title: Chest CT measures of muscle and adipose tissue in COPD: gender-based differences in content and in relationships with blood biomarkers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Computed tomography (CT) of the chest can be used to assess pectoralis muscle area (PMA) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) area. Adipose tissue content is associated with inflammatory mediators in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) subjects. Based on gender differences in body composition, we aimed to assess the hypothesis that in subjects with COPD, the relationships between PMA, SAT, and blood biomarkers of inflammation differ by gender.
  
  
  METHODS
  We compared chest CT measures of PMA and SAT on a single slice at aortic arch and supraesternal notch levels from 73 subjects (28 women) with COPD between genders. The relationships of PMA and SAT area to biomarkers were assessed using within-gender regression models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women had a lesser PMA and a greater SAT area than men (difference range for PMA, 13.3-22.8 cm²; for SAT, 11.8-12.4 cm²; P < .05 for all comparisons) at both anatomic levels. These differences in PMA and SAT remained significant after adjustment for age and body mass index. Within-gender regression models adjusted for age showed that SAT was directly associated with C-reactive protein (for aortic arch level, P = .04) and fibrinogen (for both anatomic locations, P = .003) only in women, whereas PMA was not associated with any biomarkers in either gender.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It appears that in subjects with COPD, there are gender-based differences in the relationships between subcutaneous adipose tissue and inflammatory biomarkers.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA 02115. Electronic address: ADiaz6@Partners.org.
authors.forename: Alejandro A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Diaz
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA 02115.
authors.forename: Linfu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA 02115.
authors.forename: Tom P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Young
authors.affiliation: Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Merry-Lynn
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.affiliation: Surgical Planning Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Rola
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Harmouche
authors.affiliation: Surgical Planning Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.affiliation: Surgical Planning Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Raul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: San Jose Estepar
authors.affiliation: Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Emiel F M
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Wouters
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and James Hogg Research Centre, Institute for Heart and Lung Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Harvey O
authors.initials: HO
authors.lastname: Coxson
authors.affiliation: University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: MacNee
authors.affiliation: University of Nebraska, Omaha, Nebraska.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rennard
authors.affiliation: Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, Université Laval, Québec, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Maltais
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado.
authors.forename: Gregory L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Kinney
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado.
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Hokanson
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA 02115.
authors.forename: George R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Washko
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D038622:Internationality; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012132:Respiratory Muscles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D017678:Sex Distribution; D050151:Subcutaneous Fat / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D005340:Fibrinogen; D002097:C-Reactive Protein
keywords: COPD; CRP; CT; IL-6; adipose subcutaneous tissue; biomarkers; fibrinogen; pectoralis muscle
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