Nutritional Care and Rehabilitation for Frailty, Sarcopenia, and Malnutrition.

Frailty, sarcopenia, and malnutrition are highly prevalent among the older population [...].

The Effect of Vitamin K2 Supplementation on PIVKA-II Levels in Patients with Severe Motor and Intellectual Disabilities Undergoing Long-Term Tube Feeding.

Nutritional support is essential for patients with severe motor and intellectual disabilities (SMID) to ensure the smooth provision of medical care. These patients often require long-term tube feeding with enteral formulas, potentially leading to deficiencies in vitamins and trace elements. Additionally, frequent antibiotic use for infections often disrupts gut microbiota, inhibiting vitamin K2 production by intestinal bacteria. We assessed the serum protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonists-II (PIVKA-II) and undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC) levels to assess the vitamin K status in 20 patients with SMID (median age: 44.1 years, 11 men and 9 women) undergoing long-term tube feeding for durations ranging from 3 to 31 years. Thirteen (65%) and nine (45%) patients had elevated PIVKA-II (<40 mAU/mL) and serum ucOC levels (reference value < 4.50 ng/mL), respectively. Dietary vitamin K1 intake did not differ between patients with and without elevated PIVKA-II levels. Vitamin K2 supplementation for 3 months decreased serum PIVKA-II levels near those within the reference range. Approximately half of the patients with SMID on tube feeding had subclinical vitamin K deficiency. Further studies are needed to ascertain if long-term vitamin K2 supplementation effectively prevents vitamin K deficiency-induced hypercoagulation, osteoporosis, and vascular calcification in patients with SMID.

Predictive Value of the Hemoglobin-Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index in Patients with Heart Failure.

Malnutrition prevails among patients with heart failure (HF), increasing the likelihood of functional decline. We assessed the predictive value of the Hemoglobin-Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (H-GNRI)-combining hemoglobin and the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI)-on prognosis in older patients with HF. We used the JMDC multicenter database to examine the potential associations between malnutrition risk and other outcome measures. The patients were categorized as low- (H-GNRI score = 0), intermediate- (H-GNRI score = 1), or high-risk (H-GNRI score = 2) based on their H-GNRI scores. The primary outcome measure was the Barthel Index (BI) gain; the secondary outcomes included the BI at discharge, the BI efficiency, length of hospital stay, in-hospital mortality, discharge to home or a nursing home, and hospitalization-associated disability. We analyzed 3532 patients, with 244 being low-risk, 952 being intermediate-risk, and 2336 being high-risk patients. The high-risk group of patients had significantly lower BI values at discharge, lower BI gains, reduced BI efficiency values, and prolonged hospital stays compared to those in the low-risk group. The high-risk patients also had higher in-hospital mortality rates, lower rates of discharge to home or a nursing home, and greater incidences of a hospitalization-associated disability in comparison to the low-risk group. The H-GNRI may serve as a valuable tool for determining prognoses for patients with HF.

Differential inhibition of platelet function by cilostazol in combination with clopidogrel.

PURPOSE: To assess the antiplatelet effect of cilostazol clinically, we compared the effects of cilostazol in combination with clopidogrel on various platelet function tests. METHODS: We recruited patients with ischemic stroke at high risk of recurrence who were treated with clopidogrel alone within 180 days after stroke onset. Subjects underwent baseline platelet function tests, and were then randomly assigned to receive dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) comprising clopidogrel and cilostazol or clopidogrel monotherapy (SAPT). After 6 months, platelet function was measured again and compared to that at baseline in each group, and the rate of change was compared between groups. RESULTS: Thirty-four patients were enrolled, but 4 patients were excluded for various reasons. In total, 30 subjects (13 in DAPT and 17 in SAPT group) were analyzed. Adenosine diphosphate- and collagen-induced aggregation, VerifyNow P2Y12 reaction units, vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (platelet reactivity index: PRI) and plasma p-selectin concentration were significantly lower (P = 0.004, 0.042, 0.049, 0.003 and 0.006 respectively), while VerifyNow % inhibition was significantly higher at 6 months compared to baseline (P = 0.003) in the DAPT group only. Comparison of the rate of change in each parameter from baseline to 6 months showed that while PRI decreased at a greater rate (P = 0.012), VerifyNow % inhibition increased at a greater rate (P = 0.003) in the DAPT group than the SAPT group. CONCLUSIONS: The inhibitory effects of adjunctive cilostazol added to clopidogrel on platelet function differed by type of platelet function test. VerifyNow % inhibition and PRI were more inhibited than the other platelet function tests. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CSPS.com substudy in TWMU (UMIN000026672), registered on April 1, 2017. This study was performed as a substudy of CSPS.com (UMIN000012180, registered on October 31, 2013) and was retrospectively registered.

Nutritional Care for Older Patients Undergoing Rehabilitation.

Malnutrition is a common complication in patients undergoing rehabilitation [...].

Subjective Happiness, Frequency of Laughter, and Hypertension: A Cross-Sectional Study Based on the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES).

In recent years, positive psychological factors, such as subjective happiness and laughter, have been reported to be associated with cardiovascular disease. In this study, we examined the relationship of hypertension with subjective happiness and frequency of laughter using the data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES). Of the 138,294 respondents, 26,368 responded to a version of the self-administered questionnaire that included a question about the frequency of laughter in the JAGES 2013. In total, 22,503 (10,571 men and 11,932 women) were included in the analysis after excluding those with missing responses regarding a history of hypertension, frequency of laughter, and subjective happiness. The prevalence of hypertension in this study was 10,364 (46.1%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, female sex, obesity, infrequent chewing, former and current drinker, seeing three to five friends, and the absence of hobbies were positively associated with hypertension. However, infrequent laughter/high level of subjective happiness, frequent laughter/high level of subjective happiness, being underweight, and current smoker were negatively associated with hypertension. As per the findings of this study, it was determined that subjective happiness was negatively associated with hypertension. Therefore, this study suggests that having more opportunities to feel happiness may be important in preventing hypertension.

Clinical Significance of a Pain Scoring System for Deep Endometriosis by Pelvic Examination: Pain Score.

Endometriosis-associated pain is an essential factor in deciding surgical indications of endometriosis. However, there is no quantitative method to diagnose the intensity of local pain in endometriosis (especially deep endometriosis). This study aims to examine the clinical significance of the pain score, a preoperative diagnostic scoring system for endometriotic pain that can be performed only with pelvic examination, devised for the above purpose. The data from 131 patients from a previous study were included and evaluated using the pain score. This score measures the pain intensity in each of the seven areas of the uterus and its surroundings via a pelvic examination using a numeric rating scale (NRS) which contains 10 points. The maximum value was then defined as the max pain score. This study investigated the relationship between the pain score and clinical symptoms of endometriosis or endometriotic lesions related to deep endometriosis. The preoperative max pain score was 5.93 ± 2.6, which significantly decreased to 3.08 ± 2.0 postoperatively (p = 7.70 × 10-20). Regarding preoperative pain scores for each area, those of the uterine cervix, pouch of Douglas, and left and right uterosacral ligament areas were high (4.52, 4.04, 3.75, and 3.63, respectively). All scores decreased significantly after surgery (2.02, 1.88, 1.75, and 1.75, respectively). The correlations between the max pain score and dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, perimenstrual dyschezia (pain with defecation), and chronic pelvic pain were 0.329, 0.453, 0.253, and 0.239, respectively, and were strongest with dyspareunia. Regarding the pain score of each area, the combination of the pain score of the pouch of Douglas area and the VAS score of dyspareunia showed the strongest correlation (0.379). The max pain score in the group with deep endometriosis (endometrial nodules) was 7.07 ± 2.4, which was significantly higher than the 4.97 ± 2.3 score obtained in the group without (p = 1.71 × 10-6). The pain score can indicate the intensity of endometriotic pain, especially dyspareunia. A local high value of this score could suggest the presence of deep endometriosis, depicted as endometriotic nodules at that site. Therefore, this method could help develop surgical strategies for deep endometriosis.

Association between the amount of rehabilitation and the outcomes in patients with aspiration pneumonia.

The appropriate amount of rehabilitation for aspiration pneumonia remains unknown. We conducted a historical cohort study to investigate the association between the amount of rehabilitation provided and the outcome of patients with aspiration pneumonia. A total of 4148 patients with aspiration pneumonia recruited from a database created by JMDC were categorized into three groups based on daily rehabilitation units: none or <1 unit (low-volume group), 1-2 units (medium-volume group), and more than 2 units (high-volume group). The main outcome measures were death in the hospital, discharge home, and length of hospital stay. The results showed that the middle-volume and high-volume groups had significantly fewer in-hospital deaths [middle-volume group, odds ratio (OR) 0.62; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.46-0.83; high-volume group, OR 0.66; 95% CI, 0.45-0.97], more patients were discharged home (middle-volume group, OR 1.29; 95% CI, 1.03-1.62; high-volume group, OR 2.00; 95% CI, 1.48-2.71), and shorter hospital stay (middle-volume group, coefficient -3.30; 95% CI, -6.42 to -0.19; high-volume group, coefficient -4.54; 95% CI, -8.69 to -0.40) compared with the low-volume group. In conclusion, higher rehabilitation units per day provided to patients with aspiration pneumonia were associated with fewer deaths, more home discharges, and shorter hospital stays.

Impact of Frailty Risk on Adverse Outcomes after Traumatic Brain Injury: A Historical Cohort Study.

We evaluated the utility of the Hospital Frailty Risk Score (HFRS) as a predictor of adverse events after hospitalization in a retrospective analysis of traumatic brain injury (TBI). This historical cohort study analyzed the data of patients hospitalized with TBI between April 2014 and August 2020 who were registered in the JMDC database. We used HFRS to classify the patients into the low- (HFRS < 5), intermediate- (HFRS5-15), and high- (HFRS > 15)-frailty risk groups. Outcomes were the length of hospital stay, the number of patients with Barthel Index score ≥ 95 on, Barthel Index gain, and in-hospital death. We used logistic and linear regression analyses to estimate the association between HFRS and outcome in TBI. We included 18,065 patients with TBI (mean age: 71.8 years). Among these patients, 10,139 (56.1%) were in the low-frailty risk group, 7388 (40.9%) were in the intermediate-frailty risk group, and 538 (3.0%) were in the high-frailty risk group. The intermediate- and high-frailty risk groups were characterized by longer hospital stays than the low-frailty risk group (intermediate-frailty risk group: coefficient 1.952, 95%; confidence interval (CI): 1.117−2.786; high-frailty risk group: coefficient 5.770; 95% CI: 3.160−8.379). The intermediate- and high-frailty risk groups were negatively associated with a Barthel Index score ≥ 95 on discharge (intermediate-frailty risk group: odds ratio 0.645; 95% CI: 0.595−0.699; high-frailty risk group: odds ratio 0.221; 95% CI: 0.157−0.311) and Barthel Index gain (intermediate-frailty risk group: coefficient −4.868, 95% CI: −5.599−−3.773; high-frailty risk group: coefficient −19.596, 95% CI: −22.242−−16.714). The intermediate- and high-frailty risk groups were not associated with in-hospital deaths (intermediate-frailty risk group: odds ratio 0.901; 95% CI: 0.766−1.061; high-frailty risk group: odds ratio 0.707; 95% CI: 0.459−1.091). We found that HFRS could predict adverse outcomes during hospitalization in TBI patients.

Validation of Asian Body Mass Index Cutoff Values for the Classification of Malnutrition Severity According to the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition Criteria in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Exacerbations.

Low body mass index (BMI) is an independent predictor of prolonged hospital stay and mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, to the best of our knowledge, no studies have examined the validity of Asian BMI cutoff values for classifying severity based on the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria in patients with acute COPD exacerbations. This study sought to validate whether Asian BMI cutoff values can accurately predict 30-day in-hospital mortality, length of stay, and 90-day readmission outcomes for patients with acute COPD exacerbations. The present retrospective cohort study was conducted using a large claims database created by the JMDC. Patients were classified into three groups according to the severity of low BMI assessed using Asian BMI cutoff values. As a result, 624 (29.4%) had severely low BMI, and 444 (20.9%) had moderately low BMI. The severity of low BMI, as assessed by the Asian BMI cutoff values used in the GLIM criteria, was independently associated with 30-day in-hospital mortality (moderately low BMI: HR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.13−3.08; p = 0.014 and severely low BMI: HR, 2.55; 95% CI, 1.66−3.92; p < 0.001). The Asian BMI cutoff values used to classify the severity of malnutrition in the GLIM criteria are clinically functional for predicting the prognosis of patients with acute COPD exacerbations.

Nutritional Management in Adult Patients With Dysphagia: Position Paper From Japanese Working Group on Integrated Nutrition for Dysphagic People.

This position paper prepared by the Japanese Working Group on Integrated Nutrition for Dysphagic People (JWIND) aims to summarize the need for nutritional management in adult patients with dysphagia, the issues that nutrition professionals should address, and the promising approaches as well as to propose a vision for the future of nutritional care for adult patients with dysphagia. JWIND is a joint certification system recognized by the Japan Dietetic Association and the Japanese Society of Dysphagia Rehabilitation; its members are mostly experts known as "Certified Specialist of Registered Dietitian for Dysphagia Rehabilitation." Malnutrition and dysphagia are associated with each other. Therefore, malnutrition detection and intervention are essential for patients with dysphagia. However, evidence on the usefulness nutritional assessment and intervention to ensure appropriate nutritional care remains insufficient. Here, we present current knowledge of the relationship between primary diseases causing dysphagia and malnutrition, the indicators used for nutritional assessment, and nutritional interventions such as texture-modified diet (TMD) quality improvement, oral nutritional supplementation, and comprehensive intervention. We also discuss the current status and issues in nutritional care for adult patients with dysphagia. Furthermore, we have proposed measures that nutrition professionals should consider based on 3 perspectives: nutritional assessment, TMD, and nutritional intervention. Individualized and specialized nutritional management by registered dietitians (RDs) through appropriate assessment of the nutritional status of adult patients with dysphagia is needed. To maintain and improve swallowing function and nutritional status, RDs should intervene from the state of risk or early dysphagia onset, providing individualized care per their expertise as part of a multidisciplinary team. However, systematic clinical practice and research regarding the association of nutrition with dysphagia are currently insufficient. Therefore, further clinical practice and evidence building, including the verification of the efficacy on nutritional support through intervention research, are needed.

Impact of Frailty Risk on Oral Intake and Length of Hospital Stay in Older Patients with Pneumonia: A Historical Cohort Study.

The aim of this study was to examine the association between frailty risk and outcomes in older patients with pneumonia. For this purpose, the JMDC multi-center database was used, and a historical cohort study was conducted to examine the association between the Hospital Frailty Risk Score (HFRS) and oral intake prognosis and length of hospital stay in older patients hospitalized with pneumonia. Patients were classified into low-risk (HFRS < 5), intermediate-risk (HFRS = 5−15), and high-risk (HFRS > 15) groups based on their HFRS scores, and outcomes were defined as the number of days from admission to the start of oral intake and length of hospital stay. A total of 98,420 patients with pneumonia (mean age 82.2 ± 7.2) were finally included. Of these patients, 72,207 (73.4%) were in the low-risk group, 23,136 (23.5%) were in the intermediate-risk group, and 3077 (3.1%) were in the high-risk group. The intermediate- and high-risk groups had a higher number of days to the start of oral intake than the low-risk group (intermediate-risk group: coefficient 0.705, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.642−0.769; high-risk group: coefficient 0.889, 95% CI 0.740−1.038). In addition, the intermediate- and high-risk groups also had longer hospital stays than the low-risk group (intermediate-risk group: coefficient 5.743, 95% CI 5.305−6.180; high-risk group: coefficient 7.738, 95% CI 6.709−8.766). Overall, we found that HFRS is associated with delayed initiation of oral intake and prolonged hospital stay in older patients with pneumonia. Therefore, evaluation based on HFRS could be helpful in making clinical decisions regarding the selection of feeding strategies and when to discharge older patients with pneumonia.

Recurrent Stroke Incidence and Etiology in Patients with Embolic Stroke of Undetermined Source and Other Stroke Subtypes.

AIMS: This study aimed at clarifying the incidence of recurrent stroke and its etiology in patients with embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS) and other stroke subtypes in both the acute and chronic periods. METHODS: A total of 645 patients who were admitted with acute ischemic stroke (IS) between March 2015 and August 2019 were enrolled. Among them, 511 patients with ESUS, cardioembolism (CE), large artery atherosclerosis (LAA), or small vessel disease (SVD) were analyzed in this study. After discharge, 391 patients who visited the outpatient clinic were followed up until August 2020. The outcome was stroke recurrence. RESULTS: In the acute admission, recurrence rates were 7.6%, 8.1%, 18.8%, and 2.2% in patients with ESUS, CE, LAA, and SVD, respectively, and there were significant differences between the groups. The subtype of recurrence was almost identical to that of the index stroke. In the outpatient clinic, the annual recurrence rates were 4.4%, 4.3%, 6.0%, and 2.9% in ESUS, CE, LAA, and SVD, respectively, and no difference was observed. Subtypes of recurrence in outpatients with ESUS included ESUS, intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and SVD. Patients with ESUS and SVD had a higher risk of ICH during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Although the risk of recurrence was comparable between patients with ESUS and CE and intermediate between patients with LAA and SVD, in the acute admission unit, the risk in outpatients was similar among all subtypes. ESUS was the most recurrent stroke subtype in outpatients with ESUS. The risk of hemorrhagic stroke was significant in patients with SVD and ESUS.

Nutritional Assessment in Adult Patients with Dysphagia: A Scoping Review.

Malnutrition negatively affects the quality of life of patients with dysphagia. Despite the need for nutritional status assessment in patients with dysphagia, standard, effective nutritional assessments are not yet available, and the identification of optimal nutritional assessment items for patients with dysphagia is inadequate. We conducted a scoping review of the use of nutritional assessment items in adult patients with oropharyngeal and esophageal dysphagia. The MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases were searched to identify articles published in English within the last 30 years. Twenty-two studies met the inclusion criteria. Seven nutritional assessment categories were identified: body mass index (BMI), nutritional screening tool, anthropometric measurements, body composition, dietary assessment, blood biomarkers, and other. BMI and albumin were more commonly assessed in adults. The Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM), defining new diagnostic criteria for malnutrition, includes the categories of BMI, nutritional screening tool, anthropometric measurements, body composition, and dietary assessment as its required components, but not the blood biomarkers and the "other" categories. We recommend assessing nutritional status, including GLIM criteria, in adult patients with dysphagia. This would standardize nutritional assessments in patients with dysphagia and allow future global comparisons of the prevalence and outcomes of malnutrition, as well as of appropriate interventions.

Multidisciplinary team management for prevention of pneumonia and long-term weight loss after esophagectomy: a single-center retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: In April 2017, we launched the multidisciplinary Hamamatsu Perioperative Care Team (HOPE) for all surgical patients. We developed a reinforced intervention strategy, particularly for esophagectomy. We herein report the outcomes of the HOPE at 2 years after commencement. METHODS: A total 125 patients underwent esophagectomy and gastric conduit reconstruction for esophageal or esophagogastric junction cancer between January 2014 and December 2018 at the Department of Surgery in Hamamatsu University School of Medicine. The patients were divided into the pre-HOPE group including 62 patients who underwent esophagectomy before the introduction of the HOPE and the HOPE group including 63 patients who underwent esophagectomy after the introduction of the HOPE. The outcomes of surgery were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the clinicopathological characteristics between the two groups. The incidence rates of atrial fibrillation and pneumonia were significantly lower in the HOPE group than in the pre-HOPE group (6% vs. 19%, p = 0.027 and 14% vs. 29%, p = 0.037, respectively). The estimated calorie doses at the time of discharge were approximately 750 and 1500 kcal/day in the pre-HOPE group and the HOPE group, respectively. The body weight loss was significantly less in the HOPE group than the pre-HOPE group at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively than that before the surgery (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of the multidisciplinary HOPE was associated with a significant reduction in the incidence of postoperative pneumonia and significantly less weight loss.

Impaired Endothelial Function in Embolic Stroke of Undetermined Source.

BACKGROUND: Impairment of endothelial function is associated with atherosclerosis and atrial fibrillation, and could underlie several types of ischemic stroke. Embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS) recently attracted much attention as the major cause of cryptogenic stroke. This study aimed to clarify the endothelial function of patients with ESUS. METHODS AND RESULTS: Between 2015 September and July 2017 July, we used flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) test to evaluate vascular endothelial function in 182 patients with any vascular risk factors or a history of cerebrovascular events. The subject group was classified into the No Stroke group and 5 stroke subtype groups, large artery atherosclerosis (LAA), cardiogenic embolism (CE), small vessel disease (SVD), ESUS, and others (Other). Endothelial function was expressed as percentage increase in brachial vessel diameter (%FMD) after the interruption of blood flow with mechanical compression for 5 minutes. Mean FMD in the No stroke, LAA, CE, SVD, ESUS and Other groups were 7.03 ± 2.14%, 5.02 ± 2.75%, 4.97 ± 1.62%, 5.19 ± 2.67%, 3.55 ± 1.42%, and 6.55 ± 3.50%, respectively. After the adjustment for confounding factors, FMD was significantly lower in the ESUS group than in the No stroke, SVD, and Other groups. FMD tended to be lower in the ESUS group than in the LAA and CE groups, but the difference was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Endothelial function was impaired in patients with ESUS and may underlie its pathophysiology.

Association of IgG4-Related Arteritis With Recurrent Stroke.

Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4)-related disease is a newly recognized form of immune-mediated disease, which is characterized by IgG4+ lymphoplasmacytic infiltration and fibrosis in the systemic organs. Although aortitis/periaortitis is a phenotype of IgG4-related disease, the relationship between cerebrovascular disease and IgG4-related disease remains unclear. Herein, we report the case of a 49-year-old man with recurrent stroke induced by IgG4-related arteritis. Case reports or studies examining the association between IgG4-related arteritis and stroke are limited. Although a definitive link between IgG4-related arteritis and stroke has not been established, IgG4-related arteritis should be considered as an etiology in patients with recurrent idiopathic stroke.