Survey on Nutrition in Neurological Intensive Care Units (SONNIC)-A Cross-Sectional Survey among German-Speaking Neurointensivists on Medical Nutritional Therapy

Medical nutritional therapy (MNT) in neurointensive care units (NICUs) is both particularly relevant and challenging due to prolonged analgosedation, immobilization, disorders of consciousness, and the high prevalence of dysphagia. Moreover, current guideline recommendations predominantly address the general intensive care unit (ICU) population, overlooking specific characteristics of neurological patients. We, therefore, conducted a web-based, cross-sectional survey for German-speaking neurointensivists mapping the clinical practices of MNT on NICUs to identify research gaps and common grounds for future clinical trials. A total of 25.9% (56/216) NICU representatives responded to our questionnaire. A total of 78.2% (43/55) were neurologist and 63% (34/54) held a leadership role. Overall, 80.4% (41/51) had established a standard operating procedure (SOP), largely based on the DGEM-Guideline (53.7%; 22/41), followed by the ESPEN-Guideline (14.6%; 6/41). Upon admission, 36% (18/50) conducted a risk stratification, with 83.3% primarily relying on past medical history (15/18) and clinical gestalt (15/18). Energy expenditure (EE) was measured or calculated by 75% (36/48), with 72.2% (26/36) using pragmatic weight-based equations. Indirect calorimetry was used by 19.4% (7/36). A total of 83.3% (30/36) used the patient's serum glucose level as the primary biomarker to monitor metabolic tolerance. SOPs regarding ICU-Acquired Weakness (ICUAW) were found in 8.9% (4/45) of respondents. Overall, guideline adherence was 47%. In summary, this is, to the best of our knowledge, the first study systematically describing the currently applied concepts of MNT on NICUs. The data reveal great variations in the implementation of guideline recommendations, indicating the need for further research and tailored approaches to optimize nutritional therapy in neurointensive care settings.

Healthy lifestyle and genomic ancestry related to good glycemic control in type 1 diabetes patients from Northeastern Brazil: a hierarchical analysis

Introduction

This study aimed to investigate the sociodemographic factors, dietary adherence, regular physical activity, and genomic ancestry percentage associated with good glycemic control in Brazilian patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) using a hierarchical approach.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted in 152 T1D patients. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) levels were measured to evaluate the glycemic control status (good, moderate, or poor). Independent factors included sex, age, self-reported skin color, educational level, family income, dietary patterns, and physical activity. The percentage of genomic ancestry (Native American, European, and African) was influenced by a panel of 46 autosomal insertion/deletion ancestry markers. Statistical analyses included receiver operating characteristic curves, and hierarchical logistic regression analysis.

Results

The hierarchical analysis, patients who had high dietary adherence showed a positive association with good glycemic control (adjustedOR = 2.56, 95% CI:1.18-5.59, P = 0.016). Thus, age greater than 40 years was associated with good glycemic control compared to the children and adolescents group (adjustedOR = 4.55, 95% CI:1.14-18.1, P = 0.031). Males were associated with good glycemic control (adjustedOR = 2.00, 95% CI:1.01-4.00, P =0.047).

Conclusion

The study findings suggest that consistent adherence to dietary regimens is associated with good glycemic control after adjusting for sociodemographic and genomic ancestry factors in an admixed population of T1D patients from Northeast Brazil.

Determinants of insulin therapy among women with gestational diabetes mellitus: A cross-sectional study

Background

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common complication in pregnancy that occurs during the second half of pregnancy. In the majority of patients, medical nutritional therapy (MNT) alone is sufficient to achieve the glycemic goal.

Aim

To evaluate the clinical and biochemical factors that predict the need for insulin therapy in women with GDM.

Materials and Methods

Between March 2020 and November 2021, an analytic cross-sectional study was conducted on 127 women diagnosed with GDM at their final antenatal visit. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the variables associated with the likelihood of insulin requirement in patients with GDM.

Results

To achieve glycemic control, 56.7% of the study population required insulin treatment. Fasting glucose, pre-conceptional body mass index (BMI), parity, and third-trimester glycated hemoglobin levels were all higher in the insulin-treated group (P = 0.00, 0.01, 0.01, and 0.02), respectively. Fasting glucose level is the main determinant of insulin use in patients with GDM (odds ratio [OR]: 1.110; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.001-1.191; P = 0.004).

Conclusions

Fasting glucose level is the most important predictor of the need for insulin therapy.

The Impact of Medical Nutritional Therapy on the Efficacy of Premix Insulin in Glycemic Control in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Background

Medical nutritional therapy (MNT) is a key component in the treatment of Diabetes mellitus (DM). MNT is completely individual and should be present in the treatment of diabetes from the very beginning, continuously with pharmacological therapy, taking into account lifestyle, dietary habits and the type of antidiabetic therapy. Mistakes that are made when planning the diet are the absence of individual adjustment of the diet, which means that the number and time of meals, as well as the amount of UH per meal, is not adjusted to the patients' oral or insulin therapy according to their pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.

Objective

This study investigated the effect of MNT with reduced carbohydrate content (MNT M-ADA) on the efficacy of human and analogue premix insulin in patients with T2DM.

Methods

Subjects were randomized into two groups (human and analog premix insulins), and then each group into two subgroups of 30 subjects each. One subgroup each on therapy with human and analog biphasic insulins was educated about MNT and learned to count UH, and then they applied MNT M-ADA for 24 weeks, unlike the other two subgroups. In this review, we present only the subgroup analysis on human and analog premix insulins that applied MNT M-ADA (200 g UH/day). Efficacy outcomes in the analysis of these subgroups were estimated changes in each subgroup from baseline to end point (week 24) and differences between subgroups at the end of the study in levels of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), self-measured glucose values (SMBG) and frequency of hypoglycemia.

Results

Both subgroups of subjects with MNT M-ADA improved glycemic control, which was assessed by improvements in HBA1C, SMBG levels, without an increase in the frequency of hypoglycemia, but at the end of the study there was no statistically significant difference in the mentioned parameters between the subgroups.

Conclusion

The effectiveness of MNT M-ADA in people with T2DM did not depend on the type of insulin, both insulin regimens are effective if the amount of ingested UH is taken into account.

Antenatal insulin therapy in gestational diabetes mellitus: validation of the new Brugmann scores

BACKGROUND

Following the adoption of the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Group (IADPSG) criteria for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) diagnosis by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2014, many investigators have tried to identify independent risk factors for antenatal insulin therapy (AIT). The purpose of the current study is to build and validate a score that stratifies patients according to their need for AIT.

METHODS

All pregnant women diagnosed with GDM according to the IADPSG definition were included. Group 1 comprised patients of 2018, and group 2 comprised patients of 2019. Each group was divided into two subgroups: subgroup A comprised patients diagnosed according to the 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and subgroup B comprised patients diagnosed according to fasting plasma glucose (FPG).

RESULTS

A total of 1298 patients were included; 19.3% of those diagnosed by OGTT and 40.9% by FPG required AIT. The risk for AIT was stratified as low, moderate, and high. Brugmann FPG score comprised six risk factors and Brugmann OGTT score 12. Higher scores were associated with higher risk for AIT. The use of these scores in the two subgroups of group 2 showed no statistical differences compared to group 1.

CONCLUSIONS

Both Brugmann FPG and OGTT scores may be useful to stratify patients with GDM according to their need for AIT. Future studies should be conducted to prospectively validate these scores, and to examine whether or not using oral anti-hyperglycemic agents in a high-risk group may decrease the need for AIT.

The safety and feasibility of comprehensive nutrition care in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The argument on the efficacy of medical nutritional therapy and comprehensive nutritional care remains to be resolved. Therefore, we conducted this protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy between medical nutritional therapy and comprehensive nutritional care for patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

METHODS

We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols reporting guidelines and the recommendations of the Cochrane Collaboration to conduct this study. Reviewers will search the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and EMBASE online databases using the key phrases "gestational diabetes mellitus," "comprehensive nutrition care," and "medical nutritional therapy" for all cohort studies published up to May 20, 2021. There is no restriction in the dates of publication or language in the search for the current review. The studies on cohort study focusing on comparing medical nutritional therapy and comprehensive nutrition care for GDM patients will be included in our meta-analysis. The outcomes include blood glucose levels, complications, weight change, and incidence of cesarean section. Where disagreement in the collection of data occurrs, this will be resolved through discussion.

RESULTS

We hypothesized that these 2 methods would provide similar therapeutic benefits.

OSF REGISTRATION NUMBER

10.17605/OSF.IO/SC8HJ.

Sodium Intake and Incidence of Diabetes Complications in Elderly Patients with Type 2 Diabetes-Analysis of Data from the Japanese Elderly Diabetes Intervention Study (J-EDIT)

This study investigates the associations between sodium intake and diabetes complications in a nationwide cohort of elderly Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes aged 65–85. Data from 912 individuals regarding their dietary intake at baseline is analyzed and assessed by the Food Frequency Questionnaire based on food groups. Primary outcomes are times to diabetic retinopathy, overt nephropathy, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and all-cause mortality during six years. We find that mean sodium intake in quartiles ranges from 2.5 g to 5.9 g/day. After adjustment for confounders, no significant associations are observed between sodium intake quartiles and incidence of diabetes complications and mortality, except for a significant trend for an increased risk of diabetic retinopathy (p = 0.039). Among patients whose vegetable intake was less than the average of 268.7 g, hazard ratios (HRs) for diabetic retinopathy in patients in the second, third, and fourth quartiles of sodium intake compared with the first quartile were 0.87 (95% CI, 0.31–2.41), 2.61 (1.00–6.83), and 3.70 (1.37–10.02), respectively. Findings indicate that high sodium intake under conditions of low vegetable intake is associated with an elevated incidence of diabetic retinopathy in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes.