Background
Malnutrition may worsen clinical outcomes in stroke patients. Few malnutrition screening tools have been validated in the rehabilitation setting. The present study aimed to assess the ...concurrent and predictive validity of two malnutrition screening tools.
Methods
We retrospectively collected scores for the Mini Nutritional Assessment Short‐Form (MNA‐SF) and the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) in consecutive stroke patients aged ≥65 years in a rehabilitation hospital. Concurrent validity was confirmed against the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism diagnostic criteria for malnutrition (ESPEN‐DCM). Malnutrition risk within the ESPEN‐DCM process was assessed using the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool. Cut‐off values with maximum Youden index, and with sensitivity (Se) >90% and specificity (Sp) >50%, were defined as appropriate for identification and screening of malnutrition, respectively. The Functional Independence Measure and discharge destination were used to explore predictive validity.
Results
Overall, 420 patients were analysed. Of these, we included 125 patients in the malnutrition group and 295 in the non‐malnutrition group based on the ESPEN‐DCM. Cut‐off values for the identification and screening of malnutrition were 5 (Se: 0.78; Sp: 0.85) and 7 (Se: 0.96; Sp: 0.57) for the MNA‐SF; 92 (Se: 0.74; Sp: 0.84) and 98 (Se: 0.93; Sp: 0.50) for the GNRI, respectively. The GNRI predicted discharge to acute care hospital, whereas the MNA‐SF did not predict all outcome measures.
Conclusions
The MNA‐SF and the GNRI have a fair concurrent validity in stroke patients, although lower cut‐off values than currently used were required for the MNA‐SF. The GNRI exhibits good predictive validity for discharge destination.
Objectives
According to the recently proposed diagnostic criteria for sarcopenic dysphagia, sarcopenic dysphagia can be classified as probable or possible based on tongue pressure. However, it is ...unclear whether patients with probable and possible sarcopenic dysphagia have different characteristics. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether patients with possible and probable sarcopenic dysphagia have different clinical characteristics.
Design
A cross-sectional study. Setting: A rehabilitation hospital. PARTICIPANTS: In total, 129 patients aged ≥65 years with sarcopenic dysphagia were included.
Methods
A tongue pressure of <20 kPa was indicative of probable sarcopenic dysphagia, and a tongue pressure of ≥20 kPa was indicative of possible sarcopenic dysphagia. Kuchi-Kara Taberu (KT) index scores were compared between the probable or possible sarcopenic dysphagia groups.
Results
According to the tongue pressure, 76 and 53 patients were classified into the probable and possible sarcopenic dysphagia groups, respectively. In multiple linear regression analysis, the presence of probable sarcopenic dysphagia was independently associated with the total KT index score (standardized coefficient: −0.313, regression coefficient: −4.500, 95% confidence interval CI, −6.920 to −2.080, P < 0.001). The presence of probable sarcopenic dysphagia was independently associated with some subitems of the KT index (willingness to eat, cognitive function while eating, oral preparatory and propulsive phase, severity of pharyngeal dysphagia, eating behavior, and daily living activities).
Conclusions
Patients with probable sarcopenic dysphagia were characterized by poor overall eating-related conditions, especially poor swallowing ability, ability to perform activities of daily living, and nutritional status.
Tartary buckwheat protein product (TBP) was prepared from buckwheat flour by alkali extraction and isoelectric precipitation. The protein content of TBP was 45.8%, and its amino acid composition of ...TBP was similar to that of common buckwheat protein product (BWP). SDS-PAGE analysis showed that the protein profile of TBP was partially different from that of BWP. TBP contained more quercetin (1710 mg/100 g) than BWP (5.4 mg/100 g), while there was a small difference in the contents of rutin between them. In experiment 1, the consumption of BWP and TBP at 20% net protein level for 13 d caused 32% and 25% reductions in serum cholesterol of rats fed cholesterol, respectively, when compared to the consumption of casein (P < 0.05). The reduction of serum cholesterol by BWP and TBP was associated with enhanced excretion of fecal neutral sterols. In experiment 2, the consumption of BWP and TBP for 27 d caused 62% and 43% reductions in the lithogenic index in mice fed cholesterol, respectively (P < 0.05). The reduction in lithogenic index was associated with enhanced excretion of fecal bile acids. Taken together, these results suggest a potential source of TBP as a functional food ingredient as well as BWP.
Buckwheat protein product (BWP) has a strong hypocholesterolemic activity in rats fed a cholesterol-enriched diet. In this study, we examined the influence of BWP on fecal excretion of sterols and ...nitrogen in rats fed a diet containing 5 g/kg cholesterol and 1.25 g/kg sodium cholate, and we examined whether the cholesterol-lowering activity of BWP is due to its low digestibility. In Experiment 1, rats fed BWP for 3 wk had significantly lower concentrations of plasma cholesterol and enhanced excretion of fecal total neutral sterols and nitrogen compared with rats fed casein. There was a significant correlation between fecal total neutral sterols and nitrogen (r = 0.89, P 0.01). Fecal excretion of acidic sterols was unaffected by BWP. In Experiment 2, plasma cholesterol in rats fed trypsin-digested BWP for 2 wk was significantly higher than that in rats fed intact BWP. In Experiment 3, rats were fed BWP, low-molecular-weight fraction of the digest of BWP (LMF) or high-molecular-weight fraction of the digest of BWP (HMF) for 3 wk. Plasma cholesterol was lower in the BWP group than in the LMF group (P 0.05), whereas that in the HMF group was intermediate. The in vitro digestibility of BWP with pepsin and pancreatin was significantly lower than that of casein. The results suggest that the cholesterol-lowering effect of BWP is mediated by higher fecal excretion of neutral sterols and that lower digestibility of BWP is at least partially responsible for the effect