Lower-Intensity Interventions for Prediabetes: A Systematic Review.

INTRODUCTION: Systematic reviews of interventions for diabetes prevention have focused on lifestyle interventions, including the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) and translations of the DPP. However, nationally, few people with prediabetes have joined or completed a DPP, with one cited barrier being committing to a yearlong program. This study was a systematic review to evaluate the effectiveness of lower-intensity lifestyle interventions for prediabetes on weight change, glycemia, and health behaviors. METHODS: English-language studies from PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, and CINAHL from 2000 to February 23, 2022 were searched for RCTs of nonpregnant adults with prediabetes and elevated BMI and lower-intensity interventions (defined as ≤12 months and <14 sessions over 6 months). Two reviewers independently identified 11 trials, assessed study quality (using Cochrane risk-of-bias tool), and extracted data serially. A qualitative synthesis was conducted by outcome. RESULTS: Only 1 of 11 trials of lower-intensity interventions was of high quality (>80% follow-up rate and low risk of bias). This 6-month study compared an app with standardized dietary advice, showing a 3-kg greater body weight reduction and 0.2% greater reduction of HbA1c. DISCUSSION: The evidence on lower-intensity lifestyle interventions for diabetes prevention is limited by the small number and methodologic weaknesses of previous trials, and future research is needed in this area. Given the low uptake of and retention in evidence-based high-intensity programs, future work is needed to investigate the effectiveness of novel lower-intensity interventions offered with established DPP content of varying duration and intensity.

Single-Center Experience with the Use of Teduglutide in Adult Patients with Short Bowel Syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Teduglutide is a glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP-2) analog that has been approved for the treatment of adult short bowel syndrome (SBS)-associated intestinal failure (IF; SBS-IF). Teduglutide increases villus height and crypt depth in the small bowel mucosa, promoting nutrition absorption and enteral independence from parenteral nutrition (PN). We aim to report our single-center experience with teduglutide in adult patients with SBS to provide real-world context to its use. METHOD: We conducted a retrospective analysis on patients managed within our tertiary-level intestinal rehabilitation program to identify patients with SBS-IF treated with teduglutide from 2009-2015. The current report includes all patients at our center who had any exposure to teduglutide, including those who received commercial drug after approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and outside the scope of clinical trials. RESULTS: A total of 18 patients were treated with teduglutide. Eleven patients (61%) achieved complete enteral independence from PN and/or intravenous fluids (IV) at a median time of 10 months (range: 3-36 months). PN/IV volume requirement was reduced in all patients except two. Ten of the 11 patients (91%) who achieved enteral autonomy had colon. All patients off PN/IV required additional oral vitamins and electrolyte supplementations. CONCLUSION: Our preliminary experience is consistent with prior reports of successful partial or complete weaning from PN/IV with teduglutide treatment in adult patients with SBS. The presence of colon appears to be favorable in obtaining enteral independence from PN/IV, regardless of residual small bowel length. Patients on teduglutide may remain at high risk of micronutrient deficiencies.

Small-for-size Syndrome Does Not Occur in Intestinal Transplantation Without Liver Containing Grafts.

BACKGROUND: The ideal donor in intestinal transplantation (ITX) is generally considered to be 50% to 70% of recipient body weight. This may be due to concerns for "small for size" syndrome as seen in liver transplantation. We report our experience using smaller donors (donor-recipient weight ratio [DRWR], < 50%) in ITX recipients. METHODS: We studied a group of ITX recipients with DRWR of 50% or less to unmatched controls who received intestinal allografts with DRWR greater than 50%. We examined patient and graft survival and enteral autonomy from parenteral nutrition as surrogate markers for safety of using smaller donors and ease of abdominal wall closure between groups to determine the value. RESULTS: There was no difference in overall patient and graft survival, time to enteral autonomy from parenteral nutrition, and weight gain after ITX over time between groups. The need for complicated abdominal closure techniques was significantly more frequent in the control group than in the study group (34.6% vs 6.9%, P = 0.01). Secondary abdominal closure occurred more frequently in the control group (15.4% vs 0%, P = 0.014). Wound revisions also occurred more frequently in the control group (15.4% vs 0%, P = 0.028). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that ITX using smaller donors (DRWR ≤ 50%) seems to be an acceptable practice without adverse impact on surgical complications, nutritional autonomy, and patient and graft survival. Abdominal wall closure seems easier in recipients of smaller donors and "small for size" syndrome as described in liver transplantation does not occur with intestinal allografts.

Index Use of Smoflipid in a Tertiary Intestinal Rehabilitation and Transplantation Program.

Long-term parenteral nutrition (PN) may be complicated by PN-associated liver disease (PNALD), and some studies suggest an association between the use of soy-based fat emulsions and PNALD development. Patients' liver function typically improves and PNALD resolves after reducing or stopping a soy-based fat emulsion, and thus lipid minimization has been the primary strategy for managing PNALD in many intestinal rehabilitation programs. However, fat emulsions often cannot be stopped entirely, leading some patients to develop PNALD even after lipid reduction strategies have been implemented. Smoflipid emulsion (Kabi-Fresenius, Bad Homburg, Germany), a balanced mixture of soybean oil, medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), olive oil, and fish oil, was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the United States as an equivalent alternative to Intralipid (Baxter Healthcare Corporation, Deerfield, IL). In several pediatric studies, patients who received Smoflipid had significantly lower serum bilirubin levels than those who received Intralipid. In this case report, we present a patient who developed severe PNALD with subsequent resolution after 20 weeks on Smoflipid.