Evolution has provided an elaborate network of regulatory systems that stabilize body-fluid volume, temperature and composition. This stability insulates cells from an ambient hostile world and assures them the best possible conditions in which to function optimally. When one of these regulatory systems fails, cells and even whole organ systems cannot function properly. This paper [...]
BACKGROUND: The water-deficit equation {WD(1) = 0.6 — B(m) — [1 - (140 · Na(+))]; B(m) denotes body mass} is used in medicine and nutrition to estimate the volume (L) of water required to correct dehydration during the initial stages of fluid-replacement therapy. Several equation assumptions may limit its accuracy, but none have been systematically [...]
OBJECTIVE: Many clinicians believe that exercise-associated muscle cramps (EAMC) occur because of dehydration. Experimental research supporting this theory is lacking. Mild hypohydration (3% body mass loss) does not alter threshold frequency (TF), a measure of cramp susceptibility, when fatigue and exercise intensity are controlled. No experimental research has examined TF following significant (3-5% body mass [...]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23220356
Indices of plasma hypertonicity, elevated plasma concentrations of solutes that draw fluid out of cells by osmosis, are needed to pursue hypertonicity as a possible risk factor for obesity and chronic disease. This paper proposes a new index that may be more sensitive to mild hypertonicity in vivo at a point in time than traditional measures. The index compares mean corpuscular volume (MCV) estimates from [...]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23216505
Background and Aims: Fluid requirements of children vary as a function of gender and age. To our knowledge, there is very little literature on the hydration status of French children. We assessed the morning hydration status in a large sample of 529 French schoolchildren aged 9-11 years. Methods: Recruited children completed a questionnaire on fluid [...]
The intact skin represents a barrier to the uncontrolled loss of water, proteins, and plasma components from the organism. Owing to its complex structure, the epidermal barrier with its major layer, the stratum corneum, is the rate-limiting unit for the penetration of exogenous substances through the skin. The epidermal barrier is not a static structure. [...]
OBJECTIVE: Recent data suggest that as many as 50% of older adults may have hypertonic plasma, an indicator of cell dehydration that predicts a range of adverse outcomes. To determine if a prevalence of this magnitude could be real, this study used nationally representative data to estimate the prevalence of hypertonicity, and to test for biologically plausible associations between hypertonicity, older age, glucose dysregulation, hemoconcentration, reduced bioelectrical [...]
CONTEXT: Decisions surrounding the administration of clinically assisted hydration to patients dying of cancer can be challenging because of the limited understanding of hydration in advanced cancer and a lack of evidence to guide health care professionals. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) has been used to assess hydration in various patient groupings, but evidence for its [...]