Analysis of Resting Energy Consumption and Its Influencing Factors in Stroke Patients with Severe Neurological Diseases: A Retrospective Clinical Study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to observe the changes of resting energy metabolism in patients with severe neurological diseases, and to explore the effects of tracheostomy status, stroke severity, and complications on resting energy expenditure (REE) and respiratory quotient (RQ). METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted in 105 patients with neurological rehabilitation who were hospitalized in the Rehabilitation Department of the Affiliated Jiangning Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from August 2018 to October 2021. REE was measured by Italian Cosmed k4b2 indirectly, and white blood cell count and C-reactive protein (CRP) were collected. RESULTS: Among the 105 patients, there were 18 cases of mild stroke, 45 cases of moderate stroke, and 42 cases of severe stroke. The difference between predicted REE and actual REE among different degrees of stroke patients was statistically significant (p < 0.05); there was no significant difference in RQ values among different degrees of stroke patients (p > 0.05). Hemoglobin, albumin, and body mass index were significantly and positively correlated with predicted REE and actual REE, while CRP was significantly negatively correlated with predicted REE and actual REE. There was no significant difference in predicted REE, actual REE, and RQ between renal insufficiency, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (p > 0.05). The CRP level could affect the REE of stroke patients. CONCLUSION: Metabolic vehicle assay has a certain clinical value in accurately evaluating the metabolic needs and feeding level of patients.

The evolving concept of physiological ischemia training vs. ischemia preconditioning.

Ischemic heart diseases are the leading cause of death with increasing numbers of patients worldwide. Despite advances in revascularization techniques, angiogenic therapies remain highly attractive. Physiological ischemia training, which is first proposed in our laboratory, refers to reversible ischemia training of normal skeletal muscles by using a tourniquet or isometric contraction to cause physiologic ischemia for about 4 weeks for the sake of triggering molecular and cellular mechanisms to promote angiogenesis and formation of collateral vessels and protect remote ischemia areas. Physiological ischemia training therapy augments angiogenesis in the ischemic myocardium by inducing differential expression of proteins involved in energy metabolism, cell migration, protein folding, and generation. It upregulates the expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor, and induces angiogenesis, protects the myocardium when infarction occurs by increasing circulating endothelial progenitor cells and enhancing their migration, which is in accordance with physical training in heart disease rehabilitation. These findings may lead to a new approach of therapeutic angiogenesis for patients with ischemic heart diseases. On the basis of the promising results in animal studies, studies were also conducted in patients with coronary artery disease without any adverse effect in vivo, indicating that physiological ischemia training therapy is a safe, effective and non-invasive angiogenic approach for cardiovascular rehabilitation. Preconditioning is considered to be the most protective intervention against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury to date. Physiological ischemia training is different from preconditioning. This review summarizes the preclinical and clinical data of physiological ischemia training and its difference from preconditioning.