New Anthropometric Indices as Determinants of Overwieght and Predictors of Metabolic and Cardiovascular Disability in Women.

Obesity increases the risk of diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease and physical disability but modest overweight is less properly quantified and investigated. Objective of this work is to critically assess the Body Mass Index (BMI) and other anthropometric measurements to define overweight in addition to obesity, as overweight itself influences hypertension and other diseases which are revealed by the present investigation. For the diagnosis and prevention of the complication of obesity earlier diagnosis and prevention of overweight is more essential than to treat obesity. Two thousand women aged between 20-60 years were investigated. Their height, weight, chest circumference, abdomen circumference, hip circumference and mid arm circumference were measured. Besides blood sugar (fasting) and cholesterol (fasting) in all and lipid profile (fasting) in 200 women were estimated and their E.C.G. changes were also assessed. Their physical efficiencies were also tested computing all these data following guidelines of weight for adult women are proposed. Maximum Body Weight (M.B.W) - (Height in cm - 100 cm) × kg/cm. Above this weight (M.B.W.) is overweight. 15% higher than above (M.B.W.) is obesity. 15% less than maximum weight is underweight. 30% less than maximum is morbid underweight. The morbid underweight subjects are unable to carry 5 kgs weight for 10 minutes. Ratio of Chest circumference / Abdomen circumference or Waist circumference (C/W) must be more than unity, preferably more that 1.05. Ratio of Height/Mid arm circumference should be between 6.00 to 7.50. Ratio below 6.00 is overweight. Ratio above 7.50 is underweight.

Comparative Study of Platelet Count in Different Trimesters of Pregnancy and in Non- Pregnant Women of Same Age Group.

Thrombocytes are essential for hemostasis. Increase as well as decrease in platelet count has been reported to affect the outcome of pregnancy in various studies. This study was done to find if there was any variation in the total count of platelets in the peripheral blood in different trimesters of pregnancy, when compared to the nonpregnant individuals of same age group in the local population. Peripheral blood samples were taken from pregnant women of 18-36 years of age. 20 subjects of each trimester were tested. Samples were collected from 20 non-pregnant subjects of comparable age group for control. Platelet count was done by Brecher and Cronkite method. In the non-pregnant group, the mean platelet count was 208500 per cu mm of blood (±50157). The mean platelet counts per cu mm of blood in the three consecutive trimesters were: 255900, 274800 and 283900 respectively. All the values were significantly higher (p<0.001) when compared to the non-pregnant group. Our study shows there is a definite rise in the total platelet count as pregnancy progresses towards completion. But the count does not exceed the reference values as per international standard.

A hospital-based study on pulmonary function tests and exercise tolerance in patients of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other diseases.

A total of 105 male and 60 female patients were screened in the respiratory medicine outpatients' department, Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research, Kolkata between December, 2002 and January, 2005. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients were diagnosed on the basis of history and clinical examination while patients with body mass index > or =25 and otherwise disease-free were grouped as overweights. Patients suffering from other diseases like systemic hypertension, etc, were referred from other departments after proper evaluation. The patients and controls (n=10) each for male and female groups were subjected to spirometry using computerised electronic spirometer while exercise tolerance was evaluated by modified Harvard step test. Thirty-nine male and 21 female patients were diagnosed and grouped in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease group. Both purely obstructive [forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC)% pred<70 and reduced FEV1% pred] and mixed (both obstructive and restrictive pattern ie, FEV1/FVC% pred normal or supernormal, FVC% pred <80 indicating restrictive pattern and forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of the vital capacity (FEF(25-75)) pred or peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR)% pred <70 indicating early small airway obstruction pattern were seen in both sexes. Although the exercise tolerance values were non-significant in both sexes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease obstructive pattern group, in mixed pattern group it was seen significant reduction compared to control. Hypertensives (21 males and 7 females) showed obstructive spirometric pattern. Exercise tolerance values were significantly reduced compared to controls. Male overweights (n=13) showed restrictive pattern while female overweights (n=8) showed obstructive pattern in spirometry. Exercise tolerance values were non-significant compared to control in both the groups. In ischaemic heart disease patients (n=6) FEV1%pred showed significant reduction in spirometry. In patients suffering from type 2 diabetes mellitus (n=4), post-tuberculous group (n=7), hypothyroid (n=6), collagen vascular disease group (n=6) showed restrictive spirometric pattern and the above groups including IHD patients showed significant reduction in exercise tolerance values. Some authors have stated that mixed ventilatory defect is characterised by low FEV1/FVC% pred in spirometry and low lung volumes where the lung volumes have to be ascertained by other methods but in the present investigation it was observed that mixed ventilatory defect can be estimated by spirometry; PEFR and/or FEF(25-75%). pred <70% whereas FEV1/FVC% pred is normal or supernormal. This finding is completely new one to predict mixed ventilatory defect.

Effect of glucocorticoid on protein and creatine content of inactivated muscle of rats.

In denervation, there was loss of protein in gastrocnemius muscles and this loss of was more in prednisolone treated animals. There was significant change of protein loss between tenotomy and tenotomy with prednisolone treatment. The reduction of protein in denervation and denervation with prednisolone treatment were also highly significant. Significant loss of muscle creatine was observed in denervation with prednisolone treatment. It was about 50% of the normal control group and about 40% when compared to other limb. In denervation alone, the creatine loss was about 24%. In tenotomy and in tenotomy with prednisolone treatment, the loss of creatine was also significantly high. All these figures regarding the reduction of muscle creatine in different experiments were highly significant. The reduction of muscle weight, protein and creatine content of muscle in denervation were due to inactivation of the muscle and due to trophic changes caused by loss of motor supply to the muscle. But in tenotomy, the reductions were only due to inactivation.