Body composition assessment is often used in clinical practice for nutritional evaluation and monitoring. The standard method, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), is hardly feasible in routine clinical practice contrary to Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) method. We thus aimed to compare body composition assessment by DXA and BIA according to the body mass index (BMI) in a large cohort. Retrospectively, we analysed DXA and BIA measures in patients followed in a Nutrition Unit from 2010 to 2016. Body composition was assessed under standardized conditions in the morning, after a fasting period of 12 h, by DXA (Lunar Prodigy Advance) and BIA (Bodystat QuadScan 4000, Manufacturer’s equation). Bland-Altman test was performed for each class of BMI (kg/m²) and fat mass and fat free mass values were compared using Kruskal-Wallis test. Pearson correlations were also performed and the concordance coefficient of Lin was calculated. Whatever the BMI, BIA and DXA methods reported higher concordance for values of FM than FFM. Body composition values were very closed for patients with BMI between 16 and 18,5 (difference < 1kg). For BMI > 18,5 and BMI < 40, BIA overestimated fat free mass from 3,38 to 8,28 kg, and underestimated fat mass from 2,51 to 5,67 kg compared with DXA method. For BMI ≥ 40, differences vary with BMI. For BMI < 16, BIA underestimated fat free mass by 2,25 kg, and overestimated fat mass by 2,57 kg. However, limits of agreement were very large either for FM and FFM values, irrespective of BMI. The small bias, particularly in patients with BMI between 16 and 18, suggests that BIA and DXA methods are interchangeable at a population level. However, concordance between BIA and DXA methods at the individual level is lacking, irrespective of BMI.

The American Journal of Gastroenterology is published by Nature Publishing Group (NPG) on behalf of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG). Ranked the #1 clinical journal covering gastroenterology and hepatology*, The American Journal of Gastroenterology (AJG) provides practical and professional support for clinicians dealing with the gastroenterological disorders seen most often in patients. Published with practicing clinicians in mind, the journal aims to be easily accessible, organizing its content by topic, both online and in print. www.amjgastro.com, *2007 Journal Citation Report (Thomson Reuters, 2008)

Glutamine (Gln)–supplemented total parenteral nutrition (TPN) improves clinical outcome after planned surgery, but the benefits of Gln-TPN for critically ill (intensive care unit; ICU) patients are still debated. Prospective, double-blind, controlled, randomized trial. ICUs in 16 hospitals in France. One-hundred fourteen ICU patients admitted for multiple trauma (38), complicated surgery (65), or pancreatitis (11). Patients were randomized to receive isocaloric isonitrogenous TPN via a central venous catheter providing 37.5 kcal and 1.5 g amino acids·kg−1·day−1 supplemented with either L-alanyl-L-glutamine dipeptide (0.5 g·kg−1·day−1; Ala-Gln group, n = 58) or L-alanine + L-proline (control group, n = 56) over at least 5 days. Complicated clinical outcome was defined a priori by the occurrence of infectious complications (according to the criteria of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), wound complication, or death. The two groups were compared by chi-square test on an intention-to-treat basis. The two groups did not differ at inclusion for type and severity of injury (mean simplified acute physiology score II, 30 vs. 30.5; mean injury severity score, 44.9 vs. 42.3). Similar volumes of TPN were administered in both groups. Ala-Gln-supplemented TPN was associated with a lower incidence of complicated outcome (41% vs. 61%; p < .05), which was mainly due to a reduced infection rate per patient (mean, 0.45 vs. 0.71; p < .05) and incidence of pneumonia (10 vs. 19; p < .05). Early death rate during treatment and 6-month survival were not different. Hyperglycemia was less frequent (20 vs. 30 patients; p < .05) and there were fewer insulin-requiring patients (14 vs. 22; p < .05) in the Ala-Gln group. TPN supplemented with Ala-Gln dipeptide in ICU patients is associated with a reduced rate of infectious complications and better metabolic tolerance.

The American Journal of Gastroenterology is published by Nature Publishing Group (NPG) on behalf of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG). Ranked the #1 clinical journal covering gastroenterology and hepatology*, The American Journal of Gastroenterology (AJG) provides practical and professional support for clinicians dealing with the gastroenterological disorders seen most often in patients. Published with practicing clinicians in mind, the journal aims to be easily accessible, organizing its content by topic, both online and in print. www.amjgastro.com, *2007 Journal Citation Report (Thomson Reuters, 2008)

We have previously shown that α-linolenic acid (ALA), a (n-3) PUFA exerts in vitro antiinflammatory effects in the intestine. In this study, we aimed