No abstract

Catabolism of lean body mass (particularly muscle) occurs in sepsis and other forms of critical illness despite apparently adequate nutritional support. The determination of the optimal balance of carbohydrate and fat intake in this circumstance should be based on the resulting effect on the maintenance of lean body mass, and the nature and extent of any side effects. The general stress response involves a disruption in normal glucoregulation, in that hepatic glucose production is accelerated and the normal blood glucose lowering action of insulin is diminished. Nonetheless, the capacity to oxidize glucose once inside the cells is not impaired. Lipolysis, or the breakdown of peripheral triglycerides to free fatty acids (FFA) and glycerol, is accelerated in critical illness, to a greater extent than fat oxidation. Provision of exogenous fat maintains fat stores, but has minimal effect on the direct oxidation of plasma FFA. From the results of oxidation studies, it seems that about 5 mg kgÁmin of glucose can be readily oxidized, and the balance of energy will be supplied by the oxidation of fat, either endogenous or exogenous. However, an additional consideration in determining the optimal caloric substrate is that insulin is a potent anabolic hormone and stimulates muscle protein synthesis. Consequently, provision of exogenous insulin enhances retention of muscle. This procedure dictates that almost all non-protein calories be provided as carbohydrate to avoid hypoglycemia. Preliminary studies suggest this may be the optimal approach in critically ill patients. Glucose and fatty acids are the major energy substrates in the body. The oxidative metabolism of these substrates provides the ATP needed for physiological function, including protein synthesis. Over the past 20 y, development of new techniques in nutritional support have made it possible to provide large amounts of carbohydrate and fat to critically-ill patients, along with protein or amino acids. However, despite providing such patients with what should be more than adequate caloric and protein intake, critically ill patients lose lean body mass (Streat et al, 1987), largely because of persistent muscle catabolism (Sakurai et al, 1995). The general relation between energy substrate metabolism and maintenance of lean body mass has been recognized for many years (Calloway & Spector, 1954), so it is important to examine the alterations in energy substrate metabolism that occur in response to critical illness that may play a role in causing the persistent catabolism of muscle protein.

No abstract

Type I collagen is the major bone protein. Little is known quantitatively about human bone collagen synthesis in vivo, despite its importance for the understanding of bone formation and turnover. Our aim was to develop a method that could be used for the physiological and pathophysiological investigation of human bone collagen synthesis. We have carried out preliminary studies in patients undergoing hip replacement and in pigs to validate the use of the flooding dose method using (13)C- or (15)N-labelled proline and we have now refined our techniques to allow them to be used in a normal clinical or physiological setting. The results show that the application of a flooding dose causes bone free-proline labelling to equilibrate with that of blood in pigs and human beings, so that only 150 mg of bone will provide enough sample to prepare and measure the labelling of three fractions of bone collagen (dissolved in NaCl, acetic acid and pepsin/acetic acid) which have the same relative labelling (1.0:0.43:0.1) as measured by GC-combustion-isotope ratio MS. The rates of incorporation were substantially faster than in skeletal muscle samples taken at the same time. The results suggest that different fractions of human bone collagen turnover at markedly higher rates than had been previously considered. This approach should allow us to discover how growth and development, food, activity and drugs affect bone collagen turnover and to measure the effects on it of ageing and bone disease.