Research

The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and prognostic value of elevated cardiac troponin (cTnT) and its association with clinical characteristics according to renal function status in patients with stable heart failure.

The goal of this study was to compare the adequacy of single and multifrequency bioimpedance analysis (BIA) to evaluate body water compartments, body composition, and nutritional status in maintenance hemodialysis patients.

This thesis is based on clinical studies including virtually all patients treated with peritoneal dialysis in Gothenburg during the 1990s. The patients had a fundamentally altered body composition compared to healthy subjects, characterised by a reduction in body cell mass and body fat already at start of dialysis.

Diabetes mellitus, an impaired blood glucose status is a major cause for loss of valuable human life. The important risk factors include: High familial aggregation, insulin resistance, lifestyle changes due to rapid urbanization and obesity specially central one. This study was carried out in diabetics (study group) & non-diabetic (control group) women of 30-50 years age.

Both energy restriction (ER) per se and weight loss improve glucose metabolism in obese insulintreated type 2 diabetic patients. Short-term ER decreases basal endogenous glucose production (EGP) but not glucose disposal. In contrast the blood glucose-lowering mechanism of long-term ER with substantial weight loss has not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of loss of 50% of excess weight [50% excess weight reduction (EWR)] on EGP, whole-body insulin sensitivity and the disturbed myocellular insulin-signalling pathway in ten obese insulin-treated type 2 diabetic patients.

Most insulin-requiring diabetes patients in Ethiopia have an atypical form of the disease, which resembles previous descriptions of malnutrition-related diabetes. As so little is known about its aetiology, we have carried out a case–control study to evaluate its social and nutritional determinants.

Assessment of muscle wasting in COPD is relevant as it is independently associated with metabolic and functional consequences and even survival. Muscle wasting can be approached by assessing fat free mass (FFM), but it is already demonstrated that FFM measured by bio-electrical impedance analysis (BIA) underestimates FFM measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (FFM_DExA) in a relatively small COPD group.

Systemic inflammation may contribute to cachexia in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In this longitudinal study we assessed the association between circulating C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1ß, and IL-6 levels and subsequent loss of fat free mass and fat mass in more than 400 COPD patients over three years.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is considered a major public health problem in the world. Weight loss, muscle and fat mass depletion are common nutritional problems in COPD patients and are determinant factors in pulmonary function, health status, disability and mortality. In the present study, we assessed nutritional status in COPD patients.

The measurement of body composition is of value in the nutritional assessment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The purpose of the present study was to compare two bedside methods for the measurement of body composition using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) as a reference method.