Impact of 3-week citrulline supplementation on postprandial protein metabolism in malnourished older patients: The Ciproage randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Citrulline (CIT), is not extracted by the splanchnic area, can stimulate muscle protein synthesis and could potentially find clinical applications in conditions involving low amino acid (AA) intake, such as in malnourished older subjects. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to research the effects of CIT supplementation on protein metabolism in particular on non-oxidative leucine disposal (NOLD, primary endpoint), and splanchnic extraction of amino acids in malnourished older patients. DESIGN: This prospective randomized multicenter study determined whole-body and liver protein synthesis, splanchnic protein metabolism and appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASMM) in 24 malnourished older patients [80-92 years; 18 women and 6 men] in inpatient rehabilitation units. All received an oral dose of 10 g of CIT or an equimolar mixture of six non-essential amino acids (NEAAs), as isonitrogenous placebo, for 3 weeks. RESULTS: NOLD and albumin fractional synthesis rates were not different between the NEAA and CIT groups. Splanchnic extraction of dietary amino acid tended to decrease (p = 0.09) in the CIT group (45.2%) compared with the NEAA group (60.3%). Total differences in AA and NEAA area under the curves between fed-state and postabsorptive-state were significantly higher in the CIT than in the NEAA group. There were no significant differences for body mass index, fat mass (FM), lean mass (LM) or ASMM in the whole population except for a tendential decrease in FM for the citrulline group (p = 0.089). Compared with Day 1, lean mass and ASMM significantly increased (respectively p = 0.016 and p = 0.018) at Day 20 in CIT-treated women (mean respective increase of 1.7 kg and 1.1 kg), and fat mass significantly decreased (p = 0.001) at Day 20 in CIT-group women (mean decrease of 1.3 kg). CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that CIT supplementation has no effect on whole-body protein synthesis or liver protein synthesis in malnourished older subjects. However, CIT supplementation was associated with a higher systemic AA availability. In the subgroup of women, CIT supplementation increased LM and ASMM, and decreased FM.

How to Optimize Cancer Treatment in Older Patients: An Overview of Available Geriatric Tools.

Cancer is a disease of older people, but this age group has often been excluded from clinical trials of cancer, which leads to poor transportability of standardized treatments in older cancer patients. One of the main reasons for the exclusion is the heterogeneity of older people in several domains: social environment, comorbidities, dependency, functional status, nutritional status, cognition status, and mood status. Comprehensive geriatric assessment aims to assess this heterogeneity and has identified frequent health problems often unknown before therapeutic decisions, which allows for targeted geriatric interventions with or without follow-up and appropriate cancer treatment selection. Several tools and scores have been developed for a complementary approach. These tools have the following characteristics: they screen for vulnerability to select patients who may benefit from a comprehensive geriatric assessment; are predictive tools for survival, postoperative complications, or chemotherapy-related toxicity; are decisional algorithms for cancer treatment; or define a core set of geriatric data to be collected in clinical cancer trials. Here, we present an overview of the geriatric tools that were published in PubMed from 2000 to 2017, that could help in the therapeutic decision-making for older cancer patients.

Prophylaxis of Venous Thromboembolism in Geriatric Settings: A Cluster-Randomized Multicomponent Interventional Trial.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of an intervention on the practice of venous thromboembolism prevention. DESIGN: A multicenter, prospective, controlled, cluster-randomized, multifaceted intervention trial consisting of educational lectures, posters, and pocket cards reminding physicians of the guidelines for thromboprophylaxis use. SETTINGS: Twelve geriatric departments with 1861 beds total, of which 202, 803, and 856 in acute care, post-acute care, and long-term care wards, respectively. PARTICIPANTS: Patients hospitalized between January 1 and May 31, 2015, in participating departments. MEASUREMENTS: The primary endpoint was the overall adequacy of thromboprophylaxis prescription at the patient level, defined as a composite endpoint consisting of indication, regimen, and duration of treatment. Geriatric departments were divided into an intervention group (6 departments) and control group (6 departments). The preintervention period was 1 month to provide baseline practice levels, the intervention period 2 months, and the postintervention period 1 month in acute care and post-acute care wards or 2 months in long-term care wards. Multivariable regression was used to analyze factors associated with the composite outcome. RESULTS: We included 2962 patients (1426 preintervention and 1536 postintervention), with median age 85 [79;90] years. For the overall 18.9% rate of inadequate thromboprophylaxis, 11.1% was attributable to underuse and 7.9% overuse. Intervention effects were more apparent in post-acute and long-term care wards although not significantly [odds ratio 1.44 (95% confidence interval 0.78;2.66), P = .241; and 1.44 (0.68, 3.06), P = .345]. Adequacy rates significantly improved in the postintervention period for the intervention group overall (from 78.9% to 83.4%; P = .027) and in post-acute care (from 75.4% to 86.3%; P = .004) and long-term care (from 87.0% to 91.7%; P = .050) wards, with no significant trend observed in the control group. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: This study failed to demonstrate improvement in prophylaxis adequacy with our intervention. However, the intervention seemed to improve practices in post-acute and long-term care but not acute care wards.

[Geriatric assessment and prognostic scores in older cancer patient: Additional support to the therapeutic decision?] / L'évaluation gériatrique et les scores pronostiques chez le patient âgé atteint de cancer : une aide à la décision thérapeutique ?

Cancer is a disease of the elderly as demonstrated by the epidemiological evolution of Western countries. Indeed, two third of cancers newly diagnosed occur over 65 years. However, older cancer patients have been often excluded from clinical trials in oncology and the extrapolation of cancer treatments in this population remains difficult in practice. Scientific societies recommend that a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) be performed in patients aged 70 and over and selected using screening tools for frailty such as the G8 index. The CGA allows to detect aging-related vulnerabilities in various domains (comorbidities, polypharmacy, autonomy, nutrition, mobility, cognition, mood, social) and associated with adverse outcomes during cancer treatment (reduced overall survival, perioperative complications, toxicity-related chemotherapy). The CGA is allow to elaborate a personalized treatment plan in geriatric oncology. However, to date, no algorithms based on CGA is validated to guide therapeutic decision in geriatric oncology. The collaboration between geriatrician and oncologist remains essential to elaborate an appropriate therapeutic strategy and limit the situations of over- and under-treatment. This article presents the set of tools and scores used in geriatric oncology to guide the therapeutic decision.

[Which vaccination and cardiovascular prevention in elderly?]. / Quelle prévention vaccinale et cardiovasculaire peut-on conseiller aux sujets âgés ?

Vaccination especially influenza, tetanus and pneumococcus should be used by the physician as an effective preventive measure. Stop smoking prevents the occurrence of cardiovascular event as the control of blood pressure in elderly healthy. It is very important to treat atrial fibrillation in elderly. In elderly aged over 80 years, primary prevention of dyslipidemia by statins is controversial whereas secondary prevention of cardiovascular events by statins is effective.

Relations between undernutrition and nosocomial infections in elderly patients.

BACKGROUND: Hospital-acquired infections and malnutrition are of major concern in public health in elderly patients. However, the interactions between these two entities are not well established. OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence of nosocomial infections (NI) and its association with malnutrition. SUBJECTS: 185 hospitalised older adults aged 81.6+/-0.6 years old were nutritionally assessed on admission by measurement of anthropometric variables, serum nutritional proteins and evaluation of dietary intake. During hospitalisation, patients' progress was closely monitored, particularly for the detection of nosocomial infections. RESULTS: The incidence rate of NI was 59% and the global infection rate was 7.6/1,000 bed days. The most common infection site was the urinary tract (n=63). The nutritional status of the population was studied by comparing three groups defined according to the absence (group I, n=116), presence of one infection (group II, n=38) or presence of more than one infection (group III, n=31). All but one anthropometric parameters varied among the three groups. Total energy intake also varied among the three groups. The group I had higher daily nutrient intake than the other two groups (respectively P=0.004 and P<0.0001). Albumin, transthyretin, and C-reactive protein levels differed significantly among the three groups (respectively P<0.0001, P<0.0001 and P=0.0003). Age, energy intake, length of hospital stay and the presence of a urinary catheter were independent risk factors of nosocomial infection. CONCLUSION: Our findings show that patients with multiple NI were older, showed an altered nutritional status, a prolonged recovery, more frequently had urinary catheters and more discharge placement.