It is suggested that older patients waiting for an elective surgical procedure have a poor nutritional status and low physical activity level. It is unknown if this hypothesis is true and if these conditions improve after a medical procedure. We aimed to determine the trajectory of both conditions before and after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Included patients (n = 112, age 81 ± 5 years, 58% male) received three home visits (preprocedural, one and six months postprocedural). Nutritional status was determined with the mini nutritional assessment-short form (MNA-SF) and physical activity using an ankle-worn monitor (Stepwatch). The median MNA-SF score was 13 (11-14), and 27% of the patients were at risk of malnutrition before the procedure. Physical activity was 6273 ± 3007 steps/day, and 69% of the patients did not meet the physical activity guidelines (>7100 steps/day). We observed that nutritional status and physical activity did not significantly change after the procedure (β 0.02 [95% CI -0.03, 0.07] points/months on the MNA-SF and β 16 [95% CI -47, 79] steps/month, respectively). To conclude, many preprocedural TAVI patients should improve their nutritional status or activity level. Both conditions do not improve naturally after a cardiac procedure.
It is suggested that older patients waiting for an elective surgical procedure have a poor nutritional status and low physical activity level. It is unknown if this hypothesis is true and if these conditions improve after a medical procedure. We aimed to determine the trajectory of both conditions before and after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Included patients (n = 112, age 81 ± 5 years, 58% male) received three home visits (preprocedural, one and six months postprocedural). Nutritional status was determined with the mini nutritional assessment-short form (MNA-SF) and physical activity using an ankle-worn monitor (Stepwatch). The median MNA-SF score was 13 (11-14), and 27% of the patients were at risk of malnutrition before the procedure. Physical activity was 6273 ± 3007 steps/day, and 69% of the patients did not meet the physical activity guidelines (>7100 steps/day). We observed that nutritional status and physical activity did not significantly change after the procedure (β 0.02 [95% CI -0.03, 0.07] points/months on the MNA-SF and β 16 [95% CI -47, 79] steps/month, respectively). To conclude, many preprocedural TAVI patients should improve their nutritional status or activity level. Both conditions do not improve naturally after a cardiac procedure.
The composition of diets and supplements given to bovine cattle are constantly evolving. These changes are driven by the social call for a more sustainable beef and dairy production, interests to influence the nutritional value of bovine products for human consumption, and to increase animal health. These adaptations can introduce (new) compounds in the beef and milk supply chain. Currently, the golden standard to study transfer of compounds from feed or veterinary medicine to cows and consequences for human health is performing animal studies, which are time consuming, costly and thus limited. Although animal studies are increasingly debated for ethical reasons, cows are still in the top 10 list of most used animals for animal experiments in Europe. There is, however, no widely applicable alternative modelling tool available to rapidly predict transfer of compounds, apart from individual components like cattle kinetic models and simple in vitro kinetic assays. Therefore, this project aims to develop a first-of-a-kind generic bovine kinetic modelling platform that predicts the transfer of compounds from medicine/supplements and feed to bovine tissues. This will provide new tools for the efficacy and safety evaluation of veterinary medicine and feed and facilitates a rapid evaluation of human health effects of bovine origin food products, thereby contributing to an increased safety in the cattle production chain and supporting product innovations, all without animal testing. This will be accomplished by integrating existing in silico and in vitro techniques into a generic bovine modelling platform and further developing state-of-the-art in vitro bovine organoid cell culturing systems. The platform can be used world-wide by stakeholders involved in the cattle industry (feed-/veterinary medicine industry, regulators, risk assessors). The project partners involve a strong combination of academia, knowledge institutes, small and medium enterprises, industry, branche-organisations and Proefdiervrij, all driven by their pursuit for animal free innovations.
Along with the rapidly growing number of disabled people participating in competitive sports, there is an increased need for (para)medical support in disability sports. Disabled athletes experience differences in body composition, metabolism, training load and habitual activity patterns compared with non-disabled athletes. Moreover, it has been suggested that the well-recognized athlete triad, and low energy availability and low bone mineral density in particular, is even a greater challenge in disabled athletes. Therefore, it is not surprising that sport nutritionists of disabled athletes have expressed an urgency for increased knowledge and insights on the nutritional demands of this group. This project aims to investigate energy expenditure, dietary intake, body composition and bone health of disabled athletes, ultimately leading to nutritional guidelines that promote health and optimal sports performance for this unique population. For this purpose, we will conduct a series of studies and implementation activities that are inter-related and build on the latest insights from sports practice, technology and science. Our international consortium is highly qualified to achieve this goal. It consists of knowledge institutes including world-leading experts in sport and nutrition research, complemented with practical insights from nutritionists working with disabled athletes and the involvement of athletes and teams through the Dutch and Norwegian Olympic committees. The international collaboration, which is a clear strength of this project, is not only focused on research, but also on the optimization of professional practice and educational activities. In this regard, the outcomes of this project will be directly available for practical use by the (para)medical staff working with disabled athletes, and will be extensively communicated to sport teams to ensure that the new insights are directly embedded into daily practice. The project outcomes will also be incorporated in educational activities for dietetics and sport and exercise students, thereby increasing knowledge of future practitioners.
Along with the rapidly growing number of disabled people participating in competitive sports, there is an increased need for (para)medical support in disability sports. Disabled athletes experience differences in body composition, metabolism, training load and habitual activity patterns compared with non-disabled athletes. Moreover, it has been suggested that the well-recognized athlete triad, and low energy availability and low bone mineral density in particular, is even a greater challenge in disabled athletes. Therefore, it is not surprising that sport nutritionists of disabled athletes have expressed an urgency for increased knowledge and insights on the nutritional demands of this group. This project aims to investigate energy expenditure, dietary intake, body composition and bone health of disabled athletes, ultimately leading to nutritional guidelines that promote health and optimal sports performance for this unique population. For this purpose, we will conduct a series of studies and implementation activities that are inter-related and build on the latest insights from sports practice, technology and science. Our international consortium is highly qualified to achieve this goal. It consists of knowledge institutes including world-leading experts in sport and nutrition research, complemented with practical insights from nutritionists working with disabled athletes and the involvement of athletes and teams through the Dutch and Norwegian Olympic committees. The international collaboration, which is a clear strength of this project, is not only focused on research, but also on the optimization of professional practice and educational activities. In this regard, the outcomes of this project will be directly available for practical use by the (para)medical staff working with disabled athletes, and will be extensively communicated to sport teams to ensure that the new insights are directly embedded into daily practice. The project outcomes will also be incorporated in educational activities for dietetics and sport and exercise students, thereby increasing knowledge of future practitioners.
