Physical Activity Levels of Children With Down Syndrome.

PURPOSE: This systematic review of literature analyzed accelerometer use to measure physical activity (PA) in individuals 21 years and younger with Down syndrome (DS). SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS: Comprehensive search strategy conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Eight articles met inclusion criteria. Six studies reported children with DS are not meeting PA guidelines; 4 studies found intensity levels decline with age. Three studies reported children with DS engage in significantly less vigorous PA than control groups. Determination of intensity levels varied, limiting additional comparisons. CONCLUSIONS: Children with DS engage in less PA than peers developing typically and are not meeting PA guidelines across age groups, increasing risk for numerous health conditions secondary to decreased activity. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE: Promotion of more appropriate levels of PA and elimination of barriers to participation in PA are important for individuals with DS.

The Use of Noninvasive Scores in Predicting NAFLD Progression After Bariatric Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Bariatric surgery has been postulated to impact liver function resulting in favorable effects on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We aimed to analyze the long-term impact of bariatric surgery on noninvasive scores predicting the progression of liver fibrosis in a bariatric population. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients without pre-existing liver disease who underwent sleeve gastrectomy or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) at our center between 2010 and 2018. Four predictive scores for liver fibrosis (AST/ALT, APRI, Fib-4, and BARD) were calculated preoperatively, 6 months post-operatively, and annually up to 5 years. Correlations were analyzed with Pearson R. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed to identify populations at increased risk. RESULTS: A total of 2769 patients were included. The mean age was 40 years, and the majority was females (88.5%) and of Hispanic ethnicity (59.2%). There was a steady post-operative increase in the percentage of patients at increased risk of progression of liver fibrosis. The Fib-4 score showed the largest increase in the population at risk for liver fibrosis (11.3% preoperatively to 28.9% at 5 years). Patients with diabetes and those who underwent a sleeve gastrectomy continued to display a higher risk for liver fibrosis than did patients without diabetes and those who underwent RYGB, respectively. CONCLUSION: There was an overall trend to increased liver fibrosis scores over the 5-year post-operative follow-up, but this increase remained lower than that reported in previous literature. Bariatric surgery offers NAFLD risk reduction in a high-risk population.

Bariatric Surgery Improves Renal Function: a Large Inner-City Population Outcome Study.

BACKGROUND: Bariatric surgery is associated with improved renal dysfunction in general population studies. The study examined the effects of bariatric surgery on renal function in a predominantly Hispanic and African American population at a community hospital in New York, USA. METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed prospectively collected bariatric surgical data from 2247 patients (89% female) who underwent bariatric surgery at a single center. Changes in glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), urine albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR), micro- and macroalbuminuria, and hyperfiltration, which were measured preoperatively and then yearly for 3 years postoperatively, were evaluated with t tests and logistic regression analysis, after adjusting for confounding variables. The mean age of the patients at surgery was 37.1 years; the mean preoperative body mass index was 45 ± 7 kg/m2. RESULTS: The results obtained 3 years postoperatively showed the following significant improvements compared with the preoperative values: mean UACR decreased from 40.3 to 11.1 mg/g, mean eGFR improved from 79.4 to 87.3 mL/min, the prevalence of microalbuminuria decreased from 13.7 to 6.2%, the prevalence of macroalbuminuria decreased from 2.5 to 0%, and the prevalence of hyperfiltration decreased from 4.4 to 2.7% (all P < .0001). In adjusted multivariate regression analysis, these results remained significant after adjusting for age, sex, race, type of surgery, and presence of diabetes mellitus or hypertension. CONCLUSION: In this large study at an inner-city hospital, bariatric surgery was associated with significant improvements in renal dysfunction parameters. These results could assist with informed decisions regarding indications for bariatric surgery.

Weight Loss Outcomes following Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass and Sleeve Gastrectomy in an Ethnically Diverse Bariatric Population: Which Is More Effective?

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) have comparable weight loss outcomes in a general bariatric population. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate whether similar outcomes can be observed in Hispanic and African American population. Settings. Community Hospital in New York, New York, United States. METHODS: The 5-year prospective data of patients who underwent LRYGB and LSG at a single center were retrospectively reviewed. The long-term weight loss outcomes between patients who had LRYGB and LSG were compared after adjusting for age, sex, race, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension with the linear mixed-effects or logistic regression model. RESULTS: Most patients were Hispanic (59.2%) and African American (22.7%). The mean% total weight loss (%TWL) values of patients with BMI <45 kg/m2 who underwent LRYGB and LSG were 73% and 62% after 1 year, 69% and 56% after 2 years, and 71% and 54% after 5 years, respectively. In patients with a BMI of 45-50 kg/m2 who underwent LRYGB and LSG, the mean %TWL values were 69% and 56% after 1 year, 75% and 58% after 2 years, and 57% and 45% after 5 years, respectively. Meanwhile, the %TWL values of patients with BMI >50 kg/m2 who had LRYGB and LSG were 53% and 42% after 1 year, 53% and 45% after 2 years, and 49% and 36% after 5 years, respectively. All results were statistically significant (p < 0.0001) and remained valid after adjusting for cofactors. CONCLUSION: Thus, LRYGB had consistent and sustained long-term weight loss outcomes compared with LSG in a predominantly ethnically diverse patient population with different BMI. Our study had several limitations in that it is retrospective in nature and some patients were lost to follow-up during the study period.

Improvement in glycated hemoglobin A1C after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy in an ethnically diverse population with diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a well-known risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes. The efficacy of bariatric surgery in reducing weight with resulting improvement in type 2 diabetes has been reliably demonstrated. OBJECTIVES: We investigated and compared the effects of laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) on glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) levels in a predominantly Hispanic and black population. SETTINGS: Community Hospital in New York, New York, United States. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of a 5-year data from a single center where patients with diabetes who underwent LRYGB or LSG were included. HbA1C levels and body mass index were analyzed preoperatively and then annually postoperatively for up to 5 years. Improvements in HbA1C were compared between the 2 groups after adjusting for age, sex, race, and hypertension with linear mixed-effects or logistic regression models. RESULTS: Of the 676 included patients, 84.8% were females and the mean age was 47 years. HbA1C levels decreased significantly (P < .05) in the entire group at 1 (21%), 2 (20%), 3 (20%), 4 (18%), and 5 (14%) years. Compared with LSG, LRYGB patients displayed greater improvement in HbA1C levels at 1 year (25% versus 17%, P = .001). The differences in the reduction of HbA1C between LRYGB and LSG for the other time intervals were not significant (P > .05), 24% versus 17% (2 yr), 22% versus 16% (3 yr), 22% versus 13% (4 yr), and 17% versus 10% (5 yr). Changes in body mass index were not correlated to changes in HbA1C at various study points. CONCLUSION: Both LRYGB and LSG resulted in significant decreases in HbA1C levels and are correlated with changes in body mass index. LRYGB had the greatest effect at 1 year postoperatively. There was no significant difference in HbA1C reduction for LRYGB and LSG after 1 year postoperatively in this predominantly Hispanic and black cohort.

Emergency Patient Handoffs: Identifying Essential Elements and Developing an Evidence-Based Training Tool.

BACKGROUND: Patient handoffs between care teams have been recognized as a major patient safety risk due to inadequate exchange or loss of critical information, especially during emergent patient transfers. The purpose of this literature review was to identify the essential elements of effective patient handoffs in emergency situations to develop a standardized tool to support a structured patient handoff procedure capable of guiding education and training. METHOD: A literature search of handoff procedures and patient transfers was conducted using the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature and PubMed between 2008 and 2015. RESULTS: Two global themes were identified-Crew Interactions, and Essential Data Elements-resulting in a tool containing 30 objective and five subjective items. CONCLUSION: Through the literature review, synthesis, and workgroup consensus, we developed a standardized tool to guide standardized education, training, and future inquiry in prehospital and emergent patient handoffs. J Contin Educ Nurs. 2018;49(1):34-41.