Volume 23 Issue 3

▪ Keyword : childhood obesity, Asia, body composition, methodology, stable isotopes

▪ Content : Childhood obesity, a significant global public health problem, affects an increasing number of low- and middle-income countries, including in Asia. The obesity epidemic has been fuelled by the rapid nutrition and physical activity transition with the availability of more energy-dense nutrient-poor foods and lifestyles of many children dominated by physical inactivity.

▪ Keyword : postoperative oral intake, postoperative nausea and vomiting, desflurane, propofol, early recovery

▪ Content : Postoperative oral intake is an important predictor of early postoperative recovery, and anesthesia is known to influence this intake. We compared the influences of desflurane anesthesia and propofol anesthesia on early post-operative oral intake retrospectively.

▪ Keyword : multiple micronutrient fortified salt, micronutrient deficiencies, biochemical assessment, children, India

▪ Content : Background: Multiple micronutrient deficiencies are prevalent in India. Objective: The study aims to establish the efficacy of multi-micronutrient fortified salt in addressing multiple micronutrient deficiencies among children compared to nutrition education and no intervention in Tamilnadu.

▪ Keyword : 6-n-propylthiouracil, TAS2R38, taste acuity, filter-paper method, visual analogue scale

▪ Content : This study was conducted to determine the relationship between 6-n-propylthiouracil sensitivity and taste characteristics in female students at Nara Women’s University. Participants (n=135) were screened for 6-npropylthiouracil sensitivity using a taste test with 0.56 mM 6-n-propylthiouracil solution, and the sensitivity was confirmed by an assay for the bitter-taste receptor gene, TAS2R38.

▪ Keyword : plasma free amino acids, tissue free amino acids, lung cancer, amino acid pattern, concentration correlations

▪ Content : Variation of plasma free amino acids (PFAAs) is an essential feature of protein metabolic abnormalities in cancer patients. But there still little data about the cancer tissue free amino acid (TFAAs) profiles, including their patterns and correlations with PFAAs. To evaluate the variation in PFAAs and cancer TFAAs in patients with lung cancer, including their patterns and correlations, we investigated the concentrations of free amino acids in lung cancer tissues (n=27), paired lung paracarcinomous tissues (n=27) and plasma (n=27) using an automatic amino acid analyzer after pre-treatment.

▪ Keyword : BMI, children, hospital malnutrition, nutrition assessment, Vietnam

▪ Content : Objectives: To determine the prevalence of malnutrition using anthropometric measures among hospitalized pediatric and adult patients admitted at Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam. Methods: A one-day cross-sectional survey was used in selected wards (Pediatrics, Surgery, Intensive Care Unit, Renal Diseases, Gastroenterology Diseases, Respiratory Diseases, and Endocrinology).

▪ Keyword : emergency, infants and young children, malnutrition, anaemia, earthquake

▪ Content : Background: In order to monitor malnutrition morbidity and anaemic prevalence of infants and young children in rural disaster areas affected by Wenchuan earthquake. Methods: About three months, one year and two years after earthquake (including 77, 102 and 307 children, respectively), by using the questionnaires, information on nutritional and health status of infants and young children aged 6-23 months was collected and evaluated, and anthropometry and haemoglobin concentration were measured.

▪ Keyword : children, overweight, obesity, parental perceptions, Chinese

▪ Content : This study recorded maternal perceptions of preschool children’s weight in Chinese mothers living in Australia and China. A survey was undertaken of 1951 mothers living in Chengdu and Wuhan, China and 89 Chinese mothers living in Perth, Australia. All participants were mothers with children aged 2-4 years.

▪ Keyword : weight losing summer program, obese of children and adolescents, body composition, resting energy expenditure, biochemical metabolism

▪ Content : Objective: To investigate the effects of a combined intervention of diet and physical activity on body composition, resting energy expenditure (REE) and metabolic factors in obese children and adolescents. Methods: Twenty obese children and adolescents aged 7 to 17 years completed a 4-week summer camp program which focussed on personal behaviour, including energy-restricted diets and supervised physical activity.

▪ Keyword : copper, zinc, manganese, dietary intake, Japanese population

▪ Content : Data for the intake of copper, zinc, and manganese in Japanese populations obtained by detailed diet assessment methods and the most recent version of the food composition database in Japan are scarce. Moreover, data on food sources which contribute to the intake of these nutrients in Asian countries, including Japan, are not available. Here, we estimated copper, zinc, and manganese intake and elucidated major food sources of these nutrientsin a Japanese population.

▪ Keyword : web-based, weight loss, weight loss program, visceral fat area, obese

▪ Content : The epidemic of obesity is now a major public health concern in many parts of the world. Face-to-face tailored lifestyle modification therapy is one of the major approaches used for weight loss. However, the lack of time for multiple visits and the lack of resources for administering therapy hinder its implementation. We administered a web-based weight loss program for obese patients from July 2010 to January 2012 that required only 2 personal interviews over 6 months.

▪ Keyword : exclusive, breastfeeding, infancy, morbidity, mortality, dietary advice

▪ Content : In 2001 the World Health Assembly adopted the infant feeding strategy which included the recommendation for exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months of age with continued breastfeeding while complementary foods are introduced. This recommendation has been endorsed by many national authorities, professional organisations and most countries in the Asia Pacific Region.

▪ Keyword : thyroid gland, iodine, iodized salt, nutrition surveys, Taiwan

▪ Content : Taiwan was an iodine deficiency area and endemic goiter was common in 1940’s. Mandatory salt iodization started in 1967, and a 1971 survey indicated that goiter rates in children decreased from 21.6% to 4.3%. To understand iodine status before the change of national salt iodization program in 2003, from mandatory to voluntary salt iodization, we retrospectively measured urinary iodine concentrations of samples collected from children in the Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan 2001-2002.

▪ Keyword : esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, p16 promoter methylation, Kazakh Chinese, MassARRAY, roasting meat

▪ Content : Background: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) incidence is high in Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, China. Roasting food has been reported to be related with the risk of various cancers and is very popular in the area, and may be related with the risk of ESCC. The promoter methylation inactivation of p16 gene can increase the risk of ESCC. Thus, we want to know whether long-term roasting food is related with the risk of ESCC by effecting the promoter methylation of p16 gene.

▪ Keyword : nasojejunal feeding tube placement, endoscopy, endoscopic nasobiliary drainage, an improved method, nutrition

▪ Content : Objective: To avoid a second endoscopy for nasojejunal feeding tube placement (NFTP) in patients undergoing endoscopic nasobiliary drainage (ENBD), we studied improved NFTP method and compared it to endoscopic method. Methods: Patients with ENBD were divided into two groups. One group (18 patients) received endoscopic NFTP and the other group (26 patients) received improved NFTP.

▪ Keyword : L-arginine, nitric oxide, immune, cytokines, meta-analysis

▪ Content : L-arginine plays an important role in immune regulation by affecting the immune response and inflammation. This meta-analysis was performed to assess whether L-arginine supplementation could improve the outcomes of immune function, and to evaluate the safety of L-arginine supplementation.

▪ Keyword : obesity, nutrition, gut microbiota, dietary strategies, inflammation

▪ Content : The role of the gut microbiota in understanding the onset and development of obesity is gaining importance. Dietary strategies are the main tool employed to counteract obesity, and nowadays they are focused on a wide range of different aspects of diet and not only on calorie restriction. Additionally, diet is known to be a major factor influencing modification of the gut microbiota.

▪ Keyword : medicinal plants, complementary therapy, diabetes mellitus, blood glucose, clinical trial

▪ Content : Ulam refers to a group of traditional Malaysian plants commonly consumed as a part of a meal, either in the raw form or after a short blanching process. Many types of ulam are thought to possess blood glucose-lowering properties, but relatively little is known on the effectiveness of ulam in modulating blood glucose levels in humans.

▪ Keyword : infant and young child feeding, micronutrient powder, micronutrient malnutrition, home fortification, BRAC

▪ Content : Despite progress in health status and achievements in Millennium Development Indicators, Bangladesh presents a gloomy scenario for nutrition. In 2009, BRAC (formerly known as Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee) has begun to implement a community-based approach of Alive & Thrive with Family Health International 360, aiming to reduce undernutrition among children under two by promoting exclusive breastfeeding and appropriate complementary feeding practices.

▪ Keyword : Asian Indians, New Zealand, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus, waist-to-height ratio

▪ Content : The aim of this study of Asian Indian migrants in New Zealand was to determine cut-off points for body mass index, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and waist-to-height ratio that best discriminate for increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. One hundred and seventy-five (90F, 85M) Asian Indian volunteers (aged >50 y) were recruited from urban Auckland, New Zealand. Body weight, height and waist and hip circumferences were measured using standard techniques.

▪ Keyword : nutritional status, hospitalisation, aged, malnutrition, epidemiology

▪ Content : Malnutrition is a major problem in hospitalised older people. Many nutrition screening tools are available for malnutrition identification, however little is known about their prognostic ability. This prospective, observational study investigated the prognostic value of three nutritional screening tools in a Geriatric Evaluation and Management Unit: the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI), the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and the Mini Nutritional Assessment short form (MNA-SF), incorporating either body mass index or calf circumference.

▪ Keyword : insulin resistance, glucose clamp, artificial pancreas, ketogenesis, 3-methylhistidine

▪ Content : Background & Aims: Insulin sensitivity often decreases after surgery in spite of normal insulin secretion, and may worsen the outcome. This post-operative insulin resistance increases according to the magnitude of surgical invasion. However, supplementation of carbohydrates before surgery attenuates the post-operative insulin resistance. This study aimed to investigate the effect of intra-operative administration of low-dose glucose on the post-operative insulin resistance.