Analysis of Grip Strength and Its Explanatory Factors in Older Patients with Gastrointestinal Tumours.

Aim: To investigate the grip strength of older patients with gastrointestinal tumours and analyse its explanatory factors. Methods: A total of 170 older patients with gastrointestinal tumours admitted to the Gastrointestinal Surgery Department of a Grade-III hospital in the Zhejiang province from January 2022 to December 2022 were selected as the investigation participants. Among them, there were 102 cases of gastric cancer (60.0%) and 68 cases of colon cancer (40.0%). There were 110 male patients (64.7%) and 60 female patients (35.3%), with patient ages ranging between 64 and 82 years old. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a general data questionnaire, grip apparatus and the Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS-2002) score. Multiple linear regression was used to analyse the explanatory factors on the grip strength of older patients with gastrointestinal tumours. Results: The grip strength of older patients with gastrointestinal tumours was 25.3±5.3 kg. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that gender, age, disease, body mass index (BMI), albumin concentration and the NRS-2002 score were the main explanatory factors on grip strength (P<0.05). Conclusion: Grip strength was lower in older patients with gastrointestinal tumours and was lower in females, those aged ≥70 years, patients with colorectal cancer, individuals with a BMI of <18.5, those with an albumin concentration of <35g/l and those with an NRS2002 score of ≥3. Clinical staff should dynamically evaluate the level of grip strength in patients with gastrointestinal tumors and develop individualized interventions based on the related explanatory factors.

Increased postoperative complications after laparoscopic gastrectomy in patients with preserved ratio impaired spirometry.

BACKGROUND: Preserved ratio impaired spirometry (PRISm), defined as decreased forced expiratory volume in the first second in the setting of normal ratio, is associated with an increased risk of respiratory disease and systemic comorbidities. Unlike severe obstructive pulmonary disease, little is known about the impact of PRISm on short-term outcomes in patients undergoing laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) and its association with small airway dysfunction (SAD). METHODS: This study enrolled 830 patients who underwent preoperative spirometry and LG between January 2021 and August 2023. Of these, 228 patients were excluded. Participants were categorized into 3 groups based on their baseline lung function, and postoperative outcomes were subsequently analyzed. Potential associations between postoperative outcomes and various clinical variables were examined using univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: PRISm was identified in 16.6% of the patients, whereas SAD was present in 20.4%. The incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) was notably higher in the SAD group (20.3% vs 9.8%, P = .002) and the PRISm group (28.0% vs 9.8%, P < .001) than the normal group. Among the 3 groups, pneumonia was the most frequently observed PPC. Multivariate analysis revealed that both SAD (odds ratio [OR], 2.34; 95% CI, 1.30-4.22; P = .005) and PRISm (OR, 3.26; 95% CI, 1.80-5.90; P < .001) independently constituted significant risk factors associated with the occurrence of PPCs. Univariate analysis showed that female was a possible risk factor for PPCs in PRISm group. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that PRISm and SAD were associated with the increased PPCs in patients undergoing LG for gastric cancer.

An analysis of nutritional risk factors in older adults with gastrointestinal tumours.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to investigate risk factors for nutritional risk in older adults with gastrointestinal tumours. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 170 eligible hospitalised older adults with gastrointestinal tumours were included. Their clinical characteristics were collected, their nutritional risk was screened by NRS 2002, and then patients were divided into a nutritional risk group and a non-nutritional risk group. The observation indicators included body mass index (BMI), muscle mass, muscle strength, and calf circumference. The third lumbar skeletal muscle index (L3 SMI) was calculated using abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan results, and grip strength/muscle strength, 6-m walking speed and calf circumference were measured. Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to the criteria of the Asian Sarcopenia Working Group (AWGS). Finally, we analysed the relationship between nutritional risk and sarcopenia and other related factors (BMI, calf circumference, L3 SMI, grip strength/muscle strength, 6-m walking speed) in older adults with gastrointestinal tumours by multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Older adults with gastrointestinal tumours who were at nutritional risk accounted for 51.8% of patients in this study. The differences between sex, tumour stage, age, BMI, calf circumference, L3 SMI, grip strength/muscle strength, 6-m walking speed, and prevalence of sarcopenia were statistically significant in two groups (all P < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, BMI, grip strength/muscle strength, and sarcopenia were risk factors of nutritional risk in older adults with gastrointestinal tumours (all P < 0.05). DISCUSSION: Older adults with gastrointestinal cancer had a higher proportion of nutritional risk, and L3 SMI, grip strength/muscle strength were independent risk factors for nutritional risk. In clinical practice, attention to nutritional risk screening and sarcopenia development in older adults with gastrointestinal cancer is warranted.

Nutrition intervention in the management of novel coronavirus pneumonia patients.

In this study, we explored the effect of nutrition intervention on the management of patients with novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP). A total of 28 NCP patients receiving therapy in Ningbo First Hospital (China) were enrolled in this study. The nutrition risk was assessed using the Nutritional Risk Screening (NRS)-2002 for the patients subjected to nutrition intervention provided by the Nutritional Department in Ningbo First Hospital, China. Compared to the situation at admission, the body mass index (BMI) and weight of NCP patients were higher at the time of discharge, while no significant difference was observed (P > 0.05). The serum albumin and hemoglobin levels of NCP patients were significantly increased compared with those at admission and one week after admission (P < 0.05). The nutrition intervention can improve the nutritional status and prognosis of NCP patients.

Trehalose-6-phosphate synthase 1 from Metarhizium anisopliae: clone, expression and properties of the recombinant.

Trehalose, an important component in fungal spores, is a disaccharide which protects against several environmental stresses, such as heat, desiccation, salt. Trehalose-6-phosphate synthase 1 (TPS1) is a subunit of trehalose synthase complex in fungi; it plays a key role in the biosynthesis of trehalose. In this study, a full-length cDNA from Metarhizium anisopliae encoding TPS1 (designated as MaTPS1) was isolated. The MaTPS1 cDNA is composed of 1836 nucleotides encoding a protein of 517 amino acids with a molecular mass of 58 kDa. The amino acid sequence has a relatively high homology with the TPS1s in several other filamentous fungi. Southern blot analysis showed that MaTPS1 gene occurs as a single copy in the M. anisopliae genome. And MaTPS1 was cloned into Pichia pastoris KM71 and secretively expressed with a histamine tag to facilitate a rapid purification of recombinant MaTPS1 (designated reTPS1). The properties of reTPS1 were examined. The K(m) value of reTPS1 for UDP-glucose and glucose-6-phosphate was 9.6 mM and 3.9 mM, respectively, and the optimal pH and temperature were about 6.5 and 40 degrees C. The enzyme was highly specific to glucose-6-phosphate for glucosyl acceptor, and its activity decreased rapidly as the concentrations of phosphate increased. The expression system will provide sufficient amounts of reTPS1 for future structural characterization of the protein and use for further investigation of MaTPS1's function.