Assessment of Dietary Intake in Three Cohorts of Advanced Age in Two Countries: Methodology Challenges.

OBJECTIVES: Dietary intake information is key to understanding nutrition-related outcomes. Intake changes with age and some older people are at increased risk of malnutrition. Application, difficulties, and advantages of the 24-hour multiple pass recall (24hr-MPR) dietary assessment method in three cohorts of advanced age in the United Kingdom (UK) and New Zealand (NZ) is described. PARTICIPANTS: The Newcastle 85+ study (UK) recruited a single year birth cohort of people aged 85 years during 2006-7. LiLACS NZ recruited a 10-year birth cohort of Maori (indigenous New Zealanders) aged 80-90 years and a single year birth cohort of non-Maori aged 85 years in 2010. MEASUREMENTS: Two 24hr-MPR were conducted on non-consecutive days by trained assessors. Pictorial resources and language were adapted for the New Zealand and Maori contexts. Detailed methods are described. RESULTS: In the Newcastle 85+ study, 805 (93%) participants consented to the 24-MPR, 95% of whom completed two 24hr-MPR; in LiLACS NZ, 218 (82%) consented and 203 (76%) Maori and 353 (90%) non-Maori completed two 24hr-MPR. Mean time to complete each 24hr-MPR was 22 minutes in the Newcastle 85+ study, and 45 minutes for Maori and 39 minutes for non-Maori in LiLACS NZ. Dietary assessment of participants residing in residential care and those requiring proxy respondents were successfully included in both studies. Most participants (83-94%) felt that data captured by the 24hr-MPR reflected their usual dietary intake. CONCLUSIONS: Dietary assessment using 24hr-MPR was successful in capturing detailed dietary data including information on portion size and time of eating for over 1300 octogenarians in the UK and New Zealand (Maori and non- Maori). The 24hr-MPR is an acceptable method of dietary assessment in this age group.

Validation of the nutrition screening tool 'Seniors in the Community: Risk Evaluation for Eating and Nutrition, version II' among octogenarians.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the validity of the nutrition screening tool 'Seniors in the Community: Risk Evaluation for Eating and Nutrition, version II' (SCREEN II) among a purposive sample of octogenarians. DESIGN: Cross-sectional validation study. SETTING: Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-five community-living residents aged 85-86 years. Equal proportions of participants were recruited at low, medium and high nutrition risk based on their SCREEN II score 12 months prior. MEASUREMENTS: Nutrition risk was assessed using SCREEN II. Demographic and health data were established. Using established criterion a dietitian's nutrition risk rating assessment ranked participants from low risk (score of 1) to high risk (score of 10). The assessment included a medical history, anthropometric measures and dietary intake. Dietary intake was established from three 24 hour multiple pass recalls (MPR). A Spearman's correlation determined the association between the SCREEN II score and the dietitian's risk score. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were completed to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the cut-off point for high nutrition risk. RESULTS: The SCREEN II score was significantly correlated with the dietitian's risk rating (rs = -0.76 (p<0.01). A newly defined cut-off point <49 was established for high nutrition risk derived from ROC curves and AUC (0.87, p < 0.01); sensitivity 90% and specificity 86%. CONCLUSION: SCREEN II is a simple, easy to use, 14 item questionnaire and appears to be a valid tool for detection of nutrition risk people aged 85-86 years.

Effect of gel re-organization and tensional forces on alpha2beta1 integrin levels in dermal fibroblasts.

Mechanical forces are known to play an important role in regulating cell function in a wide range of biological systems. This is of particular relevance to dermal fibroblast function, given that the skin is known to be held under an intrinsic natural tension. To understand more about the generation of force by dermal fibroblasts and their ability to respond to changes in it, we have studied the role of the beta1 integrin receptors expressed by dermal fibroblasts in their ability to generate tensional forces within a collagen type I matrix and the effect of altered tensional force on integrin expression by dermal fibroblasts. Using a purpose-built culture force monitor, function-blocking antibodies directed towards the beta1 receptors dramatically reduced the tensional forces generated by dermal fibroblasts in a 3D collagen I matrix. However, the specific involvement of alpha1 or alpha2 subunits could not be demonstrated. Analysis of cellular response demonstrated that cells isolated from contracting collagen gels expressed fourfold higher levels of alpha2 mRNA than cells isolated from fully restrained gels. The levels of beta1 messenger RNA were relatively unaffected by reductions in force. Cells exposed to single reductions in force, however, did not exhibit alterations in either alpha1 or beta1 mRNA levels. We propose, therefore that alpha2beta1 integrin receptor levels in dermal fibroblasts are not altered in response to single reductions of gel tension, but do change following a continual change in force and associated matrix re-organization

In vivo cytokine and receptor gene expression during the rat hair growth cycle. Analysis by semi-quantitative RT-PCR.

A number of cytokines have previously been localised within the developing and adult hair follicle, however, the role they play in producing a mature hair follicle remains unknown. In an attempt to identify dermal papilla specific cytokines and thus those that may have an important controlling role, cytokine gene expression profiles, obtained by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), were compared between whole anagen rat hair follicles, passage 2 dermal papillae (a cell type with hair inductive capacity), and footpad fibroblasts (a non-hair inducing cell type). Based on this qualitative data, we were unable to identify a dermal papilla specific gene. The analysis of the pattern and timing of cytokine gene expression during the hair cycle is likely to be more informative. A semi-quantitative RT-PCR technique was therefore developed for studying trends in the level of in vivo expression of the following cytokines and their receptors from early anagen to early catagen in the rat hair growth cycle: insulin-like growth factor I, transforming growth factor beta 1, tumour necrosis factor, and basic fibroblast growth factor. These genes were found to be differentially expressed and this was correlated with their possible functions in controlling the hair growth cycle, providing valuable insights into the role of cytokines in regulating the hair growth process.