Biochemical validation of a food frequency questionnaire measuring immune modulating nutrient intake in patients with peripheral arterial disease.

Background And Aims: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a cardiovascular disease affecting approximately 6 % of the population. The condition is associated with claudication, non-healing ischemic ulceration, and a systemic pro-inflammatory and pro-oxidative state. Recently, nutrition therapy is exploring immunonutrition as a novel dietary strategy to reduce the progression of atherosclerosis.

Consumer Engagement in the Design of Educational Nutrition Information for Older Adults and Their Caregivers: A Scoping Review.

Consumer engagement is important to design high-quality educational nutrition information that holistically addresses consumers' needs. This can occur through consultation and feedback mechanisms like surveys or focus groups, consumer expert panels or advisory boards to provide the consumers' perspective, or through participatory research methods. The extent of consumer engagement also varies with differing levels of influence over the decision-making process.

The effect of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake on blood levels of omega-3s in people with chronic atherosclerotic disease: a systematic review.

Context: Atherosclerosis is a systemic pro-inflammatory and pro-oxidative disease, accounting for approximately a third of deaths globally. It has been proposed that omega-3s, through their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, mitigate atherosclerotic disease progression. However, due to the systemic pro-inflammatory and pro-oxidative state of atherosclerosis, it is proposed that patients with atherosclerotic disease may have higher omega-3 requirements than the average requirement, due to increased nutrient utilization in anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant processes.

Effect of anti-inflammatory diets on inflammation markers in adult human populations: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

Context: Chronic inflammation, characterized by prolonged elevated inflammation markers, is linked to several chronic conditions. Diet can influence the levels of inflammation markers in the body.

Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to assess the effects of anti-inflammatory diets on 14 different inflammation markers in adults.

Indicators of nutritional risk in hospital inpatients: a narrative review.

Malnutrition is common in the acute care setting. Despite the existence of a plethora of screening tools, many malnourished patients remain undiagnosed and untreated, in part due to competing responsibilities for screening staff, under- or over-referral to dietetics services, and inadequate dietetics resources. Better identification of patients at risk of malnutrition would enable optimised care provision and streamlined care pathways.

Validation of a Short Food Frequency Questionnaire to Measure Dietary Intake of a Selection of Micronutrients in Oncology Patients Undergoing Systemic Therapy.

Dietary intake, specifically consumption of anti-inflammatory micronutrients, can play a role in both cancer initiation as well as the treatment-related outcomes experienced by patients receiving systemic cancer therapy. Increasing research is being conducted to determine whether micronutrient supplementation can aid in altering the tumor microenvironment (TME), reducing inflammatory side effects and immune-related adverse events (irAEs). However, further research pertaining to the adequacy of dietary micronutrient intake is indicated in the oncology cohort.

Development and Validation of a Short Food Frequency Questionnaire to Measure Dietary Intake of a Selection of Immune-Modulating Nutrients in Patients with Established Peripheral Arterial Disease.

Nutrients with the ability to modulate the immune system (immune-modulating nutrients; IMN) may help prevent the development and progression of atherosclerosis, the main disease process underlying peripheral artery disease (PAD). Currently, no screening tool exists to measure IMN intake; therefore, the aim of this project is to develop and validate a short food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) that measures dietary intake of 14 nutrients with proposed immune-modulating effects, identified by the literature (copper, iron and zinc, vitamins A, C, D and E, alpha linolenic acid, total long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, arginine, glutamic acid, isoleucine, leucine and valine) in patients with established PAD. A 21-item FFQ was developed to measure average daily intake of IMNs over the past 12 months.

Effect of Dietary or Supplemental Vitamin C Intake on Vitamin C Levels in Patients with and without Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review.

Atherosclerosis is a pro-oxidative and pro-inflammatory disease state, which is the underlying cause of most cardiovascular events, estimated to affect 5.2% of the Australian population. Diet, and specifically vitamin C, through its antioxidant properties can play a role in impeding the development and progression of atherosclerosis.

Late mortality in people with cancer: a population-based Australian study.

Objectives: To investigate causes of death of people with cancer alive five years after diagnosis, and to compare mortality rates for this group with those of the general population.

Design, Setting, Participants: Retrospective cohort study; analysis of South Australian Cancer Registry data for all people diagnosed with cancer during 1990-1999 and alive five years after diagnosis, with follow-up to 31 December 2016.

Main Outcome Measures: All-cause and cancer cause-specific mortality, by cancer diagnosis; standardised mortality ratios (study group v SA general population) by sex, age at diagnosis, follow-up period, and index cancer.

Effect of student-led health interventions on patient outcomes for those with cardiovascular disease or cardiovascular disease risk factors: a systematic review.

Background: As the need for health care services rise, alternative service delivery models such as student-led health interventions become attractive alternatives to alleviate the burden on healthcare. Predominantly, student-led health interventions were free clinics servicing socially disadvantaged communities in the USA. A 2015 systematic review identified that students value these student-run clinics and reported skill and knowledge attainment from participating.

A Digital Intervention for Australian Adolescents Above a Healthy Weight (Health Online for Teens): Protocol for an Implementation and User Experience Study.

Background: More than one-fourth of Australian adolescents are overweight or obese, with obesity in adolescents strongly persisting into adulthood. Recent evidence suggests that the mid-teen years present a final window of opportunity to prevent irreversible damage to the cardiovascular system. As lifestyle behaviors may change with increased autonomy during adolescence, this life stage is an ideal time to intervene and promote healthy eating and physical activity behaviors, well-being, and self-esteem.

Nutritional Considerations for Peripheral Arterial Disease: A Narrative Review.

Those with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) require important considerations with respect to food and nutrition, owing to advanced age, poor diet behaviours and immobility associated with the disease process and co-morbid state. These considerations, coupled with the economic effectiveness of medical nutrition therapy, mandate that dietetic care plays a vital role in the management of PAD. Despite this, optimising dietetic care in PAD remains poorly understood.

Quality of life in older adults following a hip fracture: an empirical comparison of the ICECAP-O and the EQ-5D-3 L instruments.

Background: The purpose of this study was to empirically compare the performance of two generic preference based quality of life instruments, EQ-5D-3 L (with a health and physical function focus) and ICECAP-O (with a wellbeing and capability focus), in a population of older Australians following hip fracture.

Methods: Older adults or their family member proxies (in cases of severe cognitive impairment) following surgery to repair a fractured hip were invited to take part in this cross sectional study. Inclusion criteria included an age of 60 years or older, confirmed falls-related hip fracture and those receiving current palliative care or consented to other research studies were excluded.

The effect of supervised exercise therapy for intermittent claudication on lower limb lean mass.

Objective: Supervised exercise is currently recommended for the first-line treatment of intermittent claudication based on improvement in walking capacity. However, the promotion of skeletal muscle atrophy by repetitive ischemia-reperfusion caused by treadmill-based programs remains a concern. Because preservation of skeletal muscle mass (SMM) and lean mass (LM) is integral to functional capacity and longevity, this study measured the effect of standard treadmill-based supervised exercise on SMM and regional lower limb LM in patients with intermittent claudication.

Cost-effectiveness of individualized nutrition and exercise therapy for rehabilitation following hip fracture.

Objective: To undertake a cost-utility analysis of the Individual Nutrition Therapy and Exercise Regime: A Controlled Trial of Injured, Vulnerable Elderly (INTERACTIVE) trial.

Design: Cost-utility analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

Subjects: A total of 175 patients following a hip fracture were allocated to receive either alternate weekly visits from a physical therapist and dietitian (intervention group), or social visits for 6 months (control group).

Do Medications Commonly Prescribed to Patients with Peripheral Arterial Disease Have an Effect on Nutritional Status? A Review of the Literature.

Background: Polypharmacy is common among patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) with a combination of medications used for risk-factor modification and medical management of the disease itself. Interaction between commonly prescribed medications and nutritional status has not previously been well described. This review aims to critically appraise evidence exploring associations between medications commonly prescribed to patients with PAD and nutritional status and provide recommendations for practice.

Validation of a Brief Dietary Assessment Tool for Estimating Dietary EPA and DHA Intake in Australian Adults at Risk of Cardiovascular Disease.

Background: Short food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) are powerful screening instruments for estimating nutrient intakes and play an important role in risk stratification in vulnerable populations. Omega-3 fatty acids are of increasing importance in the prevention of chronic and degenerative disease, especially in older adults who are at higher risk of these chronic conditions. A short FFQ exists to rapidly assess omega-3 intake from marine sources, however it has not previously been validated for agreement with total omega-3 intake and ability to identify suboptimal omega-3 intakes in older adults or for use in Australia.

Registered nurses with disabilities: legal rights and responsibilities.

Purpose: The purpose of this legal case review and analysis was to determine what kinds of cases involving nurses with disabilities are typically brought to attorneys, which cases tend to be successful, and how and when a nurse with a disability should pursue legal action.

Design: The review used the standard legal case analysis method to analyze legal cases that have been brought by registered nurses (RNs) with physical or sensory disabilities from 1995 to 2013. The cases span the period following the enactment of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 through the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) of 2008.

The impact of different supervised exercise regimens on endothelial function in patients with intermittent claudication.

Background And Objectives: The impact of supervised exercise training on endothelial function in patients with intermittent claudication is unclear. This study assesses the impact of treadmill-based supervised exercise training alone or in combination with resistance training on pain free walking distance, flow-mediated dilatation, reactive hyperaemia index, nitric oxide and asymmetric dimethylarginine.

Methods: Thirty-five patients with intermittent claudication were randomised to 12 weeks of treadmill-only supervised exercise training (Group 1) or a combination of treadmill and lower-limb resistance supervised exercise training (Group 2).

Change in dietary intake of adults with intermittent claudication undergoing a supervised exercise program and compared to matched controls.

Background: Presence of numerous diet responsive comorbidities and high atherosclerotic burden among adults with intermittent claudication demands attention is given to diet in an effort to delay progression of peripheral artery disease. The aim of this study was to compare diet of adults with intermittent claudication: (a) against dietary recommendations; (b) following 12 weeks of supervised exercise training; and (c) against non-peripheral artery disease controls.

Methods: Diet was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire pre and post supervised exercise training.

Appendicular skeletal muscle in hospitalised hip-fracture patients: development and cross-validation of anthropometric prediction equations against dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.

Background: accurate and practical assessment methods for assessing appendicular skeletal muscle (ASM) is of clinical importance for the diagnosis of geriatric syndromes associated with skeletal muscle wasting.

Objectives: the purpose of this study was to develop and cross-validate novel anthropometric prediction equations for the estimate of ASM in older adults post-surgical fixation for hip fracture, using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) as the criterion measure.

Subjects: community-dwelling older adults (aged ≥65 years) recently hospitalised for hip fracture.

Differences in chronic conditions and lifestyle behaviour between people with a history of cancer and matched controls.

Objective: To determine whether people with a history of cancer have a higher prevalence of chronic conditions or different lifestyle behaviour compared with controls.

Design, Setting And Participants: Cross-sectional, self-reported data from a telephone survey conducted between 1 January 2010 and 31 March 2012 of adult residents of South Australia who self-reported a previous cancer diagnosis (cases) and randomly selected age- and sex-matched residents with no cancer diagnosis (controls).

Main Outcome Measures: Self-reported medically diagnosed cardiovascular disease, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, diabetes and osteoporosis; lifestyle behaviour (smoking, physical activity and diet); body mass index (BMI); psychological distress and self-reported health.

Investigation of the effects of a high fish diet on inflammatory cytokines, blood pressure, and lipids in healthy older Australians.

Background: Aging is a condition of chronic inflammation. In healthy Australians ≥64 years, the primary aim was to determine whether four servings/week of mixed fish (FISH) improves serum cytokines (i.e.

Theoretical dietary modelling of Australian seafood species to meet long-chain omega 3 fatty acid dietary recommendations.

Background: Several agencies recommend seafood to be consumed 2-3 times per week. In Australia, there is a lack of nutrient composition data for seafood species and it is not known whether including different seafood species in a diet would provide sufficient long-chain omega 3 fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA) to meet various national recommendations.

Objective: To utilise recent nutrient composition data for major Australian seafood groups (n=24) with the addition of two tuna options (total n=26) to: (1) determine whether including these species into a diet based on the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (AGHE) will achieve LC n-3 PUFA recommendations [Adequate Intake (AI: 160 mg/d men, 90 mg/d women)], Suggested Dietary Target (SDT), 500 mg/d Heart Foundation (HF) recommendation and (2) determine the weekly number of servings of seafood to meet recommendations using either lower fat (n=23, <10% total fat) or higher fat (n=3, ≥10% total fat) seafood.