Emmanouil Bouras

Screening for Malnutrition Among People Accessing Health Services at Greek Public Hospitals: Results From an Observational Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND Malnutrition is associated with increased hospital stay and subsequently higher healthcare costs. Early detection of malnutrition among people accessing health services at public hospitals is vital to identify and treat malnutrition effectively and in a timewise and cost-effective manner. The aim of this study was to evaluate the nutrition risk of this population. MATERIALS AND METHODS Nutrition screening was performed for 2970 patients (52% male; 55.3 ± 20.1 years old) at 34 hospitals. Nutrition risk was evaluated through 3 nutrition screening tools-Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS-2002), Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST), and Mini Nutritional Assessment-Screening Form (MNA-SF). RESULTS Malnutrition risk was found: 25.3% with NRS-2002, 22.9% with MUST, and 60.5% with MNA-SF. Nutrition risk among patients accessing health services at public hospitals increases with age (high-risk patients among those ≥80 years old: NRS-2002, 9.8%; MUST, 16.9%; MNA-SF, 43.9%). The highest prevalence of nutrition risk was found at the oncology departments (16.7%, NRS-2002; 23.4%, MUST). According to the NRS-2002 and MUST, surgical patients have a greater risk for malnutrition vs internal medicine patients (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.0, P < .001; adjusted OR = 1.17, P < .001, respectively), whereas according to MNA-SF, surgical patients have 30% lower probability for malnutrition risk against internal medicine patients (adjusted OR = 0.7, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS A high prevalence of malnutrition risk was reported among patients accessing health services at public hospitals. Early detection of malnutrition is vital to allow the allocation of the needed workforce to manage it effectively.

MicroRNA-related polymorphisms in pseudoexfoliation syndrome, pseudoexfoliative glaucoma, and primary open-angle glaucoma

ABSTRACT Background: Pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PEX) and glaucoma (pseudoexfoliative glaucoma; PEXG, primary open-angle glaucoma; POAG) have mainly been studied for their associations with genes’ polymorphisms. The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the role of polymorphisms in genes encoding for micro RNAs (miRNAs) and in genes related to miRNA biogenesis. Material and Methods: In the present genetic association study, ninety-two polymorphisms were investigated for their contribution to PEX (n = 203), PEXG (n = 38), and POAG (n = 40) pathogenesis compared to a control group (n = 188). The next generation sequencing (NGS) genotypic analysis revealed data for additional 28 variants. Results: A protective association was found between PEX and polymorphism 11382316 (mir-3161) [odds ratio (OR) = 0.64, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.47–0.86, p = 0.003], rs2155248 (mir-1304) [OR = 0.66, 95%CI: 0.47–0.94, p = 0.019], and rs28635903 (mir-1268a) [OR = 0.30, 95%CI: 0.10–0.94, p = 0.029]. Polymorphism rs113297757 (mir-3196) was associated with an increased risk of POAG [OR = 7.75, 95%CI: 2.13–28.76, p = 3 × 10−4]. Polymorphism rs1057035 (DICER) and rs55671916 (XPO5) in the 3ʹ-UTR of genes related to miRNA biogenesis was associated with decreased risk of PEX [OR = 0.65, 95%CI: 0.46–0.92, p = 0.014] and increased risk of PEXG [OR = 2.84, 95%CI: 1.02–7.94, p = 0.038], respectively. The aforementioned associations according to the allelic model were further supported by the genotypic models of statistical analyses. Conclusions: This is the first study to report distinct associations of PEX, PEXG, and POAG in the same population with variants of genes involved in miRNA biogenesis and with miRNA genes’ polymorphisms. Further studies in larger groups of patients of various origins are needed to confirm the reported preliminary results.