Clinical Research Directory

The Effect of an Oral Nutritional Supplement on the Nutritional and Health Outcomes of the Elderly

I am conducting this research to find out if a peanut based food that is ready to use would improve the nutritional and health outcomes of the elderly when they consume it daily for 12 weeks. Eligible participants will be assigned randomly to any of these 2 groups. 1. To consume the food once a day in between meals in addition to their usual food for 12 weeks (3 months) or 2. A control group that will not be given the food. Measurements such as weight, blood pressure and the hand grip strength will be taken at the certain points of the study. A sterile needle will be used to draw about 5 ml of venous blood (from the arm) at the beginning of the study and after 12 weeks. Analyses would be carried out on the blood to know if the food has made an impact on serum albumin, ferritin, haemoglobin and cholesterol. If the findings of the study are favourable, it would provide insights for a larger randomized controlled trial that could establish the efficacy of a locally produced peanut based food for the feeding of the elderly.

Achieving nuTritional Target in criticAlly Ill patieNts With iMpairEd gastroiNtesTinal Dysfunction

Clear study hypothesis / research question It has already been proven that a prolonged negative energy balance during intensive care stay is an independent risk factor for mortality. Although it was thought that achivieng optimal delivery of calories will prevent nutritional deficits in critically ill patients, published randomized controlled trials failed to confirm this hypothesis. Combinging enteral and parenteral support may be an efficent strategy to reach nutritional target in critically ill patients. According to the current guidelines the use of suplemental parenteral nutrition (SPN) should be considered when energy targets are not achieved by enteral (EN) route, however, no clear data regarding timing, amount and composition is specified. Moreover, based on recente published data overfeeding should also be avoided, considering the negative impact on outcome. Nutritional support for critically ill patients was focused more on preventing caloric and protein deficits and no great emphasis was placed on the efficiency of intestinal absorption. Gastrointestinal dysfunction is a prevalent reported complication that may contribute to falling short of meeting nutritional goals. This encompasses a wide spectrum of symptoms, such as impaired gastric emptying, ileus or impaired intestinal absorbtion, exposing patients to feeding intolerance, malnutrition and worse outcomes. No standard definition and monitoring techniques are so far available for the diagnostic of feeding intolerance. Although increased gastric residual volume (GRV) is the most used parameter for highlighting feeding intolerance, a controversy regarding the adequate threshold of GRV persists. Acetaminophen absorption test has been previously proposed as a diagnostic tool to asses impaired gastric emptying and intestinal absorbtion. Besides intestinal absorbtion, efficient utilization of macronutients should also be assessed, considering that critically ill patients have varying metabolic conditions and may not be able to metabolically handle adminsitered substrates. As a result body composition analysis should be taken into account in order to obtain a dynamic quantification, especially, of the mucle mass compartiments. Therefore the following low-interventional study is designed to investigate the hypothesis regarding energy and protein intake achievement in critically ill patients with diagnosed impaired gastrointestinal dysfunction to whom tailored nutritional support is administered. Taking into account that we aim to identify patients with early-phase gastrointestinal dysfunction impaired gastric emptying and reduced intestinal absorbtion (diagnosed using ultrasound gastric residual volume and byacetaminiphen absorbtion test) will serve as defining factors. Patients will be randomized to receive nutritional support either according to the EN protocol or enteral trophic feed + SPN protocol. Differences in rectus femoris thickness measured on admission, on day 10 and 15, variation of lean body mass measured by bioelectrical impedance on admission on day 10 and 15, and differences between groups in muscle function using handgrip dynamometer will also be evaluated in both groups.

Biological Signatures Resulting From Occupational Exposure to Complex Mixtures of PAHs

This research project aims at better understanding the early biological effects resulting from occupational exposure to complex Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) mixtures. Current biomarkers used as part of biomonitoring campaigns are biomarkers of exposure, not numerous and poorly related to health effects. The aim of this study is thus to improve our understanding of biological consequences of such exposures, both in terms of proteins deregulation, metabolism deregulation and genotoxicity.

Protein and Performance (PROPER) in Endurance Athletes

The present study is a parallel group design with randomised allocation to either a 1) reduced protein diet (RP) or a 2) normal protein diet (NP). The two groups will be pair-matched based on habitual dietary protein intake, endurance training, endurance performance, and sex. The aim of the study is to investigate the effects of reducing dietary protein (\~1g protein/kg body mass) compared to an eucaloric normal protein diet (\~2g protein/kg body mass) for 6 weeks in well-trained endurance athletes on endurance performance, body composition, skeletal muscle protein synthesis, and health-related outcomes. The hypothesis is that endurance performance will maintain or even be improved in well-trained endurance athletes after a 6-week dietary intervention of an eucaloric, protein reduced diet compared to a normal protein rich diet.