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Human body tissues have a strong effect on the antenna operation in wireless body area networks (WBANs). In this study, the authors present the deep investigations of the effect of body tissue thicknesses on the performance of an ultra wideband (UWB) loop antenna by simulations when the antenna is operated on contact with tissues. The planar UWB loop antenna is designed for the examinations, which is targeted to be used in UWB WBAN applications. The effect of tissue thicknesses on the antenna performance is analysed and characterised in the terms of reflection coefficient S11, gain and total antenna efficiency, group delay, radiation patterns and specific absorption rate by simulations. A parametric layered human body tissue model with the frequency-dependent behaviour is exploited in the investigations. Further, the reflection coefficient of the presented antenna is measured in the different locations of the author's body. The main aim of these investigations is to demonstrate how the thickness of outermost body tissues affects the antenna performance.

Aims/hypothesisMaternal type 2 diabetes during pregnancy and gestational diabetes are associated with childhood adiposity; however, associations of lower maternal glucose levels during pregnancy with childhood adiposity, independent of maternal BMI, remain less clear. The objective was to examine associations of maternal glucose levels during pregnancy with childhood adiposity in the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome (HAPO) cohort.MethodsThe HAPO Study was an observational epidemiological international multi-ethnic investigation that established strong associations of glucose levels during pregnancy with multiple adverse perinatal outcomes. The HAPO Follow-up Study (HAPO FUS) included 4832 children from ten HAPO centres whose mothers had a 75 g OGTT at ~28 weeks gestation 10–14 years earlier, with glucose values blinded to participants and clinical caregivers. The primary outcome was child adiposity, including: (1) being overweight/obese according to sex- and age-specific cut-offs based on the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria; (2) IOTF-defined obesity only; and (3) measurements >85th percentile for sum of skinfolds, waist circumference and per cent body fat. Primary predictors were maternal OGTT and HbA1c values during pregnancy.ResultsFully adjusted models that included maternal BMI at pregnancy OGTT indicated positive associations between maternal glucose predictors and child adiposity outcomes. For one SD difference in pregnancy glucose and HbA1c measures, ORs for each child adiposity outcome were in the range of 1.05–1.16 for maternal fasting glucose, 1.11–1.19 for 1 h glucose, 1.09–1.21 for 2 h glucose and 1.12–1.21 for HbA1c. Associations were significant, except for associations of maternal fasting glucose with offspring being overweight/obese or having waist circumference >85th percentile. Linearity was confirmed in all adjusted models. Exploratory sex-specific analyses indicated generally consistent associations for boys and girls.Conclusions/interpretationExposure to higher levels of glucose in utero is independently associated with childhood adiposity, including being overweight/obese, obesity, skinfold thickness, per cent body fat and waist circumference. Glucose levels less than those diagnostic of diabetes are associated with greater childhood adiposity; this may have implications for long-term metabolic health.

Background Gum Arabic (acacia Senegal) is a complex polysaccharide indigestible to both humans and animals. It has been considered as a safe dietary fiber by the United States, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since the 1970s. Although its effects were extensively studied in animals, there is paucity of data regarding its quantified use in humans. This study was conducted to determine effects of regular Gum Arabic (GA) ingestion on body mass index and body fat percentage among healthy adult females. Methods A two-arm randomized, placebo controlled, double-blind trial was conducted in the Department of Physiology at the Khartoum University. A total of 120 healthy females completed the study. They were divided to two groups: A test group of 60 volunteers receiving GA (30 gm /day) for 6 weeks and a placebo group of 60 volunteers receiving pectin (1 gm/day) for the same period of time. Weight and height were measured before and after intervention using standardized height and weight scales. Skin fold thickness was measured using Harpenden Skin fold caliper. Fat percentage was calculated using Jackson and Pollock 7 caliper method and Siri equation. Results Pre and post analysis among the study group showed significant reduction in BMI by 0.32 (95% CI: 0.17 to 0.47; P<0.0001) and body fat percentage by 2.18% (95% CI: 1.54 to 2.83; P<0.0001) following regular intake of 30 gm /day Gum Arabic for six weeks. Side effects caused by GA ingestion were experienced only in the first week. They included unfavorable viscous sensation in the mouth, early morning nausea, mild diarrhea and bloating abdomen. Conclusions GA ingestion causes significant reduction in BMI and body fat percentage among healthy adult females. The effect could be exploited in the treatment of obesity.

Background Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) has been suggested to exert deleterious effects on myocardium and cardiovascular disease (CVD) consequence. We evaluated the associations of EAT thickness with adverse outcomes and its potential mediators in the community. Methods Participants without heart failure (HF) who had undergone cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) to measure EAT thickness over the right ventricular free wall from the Framingham Heart Study were included. The correlation of EAT thickness with 85 circulating biomarkers and cardiometric parameters was assessed in linear regression models. The occurrence of HF, atrial fibrillation, coronary heart disease (CHD), and other adverse events was tracked since CMR was implemented. Their associations with EAT thickness and the mediators were evaluated using Cox regression and causal mediation analysis. Results Of 1554 participants, 53.0% were females. Mean age, body mass index, and EAT thickness were 63.3 years, 28.1 kg/m 2 , and 9.8 mm, respectively. After fully adjusting, EAT thickness positively correlated with CRP, LEP, GDF15, MMP8, MMP9, ORM1, ANGPTL3, and SERPINE1 and negatively correlated with N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), IGFBP1, IGFBP2, AGER, CNTN1, and MCAM. Increasing EAT thickness was associated with smaller left ventricular end-diastolic dimension, thicker left ventricular wall thickness, and worse global longitudinal strain (GLS). During a median follow-up of 12.7 years, 101 incident HF occurred. Per 1-standard deviation increment of EAT thickness was associated with a higher risk of HF (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.43, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.19–1.72, P  < 0.001) and the composite outcome consisting of myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, HF, and death from CVD (adjusted HR [95% CI], 1.23 [1.07–1.40], P  = 0.003). Mediation effect in the association between thicker EAT and higher risk of HF was observed with NT-proBNP (HR [95% CI], 0.95 [0.92–0.98], P  = 0.011) and GLS (HR [95% CI], 1.04 [1.01–1.07], P  = 0.032). Conclusions EAT thickness was correlated with inflammation and fibrosis-related circulating biomarkers, cardiac concentric change, myocardial strain impairment, incident HF risk, and overall CVD risk. NT-proBNP and GLS might partially mediate the effect of thickened EAT on the risk of HF. EAT could refine the assessment of CVD risk and become a new therapeutic target of cardiometabolic diseases. Trial registration URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov . Identifier: NCT00005121.

Background Prior epidemiological and animal work has linked in utero exposure to ambient air pollutants (AAP) with accelerated postnatal weight gain, which is predictive of increased cardiometabolic risk factors in childhood and adolescence. However, few studies have assessed changes in infant body composition or multiple pollutant exposures. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine relationships between prenatal residential AAP exposure with infant growth and adiposity. Methods Residential exposure to AAP (particulate matter < 2.5 and 10 microns in aerodynamic diameter [PM 2.5 , PM 10 ]; nitrogen dioxide [NO 2 ]; ozone [O 3 ]; oxidative capacity [O x wt : redox-weighted oxidative potential of O 3 and NO 2 ]) was modeled by spatial interpolation of monitoring stations via an inverse distance-squared weighting (IDW2) algorithm for 123 participants from the longitudinal Mother’s Milk Study, an ongoing cohort of Hispanic mother-infant dyads from Southern California. Outcomes included changes in infant growth (weight, length), total subcutaneous fat (TSF; calculated via infant skinfold thickness measures) and fat distribution (umbilical circumference, central to total subcutaneous fat [CTSF]) and were calculated by subtracting 1-month measures from 6-month measures. Multivariable linear regression was performed to examine relationships between prenatal AAP exposure and infant outcomes. Models adjusted for maternal age, pre-pregnancy body mass index, socioeconomic status, infant age, sex, and breastfeeding frequency. Sex interactions were tested, and effects are reported for each standard deviation increase in exposure. Results NO 2 was associated with greater infant weight gain (β = 0.14, p  = 0.02) and TSF (β = 1.69, p  = 0.02). PM 10 and PM 2.5 were associated with change in umbilical circumference (β = 0.73, p  = 0.003) and TSF (β = 1.53, p  = 0.04), respectively. Associations of O x wt (p interactions  < 0.10) with infant length change, umbilical circumference, and CTSF were modified by infant sex. O x wt was associated with attenuated infant length change among males (β = -0.60, p  = 0.01), but not females (β = 0.16, p  = 0.49); umbilical circumference among females (β = 0.92, p  = 0.009), but not males (β = -0.00, p  = 0.99); and CTSF among males (β = 0.01, p  = 0.03), but not females (β = 0.00, p  = 0.51). Conclusion Prenatal AAP exposure was associated with increased weight gain and anthropometric measures from 1-to-6 months of life among Hispanic infants. Sex-specific associations suggest differential consequences of in utero oxidative stress. These results indicate that prenatal AAP exposure may alter infant growth, which has potential to increase childhood obesity risk.

Previously we have reported decrease in hepatic and pancreatic fat fraction with Dapagliflozin (DAPA). In this research, we evaluated the effects of Metformin intervention for 120 days on hepatic fat fraction (HFF) and pancreatic fat fraction (PFF), hepatic fibrosis, and Metformin and DAPA, on Fetuin-A levels in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Patients were given 1000 mg of Metformin/day (n, 15) and DAPA 10 mg/day (n, 30) for a period of 120 days. Changes in anthropometry, surrogate markers of insulin resistance, body composition, vibration-controlled transient elastography (VTE, for CAP, and kPa) parameters, HFF) and PFF (both by MRI-PDFF) and serum fetuin-A levels were evaluated. After 120 days of treatment with Metformin and DAPA, a significant reduction in body weight, body mass index (BMI), percentage body fat, waist and hip circumferences, and total skinfold thickness was observed. A significant reduction in fetuin-A was seen with both Metformin and DAPA treatment, previously not reported for latter drug. Metformin significantly decreased CAP and kPa (VTE) but did not decrease HFF and PFF. Metformin and DAPA, after 120 days of use, reduced Fetuin-A levels, and Metformin decreased CAP and kPa but not HFF and PFF. Reduction of Fetuin-A levels with Metformin and DAPA have important pathophysiological implications for T2D in Asian Indians.

The skin is a three-dimensional organ composed of multilayered tissues, in which the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous adipose layer cooperate to maintain protection, thermoregulation, and repair. Although recent advances in tissue-engineered skin substitutes have improved cutaneous regeneration, strategies that simultaneously promote dermal and adipose restoration remain limited. Here, we developed a bi-layered tissue-engineered skin scaffold with dermal–adipose architecture fabricated by conjugate electrospinning of polycaprolactone solutions containing acellular dermal matrix (ADM) or decellularized adipose tissue (DAT). The construct exhibited dual bioactivity: stimulating fibroblast proliferation and collagen remodeling in the dermal layer, while promoting adipose-derived stem cell proliferation and adipogenesis in the adipose layer. In a full-thickness nude rat wound model, the scaffold enhanced vascularization, modulated inflammation, and accelerated regeneration of both dermal and adipose tissues. These findings demonstrate a versatile platform for multilayered skin tissue engineering and provide new insight into dermal–adipose synergistic regeneration. Graphical abstract

BackgroundPotentially driven by the lack of mother-to-infant transmission of microbiota at birth, cesarean delivery has been associated with higher risk of offspring obesity. Yet, no studies have examined when delivery-mode differences in adiposity begin to emerge. In this study, we examine differences in infant weight and adiposity trajectories from birth to 12 months by delivery mode.MethodsFrom 2013 to 2015, we recruited pregnant women into the Nurture Study and followed up their 666 infants. We ascertained maternal delivery method and infant birth weight from medical records. We measured weight, length, and skinfold thicknesses (subscapular, triceps, abdominal) when infants were 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of age. The main outcome, infant weight-for-length z score, was derived based on the WHO Child Growth Standards. We used linear regression models to assess the difference at each time point and used linear mixed models to examine the growth rate for infant weight and adiposity trajectories. We controlled for maternal age, race, marital status, education level, household income, smoking status, maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index, and infant birth weight.ResultsOf the 563 infants in our final sample, 179 (31.8%) were cesarean delivered. From birth to 12 months, the rate of increase in weight-for-length z score was 0.02/month (p = 0.03) greater for cesarean-delivered than vaginally-delivered infants. As a result of more rapid growth, cesarean-delivered infants had higher weight-for-length z score (0.26, 95% CI: 0.05, 0.47) and sum of subscapular and triceps (SS + TR) skinfold thickness (0.95 mm, 95% CI: 0.30, 1.60)—an indicator for overall adiposity—at 12 months, compared to vaginally-delivered infants.ConclusionsCompared to vaginal delivery, cesarean delivery was associated with greater offspring rate of weight gain over the first year and differences in adiposity that appear as early as 3 months of age. Monitoring cesarean-delivered infants closely for excess weight gain may help guide primordial prevention of obesity later in life.

Background/Objective: Evidence is accumulating that the long-chain PUFA (LCPUFA) are associated with offspring growth and body composition. We investigated the relationship between LCPUFAs in red blood cells (RBCs) of pregnant women/breastfeeding mothers and umbilical cord RBCs of their neonates with infant growth and body composition ⩽1 year of age. Subjects/Methods: In an open-label randomized, controlled trial, 208 healthy pregnant women received a dietary intervention (daily supplementation with 1200 mg n-3 LCPUFAs and dietary counseling to reduce arachidonic acid (AA) intake) from the 15th week of gestation until 4 months of lactation or followed their habitual diet. Fatty acids of plasma phospholipids (PLs) and RBCs from maternal and cord blood were determined and associated with infant body weight, body mass index (BMI), lean body mass and fat mass assessed by skinfold thickness measurements and ultrasonography. Results: Dietary intervention significantly reduced the n-6/n-3 LCPUFA ratio in maternal and cord-blood plasma PLs and RBCs. Maternal RBCs docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), n-3 LCPUFAs and n-6 LCPUFAs at the 32nd week of gestation were positively related to birth weight. Maternal n-3 LCPUFAs, n-6 LCPUFAs and AA were positively associated with birth length. Maternal RBCs AA and n-6 LCPUFAs were significantly negatively related to BMI and Ponderal Index at 1 year postpartum, but not to fat mass. Conclusion: Maternal DHA, AA, total n-3 LCPUFAs and n-6 LCPUFAs might serve as prenatal growth factors, while n-6 LCPUFAs also seems to regulate postnatal growth. The maternal n-6/n-3 LCPUFA ratio does not appear to have a role in adipose tissue development during early postnatal life.

Combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) has extended life expectancy for people with HIV, but long-term treatment is associated with adverse changes in body composition and cardiovascular risk. We evaluated 36-month changes in adiposity, metabolic parameters, and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in Thai adults initiating ART. A prospective cohort of 132 ART-naïve adults was followed for 36 months. Assessments at baseline, 12, 24, and 36 months included anthropometry; body composition by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA); metabolic and renal indices; and bilateral carotid ultrasound. Longitudinal changes were analyzed using non-parametric tests, and correlations were examined between cIMT and body composition or metabolic measures. Virological suppression exceeded 90% and CD4 counts improved steadily. However, notable adiposity changes were observed. Median BMI and waist circumference increased (both p < 0.01); total fat mass rose by 6.7%; visceral adipose tissue (VAT) increased by 33%; and the android/gynoid ratio exceeded 1.0 by 24 months, reflecting central fat redistribution. Fasting glucose increased (p < 0.05) while HOMA-β declined (p < 0.05), indicating early β-cell dysfunction; lipid profiles remained stable. Mean cIMT increased across arterial segments, most prominently at the carotid bifurcations (right: 0.644 mm at baseline to 0.729 mm at 36 months; + 0.085 mm; left: 0.675 mm at baseline to 0.756 mm at 36 months; + 0.081 mm both p < 0.01). Right bifurcation cIMT correlated positively with BMI, waist circumference, VAT, fasting glucose, and total cholesterol (all p < 0.05). Despite durable viral suppression and immune recovery, long-term ART was associated with central fat accumulation and progressive cIMT thickening, particularly at the carotid bifurcations. These findings underscore the need for cardiometabolic risk monitoring as part of routine HIV care to identify early changes that precede overt disease.