Subjective global assessment for nutritional assessment of hospitalized patients requiring haemodialysis: A prospective cohort study.

AIM: Evidence has validated that the nutritional status of hospitalized patients on haemodialysis could be compromised because of admission-related and hospital-associated morbidities on the background of their kidney disease. However, nutritional status is not assessed and monitored routinely during the hospitalization period. The aim of the present study was to assess the nutritional status of hospitalized patients requiring haemodialysis with the subjective global assessment (SGA) tool during the hospitalization period. METHODS: This is a prospective cohort study conducted in an acute tertiary general hospital. Patients aged 21-75 years old, admitted for various illnesses and requiring haemodialysis between November 2011 and May 2012 were enrolled into this study. A trained dietician assessed patients' nutritional status with the SGA tool, which included historical data on weight change, dietary intake, gastrointestinal symptoms, functional capacity, comorbidities and physical examination on subcutaneous fat loss, muscle wasting and presence of oedema and/or ascites. Patients were categorized under three groups: SGA-A (well-nourished), SGA-B (moderately malnourished) and SGA-C (severely malnourished). RESULTS: Eighty patients (mean ± SD age = 59 ± 10 years; 76% Chinese ethnicity) were assessed. Mean ± SD body mass index (BMI) was 25.1 ± 6.1 kg/m2 . SGA categories were 48% SGA-A, 46% SGA-B, and 6% SGA-C. Mean energy and protein intake (P < 0.001), length of hospitalization stay (P = 0.03) and BMI (P = 0.001) were significantly different across the three categories of nutritional status. CONCLUSIONS: More than half of the hospitalized patients requiring haemodialysis were malnourished. It is important to incorporate SGA in the care of hospitalized haemodialysis patients for early detection of malnutrition and for medical nutrition therapy to optimise patients' nutritional status for better outcomes.

New-onset cardiovascular risk factors following liver transplantation: A cohort analysis in Singapore.

INTRODUCTION: The aims of this study were to establish weight change, incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and cardiovascular risk factors (CvRF) in liver transplant recipients (LTRs). METHODS: Eighty-three patients whose mean (standard deviation [SD]) age was 55.6 (8.4) years (median follow-up 73 months) and who underwent their first liver transplantation (LT) at Singapore General Hospital between February 2006 and March 2017 were included in the study. Anthropometric, clinical and demographic data were collected retrospectively from patients' medical records. Diabetes mellitus (DM), hyperlipidaemia and hypertension were regarded as CvRF. RESULTS: Compared to baseline, mean (SD) body weight decreased significantly at 1 month post-LT (60.8kg [11.9] versus 64.3kg [13.7], P<0.001). There was a gradual recovery of body weight thereafter, increasing significantly at year 2 (64.3kg [12.3] vs 61.5kg [13.7], P<0.001) until year 5 (66.9kg [12.4] vs 62.2kg [13.9], P<0.001), respectively. The prevalence of CvRF was significantly higher post-LT. NAFLD occurred in 25.3% of LTRs and it was significantly associated with post-LT DM and hyperlipidaemia. CONCLUSION: CvRF increased significantly post-LT, and NAFLD occurred in 25.3% of LTRs. Body weight dropped drastically within the first month post-LT, which then returned to baseline level just before the end of first year. This novel finding suggests that nutritional intervention needs to be tailored and individualised, based on events and time from transplant. Although long-term obesity is a significant problem, aggressive oral or enteral nutritional supplements take precedence in the early and immediate post-LT period, while interventions targeted at metabolic syndrome become necessary after the first year.

SMAD7 and MGMT genotype variants and cancer incidence in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Norfolk Study.

PURPOSE: The SMAD7 gene was recently identified to be associated with colorectal cancer risk. Smad7 protein is a known inhibitor of TGF-ß signalling pathway which has a prominent role in tumorigenesis. MGMT gene regulates the direct damage reversal repair pathway, preventing DNA damage and potential cancer development. This exploratory study aims to investigate the association between SMAD7 (rs4464148, rs4939827) and MGMT (rs12917, rs2308321) genotype variants, and all-cancer incidence. METHODS: Our study population was a sub-cohort of the EPIC-Norfolk study, a prospective cohort of approximately 25,000 men and women aged 40-79. Between recruitment 1993-1997 and follow-up to 2006, 192 incident cases and 1155 non-cases with genotype data were identified. Baseline 7-day food diary and health/lifestyle questionnaire data were analysed. RESULTS: SMAD7 rs4464148 variant genotype was associated with increased cancer incidence [HR=1.34, 95%CI=1.00-1.80] but no overall association for SMAD7 rs4939827 or MGMT genotypes. Participants with variant genotypes in both SMAD7 SNPs had a higher cancer incidence compared to those without any (HR=2.74, 95%CI=1.10-6.79) (P=0.03; P(trend)=0.01). Amongst the younger age participants (

N-Nitroso compounds and cancer incidence: the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Norfolk Study.

BACKGROUND: Humans are exposed to preformed N-nitroso compounds (NOCs) and endogenous NOCs. Several NOCs are potential human carcinogens, including N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), but evidence from population studies is inconsistent. OBJECTIVE: We examined the relation between dietary NOCs (NDMA), the endogenous NOC index, and dietary nitrite and cancer incidence in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Norfolk, United Kingdom, study. DESIGN: This was a prospective study of 23,363 men and women, aged 40-79 y, who were recruited in 1993-1997 and followed up to 2008. The baseline diet was assessed with food-frequency questionnaires. RESULTS: There were 3268 incident cancers after a mean follow-up of 11.4 y. Dietary NDMA intake was significantly associated with increased cancer risk in men and women [hazard ratio (HR): 1.14; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.27; P for trend = 0.03] and in men (HR: 1.24; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.44; P for trend = 0.005) when the highest quartile was compared with the lowest quartile in age- and sex-adjusted analyses but not in multivariate analyses (HR: 1.10; 95% CI: 0.97, 1.24; HR for men: 1.18; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.40; P for trend ≥ 0.05). When continuously analyzed, NDMA was associated with increased risk of gastrointestinal cancers (HR: 1.13; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.28), specifically of rectal cancer (HR: 1.46; 95% CI: 1.16, 1.84) per 1-SD increase after adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, cigarette smoking status, alcohol intake, energy intake, physical activity, education, and menopausal status (in women). The endogenous NOC index and dietary nitrite were not significantly associated with cancer risk. There was a significant interaction between plasma vitamin C concentrations and dietary NDMA intake on cancer incidence (P for interaction < 0.00001). CONCLUSIONS: Dietary NOC (NDMA) was associated with a higher gastrointestinal cancer incidence, specifically of rectal cancer. Plasma vitamin C may modify the relation between NDMA exposure and cancer risk.

MGMT Ile143Val polymorphism, dietary factors and the risk of breast, colorectal and prostate cancer in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Norfolk study.

O(6)-Methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) repairs DNA damage caused by alkylating agents including N-nitroso compounds from diet. MGMT Ile143Val polymorphism may lead to less DNA damage repair and increased cancer risk depending on the environmental exposures. We investigated interactions between dietary factors and the MGMT Ile143Val polymorphism in relation to breast, colorectal and prostate cancer risk. There were 276/1498, 273/2984 and 312/1486 cases/controls for the breast, colorectal and prostate cancer studies respectively; all nested within the EPIC-Norfolk study, a prospective cohort of approximately 25,000 men and women aged 40-79. Baseline 7-day food diary data were collected for dietary assessment. MGMT Ile143Val polymorphism was not overall associated with breast, colorectal and prostate cancer risk. There was a significant interaction between this polymorphism and intake of red and processed meat on colorectal cancer risk (P(interaction)=0.04) suggesting an increased risk among carriers of the variant genotype compared to the MGMT Ile143Ile common genotype. A lower colorectal cancer risk was seen with higher intake of vitamin E and carotene among the variant genotype group but not in the common genotype group (P(interaction)=0.009 and P(interaction)=0.005 for vitamin E and carotene, respectively). A higher prostate cancer risk was seen with higher alcohol intake among the variant genotype (OR=2.08, 95% CI=1.21-3.57, P(interaction)=0.0009) compared to the common genotype with lower alcohol intake. In this UK population, the MGMT Ile143Val polymorphism was not overall associated with breast, colorectal and prostate cancer risk. There was evidence for this polymorphism playing a role in modulating the risk of prostate cancer in presence of alcohol. For colorectal cancer, the MGMT Ile143Val polymorphism may confer increased or decreased risk depending on the dietary exposure.