MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Emanuele Cereda, MD, PhD
Servizio di Dietetica e Nutrizione Clinica, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico
San Matteo, Pavia, Italy and
Federico D’Andrea MD
SCDO Dietetica e Nutrizione Clinica, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria “Maggiore della Carità”, Novara, Italy
MedicalResearch: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Pressure ulcers (PUs) represent an important indicator of patient safety and quality of care. They negatively affect patient quality of life and increase healthcare costs. PUs are closely linked to malnutrition as it contributes not only to their development but also to impaired healing. It's also a sign of neglect if the patient is in a nursing home so you may want to contact someone like this
nursing home neglect lawyer if you are worried that your loved one is being mistreated. Pressure ulcers patients are frequently unable to meet energy requirements through spontaneous feeding and nutritional support becomes essential. International guidelines currently recommend nutritional assessment and nutritional support as most Pressure ulcers patients can take advantage from adequate supply of proteins and calories. Beside, recent studies have suggested that additional provision of larger amount of some nutrients putatively involved in wound healing - arginine, zinc and antioxidants - may be of additional benefit. The OEST study has specifically investigated the role of these nutrients and has demonstrated that supplementation of
malnourished Pressure ulcers patients with an oral nutritional formula enriched with arginine, zinc and antioxidants improves Pressure ulcers healing, independently of the adequate supply of proteins and calories.
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Jennifer Williams MSN, MPH, FNP-BC
National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities
CDC, Atlanta, Georgia
Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Neural tube defects are serious birth defects of the brain and spine that can cause significant disability and death. Studies have shown that taking 400 mcg of folic acid daily before and during pregnancy can reduce the prevalence of neural tube defects. Therefore, in 1992, the US Public Health Service (USPHS) recommended that all women of childbearing age in the United States who are capable of becoming pregnant consume 400mcg of folic acid per day to reduce the risk of neural tube defects. To help women meet this requirement, in 1998 the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandated that folic acid be added to enriched grain products for the prevention of neural tube defects.
This study looks at how many neural tube defects have been prevented annually since folic acid fortification. Using data from birth defects tracking systems, researchers found that since folic acid fortification, the birth prevalence of neural tube defects has decreased by 35% in the United States, which translates to about 1,300 babies that are born each year without a neural tube defect who might otherwise have been affected. This study also reports that the number of babies born with a neural tube defect annually differs by the mother’s race/ethnicity. Hispanic mothers continue to be at the highest risk for having a baby with a neural tube defect.