Undernutrition in institutionalized elderly patients with neurological diseases: comparison between different diagnostic criteria

"Objectives: To determine and compare the frequency of undernutrition in institutionalized elderly patients with neurological diseases at admission using different nutritional assessment tools. Design: Cross-sectional observational study. Setting: One long-term care institution specialized in neurodegenerative diseases. Participants: 92 Elderly people (aged ≥ 65 years) with at least one neurological condition. Measurements: Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), body mass index (BMI), mid-arm (MAC) and calf circumferences (CC) were used for nutritional status assessment. Presence and severity of dysphagia, polypharmacy and feeding difficulties were also assessed. Results: According to MNA, 77.1% of the participants were undernourished at admission. BMI identified 46.8%, MAC identified 44.6% and CC identified 22.8% of undernourished participants. Undernutrition was more frequent in Alzheimer’s disease, stroke and dementia syndromes. 63% had dysphagia for at least one food consistence and most of these patients were malnourished. MNA revealed best concordance with BMI and MAC than with CC. BMI and feeding difficulties were the major risk factors for undernutrition. Conclusion: Undernutrition prevalence in institutionalized elderly with neurological diseases at admission is high. Nutritional assessment tools revealed low concordance between them."info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Moagem e sapeco/secagem em forno de microondas na classificação sensorial de erva-mate no infravermelho próximo.

bitstream/CNPF-2009-09/44430/1/com_tec203.pd

Ozone affects plant, insect, and soil microbial communities. A threat to terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity

Elevated tropospheric ozone concentrations induce adverse effects in plants. We reviewed how ozone affects (i) the composition and diversity of plant communities by affecting key physiological traits; (ii) foliar chemistry and the emission of volatiles, thereby affecting plant-plant competition, plant-insect interactions, and the composition of insect communities; and (iii) plant-soil-microbe interactions and the composition of soil communities by disrupting plant litterfall and altering root exudation, soil enzymatic activities, decomposition, and nutrient cycling. The community composition of soil microbes is consequently changed, and alpha diversity is often reduced. The effects depend on the environment and vary across space and time. We suggest that Atlantic islands in the Northern Hemisphere, the Mediterranean Basin, equatorial Africa, Ethiopia, the Indian coastline, the Himalayan region, southern Asia, and Japan have high endemic richness at high ozone risk by 2100