Brief instruments for measuring nutrition literacy - the Nutrition Health Literacy Scale and the Self-Perceived Food Literacy Scale Short Form.

BACKGROUND: A healthy diet is a critical factor in maintaining long-term health. In addition to a health-promoting food environment, the nutrition health literacy (NHL) and food literacy (FL) of the population are important in this context. This paper describes the development and validation of two short instruments to measure the nutrition literacy of the population, used in the Austrian Nutrition Literacy Survey 2021. METHODS: An instrument to measure NHL (Nutrition Health Literacy Scale; NHLS) has been adapted and further developed. To measure FL, the Self-perceived Food Literacy Scale by Poelman et al. has been modified and shortened (SPFL-SF). Validation of the instruments was based on data from a web survey conducted in Austria in 2021 with almost 3,000 participants aged 18 years and older. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed to assess the factorial validity/dimensionality of the instruments. Additionally, internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, ordinal alpha, and McDonald's omega. RESULTS: Both instruments demonstrate excellent data-model fit. The NHLS also shows excellent internal consistency (α = 0.91), while the SPFL-SF displays a sufficient internal consistency for all (α between 0.70 and 0.89) but one sub-dimension (resisting temptation α = 0.61). Furthermore, the distribution of the items indicates that the measures are understandable and suitable, as evidenced by the absence of missing values in the sample. In addition, the items of both instruments differ in their level of difficulty or agreement. CONCLUSIONS: The NHLS and SPFL-SF are reliable and valid instruments for measuring NHL and FL in the general adult population. The brief instruments measuring the different aspects of nutrition literacy can be easily used in nutritional or evaluation studies. Further work is required to investigate other aspects of validity.

Effect of one-anastomosis gastric bypass on cardiovascular risk factors in patients with vitamin D deficiency and morbid obesity: A secondary analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Bariatric patients often suffer from vitamin D (VD) deficiency, and both, morbid obesity and VD deficiency, are related to an adverse effect on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Therefore, we assessed the change of known CVD risk factors and its associations during the first 12 months following one-anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB). METHODS AND RESULTS: In this secondary analysis, CVD risk factors, medical history and anthropometric data were assessed in fifty VD deficient (25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25(OH)D) <75 nmol/l) patients, recruited for a randomized controlled trial of VD supplementation. Based on previous results regarding bone-mass loss and the association between VD and CVD risk, the study population was divided into patients with 25(OH)D ≥50 nmol/l (adequate VD group; AVD) and into those <50 nmol/l (inadequate VD group; IVD) at 6 and 12 months (T6/12) postoperatively. In the whole cohort, substantial remission rates for hypertension (38%), diabetes (30%), and dyslipidaemia (41%) and a significant reduction in CVD risk factors were observed at T12. Changes of insulin resistance markers were associated with changes of total body fat mass (TBF%), 25(OH)D, and ferritin. Moreover, significant differences in insulin resistance markers between AVD and IVD became evident at T12. CONCLUSION: These findings show that OAGB leads to a significant reduction in CVD risk factors and amelioration of insulin resistance markers, which might be connected to reduced TBF%, change in 25(OH)D and ferritin levels, as an indicator for subclinical inflammation, and an adequate VD status. REGISTERED AT CLINICALTRIALS.GOV: (Identifier: NCT02092376) and EudraCT (Identifier: 2013-003546-16).

The determinants of reduced dietary intake in hospitalised colorectal cancer patients.

PURPOSE: Patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) often experience malnutrition and weight loss, largely resulting from reduced dietary intake. The aim of this study was to identify determinants of reduced dietary intake in order to facilitate early recognition of malnutrition and optimise nutritional treatment. METHODS: Data from nutritionDay, an international 1-day survey investigating patient, disease and food profiles, were used. To identify determinants of dietary intake, defined as normal vs. reduced in the last week, univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed. RESULTS: Of 1131 hospitalised CRC patients, 54% reported reduced dietary intake. Patient- and disease-related characteristics significantly associated with reduced dietary intake were female gender (odds ratio (OR) 1.38), cancer stage III (OR 1.52) or IV (OR 1.70) vs. I, performance status 2 (OR 1.56), 3 (OR 2.37) or 4 (OR 4.15) vs. 0, duration since hospital admission of ≥ 4 days (OR 4-7 days, 1.91; 8-21 days, 1.97; > 21 days, 1.92) vs. < 4 days, and unintentional weight loss (OR 2.56). Additionally, higher symptom scores of pain, weakness, depression, tiredness and lack of appetite were associated with reduced intake. CONCLUSIONS: Patient- and disease-related determinants for reduced dietary intake were being female, higher cancer stage, worse performance status, duration since hospital admission ≥ 4 days and unintentional weight loss. Furthermore, multiple symptoms were associated with a reduced dietary intake. Future trials should assess whether early recognition of patients at risk of malnutrition and the combination of treating symptoms and dietary advice result in improved intake and treatment-related outcomes.

Impact of Austria's 2009 trans fatty acids regulation on all-cause, cardiovascular and coronary heart disease mortality.

Background: Unhealthy diet, especially consumption of trans fatty acids (TFAs), is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), a leading cause of death in Austria. In 2009, Austria introduced a law regulating the content of TFAs in foods. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the TFA regulation on CVD-related outcomes. Methods: The study evaluated the TFA regulation as an intervention in a natural experiment. Two study periods were assessed: pre-intervention (1995-2009) and post-intervention (2010-14). The study compared the age-standardized death rates per 100 000 population for CVD outcomes with those of a 'synthetic' international comparator population, created from data of OECD countries where TFA regulation has not been implemented, but where the population is otherwise comparable. Results: There was a continuous decrease in CVD-related mortality throughout the study period in both the synthetic international comparator population, as well as in the adult Austrian population, with no significant change in this trend observed as an effect of TFA regulation. Conclusions: Whilst the results are counterintuitive, given the established link between TFA consumption and an increased risk of CVD, there are many possible explanations: high prevalence of tobacco smoking, changes in TFA content in foods due to international guidance as opposed to formal regulation and a beneficial impact of TFA regulation on sub-groups of the population that might not be detected with nationally aggregated data. However, reduction in TFAs should still be considered an important part of risk factor reduction for CVD and other non-communicable diseases.

Associations between daily physical activity, handgrip strength, muscle mass, physical performance and quality of life in prefrail and frail community-dwelling older adults.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the associations between daily physical activity (DPA), handgrip strength, appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASMM) and physical performance (balance, gait speed, chair stands) with quality of life in prefrail and frail community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: Prefrail and frail individuals were included, as determined by SHARE-FI. Quality of life (QoL) was measured with WHOQOL-BREF and WHOQOL-OLD, DPA with PASE, handgrip strength with a dynamometer, ASMM with bioelectrical impedance analysis and physical performance with the SPPB test. Linear regression models adjusted for sex and age were developed: In model 1, the associations between each independent variable and QoL were assessed separately; in model 2, all the independent variables were included simultaneously. RESULTS: Eighty-three participants with a mean age of 83 (SD: 8) years were analysed. Model 1: DPA (ß = 0.315), handgrip strength (ß = 0.292) and balance (ß = 0.178) were significantly associated with 'overall QoL'. Balance was related to the QoL domains of 'physical health' (ß = 0.371), 'psychological health' (ß = 0.236), 'environment' (ß = 0.253), 'autonomy' (ß = 0.276) and 'social participation' (ß = 0.518). Gait speed (ß = 0.381) and chair stands (ß = 0.282) were associated with 'social participation' only. ASMM was not related to QoL. Model 2: independent variables explained 'overall QoL' (R 2 = 0.309), 'physical health' (R 2 = 0.200), 'autonomy' (R 2 = 0.247) and 'social participation' (R 2 = 0.356), among which balance was the strongest indicator. CONCLUSION: ASMM did not play a role in the QoL context of the prefrail and frail older adults, whereas balance and DPA were relevant. These parameters were particularly associated with 'social participation' and 'autonomy'.

HORMONE SUBSTITUTION AFTER GASTRIC BYPASS SURGERY IN PATIENTS WITH HYPOPITUITARISM SECONDARY TO CRANIOPHARYNGIOMA.

OBJECTIVE: Craniopharyngiomas (CPs) are benign brain tumors presenting frequently in childhood and are treated by surgery with or without radiotherapy. About 50% of cured patients suffer from eating disorders and obesity due to hypothalamic damage, as well as hypopituitarism, necessitating subsequent hormone substitution therapy. Gastric bypass surgery has been reported to be an efficient treatment strategy for morbid hypothalamic obesity. However, so far it is unknown whether oral hormone substitution is affected by impaired intestinal drug absorption, potentially leading to severe hypopituitarism or pituitary crisis. METHODS: Four morbidly obese CP patients with panhypopituitarism treated by gastric bypass surgery were included in this retrospective analysis. Dosages of hormone substitution therapy, blood concentrations of hormones, potential complications of impaired drug absorption, and anthropometric characteristics were investigated pre- and postoperatively after 6 to 14 months and 13 to 65 months. RESULTS: In all CP patients (3 female/1 male; baseline body mass index, 49 ± 7 kg/m(2)), gastric bypass resulted in distinct weight loss (-35 ± 27 kg). In follow-up examinations, mean daily dosage of thyroid hormone (levothyroxinebaseline 156 ± 44 µg/day versus levothyroxinefollow-up 150 ± 30 µg/day), hydrocortisone (hydrocortisonebaseline 29 ± 12 mg/day versus hydrocortisonefollow-up 26 ± 2 mg/day), growth-hormone (somatotropinbaseline 0.9 ± 0.5 mg/day versus somatotropinfollow-up 1.0 ± 0.4 mg/day), and desmopressin (desmopressinbaseline 222 ± 96 µg/day versus desmopressinfollow-up 222 ± 96 µg/day) substitution was unchanged. No patient developed adrenal insufficiency. Oral thyroid/hydrocortisone absorption testing performed in 1 patient indicated sufficient gastrointestinal drug absorption after bariatric surgery. CONCLUSION: Our preliminary results suggest that oral hormone substitution therapy is not impaired following gastric bypass operation in CP patients with morbid obesity, indicating that it might be a safe and effective treatment strategy.

[Nutrition in overweight and obesity with a specific focus on gender aspects]. / Ernährung bei Übergewicht und Adipositas unter besonderer Berücksichtigung von Genderaspekten.

Efforts to optimize the diet in terms of prevention and treatment of obesity aim at long-term adaptation and reduction of energy intake according to age and physiological requirements while preserving the nutrient density with consideration of individual food preferences.As the nutritional habits of the average Austrian people are unfavorable for obesity prevention there is a clear need for action. Women are "disadvantaged" in weight control compared to men in terms of physiological conditions-and are confronted with specific needs during life course (e.g. pregnancy), whereas the average man or male adolescents present "unhealthier" behaviors and attitudes and are (still) less interested on nutrition or weight control.To achieve better nutrition a target-group specific, gender-sensitive guidance of the individual is needed, starting with pregnant women, but also habitat-oriented interventions for improved nutrition offers, which have to be sustainably assured through the support of a relevant legal and social framework.

Influence of intravenous thiamine supplementation on blood lactate concentration prior to cardiac surgery: A double-blinded, randomised controlled pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Stress related to surgery and critical illness depletes thiamine, essential in energy metabolism, and might result in high blood lactate concentrations and higher mortality. OBJECTIVES: We hypothesised that thiamine supplementation would increase blood concentration of thiamine and reduce blood lactate concentration postoperatively. Moreover, we aimed to identify the prevalence of, and risk factors for, high blood lactate concentrations. DESIGN: This was a double-blind, randomised controlled pilot study from February to July 2012 including 30 patients scheduled for cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were assigned randomly to receive thiamine (300 mg in 0.9% Normal saline solution) or placebo (0.9% Normal saline) preoperatively. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: One arterial blood sample was taken preoperatively and another postoperatively to measure thiamine concentration, and multiple samples were taken during surgery and ICU stay to determine lactate concentrations. Twenty-four hour urine samples were collected to measure urinary thiamine concentration. Preoperatively, we assessed extracellular mass to body cell mass ratio (ECM/BCM). RESULTS: The mean (SD) age of the patients was 58 (12) years, 73% were overweight, 10% were malnourished and the prevalence of thiamine deficiency was 10%. Patients in the thiamine group had significantly higher blood thiamine concentrations 2 days postoperatively [805.2 ± 289.8 ng g(-1) haemoglobin (Hb)] than those in the placebo group (591.2 ± 100.7 ng g(-1) Hb, P < 0.01). The mean blood lactate concentration changed significantly over time, but did not differ significantly between the groups. Patients with ECM/BCM more than 1 had higher lactate concentrations on admission to ICU than those with ECM/BCM less than 1 (2.1 ± 0.7 vs. 1.7 ± 0.6, P = 0.09) and were at a significantly greater risk of having a higher lactate concentration on ICU admission [odds ratio (OR) 13.5, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.0 to 179.4, P < 0.05]. On the basis of these results, a sample size calculation for a larger study has been facilitated. CONCLUSION: Thiamine supplementation caused normalisation of blood and urine concentrations postoperatively but without a significant reduction in lactate concentration or clinical outcome. Body composition played an important role in lactate formation. Further research focusing on preoperative screening and optimal treatment of high lactate concentrations in this specific population is warranted. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01524315.

Self-rated health, nutritional intake and mortality in adult hospitalized patients.

BACKGROUND: In the general population, poor self-rated health (SRH) is associated with malnutrition; however, these associations have not been studied in hospitalized patients. We aimed to evaluate SRH, indicators of nutrition, nutritional status and their association with in-hospital mortality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study is based on data from the nutritionDay, a multinational, multicentre European-wide standardized 1-day cross-sectional survey of nutritional factors, food intake and in-hospital mortality in hospitalized patients. A data set of surveys on SRH in 2010 and 2011 was used in the analysis. RESULTS: Complete sets of data were available for 28 106 patients (64 ± 18 years, 50% men, 7% terminally ill). In relation to body mass index, 7% were undernourished and 16% were obese. Fair/poor SRH was reported by 59% of patients and was associated with low food intake during the previous week or on survey day (P < 0·005). Thirty-day in-hospital mortality was 3%; in adjusted multivariate survival analysis, fair/poor SRH [hazard ratio (HR) 1·53, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·14-2·05] and reduced food intake [nothing eaten (HR 2·13, 95% CI 1·46-3·11) or not allowed to eat on nutritionDay (HR 2·01, 95% CI 1·30-3·11)] predicted fatal outcome. At particularly high risk were patients who rated their health poor and had reduced food intake on the survey day or within the previous week with relative risks of 7·37 and 8·80, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated high prevalence of poor SRH and insufficient food intake in hospitalized patients. This was associated, particularly in combination, with increased risk of in-hospital mortality.

[nutritionDay- an annual cross-sectional audit of nutrition in healthcare]. / nutritionDay - eine Aktion gegen Mangelernährung.

nutritionDay is a worldwide project to determine prevalence of symptoms of malnutrition and reduced nutrient intake as well as risk factors and outcome. Individual units can benchmark their data against data from the reference database of the same specialty. Questionnaires are available in 32 languages. 151'666 patients from 4'877 units in 51 countries have participated between 2006 - 2012. In hospitals 8.1 % had a BMI < 18.5, 45.4 % indicated having lost weight and 49.9 % had not eaten normally last week. On nutritionDay 41.5 % ate the full meal at lunch or dinner and 14 % ate nothing. The odds ratio for death in hospital within 30 days was 2.76 [2.50, 3.05] if having lost weight, increased to a maximum of 6.17 [5.54, 6.88] with a history of decreased intake last week and 7.66 [6.72, 8.74] if no intake was found on nutritionDay despite being allowed to eat. All factors remained significant in multivariate analysis. The most frequent reason for not eating is loss of appetite. Only a maximum of one third of all patients that eat nothing receive support with enteral or parenteral nutrition. Disease-related undernutrition is very frequent in hospitals and is associated with poor outcome. nutritionDay is a measurement tool to determine the prevalence of undernutrition and to benchmark regularly nutrition risk factors and level of interventions against a large recent reference database.

Health information regarding diabetes mellitus reduces misconceptions and underestimation of consequences in the general population.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate self-assessed knowledge about diabetes mellitus, to assess determinants of health knowledge and to evaluate consequences of health knowledge on appraisal about consequences of the disease. DESIGN: Population-based computer-assisted web interview survey, supplemented with a paper-and-pencil survey via post. SETTING: Representative sample of the general Austrian population aged 15 years and older. SUBJECTS: Men (n 1935) and women (n 2065) with and without diabetes mellitus. RESULTS: Some 20.5% of men and 17.7% of women with diabetes, and 46.2% of men and 36.7% of women without diabetes, rated their knowledge about diabetes mellitus to be 'very bad' or 'rather bad'. Individuals with diabetes and individuals with a family member with diabetes rated their information level more often as 'very good' or 'rather good', with adjusted OR (95% CI) of 1.7 (1.1, 2.8) and 2.1 (1.6, 2.7), respectively, in men and 2.7 (1.5, 4.8) and 2.7 (2.1, 3.5), respectively, in women. Additional significant influencing factors on diabetes knowledge were age and educational level in both sexes, and city size in men. Independent of personal diabetes status, diabetes knowledge was associated with a lower perception of restrictions on daily life of diabetes patients and with a lower probability of underestimating health consequences of diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Health knowledge is associated with fewer misconceptions and less underestimation of health consequences in individuals both with and without diabetes mellitus. Thus health information about diabetes is important on the individual level towards disease management as well as on the public health level towards disease prevention.

Nutritional intervention and physical training in malnourished frail community-dwelling elderly persons carried out by trained lay "buddies": study protocol of a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: In elderly persons frailty and malnutrition are very common and can lead to serious health hazards such as increased mortality, morbidity, dependency, institutionalization and a reduced quality of life. In Austria, the prevalence of frailty and malnutrition are increasing steadily and are becoming a challenge for our social system. Physical training and adequate nutrition may improve this situation. METHODS/DESIGN: In this randomized controlled trial, 80 malnourished frail community-dwelling patients (≥ 65 years) hospitalized at wards for internal medicine are recruited. Additionally, 80 lay volunteers (≥ 50 years), named buddies are recruited and subsequently trained regarding health enhancing physical activity and nutrition in four standardized training sessions. These buddies visit the malnourished frail persons at home twice a week for about one hour during an initial period of 10-12 weeks. While participants allocated to the intervention group (n = 40) receive intervention to improve their fluid intake, protein and energy intake, perform strength training and try to increase their baseline activities, the control group (n = 40) only gets home visits without any intervention. After 10-12 weeks, both, the intervention and the control group, receive the nutritional intervention and the physical training. Health, nutritional and frailty status, physical fitness, body composition and chronic inflammation of buddies and frail persons are recorded before the intervention, after 10-12 weeks, 6 and 12 months. DISCUSSION: To your knowledge this trial is the first of its kind to provide nutritional and physical activity interventions to malnourished frail community-dwelling persons by trained lay buddies, in which an improvement of the frail persons' and the buddies' health status is measured. This study assesses the efficacy of such an intervention and may offer new perspectives for the management of frailty and malnutrition. TRIAL REGISTRATION: [corrected] ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01991639.

[Diabetes and migration (update 2023)]. / Diabetes und Migration (Update 2023).

The practice recommendation is intended to supplement the existing guidelines on diabetes mellitus and provides practical recommendations for the diagnosis, therapy and care of people with diabetes mellitus who come from different linguistic and cultural back-grounds. The article deals with the demographic datas of migration in Austria and Germany; with therapeutic advice concerning drug therapy and diabetes education for patients with migration background. In this context socio-cultural spezifics are discussed. These suggestions are seen complementary to the general treatment guidelines of the Austrian Diabetes Society and German Diabetes Society. Especially for the fast months Ramadan thera are a lot of informations. The most important point is that the patient care must highly individualized and the management plan may differ for each patient.

[Obesity and type 2 diabetes (Update 2023)]. / Adipositas und Typ-2-Diabetes (Update 2023).

The body mass index (BMI) is a very crude measure of body fatness in individuals. Even normal weight persons can have too much body fat in cases of a lack of muscle mass (sarcopenia), which is why additional measurements of waist circumference and body fatness, e.g. bioimpedance analysis (BIA), are recommended. Lifestyle management including nutrition modification and increase in physical activity are important measures for the prevention and treatment of diabetes. Regarding the treatment of type 2 diabetes, body weight is increasingly used as a secondary target parameter. The choice of anti-diabetic treatment and additional concomitant therapies is increasingly influenced by body weight. The importance of modern GLP­1 agonists and dual GLP­1 GIP agonists increases since these drugs target obesity and type 2 diabetes. Bariatric surgery is at present indicated with a BMI > 35 kg/m2 with concomitant risk factors, such as diabetes and can lead at least to partial diabetes remission but has to be incorporated into an appropriate lifelong care concept.

[Nutrition for diabetic patients (Update 2023)]. / Ernährungsempfehlungen für Menschen mit Diabetes (Update 2023).

All patients with diabetes require individual and personalized nutritional consultation with professionals. The patient's needs should be the primary focus of the dietary therapy, taking their lifestyle and the type of diabetes into consideration. With the recommendations to the patient's diet, there need to be specific metabolic goals to reduce the disease's progression and to avoid long term health effects. Therefore, practical guidelines such as portion size and meal planning tips should be the main focus.According to the latest national and international standards, patients suffering from diabetes should have access to nutrition consulting and nutritional training. During consultation they can be supported on- how to manage their health condition and choosing food and beverage to improve their health.These practical recommendations sum up the latest literature on nutritional aspects of diabetes treatment.

Factors Associated with (Exclusive) Breastfeeding Duration-Results of the SUKIE-Study.

The WHO European Region has the lowest exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) rates at 6 months in the world. In Austria, 55.5% of infants are EBF at the age of one week, although breastfeeding initiation is 97.5%. The study was conducted in 2019/2020 and considered 1214 mothers of legal age, who received four online questionnaires during their child's first year of life. The influence of different variables on total/exclusive breastfeeding duration were analysed by using a Cox model (Extension of the Cox Proportional Hazards Model) with time-dependent covariates. Multivariate analyses showed a significant influence of maternal BMI, lifestyle factors, such as smoking, and breastfeeding support on total breastfeeding duration. Remarkable differences in the median duration of any breastfeeding were found for breastfeeding support, where mothers breastfed twice as long. Support came primarily from hospital staff, the midwife and the partner. A higher monthly household net income, delivery in a baby-friendly certified hospital (BFH) and breastfeeding support were associated with a longer EBF duration. Obese mothers started feeding infant formula earlier and had a higher risk of early weaning. The results offer valuable insights into the importance of breastfeeding-friendly structures such as BFHs, a focus on breastfeeding aftercare and support of the mother to promote and protect breastfeeding.

Predictors of incident malnutrition-a nutritionDay analysis in 11,923 nursing home residents.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Malnutrition (MN) in nursing home (NH) residents is associated with poor outcome. In order to identify those with a high risk of incident MN, the knowledge of predictors is crucial. Therefore, we investigated predictors of incident MN in older NH-residents. SUBJECTS/METHODS: NH-residents participating in the nutritionDay-project (nD) between 2007 and 2018, aged ≥65 years, with complete data on nutritional status at nD and after 6 months and without MN at nD. The association of 17 variables (general characteristics (n = 3), function (n = 4), nutrition (n = 1), diseases (n = 5) and medication (n = 4)) with incident MN (weight loss ≥ 10% between nD and follow-up (FU) or BMI (kg/m2) < 20 at FU) was analyzed in univariate generalized estimated equation (GEE) models. Significant (p < 0.1) variables were selected for multivariate GEE-analyses. Effect estimates are presented as odds ratios and their respective 99.5%-confidence intervals. RESULTS: Of 11,923 non-malnourished residents, 10.5% developed MN at FU. No intake at lunch (OR 2.79 [1.56-4.98]), a quarter (2.15 [1.56-2.97]) or half of the meal eaten (1.72 [1.40-2.11]) (vs. three-quarter to complete intake), the lowest BMI-quartile (20.0-23.0) (1.86 [1.44-2.40]) (vs. highest (≥29.1)), being between the ages of 85 and 94 years (1.46 [1.05; 2.03]) (vs. the youngest age-group 65-74 years)), severe cognitive impairment (1.38 [1.04; 1.84]) (vs. none) and being immobile (1.28 [1.00-1.62]) (vs. mobile) predicted incident MN in the final model. CONCLUSION: 10.5% of non-malnourished NH-residents develop MN within 6 months. Attention should be paid to high-risk groups, namely residents with poor meal intake, low BMI, severe cognitive impairment, immobility, and older age.

Evaluation of a Bariatric Monitoring Pass for Primary Care Physicians.

INTRODUCTION: There are a growing number of patients undergoing bariatric surgery requiring lifelong follow-up. Therefore, follow-up care can no longer be covered by specialized outpatient clinics alone due to the sharp rise in the number of bariatric patients. Bariatric Patients in Primary Care: Postoperative Nutrition and Lifestyle Management (BagEL) is a survey to evaluate a newly developed structured disease management program including nutrition and lifestyle management in primary care. METHODS: The study is conceived as a randomized cohort study with a control group. An expert questionnaire for general practitioners (GPs) was developed to assess the usability of a structured postoperative care system regarding nutrition and lifestyle management for bariatric patients in primary care. A structured follow-up program in primary care with a so-called bariatric monitoring passport (BMP) was provided for patients in the intervention (INT) group and the existing information sheet "Metabolic surgery and perioperative care" for the control (CON) group. 124 patients, who met inclusion criteria and who underwent a bariatric procedure first time, served as ambassadors for delivery of the expert questionnaire and study documents to their individual GPs. RESULTS: A total of 39 (31.5%) different GPs from 124 ambassador patients responded. For the primary outcome "Does the aftercare-booklets support treatment of bariatric patients?" GPs of the INT group rated the new designed aftercare booklet (INT) significantly more helpful for treating bariatric patients than the one from the CON group (p = 0.041). DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: These results suggest that GPs are welcoming supportive tools like our BMP to improve the care of long-term follow-up of bariatric patients and should actively participate in the development of lifelong disease management plans necessary to cope with the rapidly growing number of patients.

A phase 1/2 study of a multiclade HIV-1 DNA plasmid prime and recombinant adenovirus serotype 5 boost vaccine in HIV-Uninfected East Africans (RV 172).

BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine development remains a global priority. We describe the safety and immunogenicity of a multiclade DNA vaccine prime with a replication-defective recombinant adenovirus serotype 5 (rAd5) boost. METHODS: The vaccine is a 6-plasmid mixture encoding HIV envelope (env) subtypes A, B, and C and subtype B gag, pol, and nef, and an rAd5 expressing identical genes, with the exception of nef. Three hundred and twenty-four participants were randomized to receive placebo (n=138), a single dose of rAd5 at 10(10) (n = 24) or 10(11) particle units (n = 24), or DNA at 0, 1, and 2 months, followed by rAd5 at either 10(10) (n= 114) or 10(11) particle units (n = 24) boosting at 6 months. Participants were followed up for 24 weeks after the final vaccination. RESULTS: The vaccine was safe and well tolerated. HIV-specific T cell responses were detected in 63% of vaccinees. Titers of preexisting Ad5 neutralizing antibody did not affect the frequency and magnitude of T cell responses in prime-boost recipients but did affect the response rates in participants that received rAd5 alone (P = .037). CONCLUSION: The DNA/rAd5 vaccination regimen was safe and induced HIV type 1 multi-clade T cell responses, which were not significantly affected by titers of preexisting rAd5 neutralizing antibody. Trial Registration. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00123968 .

Breastfeeding Prevalence in Austria according to the WHO IYCF Indicators-The SUKIE-Study.

Breastfeeding and infant nutrition have an important impact on child health. The last representative data on breastfeeding in Austria was collected in 2006. The SUKIE-Study (Säuglings- und Kinderernährung) is a representative, longitudinal survey (online questionnaire) for participating mothers at four time points (14 days, four, six and 12 months post-partum). Questions on when other foods were first introduced were asked retrospectively. To ensure international comparisons, the World Health Organization's definitions for breastfeeding, including "Infant and Young Child Feeding" indicators, were used. After eligibility screening, 1214 of 1666 invited mothers were included in the analysis. The initial breastfeeding rate was 97.5% and was reduced to 40.8% after 12 months. The rate of exclusive breastfeeding at one week of age was 55.5% and decreased to 1.9% after six months. Half of the infants received infant formula for the first time within the first three days of life (median). Out of the mothers that did wean breastfeeding in the first 12 months, the median duration was 27 weeks (right-censored data). Compared with 2006, an increase (93.2% to 97.5%) in the initial breastfeeding rate was found. However, other findings show that breastfeeding duration, including exclusive breastfeeding rates, need further improvement.