s.d.: reduced dose 2586+/-155 kcal/day vs standard dose 2843+/-321 kcal/day; mean difference 257+/-265 kcal/day). These data indicate that DLW measurements of human energy expenditure and body composition can be performed at a substantially reduced dose (and cost) of isotope enrichment than is currently employed.

Sociocultural experiences, body image, and indoor tanning among young adult women.

PubMed

Stapleton, Jerod L; Manne, Sharon L; Greene, Kathryn; Darabos, Katie; Carpenter, Amanda; Hudson, Shawna V; Coups, Elliot J

2017-10-01

The purpose of this survey study was to evaluate a model of body image influences on indoor tanning behavior. Participants were 823 young adult women recruited from a probability-based web panel in the United States. Consistent with our hypothesized model, tanning-related sociocultural experiences were indirectly associated with lifetime indoor tanning use and intentions to tan as mediated through tan surveillance and tan dissatisfaction. Findings suggest the need for targeting body image constructs as mechanisms of behavior change in indoor tanning behavioral interventions.

Effects of Dairy Products Consumption on Body Weight and Body Composition Among Adults: An Updated Meta-Analysis of 37 Randomized Control Trials.

PubMed

Geng, Tingting; Qi, Lu; Huang, Tao

2018-01-01

Effects of dairy consumption on body weight and body composition have been inconsistently observed in randomized control trials (RCTs). Our meta-analysis aims to systematically evaluate the effects of dairy consumption on body weight and body composition among the adults. We conducted a comprehensive search of the Cochrane Library, PubMed, and Embase databases of the relevant studies from 1966 to Mar 2017 regarding dairy consumption on body weight and body composition including body fat, lean mass, and waist circumference (WC). The summary results are pooled by using a random-effects meta-analysis. Thirty-seven RCTs with 184 802 participants are included in this meta-analysis. High dairy intervention increased body weight (0.01, 95% CI: -0.25, 0.26, I 2 = 78.3%) and lean mass (0.37, 95% CI: 0.11, 0.62, I 2 = 83.4%); decreased body fat (-0.23, 95% CI: -0.48, 0.02, I 2 = 78.2%) and WC (-1.37, 95% CI: -2.28, -0.46, I 2 = 98.9%) overall. In the subgroup analysis, we found that consumption of dairy products increases body weight (0.36, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.70, I 2 = 83.1%) among participants without energy restriction. Dairy consumption decreases body weight (-0.64, 95% CI: -1.05, -0.24, I 2 = 60.2%), body fat (-0.56, 95%CI: -0.95, -0.17, I 2 = 66.6%), and waist circumference (-2.18, 95%CI: -4.30, -0.06, I 2 = 99.0%) among the adults with energy restriction. This meta-analysis suggests a beneficial effect of energy-restricted dairy consumption on body weight and body composition. However, high dairy consumption in the absence of caloric restriction may increase body weight. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Steady-state visually evoked potential correlates of human body perception.

PubMed

Giabbiconi, Claire-Marie; Jurilj, Verena; Gruber, Thomas; Vocks, Silja

2016-11-01

In cognitive neuroscience, interest in the neuronal basis underlying the processing of human bodies is steadily increasing. Based on functional magnetic resonance imaging studies, it is assumed that the processing of pictures of human bodies is anchored in a network of specialized brain areas comprising the extrastriate and the fusiform body area (EBA, FBA). An alternative to examine the dynamics within these networks is electroencephalography, more specifically so-called steady-state visually evoked potentials (SSVEPs). In SSVEP tasks, a visual stimulus is presented repetitively at a predefined flickering rate and typically elicits a continuous oscillatory brain response at this frequency. This brain response is characterized by an excellent signal-to-noise ratio-a major advantage for source reconstructions. The main goal of present study was to demonstrate the feasibility of this method to study human body perception. To that end, we presented pictures of bodies and contrasted the resulting SSVEPs to two control conditions, i.e., non-objects and pictures of everyday objects (chairs). We found specific SSVEPs amplitude differences between bodies and both control conditions. Source reconstructions localized the SSVEP generators to a network of temporal, occipital and parietal areas. Interestingly, only body perception resulted in activity differences in middle temporal and lateral occipitotemporal areas, most likely reflecting the EBA/FBA.

Physical Activity, Body Composition, and Perceived Quality of Life of Adults with Visual Impairments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holbrook, Elizabeth A.; Caputo, Jennifer L.; Perry, Tara L.; Fuller, Dana K.; Morgan, Don W.

2009-01-01

Relatively little is known about the health and fitness of adults with visual impairments. This article documents the physical activity levels and body-composition profiles of young and middle-aged adults with visual impairments and addresses the concomitant effects of these factors on perceived quality of life. (Contains 2 tables.)

Representational Similarity of Body Parts in Human Occipitotemporal Cortex.

PubMed

Bracci, Stefania; Caramazza, Alfonso; Peelen, Marius V

2015-09-23

Regions in human lateral and ventral occipitotemporal cortices (OTC) respond selectively to pictures of the human body and its parts. What are the organizational principles underlying body part responses in these regions? Here we used representational similarity analysis (RSA) of fMRI data to test multiple possible organizational principles: shape similarity, physical proximity, cortical homunculus proximity, and semantic similarity. Participants viewed pictures of whole persons, chairs, and eight body parts (hands, arms, legs, feet, chests, waists, upper faces, and lower faces). The similarity of multivoxel activity patterns for all body part pairs was established in whole person-selective OTC regions. The resulting neural similarity matrices were then compared with similarity matrices capturing the hypothesized organizational principles. Results showed that the semantic similarity model best captured the neural similarity of body parts in lateral and ventral OTC, which followed an organization in three clusters: (1) body parts used as action effectors (hands, feet, arms, and legs), (2) noneffector body parts (chests and waists), and (3) face parts (upper and lower faces). Whole-brain RSA revealed, in addition to OTC, regions in parietal and frontal cortex in which neural similarity was related to semantic similarity. In contrast, neural similarity in occipital cortex was best predicted by shape similarity models. We suggest that the semantic organization of body parts in high-level visual cortex relates to the different functions associated with the three body part clusters, reflecting the unique processing and connectivity demands associated with the different types of information (e.g., action, social) different body parts (e.g., limbs, faces) convey. Significance statement: While the organization of body part representations in motor and somatosensory cortices has been well characterized, the principles underlying body part representations in visual cortex

Investigation of human body potential measured by a non-contact measuring system

PubMed Central

ICHIKAWA, Norimitsu

2016-01-01

A human body is occasionally electrified in a room. This charged object will be a source of electrostatic accidents, including the malfunction of electronic equipment. Hence, prevention of these accidents is required. Accidents occasionally occur, even though antistatic clothes and shoes are used. One of the causes for these accidents is that there is a lack of the preventive measures. This situation occurs when using, for example, unconductive wax. In this study, human body potential (voltage) is measured using a non-contact measuring system. An investigation of the human body’s voltage when using this system is conducted. The result demonstrates that the voltage of a human body wearing antistatic clothes and shoes or light clothes and slippers exceeds a malfunctioning voltage of a microelectronics device when the body walks on floors. Thus, accidents may occur even if a human body wearing the antistatic clothes walks on flooring. These results will be useful in estimating determination whether electrostatic accidents occur or not. PMID:27319403

Impact of modernization on adult body composition on five islands of varying economic development in Vanuatu.

PubMed

Olszowy, Kathryn M; Pomer, Alysa; Dancause, Kelsey N; Sun, Cheng; Silverman, Harold; Lee, Gwang; Chan, Chim W; Tarivonda, Len; Regenvanu, Ralph; Kaneko, Akira; Weitz, Charles A; Lum, J Koji; Garruto, Ralph M

2015-01-01

The Republic of Vanuatu, similar to other South Pacific island nations, is undergoing a rapid health transition as a consequence of modernization. The pace of modernization is uneven across Vanuatu's 63 inhabited islands, resulting in differential impacts on overall body composition and prevalence of obesity among islands, and between men and women. In this study, we investigated (1) how modernization impacts body composition between adult male and female Melanesians living on four islands of varying economic development in Vanuatu, and (2) how body composition differs between adult Melanesians and Polynesians living on rural islands in Vanuatu. Anthropometric measurements were taken on adult male and female Melanesians aged 18 years and older (n = 839) on the islands of Ambae (rural), Aneityum (rural with tourism), Nguna (rural with urban access), and Efate (urban) in Vanuatu, in addition to Polynesian adults on Futuna (rural). Mean measurements of body mass and fatness, and prevalence of obesity, were greatest on the most modernized islands in our sample, particularly among women. Additionally, differences between men and women became more pronounced on islands that were more modernized. Rural Polynesians on Futuna exhibited greater body mass, adiposity, and prevalence of obesity than rural Melanesians on Ambae. We conclude that Vanuatu is undergoing an uneven and rapid health transition resulting in increased prevalence of obesity, and that women are at greatest risk for developing obesity-related chronic diseases in urbanized areas in Vanuatu. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Combine body mass index and body fat percentage measures to improve the accuracy of obesity screening in young adults.

PubMed

Hung, Shang-Ping; Chen, Ching-Yu; Guo, Fei-Ran; Chang, Ching-I; Jan, Chyi-Feng

Obesity screening among young adult groups is meaningful. Body mass index (BMI) is limited to discriminate between fat and lean mass. Asian young adult group tends to have lower BMI and higher body fat percentage (BFP) than other ethnic groups. Accuracy of obesity screening by commonly used BMI criteria is unclear in young Taiwanese population. A total of 894 young adults (447 males and 447 females) aged 20-26 were recruited. BMI, regional fat percentage and BFP determined by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) were measured. BMI cutoff points were based on the criteria adopted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Taiwan. Cutoff points of low or high BFP were defined as 24% in men and 31.4% in women. Prevalence of BFP defining obesity was 14.8% in young men and 27.3% in young women. 23.2% of young men and only 8.3% of young women were classified to overweight or obesity categories according to the BMI criteria. Disagreement was noticed mainly among overweight males and normal weight females. 68.7% of BMI defining overweight young men had low BFP; however, 29.7% of young women of BMI defining normal group had high BFP. Up to 69.7% of young women with high BFP would be missed by BMI category only. Disagreement between BMI and BFP was significant among young adults, especially young women. We suggest combining BMI and BIA for obesity and overweight screening in Asian young adults. Copyright © 2016 Asia Oceania Association for the Study of Obesity. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The contribution of physical activity and media use during childhood and adolescence to adult women's body image.

PubMed

Slater, Amy; Tiggemann, Marika

2006-07-01

This study aimed to investigate the effects of both past and current physical activity and media use on women's body image. A sample of 144 female undergraduate students completed measures of current physical activity, media use and body image, as well as providing retrospective reports of their physical activity participation and media usage during childhood and adolescence. Regression analyses showed that childhood experiences of physical activity and media use predicted adult body-image concerns more strongly than current activities. It was concluded that early experiences of both physical activity and media use during childhood and adolescence play an important role in the development of adult women's body image.

UPPER BODY PUSH AND PULL STRENGTH RATIO IN RECREATIONALLY ACTIVE ADULTS

PubMed Central

Hanney, William J.; Pabian, Patrick; Kolber, Morey J.

2013-01-01

Introduction: Agonist to antagonist strength data is commonly analyzed due to its association with injury and performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the agonist to antagonist ratio of upper body strength using two simple field tests (timed push up/timed modified pull up) in recreationally active adults and to establish the basis for reference standards. Methods: One hundred eighty (180) healthy recreationally active adults (111 females and 69 males, aged 18‐45 years) performed two tests of upper body strength in random order: 1. Push‐ups completed during 3 sets of 15 seconds with a 45 second rest period between each set and 2. Modified pull‐ups completed during 3 sets of 15 seconds with a 45 second rest period between each set. Results: The push‐up to modified pull‐up ratio for the males was 1.57:1, whereas females demonstrated a ratio of 2.72:1. The results suggest that for our group of healthy recreationally active subjects, the upper body “pushing” musculature is approximately 1.5–2.7 times stronger than the musculature involved for pulling. Conclusions: In this study, these recreationally active adults displayed greater strength during the timed push‐ups than the modified pull‐ups. The relationship of these imbalances to one's performance and or injury risk requires further investigation. The reference values, however, may serve the basis for future comparison and prospective investigations. The field tests in this study can be easily implemented by clinicians and an agonist/antagonist ratio can be determined and compared to our findings. Level of Evidence: 2b PMID:23593552

The effect of obesity and gender on body segment parameters in older adults

PubMed Central

Chambers, April J.; Sukits, Alison L.; McCrory, Jean L.; Cham, Rakié

2010-01-01

Background Anthropometry is a necessary aspect of aging-related research, especially in biomechanics and injury prevention. Little information is available on inertial parameters in the geriatric population that account for gender and obesity effects. The goal of this study was to report body segment parameters in adults aged 65 years and older, and to investigate the impact of aging, gender and obesity. Methods Eighty-three healthy old (65–75 yrs) and elderly (>75 yrs) adults were recruited to represent a range of body types. Participants underwent a whole body dual energy x-ray absorptiometry scan. Analysis was limited to segment mass, length, longitudinal center of mass position, and frontal plane radius of gyration. A mixed-linear regression model was performed using gender, obesity, age group and two-way and three-way interactions (α=0.05). Findings Mass distribution varied with obesity and gender. Males had greater trunk and upper extremity mass while females had a higher lower extremity mass. In general, obese elderly adults had significantly greater trunk segment mass with less thigh and shank segment mass than all others. Gender and obesity effects were found in center of mass and radius of gyration. Non-obese individuals possessed a more distal thigh and shank center of mass than obese. Interestingly, females had more distal trunk center of mass than males. Interpretation Age, obesity and gender have a significant impact on segment mass, center of mass and radius of gyration in old and elderly adults. This study underlines the need to consider age, obesity and gender when utilizing anthropometric data sets. PMID:20005028

Aging, body image, and body shape.

PubMed

Ferraro, F Richard; Muehlenkamp, Jennifer J; Paintner, Ashley; Wasson, Kayla; Hager, Tracy; Hoverson, Fallon

2008-10-01

Participants were 25 older men (M age = 72 years, SD = 10 years) and 27 older women (M age = 71 years, SD = 8 years) who examined multiple line-drawing figures of babies, children, young adults, middle-aged adults, and older adults. Participants picked a number on a Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (very thin) to 9 (very obese) in response to questions including "Which is the most attractive?" and "Which figure would you most like to look like?" They also completed questionnaires about their body image and body shape. In response to the age-specific line drawings (e.g., those depicting older men and older women), older women endorsed thinner figures (e.g., picked smaller numbers) than did men. Likewise, older women reported thinking more about their body shape and appearance than did men and perceived their body image as "a little too big" in comparison with the older men who perceived their body image as "just the right size." However, a breakdown of normal and overweight women in this sample revealed that for some overweight elderly women, obesity could become a satisfactory way of life. Much as with college-aged women, the endorsement of a thinner body image by many of the older adult female participants appeared to persist into late adulthood and suggests that research into body image issues with older adults is relevant and necessary.

The relationship between smoking, body weight, body mass index, and dietary intake among Thai adults: results of the national Thai Food Consumption Survey.

PubMed

Jitnarin, Nattinee; Kosulwat, Vongsvat; Rojroongwasinkul, Nipa; Boonpraderm, Atitada; Haddock, Christopher K; Poston, Walker S C

2014-09-01

This study examined the relationship between dietary intake, body weight, and body mass index (BMI) in adult Thais as a function of smoking status. A cross-sectional, nationally representative survey using health and dietary questionnaires and anthropometric measurements were used. Participants were 7858 Thai adults aged 18 years and older recruited from 17 provinces in Thailand. Results demonstrated that smoking is associated with lower weights and BMI. However, when smokers were stratified by smoking intensity, there was no dose-response relationship between smoking and body weight. There is no conclusive explanation for weight differences across smoking groups in this sample, and the results of the present study did not clearly support any of the purported mechanisms for the differences in body weight or BMI. In addition, because the substantial negative health consequences of smoking are far stronger than those associated with modest weight differences, smoking cannot be viewed as an appropriate weight management strategy. © 2011 APJPH.

Endobronchial foreign bodies in Vietnamese adults are related to eating habits.

PubMed

Nguyen, Lan Huu; Nguyen, Dung Huy; Tran, Thach Ngoc; Nguyen, Phung Tran; Thi, Quy Hoang; Aelony, Yossef; Homasson, Jean Paul Daniel

2010-04-01

A high percentage of bronchoscopically extracted foreign bodies in Ho Chi Minh City were pits of the sapote fruit, a finding previously unreported. This paper presents a review of foreign body extractions, which identifies the substances found, documents the diagnostic pathway and draws attention to the specific aspiration risk of the sapote pit. The records of 100 consecutive adults who were found to have a bronchial foreign body during flexible bronchoscopy were reviewed. In 83% of patients, the foreign body extraction was performed more than 2 weeks after the aspiration had occurred. In only 34% of patients was the diagnosis of an aspirated foreign body considered early in the patient's clinical course. The most frequent foreign bodies found were sapote pits (41%), followed by small bones (38%). Foreign bodies were lodged more frequently in the right bronchial tree (64%). In 98% of patients, the foreign bodies were successfully removed with the flexible scope. There was one postoperative death, which was not ascribed to the procedure. Physicians need to consider foreign body aspirations when evaluating patients with recurrent pneumonia, unexplained cough or atelectasis. Awareness of this problem might lead to public health measures that could reduce the incidence of these aspirations.

An attempt to model the human body as a communication channel.

PubMed

Wegmueller, Marc Simon; Kuhn, Andreas; Froehlich, Juerg; Oberle, Michael; Felber, Norbert; Kuster, Niels; Fichtner, Wolfgang

2007-10-01

Using the human body as a transmission medium for electrical signals offers novel data communication in biomedical monitoring systems. In this paper, galvanic coupling is presented as a promising approach for wireless intra-body communication between on-body sensors. The human body is characterized as a transmission medium for electrical current by means of numerical simulations and measurements. Properties of dedicated tissue layers and geometrical body variations are investigated, and different electrodes are compared. The new intra-body communication technology has shown its feasibility in clinical trials. Excellent transmission was achieved between locations on the thorax with a typical signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 20 dB while the attenuation increased along the extremities.

Sad or fearful? The influence of body posture on adults' and children's perception of facial displays of emotion.

PubMed

Mondloch, Catherine J

2012-02-01

The current research investigated the influence of body posture on adults' and children's perception of facial displays of emotion. In each of two experiments, participants categorized facial expressions that were presented on a body posture that was congruent (e.g., a sad face on a body posing sadness) or incongruent (e.g., a sad face on a body posing fear). Adults and 8-year-olds made more errors and had longer reaction times on incongruent trials than on congruent trials when judging sad versus fearful facial expressions, an effect that was larger in 8-year-olds. The congruency effect was reduced when faces and bodies were misaligned, providing some evidence for holistic processing. Neither adults nor 8-year-olds were affected by congruency when judging sad versus happy expressions. Evidence that congruency effects vary with age and with similarity of emotional expressions is consistent with dimensional theories and "emotional seed" models of emotion perception. 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[The human body, subject or object of rights?

PubMed

Rachet-Darfeuille, Véronique

While the protection of the body is the primary vocation of law, legislation also aims to regulate any actions which may cause it harm. Such actions include care procedures. It is in this contradiction that the legal status of the human body lies, not without a certain amount of ambiguity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Whole-body and local RF absorption in human models as a function of anatomy and position within 1.5T MR body coil.

PubMed

Murbach, Manuel; Neufeld, Esra; Kainz, Wolfgang; Pruessmann, Klaas P; Kuster, Niels

2014-02-01

Radiofrequency energy deposition in magnetic resonance imaging must be limited to prevent excessive heating of the patient. Correlations of radiofrequency absorption with large-scale anatomical features (e.g., height) are investigated in this article. The specific absorption rate (SAR), as the pivotal parameter for quantifying absorbed radiofrequency, increases with the radial dimension of the patient and therefore with the large-scale anatomical properties. The absorbed energy in six human models has been modeled in different Z-positions (head to knees) within a 1.5T bodycoil. For a fixed B1+ incident field, the whole-body SAR can be up to 2.5 times higher (local SAR up to seven times) in obese adult models compared to children. If the exposure is normalized to 4 W/kg whole-body SAR, the local SAR can well-exceed the limits for local transmit coils and shows intersubject variations of up to a factor of three. The correlations between anatomy and induced local SAR are weak for normalized exposure, but strong for a fixed B1+ field, suggesting that anatomical properties could be used for fast SAR predictions. This study demonstrates that a representative virtual human population is indispensable for the investigation of local SAR levels. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Perception and evaluation of women's bodies in adolescents and adults with anorexia nervosa.

PubMed

Horndasch, Stefanie; Heinrich, Hartmut; Kratz, Oliver; Mai, Sandra; Graap, Holmer; Moll, Gunther H

2015-12-01

Body image disturbance in anorexia nervosa (AN) has been widely studied with regard to the patient's own body, but little is known about perception of or attitude towards other women's bodies in AN. The aim of the present study was to investigate how 20 girls aged 12-18 years and 19 adult women suffering from AN compared to 37 healthy adolescent girls and women estimate weight and attractiveness of women's bodies belonging to different BMI categories (BMI 13.8-61.3 kg/m²). Weight and attractiveness ratings of the participant's own body and information on physical comparisons were obtained, and effects on others' weight and attractiveness ratings investigated. Differential evaluation processes were found: AN patients estimated other women's weight higher than control participants. Patients showed a bias towards assessing extremely underweight women as more attractive and normal weight and overweight women as less attractive than healthy girls and women. These effects were more pronounced in adult than in adolescent AN patients. The tendency to engage in physical comparison with others significantly correlated with weight as well as attractiveness ratings in patients. A logistic regression model encompassing own attractiveness ratings, attractiveness bias towards strongly underweight others' bodies and the interaction of this bias with age as predictors differentiated best between AN patients and controls. Our results indicate that females suffering from AN and healthy girls and women perceive other women's bodies differently. Assessment of others' weight and attractiveness may contribute to the maintenance of dysfunctional physical comparison processes.

A finite-element simulation of galvanic coupling intra-body communication based on the whole human body.

PubMed

Song, Yong; Zhang, Kai; Hao, Qun; Hu, Lanxin; Wang, Jingwen; Shang, Fuzhou

2012-10-09

Simulation based on the finite-element (FE) method plays an important role in the investigation of intra-body communication (IBC). In this paper, a finite-element model of the whole body model used for the IBC simulation is proposed and verified, while the FE simulation of the galvanic coupling IBC with different signal transmission paths has been achieved. Firstly, a novel finite-element method for modeling the whole human body is proposed, and a FE model of the whole human body used for IBC simulation was developed. Secondly, the simulations of the galvanic coupling IBC with the different signal transmission paths were implemented. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed method was verified by using in vivo measurements within the frequency range of 10 kHz-5 MHz, whereby some important conclusions were deduced. Our results indicate that the proposed method will offer significant advantages in the investigation of the galvanic coupling intra-body communication.

A Finite-Element Simulation of Galvanic Coupling Intra-Body Communication Based on the Whole Human Body

PubMed Central

Song, Yong; Zhang, Kai; Hao, Qun; Hu, Lanxin; Wang, Jingwen; Shang, Fuzhou

2012-01-01

Simulation based on the finite-element (FE) method plays an important role in the investigation of intra-body communication (IBC). In this paper, a finite-element model of the whole body model used for the IBC simulation is proposed and verified, while the FE simulation of the galvanic coupling IBC with different signal transmission paths has been achieved. Firstly, a novel finite-element method for modeling the whole human body is proposed, and a FE model of the whole human body used for IBC simulation was developed. Secondly, the simulations of the galvanic coupling IBC with the different signal transmission paths were implemented. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed method was verified by using in vivo measurements within the frequency range of 10 kHz–5 MHz, whereby some important conclusions were deduced. Our results indicate that the proposed method will offer significant advantages in the investigation of the galvanic coupling intra-body communication. PMID:23202010

Effects of MDMA on body temperature in humans

PubMed Central

Liechti, Matthias E

2014-01-01

Hyperthermia is a severe complication associated with the recreational use of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, Ecstasy). In this review, the clinical laboratory studies that tested the effects of MDMA on body temperature are summarized. The mechanisms that underlie the hyperthermic effects of MDMA in humans and treatment of severe hyperthermia are presented. The data show that MDMA produces an acute and dose-dependent rise in core body temperature in healthy subjects. The increase in body temperature is in the range of 0.2-0.8°C and does not result in hyperpyrexia (>40°C) in a controlled laboratory setting. However, moderately hyperthermic body temperatures >38.0°C occur frequently at higher doses, even in the absence of physical activity and at room temperature. MDMA primarily releases serotonin and norepinephrine. Mechanistic clinical studies indicate that the MDMA-induced elevations in body temperature in humans partially depend on the MDMA-induced release of norepinephrine and involve enhanced metabolic heat generation and cutaneous vasoconstriction, resulting in impaired heat dissipation. The mediating role of serotonin is unclear. The management of sympathomimetic toxicity and associated hyperthermia mainly includes sedation with benzodiazepines and intravenous fluid replacement. Severe hyperthermia should primarily be treated with additional cooling and mechanical ventilation. PMID:27626046

The construction of human body--from model to reality.

PubMed

Motoc, A; Motoc, Marilena; Bolintineanu, S; Muşuroi, Corina; Munteanu, M

2005-01-01

The human body building represented a complex research topic for the scientist in the most diverse domains. Although their interests and reasons were different, the goal was always the same: establishing a relation to verify the ratio between the dimensions of the constituent segments It appears that the mystery was solved out in the XIX-th century by Adolf Zeising, a German, who, using the statistic calculus, defined the division of a segment by the gold section. This purely mathematic logic confirms the human body's integration in proportion to the finest segments, thus providing the technical instrument of building a fully harmonious human body. The present study aims to compare the ideal, the calculated perfection to the reality, namely the theoretically obtained values to the average values of an 18-year-old male. It appears that the differences refer especially to the limbs; both the superior ones and the inferior ones being longer comparing to the ideal pattern while the bust is shorter and broader.

Wearable health monitoring using capacitive voltage-mode Human Body Communication.

PubMed

Maity, Shovan; Das, Debayan; Sen, Shreyas

2017-07-01

Rapid miniaturization and cost reduction of computing, along with the availability of wearable and implantable physiological sensors have led to the growth of human Body Area Network (BAN) formed by a network of such sensors and computing devices. One promising application of such a network is wearable health monitoring where the collected data from the sensors would be transmitted and analyzed to assess the health of a person. Typically, the devices in a BAN are connected through wireless (WBAN), which suffers from energy inefficiency due to the high-energy consumption of wireless transmission. Human Body Communication (HBC) uses the relatively low loss human body as the communication medium to connect these devices, promising order(s) of magnitude better energy-efficiency and built-in security compared to WBAN. In this paper, we demonstrate a health monitoring device and system built using Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) sensors and components, that can collect data from physiological sensors and transmit it through a) intra-body HBC to another device (hub) worn on the body or b) upload health data through HBC-based human-machine interaction to an HBC capable machine. The system design constraints and signal transfer characteristics for the implemented HBC-based wearable health monitoring system are measured and analyzed, showing reliable connectivity with >8× power savings compared to Bluetooth low-energy (BTLE).

Persons and their bodies: how we should think about human embryos.

PubMed

McLachlan, Hugh V

2002-01-01

The status of human embryos is discussed particularly in the light of the claim by Fox, in Health Care Analysis 8 that it would be useful to think of them in terms of cyborg metaphors. It is argued that we should consider human embryos for what they are--partially formed human bodies--rather than for what they are like in some respects (and unlike in others)--cyborgs. However to settle the issue of the status of the embryo is not to answer the moral questions which arise concerning how embryos should be treated. Since persons rather than bodies have rights, embryos do not have rights. However, whether or not embryos have rights, people can have duties concerning them. Furthermore, the persons whose fully developed bodies embryos will, might (or might have) become can have rights. Contrary to what is often assumed, it is not merely persons who have (or have had) living, developed human bodies who have moral rights: so it is argued in this paper.

Signal transmission in a human body medium-based body sensor network using a Mach-Zehnder electro-optical sensor.

PubMed

Song, Yong; Hao, Qun; Zhang, Kai; Wang, Jingwen; Jin, Xuefeng; Sun, He

2012-11-30

The signal transmission technology based on the human body medium offers significant advantages in Body Sensor Networks (BSNs) used for healthcare and the other related fields. In previous works we have proposed a novel signal transmission method based on the human body medium using a Mach-Zehnder electro-optical (EO) sensor. In this paper, we present a signal transmission system based on the proposed method, which consists of a transmitter, a Mach-Zehnder EO sensor and a corresponding receiving circuit. Meanwhile, in order to verify the frequency response properties and determine the suitable parameters of the developed system, in-vivo measurements have been implemented under conditions of different carrier frequencies, baseband frequencies and signal transmission paths. Results indicate that the proposed system will help to achieve reliable and high speed signal transmission of BSN based on the human body medium.

Signal Transmission in a Human Body Medium-Based Body Sensor Network Using a Mach-Zehnder Electro-Optical Sensor

PubMed Central

Song, Yong; Hao, Qun; Zhang, Kai; Wang, Jingwen; Jin, Xuefeng; Sun, He

2012-01-01

The signal transmission technology based on the human body medium offers significant advantages in Body Sensor Networks (BSNs) used for healthcare and the other related fields. In previous works we have proposed a novel signal transmission method based on the human body medium using a Mach-Zehnder electro-optical (EO) sensor. In this paper, we present a signal transmission system based on the proposed method, which consists of a transmitter, a Mach-Zehnder EO sensor and a corresponding receiving circuit. Meanwhile, in order to verify the frequency response properties and determine the suitable parameters of the developed system, in-vivo measurements have been implemented under conditions of different carrier frequencies, baseband frequencies and signal transmission paths. Results indicate that the proposed system will help to achieve reliable and high speed signal transmission of BSN based on the human body medium. PMID:23443393

Effects of body fat mass and therapeutic weight loss on vitamin D status in privately owned adult dogs.

PubMed

Hookey, Tabitha J; Backus, Robert C; Wara, Allison M

2018-01-01

More than one-third of humans and companion dogs in Western societies are overweight or obese. In people, vitamin D deficiency is widespread and associated with obesity, a now recognised inflammatory state. Low vitamin D status occurs in dogs with inflammatory conditions, but its relationship with obesity has not been investigated. In otherwise healthy privately owned adult dogs of ideal body condition (control, n 7) and dogs with overweight to obese body condition (treatment, n 8), serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration and body composition as inferred from 2 H-labelled water dilution space were evaluated. Subsequently, the dogs were transitioned to a commercial canine therapeutic weight-loss diet; control dogs were fed to maintain body weight and treatment dogs were energy-restricted to achieve a safe weight-loss rate. Thereafter, serum 25(OH)D concentration was re-evaluated 8 weeks after diet transition, and at the study end, which was 6 months or when ideal body condition was achieved. At study end, body composition analysis was repeated. Initial body condition scores and percentage body fat were positively correlated (ρ = 0·891; P < 0·001). However, percentage body fat and serum 25(OH)D concentration were not significantly correlated. Final serum 25(OH)D concentrations were greater ( P < 0·05) than initial concentrations for control and treatment groups, indicating a diet but not weight-loss effect on vitamin D status. These findings suggest that vitamin D status of dogs is not affected by obesity or loss of body fat with therapeutic weight reduction.

Clinical features of body dysmorphic disorder in adolescents and adults

PubMed Central

Phillips, Katharine A.; Didie, Elizabeth R.; Menard, William; Pagano, Maria E.; Fay, Christina; Weisberg, Risa B.

2006-01-01

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) usually begins during adolescence, but its clinical features have received little investigation in this age group. Two hundred individuals with BDD (36 adolescents; 164 adults) completed interviewer-administered and self-report measures. Adolescents were preoccupied with numerous aspects of their appearance, most often their skin, hair, and stomach. Among the adolescents, 94.3% reported moderate, severe, or extreme distress due to BDD, 80.6% had a history of suicidal ideation, and 44.4% had attempted suicide. Adolescents experienced high rates and levels of impairment in school, work, and other aspects of psychosocial functioning. Adolescents and adults were comparable on most variables, although adolescents had significantly more delusional BDD beliefs and a higher lifetime rate of suicide attempts. Thus, adolescents with BDD have high levels of distress and rates of functional impairment, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts. BDD’s clinical features in adolescents appear largely similar to those in adults. PMID:16499973

Entropy flow and entropy production in the human body in basal conditions.

PubMed

Aoki, I

1989-11-08

Entropy inflow and outflow for the naked human body in basal conditions in the respiration calorimeter due to infrared radiation, convection, evaporation of water and mass-flow are calculated by use of the energetic data obtained by Hardy & Du Bois. Also, the change of entropy content in the body is estimated. The entropy production in the human body is obtained as the change of entropy content minus the net entropy flow into the body. The entropy production thus calculated becomes positive. The magnitude of entropy production per effective radiating surface area does not show any significant variation with subjects. The entropy production is nearly constant at the calorimeter temperatures of 26-32 degrees C; the average in this temperature range is 0.172 J m-2 sec-1 K-1. The forced air currents around the human body and also clothing have almost no effect in changing the entropy production. Thus, the entropy production of the naked human body in basal conditions does not depend on its environmental factors.

Expansion of Multipotent Stem Cells from the Adult Human Brain

PubMed Central

Murrell, Wayne; Palmero, Emily; Bianco, John; Stangeland, Biljana; Joel, Mrinal; Paulson, Linda; Thiede, Bernd; Grieg, Zanina; Ramsnes, Ingunn; Skjellegrind, Håvard K.; Nygård, Ståle; Brandal, Petter; Sandberg, Cecilie; Vik-Mo, Einar; Palmero, Sheryl; Langmoen, Iver A.

2013-01-01

The discovery of stem cells in the adult human brain has revealed new possible scenarios for treatment of the sick or injured brain. Both clinical use of and preclinical research on human adult neural stem cells have, however, been seriously hampered by the fact that it has been impossible to passage these cells more than a very few times and with little expansion of cell numbers. Having explored a number of alternative culturing conditions we here present an efficient method for the establishment and propagation of human brain stem cells from whatever brain tissue samples we have tried. We describe virtually unlimited expansion of an authentic stem cell phenotype. Pluripotency proteins Sox2 and Oct4 are expressed without artificial induction. For the first time multipotency of adult human brain-derived stem cells is demonstrated beyond tissue boundaries. We characterize these cells in detail in vitro including microarray and proteomic approaches. Whilst clarification of these cells’ behavior is ongoing, results so far portend well for the future repair of tissues by transplantation of an adult patient’s own-derived stem cells. PMID:23967194

Selectivity for the human body in the fusiform gyrus.

PubMed

Peelen, Marius V; Downing, Paul E

2005-01-01

Functional neuroimaging studies have revealed human brain regions, notably in the fusiform gyrus, that respond selectively to images of faces as opposed to other kinds of objects. Here we use fMRI to show that the mid-fusiform gyrus responds with nearly the same level of selectivity to images of human bodies without faces, relative to tools and scenes. In a group-average analysis (n = 22), the fusiform activations identified by contrasting faces versus tools and bodies versus tools are very similar. Analyses of within-subjects regions of interest, however, show that the peaks of the two activations occupy close but distinct locations. In a second experiment, we find that the body-selective fusiform region, but not the face-selective region, responds more to stick figure depictions of bodies than to scrambled controls. This result further distinguishes the two foci and confirms that the body-selective response generalizes to abstract image formats. These results challenge accounts of the mid-fusiform gyrus that focus solely on faces and suggest that this region contains multiple distinct category-selective neural representations.

The Dynamics of Human Body Weight Change

PubMed Central

Chow, Carson C.; Hall, Kevin D.

2008-01-01

An imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure will lead to a change in body weight (mass) and body composition (fat and lean masses). A quantitative understanding of the processes involved, which currently remains lacking, will be useful in determining the etiology and treatment of obesity and other conditions resulting from prolonged energy imbalance. Here, we show that a mathematical model of the macronutrient flux balances can capture the long-term dynamics of human weight change; all previous models are special cases of this model. We show that the generic dynamic behavior of body composition for a clamped diet can be divided into two classes. In the first class, the body composition and mass are determined uniquely. In the second class, the body composition can exist at an infinite number of possible states. Surprisingly, perturbations of dietary energy intake or energy expenditure can give identical responses in both model classes, and existing data are insufficient to distinguish between these two possibilities. Nevertheless, this distinction has important implications for the efficacy of clinical interventions that alter body composition and mass. PMID:18369435

Scaling of human body composition to stature: new insights into body mass index 123

PubMed Central

Heymsfield, Steven B; Gallagher, Dympna; Mayer, Laurel; Beetsch, Joel; Pietrobelli, Angelo

2009-01-01

Background Although Quetelet first reported in 1835 that adult weight scales to the square of stature, limited or no information is available on how anatomical body compartments, including adipose tissue (AT), scale to height. Objective We examined the critical underlying assumptions of adiposity–body mass index (BMI) relations and extended these analyses to major anatomical compartments: skeletal muscle (SM), bone, residual mass, weight (AT+SM+bone), AT-free mass, and organs (liver, brain). Design This was a cross-sectional analysis of 2 body-composition databases: one including magnetic resonance imaging and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) estimates of evaluated components in adults (total n = 411; organs = 76) and the other a larger DXA database (n = 1346) that included related estimates of fat, fat-free mass, and bone mineral mass. Results Weight, primary lean components (SM, residual mass, AT-free mass, and fat-free mass), and liver scaled to height with powers of ≈2 (all P < 0.001); bone and bone mineral mass scaled to height with powers > 2 (2.31–2.48), and the fraction of weight as bone mineral mass was significantly (P < 0.001) correlated with height in women. AT scaled weakly to height with powers of ≈2, and adiposity was independent of height. Brain mass scaled to height with a power of 0.83 (P = 0.04) in men and nonsignificantly in women; the fraction of weight as brain was inversely related to height in women (P = 0.002). Conclusions These observations suggest that short and tall subjects with equivalent BMIs have similar but not identical body composition, provide new insights into earlier BMI-related observations and thus establish a foundation for height-normalized indexes, and create an analytic framework for future studies. PMID:17616766

Mathematical Model for Localised and Surface Heat Flux of the Human Body Obtained from Measurements Performed with a Calorimetry Minisensor

PubMed Central

Socorro, Fabiola; Rodríguez de Rivera, Pedro Jesús; Rodríguez de Rivera, Miriam

2017-01-01

The accuracy of the direct and local measurements of the heat power dissipated by the surface of the human body, using a calorimetry minisensor, is directly related to the calibration rigor of the sensor and the correct interpretation of the experimental results. For this, it is necessary to know the characteristics of the body’s local heat dissipation. When the sensor is placed on the surface of the human body, the body reacts until a steady state is reached. We propose a mathematical model that represents the rate of heat flow at a given location on the surface of a human body by the sum of a series of exponentials: W(t) = A0 + ∑Aiexp(−t/τi). In this way, transient and steady states of heat dissipation can be interpreted. This hypothesis has been tested by simulating the operation of the sensor. At the steady state, the power detected in the measurement area (4 cm2) varies depending on the sensor’s thermostat temperature, as well as the physical state of the subject. For instance, for a thermostat temperature of 24 °C, this power can vary between 100–250 mW in a healthy adult. In the transient state, two exponentials are sufficient to represent this dissipation, with 3 and 70 s being the mean values of its time constants. PMID:29182567

Esophageal foreign bodies in adults with different durations of time from ingestion to effective treatment

PubMed Central

Zhang, Xiaowen; Jiang, Yan; Fu, Tao; Zhang, Xiaoheng; Tu, Chunmei

2017-01-01

Objective This study was performed to identify the differences in clinical characteristics, operative methods, complications, and postoperative hospitalization stays for adults with esophageal foreign bodies with different durations of time from ingestion to effective treatment. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 221 patients with a diagnosis of a foreign body in the esophagus, confirmed by rigid esophagoscopy, flexible esophagoscopy, or surgery. The differences between the two groups (Group A, ≤24 hours from ingestion to effective treatment; Group B, >24 hours from ingestion to effective treatment) were analyzed. Results Sharp foreign bodies comprised the majority of objects in the two groups, including jujube pits, bones (excluding fish bones), fish bones, dentures, and seafood shells. Foreign bodies located in the upper esophagus were more commonly observed in Group A than B. Significant differences were observed in the complication rate and length of postoperative hospitalization stays. Adults with esophageal foreign bodies had a high complication rate. Conclusions Rigid esophagoscopy can be used to remove sharp and bulky foreign bodies if more effective methods are unavailable. Effective treatment within 24 hours resulted in fewer complications and shorter postoperative hospitalization stays. PMID:28606025

Whole body vibration training improves vibration perception threshold in healthy young adults: A randomized clinical trial pilot study.

PubMed

Hernandez-Mocholi, M A; Dominguez-Muñoz, F J; Corzo, H; Silva, S Cs; Adsuar, J C; Gusi, N

2016-03-01

Loss of foot sensitivity is a relevant parameter to assess and prevent in several diseases. It is crucial to determine the vibro-tactile sensitivity threshold response to acute conditions to explore innovative monitor tools and interventions to prevent and treat this challenge. The aims were: 1) to analyze the acute effects of a single whole body vibration session (4min-18Hz-4mm) on vibro-tactile perception threshold in healthy young adults. 2) to analyze the 48 hours effects of 3 whole body vibration sessions on vibro-tactile perception threshold in healthy young adults. A randomized controlled clinical trial over 3 sessions of whole body vibration intervention or 3 sessions of placebo intervention. Twenty-eight healthy young adults were included: 11 experimental group and 12 placebo group. The experimental group performed 3 sessions of WBV while the placebo group performed 3 sessions of placebo intervention. The vibro-tactile threshold increased right after a single WBV session in comparison with placebo. Nevertheless, after 3 whole body vibration sessions and 48 hours, the threshold decreased to values lower than the initial. The acute response of the vibro-tactile threshold to one whole body vibration session increased, but the 48 hours short-term response of this threshold decreased in healthy young adults.

Whole-body patterns of the range of joint motion in young adults: masculine type and feminine type.

PubMed

Moromizato, Keiichi; Kimura, Ryosuke; Fukase, Hitoshi; Yamaguchi, Kyoko; Ishida, Hajime

2016-10-01

Understanding the whole-body patterns of joint flexibility and their related biological and physical factors contributes not only to clinical assessments but also to the fields of human factors and ergonomics. In this study, ranges of motion (ROMs) at limb and trunk joints of young adults were analysed to understand covariation patterns of different joint motions and to identify factors associated with the variation in ROM. Seventy-eight healthy volunteers (42 males and 36 females) living on Okinawa Island, Japan, were recruited. Passive ROM was measured at multiple joints through the whole body (31 measurements) including the left and right side limbs and trunk. Comparisons between males and females, dominant and non-dominant sides, and antagonistic motions indicated that body structures influence ROMs. In principal component analysis (PCA) on the ROM data, the first principal component (PC1) represented the sex difference and a similar covariation pattern appeared in the analysis within each sex. Multiple regression analysis showed that this component was associated with sex, age, body fat %, iliospinale height, and leg extension strength. The present study identified that there is a spectrum of "masculine" and "feminine" types in the whole-body patterns of joint flexibility. This study also suggested that body proportion and composition, muscle mass and strength, and possibly skeletal structures partly explain such patterns. These results would be important to understand individual variation in susceptibility to joint injuries and diseases and in one's suitable and effective postures and motions.

Hypoxia regulates microRNA expression in the human carotid body

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mkrtchian, Souren, E-mail: souren.mkrtchian@ki.se; Lee, Kian Leong, E-mail: csilkl@nus.edu.sg; Kåhlin, Jessica

The carotid body (CB) is the key sensing organ for physiological oxygen levels in the body. Under conditions of low oxygen (hypoxia), the CB plays crucial roles in signaling to the cardiorespiratory center in the medulla oblongata for the restoration of oxygen homeostasis. How hypoxia regulates gene expression in the human CB remains poorly understood. While limited information on transcriptional regulation in animal CBs is available, the identity and impact of important post-transcriptional regulators such as non-coding RNAs, and in particular miRNAs are not known. Here we show using ex vivo experiments that indeed a number of miRNAs are differentiallymore » regulated in surgically removed human CB slices when acute hypoxic conditions were applied. Analysis of the hypoxia-regulated miRNAs shows that they target biological pathways with upregulation of functions related to cell proliferation and immune response and downregulation of cell differentiation and cell death functions. Comparative analysis of the human CB miRNAome with the global miRNA expression patterns of a large number of different human tissues showed that the CB miRNAome had a unique profile which reflects its highly specialized functional status. Nevertheless, the human CB miRNAome is most closely related to the miRNA expression pattern of brain tissues indicating that they may have the most similar developmental origins. - Highlights: • Hypoxia triggers differential expression of many miRNAs in the human carotid body. • This can lead to the upregulation of proliferation and immune response functions. • CB expression profile in the carotid body resembles the miRNA expression pattern in the brain. • miRNAs are involved in the regulation of carotid body functions including oxygen sensing.« less

[The secular trend in body height and weight in the adult population in the Czech republic].

PubMed

Kopecký, Miroslav; Kikalová, Kateřina; Charamza, Jiří

Secular changes in anthropometric parameters reflect the effect of socio-economic conditions in interaction with other factors on individuals in the course of 100-200 years. The main aim of the research was to determine the average body height and weight for the current adult population of men 19 to 94 years old and women 19 to 86 years old in the Czech Republic, and to compare the average values ​​of body height and weight of the monitored group with the reference values ​​for the adult population observed in our country from 1895 to 2001.Body height and weight were measured with standard anthropometry in 973 men aged 19-94 years and 2,606 women aged 19-86 years. The research was carried out from 2013 to 2015. Statistical tests: t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The average body weight and height of the current adult male is 178.58 cm and 80.86 kg, and of adult female 165.99 cm and 65.67 kg. When compared to men, women show significantly lower average height by 12.59 cm and lower weight by 15.19 kg. The results show that men today are about 10.61 cm higher and weigh 9.01 kilograms more than men in 1895. Todays women are about 9.43 centimeters taller, but weigh 0,58 kg less than women of the same age in 1895.Comparison of results from 1895 to 2015 shows that at present there is likely stagnation or decline in the positive secular trend in body height among men and women. The weight of men is increasing while there is stagnation in the body weight of women.

Body mass index and body fat percentage are associated with decreased physical fitness in adolescent and adult female volleyball players.

PubMed

Nikolaidis, Pantelis Theo

2013-01-01

The objectives of this study were to examine (a) the prevalence of overweight/obesity, and (b) the relationship between body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage (BF) and physical fitness in adolescent and adult female volleyball players. Adolescent (n = 102, aged 15.2 ± 2.0 year) and adult (n = 57, 25.9 ± 5.0 year) players were examined for anthropometric characteristics and body composition, and performed the physical working capacity in heart rate 170 min(-1) test, a force-velocity test, the Wingate anaerobic test (WAnT), sit-and-reach test (SAR), handgrip strength test (HST) and countermovement vertical jump (CVJ). Based on international BMI cut-off points, 27.5% (n = 28) of adolescent and 12.3% (n = 7) of adult participants were classified as overweight, with the prevalence of overweight being higher in girls than in women (χ(2) = 4.90, P = 0.027). BMI was correlated with BF in both age groups (r = 0.72, P < 0.001 in girls; r = 0.75, P < 0.001 in women). Normal participants had superior certain physical and physiological characteristics than those who were overweight. For instance, normal girls and women had higher mean power during WAnT than their overweight counterparts (P = 0.003 and P = 0.009 respectively). Except for flexibility, BMI and BF were inversely related with physical fitness (e.g., BMI vs. HST r = -0.39, P < 0.001 in girls; BF vs. CVJ r = -0.45, P < 0.001 in women). The findings confirmed the negative effect of overweight and fatness on selected parameters of physical fitness. The prevalence of overweight in adolescent volleyball players was higher than in general population, which was a novel finding, suggesting that proper exercise interventions should be developed to target the excess of body mass in youth volleyball clubs.

Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy for assessment of human body composition.

PubMed

Kamba, M; Kimura, K; Koda, M; Ogawa, T

2001-02-01

The usefulness of magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS)-based techniques for assessment of human body composition has not been established. We compared a proton MRS-based technique with the total body water (TBW) method to determine the usefulness of the former technique for assessment of human body composition. Proton magnetic resonance spectra of the chest to abdomen, abdomen to pelvis, and pelvis to thigh regions were obtained from 16 volunteers by using single, free induction decay measurement with a clinical magnetic resonance system operating at 1.5 T. The MRS-derived metabolite ratio was determined as the ratio of fat methyl and methylene proton resonance to water proton resonance. The peak areas for the chest to abdomen and the pelvis to thigh regions were normalized to an external reference (approximately 2200 g benzene) and a weighted average of the MRS-derived metabolite ratios for the 2 positions was calculated. TBW for each subject was determined by the deuterium oxide dilution technique. The MRS-derived metabolite ratios were significantly correlated with the ratio of body fat to lean body mass estimated by TBW. The MRS-derived metabolite ratio for the abdomen to pelvis region correlated best with the ratio of body fat to lean body mass on simple regression analyses (r = 0.918). The MRS-derived metabolite ratio for the abdomen to pelvis region and that for the pelvis to thigh region were selected for a multivariate regression model (R = 0.947, adjusted R(2) = 0.881). This MRS-based technique is sufficiently accurate for assessment of human body composition.

Small body size in an insect shifts development, prior to adult eclosion, towards early reproduction

PubMed Central

Thorne, Ashley D; Pexton, John J; Dytham, Calvin; Mayhew, Peter J

2006-01-01

Life-history theory has suggested that individual body size can strongly affect the allocation of resources to reproduction and away from other traits such as survival. In many insects, adults eclose with a proportion of their potential lifetime egg production that is already mature (the ovigeny index). We establish for the solitary parasitoid wasp Aphaereta genevensis that the ovigeny index decreases with adult body size, despite both initial egg load and potential lifetime fecundity increasing with body size. This outcome is predicted by adaptive models and is the first unequivocal intraspecific demonstration. Evidence suggests that a high ovigeny index carries a cost of reduced longevity in insects. Our results therefore contribute to the emerging evidence that small body size can favour a developmental shift in juveniles that favours early reproduction, but which has adverse late-life consequences. These findings are likely to have important implications for developmental biologists and population biologists. PMID:16600887

Body composition in untreated adult patients with Laron syndrome (primary GH insensitivity).

PubMed

Laron, Zvi; Ginsberg, Shira; Lilos, Pearl; Arbiv, Mira; Vaisman, Nahum

2006-07-01

To quantify body adiposity and its distribution in untreated adult patients with Laron syndrome (LS; primary GH insensitivity) caused by molecular defects of the GH receptor gene or postreceptor pathways and characterized by dwarfism, obesity, insulin resistance and hyperlipidaemia. Eleven LS patients (seven females and four males) aged 28-53 years were studied. Seven healthy males and six healthy females served as controls. Body composition of the total body trunk, upper and lower extremities was determined using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Statistical analysis using an analysis of variance (anova) and Mann-Whitney nonparametric methods was performed separately in males and females. Percentage body fat in the LS patients was much higher (P < 0.01) than that in the control population and the female LS patients were significantly more obese (59% total body fat) than the male patients (39% total body fat) (P < 0.002). It was also evident that in these types of patients with markedly increased body fat and decreased muscle and bone mass, body mass index (BMI) does not accurately reflect the body composition. Lifelong congenital IGF-I deficiency leads to extreme adiposity.

Diet and exercise effects on aerobic fitness and body composition in seriously mentally ill adults.

PubMed

Giannopoulou, Ifigenia; Botonis, Petros; Kostara, Christina; Skouroliakou, Maria

2014-01-01

Low exercise capacity and high obesity levels are the main characteristics of people with serious mental illness (SMI). We conducted a pilot study on the effects of a 3-month exercise and dietary intervention on the aerobic capacity and body composition of obese adults with SMI taking Olanzapine, a second generation antipsychotic medication known to induce weight increments. Fifty adults with SMI (15 males and 35 females) followed a 3-month weight loss intervention programme based on exercise and diet. Pre- and post-intervention, a submaximal [Formula: see text]O2 exercise test was performed in order to assess [Formula: see text]O2max anthropometric and body composition measurements were also performed. All participants were obese (body mass index (BMI): 33.61 ± 0.91 kg/m(2)). Pre- and post-intervention, a submaximal [Formula: see text]O2 exercise test on the treadmill was performed in order to assess [Formula: see text]O2max anthropometric and body composition measurements were also performed. Significant reductions in body weight, BMI, body fat and waist circumference were found from pre to post (p < 0.01). [Formula: see text]O2max was significantly improved in both genders (males: pre: 30.63 ± 2.06 vs. post: 33.19 ± 1.77 ml(.)kg(-1) min(-1), females: pre: 25.93 ± 1.01 vs. post: 29.51 ± 1.06 ml(.)kg(-1) min(-1), p < 0.01). A significant correlation was found between the change in [Formula: see text]O2max and the change in body weight and BMI (p < 0.05). Multiple regression analysis revealed that the relative change in [Formula: see text]O2max explained approximately 26% of the variance in the changes for both BMI (p = 0.07) and body weight (p = 0.06). A treatment of exercise and diet improves the aerobic capacity and body composition of obese adults with SMI, despite the use of Olanzapine.

Height and body mass influence on human body outlines: a quantitative approach using an elliptic Fourier analysis.

PubMed

Courtiol, Alexandre; Ferdy, Jean Baptiste; Godelle, Bernard; Raymond, Michel; Claude, Julien

2010-05-01

Many studies use representations of human body outlines to study how individual characteristics, such as height and body mass, affect perception of body shape. These typically involve reality-based stimuli (e.g., pictures) or manipulated stimuli (e.g., drawings). These two classes of stimuli have important drawbacks that limit result interpretations. Realistic stimuli vary in terms of traits that are correlated, which makes it impossible to assess the effect of a single trait independently. In addition, manipulated stimuli usually do not represent realistic morphologies. We describe and examine a method based on elliptic Fourier descriptors to automatically predict and represent body outlines for a given set of predicted variables (e.g., sex, height, and body mass). We first estimate whether these predictive variables are significantly related to human outlines. We find that height and body mass significantly influence body shape. Unlike height, the effect of body mass on shape differs between sexes. Then, we show that we can easily build a regression model that creates hypothetical outlines for an arbitrary set of covariates. These statistically computed outlines are quite realistic and may be used as stimuli in future studies.

More-Realistic Digital Modeling of a Human Body

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogge, Renee

2010-01-01

A MATLAB computer program has been written to enable improved (relative to an older program) modeling of a human body for purposes of designing space suits and other hardware with which an astronaut must interact. The older program implements a kinematic model based on traditional anthropometric measurements that do provide important volume and surface information. The present program generates a three-dimensional (3D) whole-body model from 3D body-scan data. The program utilizes thin-plate spline theory to reposition the model without need for additional scans.

Intellectual property rights and detached human body parts.

PubMed

Pila, Justine

2014-01-01

This paper responds to an invitation by the editors to consider whether the intellectual property (IP) regime suggests an appropriate model for protecting interests in detached human body parts. It begins by outlining the extent of existing IP protection for body parts in Europe, and the relevant strengths and weaknesses of the patent system in that regard. It then considers two further species of IP right of less obvious relevance. The first are the statutory rights of ownership conferred by domestic UK law in respect of employee inventions, and the second are the economic and moral rights recognised by European and international law in respect of authorial works. In the argument made, both of these species of IP right may suggest more appropriate models of sui generis protection for detached human body parts than patent rights because of their capacity better to accommodate the relevant public and private interests in respect of the same.

[Human, transhuman, posthuman. Representations of the body between incompleteness and enhancement].

PubMed

Maestrutti, Marina

2011-01-01

"Posthuman" is often used to indicate some position, practice, perspective and vision concerning the future of human beings closely related to the use of contemporary technologies. This contribution would like to analyze some conceptions of the notion of posthuman and to present it as a possible form of "non-anthropocentric" thought which considers technological changes as non-human realities strictly involved in the construction and the definition of what constitutes a human being (and his body) and its predicates. Contrary to anthropocentrism which has characterized Western thought from humanism up to the extreme outcomes of transhumanism, non-anthropocentric posthumanism shows how the human being, who has always been the product of hybridization with the non-human (environment, animals and techniques), is built not only by his own strength but always through his partnership and his environment. The idea of enhancement of the body by technology to reach another stage of human evolution is one of the constant elements characterizing transhumanism. Posthumanism suggests no longer considering the interface with technology as an ergonomic relationship with an external tool that just extends the human body, but as a hybrid, or interpenetration that questions the separation of the body and its centrality. In this perspective, the question is not of simply establishing which is a good use of a technology but, every time, of redefining ourselves in our perspectives and our predicates with regard to what a technology allows and opens up to us.

Spectral radiative properties of a living human body

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terada, N.; Ohnishi, K.; Kobayashi, M.; Kunitomo, T.

1986-09-01

Spectral radiative properties of the human body were studied experimentally in the region from the ultraviolet to the far-infrared to know the thermal response of the human body exposed to solar radiation and infrared radiation. The measuring equipment for reflectance and transmittance of a semitransparent scattering medium was developed and measurement on a living human skin was performed in vivo. The measured parts are forearm, cheek, dorsum hand, hip, and hair. The values obtained by the present study are much different from those of previous in vitro measurements. Fairly large values for hemispherical reflectances are observed in the visible and near-infrared regions but very small values for hemispherical reflectances are observed in the infrared region, below 0.05. By applying the four-flux treatment of radiative transfer, the absorption coefficient and scattering coefficient in the human skin are determined. The scattering coefficient is large in the visible region but negligible in the infrared region. The absorption coefficient is very close to that of water and large in the infrared region.

Relationship between chewing behavior and body weight status in fully dentate healthy adults.

PubMed

Zhu, Yong; Hollis, James H

2015-03-01

Recent research indicates that chewing behavior may influence energy intake and energy expenditure. However, little is known about the relationship between chewing behavior and body weight status. In the present study, 64 fully dentate normal-weight or overweight/obese adults were asked to consume five portions of a test food and the number of chewing cycles, chewing duration before swallowing and chewing rate were measured. Adjusting for age and gender, normal-weight participants used a higher number of chewing cycles (p = 0.003) and a longer chewing duration (p < 0.001) to consume each portion of the food, compared to overweight/obese participants. However, there was no significant difference in their chewing rate (p = 0.597). A statistically significant negative correlation between body mass index and the number of chewing cycles (r = -0.296, p = 0.020) and chewing duration (r = -0.354, p = 0.005) was observed. In conclusion, these results suggest that chewing behavior is associated with body weight status in fully dentate healthy adults.

Perspective of the human body in sasang constitutional medicine.

PubMed

Lee, Junhee; Jung, Yongjae; Yoo, Junghee; Lee, Euiju; Koh, Byunghee

2009-09-01

The Sasang constitutional medicine (SCM), a medical tradition originating from Korea, is distinguished from the traditional Chinese medicine in its philosophical background, theoretical development and especially, the fundamental rationale that analyzes the structure and function of the human body within a quadrifocal scheme. In SCM, the structure of the body is comprehended within the Sasang quadrifocal scheme, and the function of the body is understood within the context of the energy-fluid metabolism and the water-food metabolism controlled by the four main organs (lung, spleen, liver and kidney). Also, the concept of Seong-Jeong is used to explain the structural and functional variations between different constitutional types that arise from the constitutional variations in organ system scheme, which are in turn caused by deviations in the constitutional Seong-Jeong. Therefore, understanding the SCM perspective of the human body is essential in order to fully appreciate the advantages of the constitutional typological system (which focuses on individual idiosyncrasies) found in SCM.

Perspective of the Human Body in Sasang Constitutional Medicine

PubMed Central

Lee, Junhee; Jung, Yongjae; Yoo, Junghee; Lee, Euiju

2009-01-01

The Sasang constitutional medicine (SCM), a medical tradition originating from Korea, is distinguished from the traditional Chinese medicine in its philosophical background, theoretical development and especially, the fundamental rationale that analyzes the structure and function of the human body within a quadrifocal scheme. In SCM, the structure of the body is comprehended within the Sasang quadrifocal scheme, and the function of the body is understood within the context of the energy–fluid metabolism and the water–food metabolism controlled by the four main organs (lung, spleen, liver and kidney). Also, the concept of Seong–Jeong is used to explain the structural and functional variations between different constitutional types that arise from the constitutional variations in organ system scheme, which are in turn caused by deviations in the constitutional Seong–Jeong. Therefore, understanding the SCM perspective of the human body is essential in order to fully appreciate the advantages of the constitutional typological system (which focuses on individual idiosyncrasies) found in SCM. PMID:19745009

Resourcifying human bodies--Kant and bioethics.

PubMed

Miyasaka, Michio

2005-01-01

This essay roughly sketches two major conceptions of autonomy in contemporary bioethics that promote the resourcification of human body parts: (1) a narrow conception of autonomy as self-determination; and (2) the conception of autonomy as dissociated from human dignity. In this paper I will argue that, on the one hand, these two conceptions are very different from that found in the modern European tradition of philosophical inquiry, because bioethics has concentrated on an external account of patient's self-determination and on dissociating dignity from internal human nature. However, on the other hand, they are consistent with more recent European philosophy. In this more recent tradition, human dignity has gradually been dissociated from contextual values, and human subjectivity has been dissociated from objectivity and absolutized as never to be objectified. In the concluding part, I will give a speculative sketch in which Kant's internal inquiry of maxim of ends, causality and end, and dignity as iirreplaceability is recombined with bioethics' externalized one and used to support an extended human resourcification.

Somatotype and Body Composition of Normal and Dysphonic Adult Speakers.

PubMed

Franco, Débora; Fragoso, Isabel; Andrea, Mário; Teles, Júlia; Martins, Fernando

2017-01-01

Voice quality provides information about the anatomical characteristics of the speaker. The patterns of somatotype and body composition can provide essential knowledge to characterize the individuality of voice quality. The aim of this study was to verify if there were significant differences in somatotype and body composition between normal and dysphonic speakers. Cross-sectional study. Anthropometric measurements were taken of a sample of 72 adult participants (40 normal speakers and 32 dysphonic speakers) according to International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry standards, which allowed the calculation of endomorphism, mesomorphism, ectomorphism components, body density, body mass index, fat mass, percentage fat, and fat-free mass. Perception and acoustic evaluations as well as nasoendoscopy were used to assign speakers into normal or dysphonic groups. There were no significant differences between normal and dysphonic speakers in the mean somatotype attitudinal distance and somatotype dispersion distance (in spite of marginally significant differences [P < 0.10] in somatotype attitudinal distance and somatotype dispersion distance between groups) and in the mean vector of the somatotype components. Furthermore, no significant differences were found between groups concerning the mean of percentage fat, fat mass, fat-free mass, body density, and body mass index after controlling by sex. The findings suggested no significant differences in the somatotype and body composition variables, between normal and dysphonic speakers. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A review of environmental fate, body burdens, and human health risk assessment of PCDD/Fs at two typical electronic waste recycling sites in China.

PubMed

Chan, Janet Kit Yan; Wong, Ming H

2013-10-01

This paper reviews the levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in different environmental media, human body burdens and health risk assessment results at e-waste recycling sites in China. To provide an indication of the seriousness of the pollution levels in the e-waste recycling sites in China, the data are compared with guidelines and available existing data for other areas. The comparison clearly shows that PCDD/Fs derived from the recycling processes lead to serious pollution in different environmental compartments (such as air, soil, sediment, dust and biota) and heavy body burdens. Of all kinds of e-waste recycling operations, open burning of e-waste and acid leaching activities are identified as the major sources of PCDD/Fs. Deriving from the published data, the estimated total exposure doses via dietary intake, inhalation, soil/dust ingestion and dermal contact are calculated for adults, children and breast-fed infants living in two major e-waste processing locations in China. The values ranged from 5.59 to 105.16 pg WHO-TEQ/kg bw/day, exceeding the tolerable daily intakes recommended by the WHO (1-4 pg WHO-TEQ/kg bw/day). Dietary intake is the most important exposure route for infants, children and adults living in these sites, contributing 60-99% of the total intakes. Inhalation is the second major exposure route, accounted for 12-30% of the total exposure doses of children and adults. In order to protect the environment and human health, there is an urgent need to control and monitor the informal e-waste recycling operations. Knowledge gaps, such as comprehensive dietary exposure data, epidemiological and clinical studies, body burdens of infants and children, and kinetics about PCDD/Fs partitions among different human tissues should be addressed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Delayed Compensatory Postural Adjustments After Lateral Perturbations Contribute to the Reduced Ability of Older Adults to Control Body Balance.

PubMed

Claudino, Renato; Dos Santos, Marcio José; Mazo, Giovana Zarpellon

2017-10-01

The goal of this study was to investigate the timing of compensatory postural adjustments in older adults during body perturbations in the mediolateral direction, circumstances that increase their risk of falls. The latencies of leg and trunk muscle activation to body perturbations at the shoulder level and variables of center of pressure excursion, which characterize postural stability, were analyzed in 40 older adults (nonfallers and fallers evenly split) and in 20 young participants. The older adults exhibited longer latencies of muscular activation in eight out of 15 postural muscles as compared with young participants; for three muscles, the latencies were longer for the older fallers than nonfallers. Simultaneously, the time for the center of pressure displacement reached its peak after the perturbation was significant longer in both groups of older adults. The observed delays in compensatory postural adjustments may affect the older adults' ability to prompt control body balance after postural disturbances and predispose them to falls.

Regional body volumes, BMI, waist circumference, and percentage fat in severely obese adults.

PubMed

Wang, Jack; Gallagher, Dympna; Thornton, John C; Yu, Wen; Weil, Rich; Kovac, Betty; Pi-Sunyer, F Xavier

2007-11-01

This study presents total body volume (TBV) and regional body volume, and their relationships with widely used body composition indices [BMI, waist circumference (WC), and percentage body fat (% fat)] in severely obese adults (BMI >or=35 kg/m(2)). We measured TBV, trunk volume (TV), arm volume (AV), leg volume (LV), and WC and estimated % fat in 32 severely obese persons with BMI 36 to 62 kg/m(2) (23 women; age, 19 to 65 years; weight, 91 to 182 kg) and in 58 persons with BMI <35 kg/m(2) (28 women; age, 18 to 83 years; weight, 48 to 102 kg) using a newly validated 3-day photonic image scanner (3DPS, Model C9036-02, Hamamatsu Co., Japan) and calculated TV/TBV, AV/TBV, and LV/TBV. Men had significantly larger TBV and higher TV/TBV and AV/TBV, but significantly lower LV/TBV than women, independently of BMI. TV/TBV increased while AV/TBV and LV/TBV decreased with increasing BMI, WC, and % fat, and the rate of increase in TV/TBV per % fat was significantly greater in severely obese individuals than in individuals with BMI <35 kg/m(2). The relationships for TBV with % fat were much lower than with BMI or WC. Body volume gains were mainly in the trunk region in adults, irrespective of sex or BMI. For a given BMI, WC, or % fat, men had a significantly larger TV than women. The implication is that men could have higher health risks due to having higher trunk body weight as a proportion of total body weight compared with severely obese or less severely obese women.

Colonizing Bodies: Corporate Power and Biotechnology in Young Adult Science Fiction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guerra, Stephanie

2009-01-01

The American cultural and political landscape has seen changes on the level of seismic shifts in the past four decades, thanks in part to the two very diverse fields of big business and biotechnology. Linking the two arenas together in the literary landscape is a growing body of young adult science fiction that envisions a future shaped profoundly…

Body image and sexuality in Indonesian adults with a disorder of sex development (DSD).

PubMed

Ediati, Annastasia; Juniarto, Achmad Zulfa; Birnie, Erwin; Drop, Stenvert L S; Faradz, Sultana M H; Dessens, Arianne B

2015-01-01

In Indonesia, disorders of sex development (DSDs) are not well recognized and medical care for affected individuals is scarce. Consequently, many patients live with ambiguous genitalia and appearance. We compared reported outcomes on body image, sexual functioning, and sexual orientation of 39 adults with DSDs (aged 18 to 41) and 39 healthy controls matched for gender, age, and residential setting (urban, suburban, rural). Differences in gender and treatment status (treated or untreated) were also explored. On body image, adults with DSDs reported dissatisfaction with sex-related body parts. Compared to the matched controls, women with DSDs reported greater sexual distress, and men with DSDs reported lower erectile and ejaculation frequencies, and more dissatisfaction with sexual life but not with sexual desire and activities. Men with DSDs who had undergone genital surgery reported higher erectile and ejaculation frequencies than untreated men. More women than men in the DSDs group reported a nonexclusive heterosexual orientation. DSDs and infertility had a great impact on sexuality. Fear of ostracism complicated DSD acceptance. Findings were compared to those of Western studies. Based on these results, education about DSDs and their psychosexual consequences may help reduce the sexual distress and problems in adults with DSDs and improve quality of life.

Human Activity Recognition from Body Sensor Data using Deep Learning.

PubMed

Hassan, Mohammad Mehedi; Huda, Shamsul; Uddin, Md Zia; Almogren, Ahmad; Alrubaian, Majed

2018-04-16

In recent years, human activity recognition from body sensor data or wearable sensor data has become a considerable research attention from academia and health industry. This research can be useful for various e-health applications such as monitoring elderly and physical impaired people at Smart home to improve their rehabilitation processes. However, it is not easy to accurately and automatically recognize physical human activity through wearable sensors due to the complexity and variety of body activities. In this paper, we address the human activity recognition problem as a classification problem using wearable body sensor data. In particular, we propose to utilize a Deep Belief Network (DBN) model for successful human activity recognition. First, we extract the important initial features from the raw body sensor data. Then, a kernel principal component analysis (KPCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) are performed to further process the features and make them more robust to be useful for fast activity recognition. Finally, the DBN is trained by these features. Various experiments were performed on a real-world wearable sensor dataset to verify the effectiveness of the deep learning algorithm. The results show that the proposed DBN outperformed other algorithms and achieves satisfactory activity recognition performance.

Quasi-static modeling of human limb for intra-body communications with experiments.

PubMed

Pun, Sio Hang; Gao, Yue Ming; Mak, PengUn; Vai, Mang I; Du, Min

2011-11-01

In recent years, the increasing number of wearable devices on human has been witnessed as a trend. These devices can serve for many purposes: personal entertainment, communication, emergency mission, health care supervision, delivery, etc. Sharing information among the devices scattered across the human body requires a body area network (BAN) and body sensor network (BSN). However, implementation of the BAN/BSN with the conventional wireless technologies cannot give optimal result. It is mainly because the high requirements of light weight, miniature, energy efficiency, security, and less electromagnetic interference greatly limit the resources available for the communication modules. The newly developed intra-body communication (IBC) can alleviate most of the mentioned problems. This technique, which employs the human body as a communication channel, could be an innovative networking method for sensors and devices on the human body. In order to encourage the research and development of the IBC, the authors are favorable to lay a better and more formal theoretical foundation on IBC. They propose a multilayer mathematical model using volume conductor theory for galvanic coupling IBC on a human limb with consideration on the inhomogeneous properties of human tissue. By introducing and checking with quasi-static approximation criteria, Maxwell's equations are decoupled and capacitance effect is included to the governing equation for further improvement. Finally, the accuracy and potential of the model are examined from both in vitro and in vivo experimental results.

Generalised equations for the prediction of percentage body fat by anthropometry in adult men and women aged 18-81 years.

PubMed

Leahy, Siobhan; O'Neill, Cian; Sohun, Rhoda; Toomey, Clodagh; Jakeman, Philip

2013-02-28

Anthropometric data indicate that the human phenotype is changing. Today's adult is greater in stature, body mass and fat mass. Accurate measurement of body composition is necessary to maintain surveillance of obesity within the population and to evaluate associated interventions. The aim of the present study was to construct and validate generalised equations for percentage body fat (%BF) prediction from anthropometry in 1136 adult men and women. Reference values for %BF were obtained using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Skinfold thickness (SF) at ten sites and girth (G) at seven sites were measured on 736 men and women aged 18-81 years (%BF 5·1-56·8%). Quantile regression was employed to construct prediction equations from age and log-transformed SF and G measures. These equations were then cross-validated on a cohort of 400 subjects of similar age and fatness. The following generalised equations were found to most accurately predict %BF: Men: (age x 0·1) + (logtricepsSF x 7·6) + (logmidaxillaSF x 8·8) + (logsuprspinaleSF x 11·9) - 11·3 (standard error of the estimate: 2·5%, 95% limits of agreement: - 4·8, + 4·9) Women: (age x 0·1) + (logabdominalG x 39·4) + (logmidaxillaSF x 4·9) + (logbicepsSF x 11·0) + (logmedialcalfSF x 9·1) - 73·5 (standard error of the estimate: 3·0%, 95% limits of agreement: - 5·7, + 5·9) These generalised anthropometric equations accurately predict %BF and are suitable for the measurement of %BF in adult men and women of varying levels of fatness across the lifespan.

No changes in weight and body fat in lactating adolescent and adult women from Mexico.

PubMed

Caire-Juvera, Graciela; Casanueva, Esther; Bolaños-Villar, Adriana Verónica; de Regil, Luz María; Calderón de la Barca, Ana María

2012-01-01

To evaluate changes in weight and body fat of Mexican adolescent compared to those of adult lactating women from the Northwest (NM) and Central (CM) regions of Mexico in the first trimester postpartum. A prospective design was used to evaluate 41 exclusively breastfeeding women (21 adolescents and 20 adults) recruited 1-2 days after delivering a healthy singleton at the Hospital Infantil del Estado de Sonora (Northwest Mexico) and Instituto Nacional de Perinatología, in Mexico City. Socioeconomic status, height, body weight and composition, dietary intake, physical activity, and milk volume (quantified by deuterium dilution method) were measured at the 1st and 3rd month postpartum. Women did not lose weight throughout the first trimester postpartum. Mean postpartum weight retention at the end of the study was 3.8 kg. No differences in weight and body mass index (BMI) were found between adolescent and adult women in both periods. Energy and macronutrient intakes, physical activity and milk volume were similar between the two groups of women. In both periods, adolescents from the CM region had lower weight, BMI, and body fat than adolescents from the NM region (P<0.05). At the 3rd month, pregestational weight (P < 0.0001) was a predictor of BMI, and region (P < 0.05) and milk volume (P < 0.01) were associated with percentage of body fat. Exclusively breastfeeding for 3 months did not reduce weight or body fat in the Mexican population of this study. Efforts to avoid weight retention in the lactation period may contribute to prevent overweight and obesity in women. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Gender recognition from unconstrained and articulated human body.

PubMed

Wu, Qin; Guo, Guodong

2014-01-01

Gender recognition has many useful applications, ranging from business intelligence to image search and social activity analysis. Traditional research on gender recognition focuses on face images in a constrained environment. This paper proposes a method for gender recognition in articulated human body images acquired from an unconstrained environment in the real world. A systematic study of some critical issues in body-based gender recognition, such as which body parts are informative, how many body parts are needed to combine together, and what representations are good for articulated body-based gender recognition, is also presented. This paper also pursues data fusion schemes and efficient feature dimensionality reduction based on the partial least squares estimation. Extensive experiments are performed on two unconstrained databases which have not been explored before for gender recognition.

Gender Recognition from Unconstrained and Articulated Human Body

PubMed Central

Wu, Qin; Guo, Guodong

2014-01-01

Gender recognition has many useful applications, ranging from business intelligence to image search and social activity analysis. Traditional research on gender recognition focuses on face images in a constrained environment. This paper proposes a method for gender recognition in articulated human body images acquired from an unconstrained environment in the real world. A systematic study of some critical issues in body-based gender recognition, such as which body parts are informative, how many body parts are needed to combine together, and what representations are good for articulated body-based gender recognition, is also presented. This paper also pursues data fusion schemes and efficient feature dimensionality reduction based on the partial least squares estimation. Extensive experiments are performed on two unconstrained databases which have not been explored before for gender recognition. PMID:24977203

A low power wearable transceiver for human body communication.

PubMed

Huang, Jin; Chen, Lian-Kang; Zhang, Yuan-Ting

2009-01-01

This paper reports a low power transceiver designed for wearable medical healthcare system. Based on a novel energy-efficient wideband wireless communication scheme that uses human body as a transmission medium, the transceiver can achieve a maximum 15 Mbps data rate with total receiver sensitivity of -30 dBm. The chip measures only 0.56 mm(2) and was fabricated in the SMIC 0.18um 1P6M RF CMOS process. The RX consumes 5mW and TX dissipates 1mW with delivering power up to 10uW, which is suitable for the body area network short range application. Real-time medical information collecting through the human body is fully simulated. Architecture of the chip together with the detail characterizes from its wireless analog front-end are presented.

A portable meter for measuring low frequency currents in the human body.

PubMed

Niple, J C; Daigle, J P; Zaffanella, L E; Sullivan, T; Kavet, R

2004-07-01

A portable meter has been developed for measuring low frequency currents that flow in the human body. Although the present version of the meter was specifically designed to measure 50/60 Hz "contact currents," the principles involved can be used with other low frequency body currents. Contact currents flow when the human body provides a conductive path between objects in the environment with different electrical potentials. The range of currents the meter detects is approximately 0.4-800 microA. This provides measurements of currents from the threshold of human perception (approximately 500 microA(RMS)) down to single microampere levels. The meter has a unique design, which utilizes the human subject's body impedance as the sensing element. Some of the advantages of this approach are high sensitivity, the ability to measure current flow in the majority of the body, and relative insensitivity to the current path connection points. Current measurement accuracy varies with the accuracy of the body impedance (resistance) measurement and different techniques can be used to obtain a desired level of accuracy. Techniques are available to achieve an estimated +/-20% accuracy. Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Modeling and characterization of different channels based on human body communication.

PubMed

Jingzhen Li; Zedong Nie; Yuhang Liu; Lei Wang

2017-07-01

Human body communication (HBC), which uses the human body as a transmission medium for electrical signals, provides a prospective communication solution for body sensor networks (BSNs). In this paper, an inhomogeneous model which includes the tissue layers of skin, fat, and muscle is proposed to study the propagation characteristics of different HBC channels. Specifically, the HBC channels, namely, the on-body to on-body (OB-OB)channel, on-body to in-body (OB-IB) channel, in-body to on-body (IB-OB) channel, and in-body to in-body (IB-IB)channel, are studied over different frequencies (from 1MHz to 100MHz) through numerical simulations with finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. The results show that the gain of OB-IB channel and IB-OB channel is almost the same. The gain of IB-IB channel is greater than other channels in the frequency range 1MHz to 70MHz. In addition, the gain of all channels is associated with the channel length and communication frequency. The simulations are verified by experimental measurements in a porcine tissue sample. The results show that the simulations are in agreement with the measurements.

[The human body in Michelangelo's Moses].

PubMed

Figueroa, Gustavo

2013-10-01

What grips us so powerfully to a work of art is the artist's intention, if he succeeds to express it in his work and we are able to understand it. Michelangelo's Moses established the essential structures of an animate organism and the embodiment of consciousness in the world. Since the body is an expressive unit, it is possible to reconstruct a highly feasible sequence of movements that might have preceded the moment caught in the statue. It is an expression of the highest ideal of mental and spiritual achievement through the controlled tension between action and restraint. The phenomenon of embodiment and feeling the body as own is the basis of concrete human existence.

Whole body vibration training improves vibration perception threshold in healthy young adults: A randomized clinical trial pilot study

PubMed Central

Hernandez-Mocholi, M.A.; Dominguez-Muñoz, F.J.; Corzo, H.; Silva, S.C.S.; Adsuar, J.C.; Gusi, N.

2016-01-01

Objectives: Loss of foot sensitivity is a relevant parameter to assess and prevent in several diseases. It is crucial to determine the vibro-tactile sensitivity threshold response to acute conditions to explore innovative monitor tools and interventions to prevent and treat this challenge. The aims were: 1) to analyze the acute effects of a single whole body vibration session (4min-18Hz-4mm) on vibro-tactile perception threshold in healthy young adults. 2) to analyze the 48 hours effects of 3 whole body vibration sessions on vibro-tactile perception threshold in healthy young adults. Methods: A randomized controlled clinical trial over 3 sessions of whole body vibration intervention or 3 sessions of placebo intervention. Twenty-eight healthy young adults were included: 11 experimental group and 12 placebo group. The experimental group performed 3 sessions of WBV while the placebo group performed 3 sessions of placebo intervention. Results: The vibro-tactile threshold increased right after a single WBV session in comparison with placebo. Nevertheless, after 3 whole body vibration sessions and 48 hours, the threshold decreased to values lower than the initial. Conclusions: The acute response of the vibro-tactile threshold to one whole body vibration session increased, but the 48 hours short-term response of this threshold decreased in healthy young adults. PMID:26944818

Zoonotic bacterial meningitis in human adults.

PubMed

van Samkar, Anusha; Brouwer, Matthijs C; van der Ende, Arie; van de Beek, Diederik

2016-09-13

To describe the epidemiology, etiology, clinical characteristics, treatment, outcome, and prevention of zoonotic bacterial meningitis in human adults. We identified 16 zoonotic bacteria causing meningitis in adults. Zoonotic bacterial meningitis is uncommon compared to bacterial meningitis caused by human pathogens, and the incidence has a strong regional distribution. Zoonotic bacterial meningitis is mainly associated with animal contact, consumption of animal products, and an immunocompromised state of the patient. In a high proportion of zoonotic bacterial meningitis cases, CSF analysis showed only a mildly elevated leukocyte count. The recommended antibiotic therapy differs per pathogen, and the overall mortality is low. Zoonotic bacterial meningitis is uncommon but is associated with specific complications. The suspicion should be raised in patients with bacterial meningitis who have recreational or professional contact with animals and in patients living in regions endemic for specific zoonotic pathogens. An immunocompromised state is associated with a worse prognosis. Identification of risk factors and underlying disease is necessary to improve treatment. © 2016 American Academy of Neurology.

[Physical activity for young adults born with low body weight on the background of peers].

PubMed

Tkaczyk, Joanna; Kęska, Anna; Czajkowska, Anna; Wiśniewski, Andrzej

2010-01-01

Low birth parameters are associated with an increased risk of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, glucose intolerance and hypertension at later life. Regular physical activity can counteract these metabolic disorders. We determined the relation of the declared physical activity and body composition in young adults with respect to their birth weight. A total of 156 subjects (52% women and 48% men) took part in the study (the average age 20.6±1.2 years). Participants who declared regular physical activity (minimum 3 times per week) were included in group I (n=66), others in group II (n=99). In each group, the percentage of people with small (SBW) and normal (NBW) birth weight was assessed. Information about birth parameters and duration of pregnancy was obtained from medical records. Infant's mass ≤2999 g was recognized as small birth weight. Body height, body weight, waist and hips circumferences and body composition by BIA were measured. Frequency of physical activity was determined during an interview. Percentage of participants with small birth weight was respectively 17% in group I and 21% in group II. In group I standardized body height was significantly lower in subjects with SBW in comparison with those with NBW. Participants from group II with SBW had markedly lower standardized body weight and standardized BMI than adults with NBW. Independently of birth weight physically active persons characterized higher WHR values than their non active counterparts. Body fat content was significantly lower in group I (both in participants with SBW and NBW). Women and men from group I with SBW had also higher fat free mass in comparison with those from group II. Body fat content in young adults with small birth weight is related to their physical activity. People who regularly exercise had lower fat mass in comparison with non exercising ones. This is the confirmation of a protective influence of physical activity.

High Blood Pressure in Adults with Disabilities: Influence of Gender, Body Weight and Health Behaviors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Lan-Ping; Liu, Chien-Ting; Liou, Shih-Wen; Hsu, Shang-Wei; Lin, Jin-Ding

2012-01-01

The aims of this study were to explore the mean and distribution of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and to examine the influence of gender, body weight and health behaviors on hypertension in adults with disabilities. We analyzed the 2010 annual community health examination chart of adults with disabilities in east Taiwan. The study samples…

The commerce of human body parts: an Eastern Orthodox response.

PubMed

Reardon, P H

2000-08-01

The Orthodox Church teaches that the bodies of those in Christ are to be regarded as sanctified by the hearing of the Word and faithful participation in the Sacraments, most particularly the Holy Eucharist; because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit the consecrated bodies of Christians do not belong to them but to Christ; with respect to the indwelling Holy Spirit there is no difference between the bodies of Christians before and after death; whether before or after death, the Christian body is also to receive the same veneration; and notwithstanding the physical corruptions that the body endures by reason of death, there remains a strict continuity between the body in which the Christian dies and the body in which the Christian will rise again. That is to say, it is the very same reality that is sown in corruption and will be raised in incorruption. Given such consideration, the notion of "selling" and integral part of a human being is simply outside the realm of rational comprehension. Indeed, it is profoundly repugnant to those Orthodox Christian sentiments that are formed and nourished by the Church's sacramental teaching and liturgical worship. One does not sell or purchase that which has been consecrated in those solemn ways that the Church consecrates the human body.

A human body model for efficient numerical characterization of UWB signal propagation in wireless body area networks.

PubMed

Lim, Hooi Been; Baumann, Dirk; Li, Er-Ping

2011-03-01

Wireless body area network (WBAN) is a new enabling system with promising applications in areas such as remote health monitoring and interpersonal communication. Reliable and optimum design of a WBAN system relies on a good understanding and in-depth studies of the wave propagation around a human body. However, the human body is a very complex structure and is computationally demanding to model. This paper aims to investigate the effects of the numerical model's structure complexity and feature details on the simulation results. Depending on the application, a simplified numerical model that meets desired simulation accuracy can be employed for efficient simulations. Measurements of ultra wideband (UWB) signal propagation along a human arm are performed and compared to the simulation results obtained with numerical arm models of different complexity levels. The influence of the arm shape and size, as well as tissue composition and complexity is investigated.

On the presence and role of human gene-body DNA methylation

PubMed Central

Jjingo, Daudi; Conley, Andrew B.; Yi, Soojin V.; Lunyak, Victoria V.; Jordan, I. King

2012-01-01

DNA methylation of promoter sequences is a repressive epigenetic mark that down-regulates gene expression. However, DNA methylation is more prevalent within gene-bodies than seen for promoters, and gene-body methylation has been observed to be positively correlated with gene expression levels. This paradox remains unexplained, and accordingly the role of DNA methylation in gene-bodies is poorly understood. We addressed the presence and role of human gene-body DNA methylation using a meta-analysis of human genome-wide methylation, expression and chromatin data sets. Methylation is associated with transcribed regions as genic sequences have higher levels of methylation than intergenic or promoter sequences. We also find that the relationship between gene-body DNA methylation and expression levels is non-monotonic and bell-shaped. Mid-level expressed genes have the highest levels of gene-body methylation, whereas the most lowly and highly expressed sets of genes both have low levels of methylation. While gene-body methylation can be seen to efficiently repress the initiation of intragenic transcription, the vast majority of methylated sites within genes are not associated with intragenic promoters. In fact, highly expressed genes initiate the most intragenic transcription, which is inconsistent with the previously held notion that gene-body methylation serves to repress spurious intragenic transcription to allow for efficient transcriptional elongation. These observations lead us to propose a model to explain the presence of human gene-body methylation. This model holds that the repression of intragenic transcription by gene-body methylation is largely epiphenomenal, and suggests that gene-body methylation levels are predominantly shaped via the accessibility of the DNA to methylating enzyme complexes. PMID:22577155

Modeling of interactions of electromagnetic fields with human bodies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caputa, Krzysztof

Interactions of electromagnetic fields with the human body have been a subject of scientific interest and public concern. In recent years, issues in power line field effects and those of wireless telephones have been in the forefront of research. Engineering research compliments biological investigations by quantifying the induced fields in biological bodies due to exposure to external fields. The research presented in this thesis aims at providing reliable tools, and addressing some of the unresolved issues related to interactions with the human body of power line fields and fields produced by handheld wireless telephones. The research comprises two areas, namely development of versatile models of the human body and their visualisation, and verification and application of numerical codes to solve selected problems of interest. The models of the human body, which are based on the magnetic resonance scans of the body, are unique and differ considerably from other models currently available. With the aid of computer software developed, the models can be arranged to different postures, and medical devices can be accurately placed inside them. A previously developed code for modeling interactions of power line fields with biological bodies has been verified by rigorous, quantitative inter-laboratory comparison for two human body models. This code has been employed to model electromagnetic interference (EMI) of the magnetic field with implanted cardiac pacemakers. In this case, the correct placement and representation of the pacemaker leads are critical, as simplified computations have been shown to result in significant errors. In modeling interactions of wireless communication devices, the finite difference time domain technique (FDTD) has become a de facto standard. The previously developed code has been verified by comparison with the analytical solution for a conductive sphere. While previously researchers limited their verifications to principal axes of the sphere

Effects of mind-body interventions on depressive symptoms among older Chinese adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Bo, Ai; Mao, Weiyu; Lindsey, Michael A

2017-05-01

To determine the efficacy of mind-body interventions in depressive symptoms treatment among older Chinese adults (>60 years of age). We searched MEDLINE, PsycINFO (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and Chongqing VIP for eligible studies until September 2016. We reviewed randomized controlled trials investigating the efficacy of mind-body interventions for depressive symptoms among Chinese older adults. Two authors independently conducted screening, and risk of bias assessment. Data were extracted by one author and crosschecked by the research team. Cohen's d standardized mean differences were calculated to represent intervention effects. A comprehensive search yielded 926 records; 14 articles met inclusion criteria. Relative to the control groups, mind-body interventions had large short-term effects in reducing depressive symptoms in older Chinese adults (standardized mean differences = -1.41; 95% CI [-1.82, -0.99]). Most studies did not report the long-term effects of mind-body interventions. Subgroup analyses by type of mind-body interventions, participants' age group, and control condition yielded different effect sizes; however, these differences did not all reach a statistically significant level. The interpretation of the subgroup analysis should be considered with caution given its observational nature and a small number of included studies. This systematic review suggests that mind-body interventions had short-term effects in alleviating depressive symptoms among older Chinese adults. Further research (randomized controlled trials with active controls and follow-up tests) are needed to assess the effects of mind-body interventions on depressive symptoms among this population. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A Bayesian Framework for Human Body Pose Tracking from Depth Image Sequences

PubMed Central

Zhu, Youding; Fujimura, Kikuo

2010-01-01

This paper addresses the problem of accurate and robust tracking of 3D human body pose from depth image sequences. Recovering the large number of degrees of freedom in human body movements from a depth image sequence is challenging due to the need to resolve the depth ambiguity caused by self-occlusions and the difficulty to recover from tracking failure. Human body poses could be estimated through model fitting using dense correspondences between depth data and an articulated human model (local optimization method). Although it usually achieves a high accuracy due to dense correspondences, it may fail to recover from tracking failure. Alternately, human pose may be reconstructed by detecting and tracking human body anatomical landmarks (key-points) based on low-level depth image analysis. While this method (key-point based method) is robust and recovers from tracking failure, its pose estimation accuracy depends solely on image-based localization accuracy of key-points. To address these limitations, we present a flexible Bayesian framework for integrating pose estimation results obtained by methods based on key-points and local optimization. Experimental results are shown and performance comparison is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. PMID:22399933

Deciphering the iron isotope message of the human body

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walczyk, Thomas; von Blanckenburg, Friedhelm

2005-04-01

Mass-dependent variations in isotopic composition are known since decades for the light elements such as hydrogen, carbon or oxygen. Multicollector-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) and double-spike thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) permit us now to resolve small variations in isotopic composition even for the heavier elements such as iron. Recent studies on the iron isotopic composition of human blood and dietary iron sources have shown that lighter iron isotopes are enriched along the food chain and that each individual bears a certain iron isotopic signature in blood. To make use of this finding in biomedical research, underlying mechanisms of isotope fractionation by the human body need to be understood. In this paper available iron isotope data for biological samples are discussed within the context of isotope fractionation concepts and fundamental aspects of human iron metabolism. This includes evaluation of new data for body tissues which show that blood and muscle tissue have a similar iron isotopic composition while heavier iron isotopes are concentrated in the liver. This new observation is in agreement with our earlier hypothesis of a preferential absorption of lighter iron isotopes by the human body. Possible mechanisms for inducing an iron isotope effect at the cellular and molecular level during iron uptake are presented and the potential of iron isotope effects in human blood as a long-term measure of dietary iron absorption is discussed.

Human body area factors for radiation exchange analysis: standing and walking postures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Sookuk; Tuller, Stanton E.

2011-09-01

Effective radiation area factors ( f eff) and projected area factors ( f p) of unclothed Caucasians' standing and walking postures used in estimating human radiation exchange with the surrounding environment were determined from a sample of adults in Canada. Several three-dimensional (3D) computer body models were created for standing and walking postures. Only small differences in f eff and f p values for standing posture were found between gender (male or female) and body type (normal- or over-weight). Differences between this study and previous studies were much larger: ≤0.173 in f p and ≤0.101 in f eff. Directionless f p values for walking posture also had only minor differences between genders and positions in a stride. However, the differences of mean directional f p values of the positions dependent on azimuth angles were large enough, ≤0.072, to create important differences in modeled radiation receipt. Differences in f eff values were small: 0.02 between the normal-weight male and female models and up to 0.033 between positions in a stride. Variations of directional f p values depending on solar altitudes for walking posture were narrower than those for standing posture. When both standing and walking postures are considered, the mean f eff value, 0.836, of standing (0.826) and walking (0.846) could be used. However, f p values should be selected carefully because differences between directional and directionless f p values were large enough that they could influence the estimated level of human thermal sensation.

The venality of human body parts and products in French law and common law.

PubMed

Haoulia, Naima

2012-03-01

The successive bioethics laws in France have constantly argued that the human body is not for sale and consecrated an absolute principle of free and anonymous donations, whether of semen, ova, blood, tissues or organs. Nonetheless, this position is not shared by all countries. These legal divergences upset today our moral principles and the development of these practices leads us to question the legal status of human biological material and its gradual commodification. This paper outlines the current law principles that protect people's interests in their bodies, excised body parts and tissues without conferring the rights of full legal ownership in French law and in Common law. Contrary to what many people believe, people do not legally 'own' their bodies, body parts or tissues. However, they do have some legal rights in relation to their bodies and excised body material. For lawyers, the exact relationship people have with their bodies has raised a host of complex questions and long debates about the status we should grant to human body parts. The significance of this issue is due to two reasons:first, because of the imperative protection we have to assure to human dignity and then, because of the economic value which is attached to human products.

Combined Volatolomics for Monitoring of Human Body Chemistry

PubMed Central

Broza, Yoav Y.; Zuri, Liat; Haick, Hossam

2014-01-01

Analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is a promising approach for non-invasive, fast and potentially inexpensive diagnostics. Here, we present a new methodology for profiling the body chemistry by using the volatile fraction of molecules in various body fluids. Using mass spectrometry and cross-reactive nanomaterial-based sensors array, we demonstrate that simultaneous VOC detection from breath and skin would provide complementary, non-correlated information of the body's volatile metabolites profile. Eventually with further wide population validation studies, such a methodology could provide more accurate monitoring of pathological changes compared to the information provided by a single body fluid. The qualitative and quantitative methods presented here offers a variety of options for novel mapping of the metabolic properties of complex organisms, including humans. PMID:24714440

Combined volatolomics for monitoring of human body chemistry.

PubMed

Broza, Yoav Y; Zuri, Liat; Haick, Hossam

2014-04-09

Analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is a promising approach for non-invasive, fast and potentially inexpensive diagnostics. Here, we present a new methodology for profiling the body chemistry by using the volatile fraction of molecules in various body fluids. Using mass spectrometry and cross-reactive nanomaterial-based sensors array, we demonstrate that simultaneous VOC detection from breath and skin would provide complementary, non-correlated information of the body's volatile metabolites profile. Eventually with further wide population validation studies, such a methodology could provide more accurate monitoring of pathological changes compared to the information provided by a single body fluid. The qualitative and quantitative methods presented here offers a variety of options for novel mapping of the metabolic properties of complex organisms, including humans.

Assessment methods in human body composition.

PubMed

Lee, Seon Yeong; Gallagher, Dympna

2008-09-01

The present study reviews the most recently developed and commonly used methods for the determination of human body composition in vivo with relevance for nutritional assessment. Body composition measurement methods are continuously being perfected with the most commonly used methods being bioelectrical impedance analysis, dilution techniques, air displacement plethysmography, dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, and MRI or magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Recent developments include three-dimensional photonic scanning and quantitative magnetic resonance. Collectively, these techniques allow for the measurement of fat, fat-free mass, bone mineral content, total body water, extracellular water, total adipose tissue and its subdepots (visceral, subcutaneous, and intermuscular), skeletal muscle, select organs, and ectopic fat depots. There is an ongoing need to perfect methods that provide information beyond mass and structure (static measures) to kinetic measures that yield information on metabolic and biological functions. On the basis of the wide range of measurable properties, analytical methods and known body composition models, clinicians and scientists can quantify a number of body components and with longitudinal assessment, can track changes in health and disease with implications for understanding efficacy of nutritional and clinical interventions, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment in clinical settings. With the greater need to understand precursors of health risk beginning in childhood, a gap exists in appropriate in-vivo measurement methods beginning at birth.

Assessment methods in human body composition

PubMed Central

Lee, Seon Yeong; Gallagher, Dympna

2009-01-01

Purpose of review The present study reviews the most recently developed and commonly used methods for the determination of human body composition in vivo with relevance for nutritional assessment. Recent findings Body composition measurement methods are continuously being perfected with the most commonly used methods being bioelectrical impedance analysis, dilution techniques, air displacement plethysmography, dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, and MRI or magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Recent developments include three-dimensional photonic scanning and quantitative magnetic resonance. Collectively, these techniques allow for the measurement of fat, fat-free mass, bone mineral content, total body water, extracellular water, total adipose tissue and its subdepots (visceral, subcutaneous, and intermuscular), skeletal muscle, select organs, and ectopic fat depots. Summary There is an ongoing need to perfect methods that provide information beyond mass and structure (static measures) to kinetic measures that yield information on metabolic and biological functions. On the basis of the wide range of measurable properties, analytical methods and known body composition models, clinicians and scientists can quantify a number of body components and with longitudinal assessment, can track changes in health and disease with implications for understanding efficacy of nutritional and clinical interventions, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment in clinical settings. With the greater need to understand precursors of health risk beginning in childhood, a gap exists in appropriate in-vivo measurement methods beginning at birth. PMID:18685451

The Multidimensional Relationship between Early Adult Body Weight and Women’s Childbearing Experiences

PubMed Central

Frisco, Michelle L.; Weden, Margaret M.; Lippert, Adam M.

2011-01-01

This study has three primary goals that make an important contribution to the literature on body weight and childbearing experiences among United States’ women. It sheds light on the physiological and social nature of this relationship by examining whether the consequences of early adult weight for lifetime childbearing are shaped by historical social context, women’s social characteristics, and their ability to marry. We analyze data from two female cohorts who participated in the National Longitudinal Study of Youth (NLSY79). Cohort 1 entered early adulthood before the U.S. obesity prevalence increased. Cohort 2 entered early adulthood after the obesity prevalence increased. We find that early adult weight is negatively related to the childbearing trajectories and marital status of Cohort 1 but not Cohort 2. Failing to account for race/ethnicity and women’s educational background as confounders masks some of these associations, which are evident for both White and Black women. Our results suggest that the health consequences of body weight do not fully drive its impact on childbearing. Rather, the lifetime fertility consequences of early adult weight are malleable, involve social processes, and are dependent on social context. PMID:21944717

Centralized Networks to Generate Human Body Motions

PubMed Central

Vakulenko, Sergei; Radulescu, Ovidiu; Morozov, Ivan

2017-01-01

We consider continuous-time recurrent neural networks as dynamical models for the simulation of human body motions. These networks consist of a few centers and many satellites connected to them. The centers evolve in time as periodical oscillators with different frequencies. The center states define the satellite neurons’ states by a radial basis function (RBF) network. To simulate different motions, we adjust the parameters of the RBF networks. Our network includes a switching module that allows for turning from one motion to another. Simulations show that this model allows us to simulate complicated motions consisting of many different dynamical primitives. We also use the model for learning human body motion from markers’ trajectories. We find that center frequencies can be learned from a small number of markers and can be transferred to other markers, such that our technique seems to be capable of correcting for missing information resulting from sparse control marker settings. PMID:29240694

Centralized Networks to Generate Human Body Motions.

PubMed

Vakulenko, Sergei; Radulescu, Ovidiu; Morozov, Ivan; Weber, Andres

2017-12-14

We consider continuous-time recurrent neural networks as dynamical models for the simulation of human body motions. These networks consist of a few centers and many satellites connected to them. The centers evolve in time as periodical oscillators with different frequencies. The center states define the satellite neurons' states by a radial basis function (RBF) network. To simulate different motions, we adjust the parameters of the RBF networks. Our network includes a switching module that allows for turning from one motion to another. Simulations show that this model allows us to simulate complicated motions consisting of many different dynamical primitives. We also use the model for learning human body motion from markers' trajectories. We find that center frequencies can be learned from a small number of markers and can be transferred to other markers, such that our technique seems to be capable of correcting for missing information resulting from sparse control marker settings.

A DXA Whole Body Composition Cross-Calibration Experience: Evaluation With Humans, Spine, and Whole Body Phantoms.

PubMed

Krueger, Diane; Libber, Jessie; Sanfilippo, Jennifer; Yu, Hui Jing; Horvath, Blaine; Miller, Colin G; Binkley, Neil

2016-01-01

New densitometer installation requires cross-calibration for accurate longitudinal assessment. When replacing a unit with the same model, the International Society for Clinical Densitometry recommends cross-calibrating by scanning phantoms 10 times on each instrument and states that spine bone mineral density (BMD) should be within 1%, whereas total body lean, fat, and %fat mass should be within 2% of the prior instrument. However, there is limited validation that these recommendations provide adequate total body cross-calibration. Here, we report a total body cross-calibration experience with phantoms and humans. Cross-calibration between an existing and new Lunar iDXA was performed using 3 encapsulated spine phantoms (GE [GE Lunar, Madison, WI], BioClinica [BioClinica Inc, Princeton, NJ], and Hologic [Hologic Inc, Bedford, MA]), 1 total body composition phantom (BioClinica), and 30 human volunteers. Thirty scans of each phantom and a total body scan of human volunteers were obtained on each instrument. All spine phantom BMD means were similar (within 1%; <-0.010 g/cm2 bias) between the existing and new dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry unit. The BioClinica body composition phantom (BBCP) BMD and bone mineral content (BMC) values were within 2% with biases of 0.005 g/cm2 and -3.4 g. However, lean and fat mass and %fat differed by 4.6%-7.7% with biases of +463 g, -496 g, and -2.8%, respectively. In vivo comparison supported BBCP data; BMD and BMC were within ∼2%, but lean and fat mass and %fat differed from 1.6% to 4.9% with biases of +833 g, -860 g, and -1.1%. As all body composition comparisons exceeded the recommended 2%, the new densitometer was recalibrated. After recalibration, in vivo bias was lower (<0.05%) for lean and fat; -23 and -5 g, respectively. Similarly, BBCP lean and fat agreement improved. In conclusion, the BBCP behaves similarly, but not identical, to human in vivo measurements for densitometer cross-calibration. Spine phantoms, despite good

ATHENA, the Desktop Human "Body"

ScienceCinema

Iyer, Rashi; Harris, Jennifer

2018-05-18

Creating surrogate human organs, coupled with insights from highly sensitive mass spectrometry technologies, a new project is on the brink of revolutionizing the way we screen new drugs and toxic agents. ATHENA, the Advanced Tissue-engineered Human Ectypal Network Analyzer project team, is developing four human organ constructs - liver, heart, lung and kidney - that are based on a significantly miniaturized platform. Each organ component will be about the size of a smartphone screen, and the whole ATHENA "body" of interconnected organs would fit neatly on a desk. "By developing this 'homo minutus,' we are stepping beyond the need for animal or Petri dish testing: There are huge benefits in developing drug and toxicity analysis systems that can mimic the response of actual human organs," said Rashi Iyer, a senior scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, the lead laboratory on the five-year, $19 million multi-institutional effort. The project is supported by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). Some 40 percent of pharmaceuticals fail their clinical trials, Iyer noted, and there are thousands of chemicals whose effects on humans are simply unknown. Providing a realistic, cost-effective and rapid screening system such as ATHENA with high-throughput capabilities could provide major benefits to the medical field, screening more accurately and offering a greater chance of clinical trial success.

ATHENA, the Desktop Human "Body"

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Iyer, Rashi; Harris, Jennifer

2014-09-29

Creating surrogate human organs, coupled with insights from highly sensitive mass spectrometry technologies, a new project is on the brink of revolutionizing the way we screen new drugs and toxic agents. ATHENA, the Advanced Tissue-engineered Human Ectypal Network Analyzer project team, is developing four human organ constructs - liver, heart, lung and kidney - that are based on a significantly miniaturized platform. Each organ component will be about the size of a smartphone screen, and the whole ATHENA "body" of interconnected organs would fit neatly on a desk. "By developing this 'homo minutus,' we are stepping beyond the need formore » animal or Petri dish testing: There are huge benefits in developing drug and toxicity analysis systems that can mimic the response of actual human organs," said Rashi Iyer, a senior scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, the lead laboratory on the five-year, $19 million multi-institutional effort. The project is supported by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). Some 40 percent of pharmaceuticals fail their clinical trials, Iyer noted, and there are thousands of chemicals whose effects on humans are simply unknown. Providing a realistic, cost-effective and rapid screening system such as ATHENA with high-throughput capabilities could provide major benefits to the medical field, screening more accurately and offering a greater chance of clinical trial success.« less

The rate of cerebral utilization of glucose, ketone bodies, and oxygen: a comparative in vivo study of infant and adult rats.

PubMed

Dahlquist, G; Persson, B

1976-11-01

Cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured by means of Celabeled microspheres in infant (20-day-old) and adult (3-month-old) rats, anesthetised with Na-5-ethyl-5-(1-methylpropyl)2-thiobarbituric acid. Cerebral arteriovenous differences of acetoacetate, D-beta-hydroxybutyrate, glucose, lactate, and oxygen and brain DNA content were determined in other groups of similarly treated infant and adult animals fed or starved for 48 or 72 hr. The mean CBF values of 0.48+/-0.04 and 0.62+/-0.07 ml/(g X min), +/- SEM, in infant and adult animals, respectively, were not significantly different. CBF was unaffected by starvation. At any given arterial concentration the cerebral arteriovenous difference of acetoacetate was significantly higher in infant than adult rats. The same was true for D-beta-hydroxybutyrate at arterial concentrations above 1 mmol/liter. There was an approximately linear relationship between arterial concentration of acetoacetate and its cerebral arteriovenous difference in both infant and adult rats. A similar relationship was found for D-beta-hydroxybutyrate only in infant animals. In the fed state, the cerebral uptake of glucose and ketone bodies (micromoles per (mg DNA X min)) was not different in infant and adult rats. During starvation, cerebral uptake of ketone bodies expressed as micromoles per (mg DNA X min) was higher in infant than adult rats, indicating a higher rate of utilization of ketone bodies per cell in these animals. For glucose, no such difference was found in either fed or starved groups (Table 3). The average percentage of the total cerebral uptake of substrates (micromoles per min) accounted for by ketone bodies increased in both infant and adult rats during starvation. This percentage value was clearly higher in infant than adult rats during starvation. After 72 hr of starvation the values were 38.8% and 15.2% in infant and adult rats, respectively (Fig. 3). Calculated cerebral metabolic rate for oxygen (CMRO2), assuming complete

Surgical intervention for gastrointestinal foreign bodies in adults: a case series.

PubMed

Syrakos, Theodoros; Zacharakis, Emmanouil; Antonitsis, Polichronis; Zacharakis, Evangelos; Spanos, Constantinos; Georgantis, G; Kiskinis, Dimitrios

2008-01-01

The aim of our study was to demonstrate our experience regarding the surgical treatment of complications after foreign body ingestion. From 1997 to 2005, we treated 16 adult patients (mean age 44.8 years, range 21-77), who presented with complications after foreign body ingestion. The complications treated were perforation-peritonitis: n = 7 (44%), intra-abdominal abscess formation: n = 5 (31%), upper gastrointestinal bleeding: n = 3 (19%) and inflammatory mass formation: n = 1 (6%) patient. The diagnosis was made intra-operatively in 13 (81.3%) of the cases. The commonest anatomical position of the perforation was the large bowel, in 7 (43%) of the cases. Bony food parts were the commonest foreign bodies accidentally swallowed, in 9 (56%) patients. The median hospital stay was 7 days (2-18), while no death occurred in the postoperative period among the patients of the study. The postoperative morbidity rate was 22.2%. The most common complication after foreign body ingestion was the perforation of the gastrointestinal tract. The risk of perforation was higher when sharp foreign bodies were ingested. The pre-operative diagnosis was difficult, and it was usually achieved intra-operatively. (c) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel

Review-Research on the physical training model of human body based on HQ.

PubMed

Junjie, Liu

2016-11-01

Health quotient (HQ) is the newest health culture and concept in the 21st century, and the analysis of the human body sports model is not enough mature at present, what's more, the purpose of this paper is to study the integration of the two subjects the health quotient and the sport model. This paper draws the conclusion that physical training and education in colleges and universities can improve the health quotient, and it will make students possess a more healthy body and mind. Then through a new rigid body model of sports to simulate the human physical exercise. After that this paper has an in-depth study on the dynamic model of the human body movement on the basis of establishing the matrix and equation. The simulation results of the human body bicycle riding and pole throwing show that the human body joint movement simulation can be realized and it has a certain operability as well. By means of such simulated calculation, we can come to a conclusion that the movement of the ankle joint, knee joint and hip joint's motion law and real motion are basically the same. So it further verify the accuracy of the motion model, which lay the foundation of other research movement model, also, the study of the movement model is an important method in the study of human health in the future.

Age-Related Gene Expression Differences in Monocytes from Human Neonates, Young Adults, and Older Adults

PubMed Central

Tong, Ann-Jay; Kollmann, Tobias R.; Smale, Stephen T.

2015-01-01

A variety of age-related differences in the innate and adaptive immune systems have been proposed to contribute to the increased susceptibility to infection of human neonates and older adults. The emergence of RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) provides an opportunity to obtain an unbiased, comprehensive, and quantitative view of gene expression differences in defined cell types from different age groups. An examination of ex vivo human monocyte responses to lipopolysaccharide stimulation or Listeria monocytogenes infection by RNA-seq revealed extensive similarities between neonates, young adults, and older adults, with an unexpectedly small number of genes exhibiting statistically significant age-dependent differences. By examining the differentially induced genes in the context of transcription factor binding motifs and RNA-seq data sets from mutant mouse strains, a previously described deficiency in interferon response factor-3 activity could be implicated in most of the differences between newborns and young adults. Contrary to these observations, older adults exhibited elevated expression of inflammatory genes at baseline, yet the responses following stimulation correlated more closely with those observed in younger adults. Notably, major differences in the expression of constitutively expressed genes were not observed, suggesting that the age-related differences are driven by environmental influences rather than cell-autonomous differences in monocyte development. PMID:26147648

Body Adiposity Index Performance in Estimating Body Fat Percentage in Colombian College Students: Findings from the FUPRECOL-Adults Study.

PubMed

Ramírez-Vélez, Robinson; Correa-Bautista, Jorge Enrique; González-Ruíz, Katherine; Vivas, Andrés; Triana-Reina, Héctor Reynaldo; Martínez-Torres, Javier; Prieto-Benavides, Daniel Humberto; Carrillo, Hugo Alejandro; Ramos-Sepúlveda, Jeison Alexander; Villa-González, Emilio; García-Hermoso, Antonio

2017-01-17

Recently, a body adiposity index (BAI = (hip circumference)/((height)(1.5)) -18 ) was developed and validated in adult populations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of BAI in estimating percentage body fat (BF%) in a sample of Colombian collegiate young adults. The participants were comprised of 903 volunteers (52% females, mean age = 21.4 years ± 3.3). We used the Lin's concordance correlation coefficient, linear regression, Bland-Altman's agreement analysis, concordance correlation coefficient ( ρc ) and the coefficient of determination ( R ²) between BAI, and BF%; by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA)). The correlation between the two methods of estimating BF% was R ² = 0.384, p < 0.001. A paired-sample t -test showed a difference between the methods (BIA BF% = 16.2 ± 3.1, BAI BF% = 30.0 ± 5.4%; p < 0.001). For BIA, bias value was 6.0 ± 6.2 BF% (95% confidence interval (CI) = -6.0 to 18.2), indicating that the BAI method overestimated BF% relative to the reference method. Lin's concordance correlation coefficient was poor ( ρc = 0.014, 95% CI = -0.124 to 0.135; p = 0.414). In Colombian college students, there was poor agreement between BAI- and BIA-based estimates of BF%, and so BAI is not accurate in people with low or high body fat percentage levels.

[Human body structure in Su Wen].

PubMed

Yang, Shizhe

2011-05-01

The ancient medical book Su Wen states that the human is a dual composition of physical and spiritual bodies. Thus, if only physical perspectives were applied to interpret its medical terms, confusion would result because of the misunderstanding of spiritual terms. The descriptions in Su Wen didn't show a complete anatomy system or at least at organ levels. The fragments of its context revealed proofs of gross anatomical studies with measurement in ancient China. Su Wen was not a special work for the circulatory route of the channels, so the anatomy terms used was simple. The anatomy position of the body couldn't be judged. The elementary superficial anatomy system formed, which can be traced from the superficial anatomy locations expounded in the book.

[Measurement of human body fat by means of gravimetry. Application of Archimedes' principle].

PubMed

Dettwiler, W; Ribordy, M; Donath, A; Scherrer, J R

1978-12-02

The weighing of the human body under water is an application of Archimedes' law. Fat being lighter than water or than the structures of lean body mass, body fat can be measured by determining the specific gravity of the human body; that is, by underwater weighing. Body fat has been determined in an "ideal" sample of 14 men and 23 women, all aged 20 years. Testing against a reference measure of body fat makes it possible to test the validity of some anthropometric measurements and of some indices of obesity. These indices offer no advantages over anthropometric measurements.

Association between Human Body Composition and Periodontal Disease.

PubMed

Salekzamani, Yagoub; Shirmohammadi, Adileh; Rahbar, Mohammad; Shakouri, Seyed-Kazem; Nayebi, Farough

2011-01-01

Obesity in humans might increase the risk of periodontitis. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between body composition of males and their periodontal status. AS total of 150 males (aged 30-60) were selected: 31 were periodontally healthy, 45 had gingivitis, 39 had initial periodontitis, and 35 suffered from established periodontitis. BMI (body mass index), WC (waist circumference), and body composition parameters (consisting of body water, body fat, and skeletal muscle and bone mass) were measured. After adjusting for age, history of diabetes, smoking, physical activity status, and socioeconomic status, statistically significant correlations were found between periodontitis and BMI, WC, and body composition. There was only a statistically significant difference between the periodontal health and established periodontitis; that is, periodontal disease in mild forms (gingivitis) and initial periodontitis do not influence these variables (BMI, WC, and body composition parameters) and only the severe form of the disease influences the variables. These data suggest that there is a considerable association between severe forms of periodontal disease in males and their body composition, but this preliminary finding needs to be confirmed in more extensive studies.

Body-image disturbance in adult dialysis patients.

PubMed

Partridge, Kate Alexandra; Robertson, Noelle

2011-01-01

An increasing number of individuals in the UK develop end-stage renal failure and receive dialysis to prolong their lives. Dialysis-users report elevated levels of psychological morbidity which are associated with poorer quality of life, adjustment to illness and increased mortality. Circumscribed evidence has also identified body-image (BI) changes occurring in dialysis-users which are already known to be associated with psychological morbidity in other chronically ill populations. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of body-image disturbance (BID) in a dialysis population, correlation with psychological distress, and to identify any variables associated with increased BID and psychological morbidity. Particular attention was given to cognitive models of emotion which postulate a key role for self-consciousness and appearance-related beliefs. Between May and August 2007, 97 adult haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients from a UK regional specialist centre responded to a questionnaire survey. Outcome measures comprised the Body Image Disturbance Questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Self-consciousness Scale and the Appearance Schemas Inventory-Revised. Prevalence of anxiety and depression was 24.7% and 18.6%, respectively, with levels of BID significantly above community norms for both male and female respondents. Significant associations were found between psychological morbidity and BID and with specific aspects of appearance-schematisation and self-focus. Patients should be educated regarding the likely physical consequences of dialysis-types to aid decision-making and prepare them for impacts once dialysis is commenced. Clinicians may wish to monitor dialysis-users for distress and BI difficulties at follow-up appointments. Interventions that target appearance-related beliefs and BID may be of benefit to this population.

Obstructive sleep apnoea in adults: body postures and weight changes interactions.

PubMed

Oksenberg, Arie; Dynia, Aida; Nasser, Khitam; Gadoth, Natan

2012-08-01

The aim of this work was to study the relationship between changes of body posture dominance and changes of body weight overtime in adults with obstructive sleep apnoea. The participants were 112 non-treated adults with obstructive sleep apnoea who underwent two polysomnographic evaluations at our Sleep Disorders Unit during an average of 6.2years interval. Positional patients - having most of their breathing abnormalities in the supine posture and who became non-positional patients - had a significant gain in weight and a significant increase in apnoea-hypopnoea index, mainly in lateral apnoea-hypopnoea index. On the contrary, non-positional patients who became positional patients had a significant decrease in weight (but less than the increase in weight of positional patients who became non-positional patients) and showed a significant improvement in apnoea-hypopnoea index, again mainly in lateral apnoea-hypopnoea index. These non-positional patients who became positional patients initially had a less severe disease, as judged by apnoea-hypopnoea index, lateral apnoea-hypopnoea index and minimum SaO(2) during non-rapid eye movement sleep, and were less obese than non-positional patients who remained non-positional patients. The later were the patients who showed initially the worst disease and were more obese than the rest of the patients, and their condition did not change significantly over time. Non-positional patients who converted to positional patients showed a decrease in body weight and improvement of obstructive sleep apnoea, while positional patients who converted to non-positional patients showed an increase in body weight and worsening of obstructive sleep apnoea. It appears that weight changes have a modulatory effect on positional dominance, and lateral apnoea-hypopnoea index appears to be a sensitive parameter of these changes. © 2011 European Sleep Research Society.

A topological multilayer model of the human body.

PubMed

Barbeito, Antonio; Painho, Marco; Cabral, Pedro; O'Neill, João

2015-11-04

Geographical information systems deal with spatial databases in which topological models are described with alphanumeric information. Its graphical interfaces implement the multilayer concept and provide powerful interaction tools. In this study, we apply these concepts to the human body creating a representation that would allow an interactive, precise, and detailed anatomical study. A vector surface component of the human body is built using a three-dimensional (3-D) reconstruction methodology. This multilayer concept is implemented by associating raster components with the corresponding vector surfaces, which include neighbourhood topology enabling spatial analysis. A root mean square error of 0.18 mm validated the three-dimensional reconstruction technique of internal anatomical structures. The expansion of the identification and the development of a neighbourhood analysis function are the new tools provided in this model.

Human body perception and higher-level person perception are dissociated in early development.

PubMed

Slaughter, Virginia

2011-01-01

Abstract Developmental data support the proposal that human body perceptual processing is distinct from other aspects of person perception. Infants are sensitive to human bodily motion and attribute goals to human arm movements before they demonstrate recognition of human body structure. The developmental data suggest the possibility of bidirectional linkages between EBA- and FBA-mediated representations and these higher-level elements of person perception.

Analysis of Human Body Bipedal Stability for Neuromotor Disabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baritz, Mihaela; Cristea, Luciana; Rogozea, Liliana; Cotoros, Diana; Repanovici, Angela

2009-04-01

The analysis of different biomechanical aspects of balance and equilibrium is presented in the first part of the paper. We analyzed the posture, balance and stability of human body for a normal person and for a person with loco-motor or neuro-motor disabilities (in the second part). In the third part of the paper we presented the methodology and the experimental setup used to record the human body behavior in postural stability for persons with neuro-motors disabilities. The results and the conclusions are presented in the final part of the paper and also in the future work meant to establish the computer analysis for rehabilitation neuromotor disabilities.

Current perspective on assessment of human body proportions of relevance to amputees.

PubMed

Osterkamp, L K

1995-02-01

Weights of segmental components of the human body are important when evaluating the nutritional status of an amputee. Original standards for components were compiled in 1889 using three male cadavers. Since that time, studies of living subjects have shown men and women to be similar in percentage weight of body components. Cadaver data from 1955 and 1969, which were based on 21 male subjects, showed that human bodies carry greater weight in the head and torso and less weight in legs and arms than indicated by the earlier data. Some differences in component weight may be attributable to ethnicity and aging, but further research is needed to define these differences. The 1955 and 1969 data--whether the result of larger sample size, ethnic differences, or actual change in human body proportions over a 60-year period--are different from the standards for body proportions in the 1889 data, which are presently used, and should be incorporated into the assessment of weight status of amputees.

Body size and lower limb posture during walking in humans.

PubMed

Hora, Martin; Soumar, Libor; Pontzer, Herman; Sládek, Vladimír

2017-01-01

We test whether locomotor posture is associated with body mass and lower limb length in humans and explore how body size and posture affect net joint moments during walking. We acquired gait data for 24 females and 25 males using a three-dimensional motion capture system and pressure-measuring insoles. We employed the general linear model and commonality analysis to assess the independent effect of body mass and lower limb length on flexion angles at the hip, knee, and ankle while controlling for sex and velocity. In addition, we used inverse dynamics to model the effect of size and posture on net joint moments. At early stance, body mass has a negative effect on knee flexion (p < 0.01), whereas lower limb length has a negative effect on hip flexion (p < 0.05). Body mass uniquely explains 15.8% of the variance in knee flexion, whereas lower limb length uniquely explains 5.4% of the variance in hip flexion. Both of the detected relationships between body size and posture are consistent with the moment moderating postural adjustments predicted by our model. At late stance, no significant relationship between body size and posture was detected. Humans of greater body size reduce the flexion of the hip and knee at early stance, which results in the moderation of net moments at these joints.

Body size and lower limb posture during walking in humans

PubMed Central

Hora, Martin; Soumar, Libor; Pontzer, Herman; Sládek, Vladimír

2017-01-01

We test whether locomotor posture is associated with body mass and lower limb length in humans and explore how body size and posture affect net joint moments during walking. We acquired gait data for 24 females and 25 males using a three-dimensional motion capture system and pressure-measuring insoles. We employed the general linear model and commonality analysis to assess the independent effect of body mass and lower limb length on flexion angles at the hip, knee, and ankle while controlling for sex and velocity. In addition, we used inverse dynamics to model the effect of size and posture on net joint moments. At early stance, body mass has a negative effect on knee flexion (p < 0.01), whereas lower limb length has a negative effect on hip flexion (p < 0.05). Body mass uniquely explains 15.8% of the variance in knee flexion, whereas lower limb length uniquely explains 5.4% of the variance in hip flexion. Both of the detected relationships between body size and posture are consistent with the moment moderating postural adjustments predicted by our model. At late stance, no significant relationship between body size and posture was detected. Humans of greater body size reduce the flexion of the hip and knee at early stance, which results in the moderation of net moments at these joints. PMID:28192522