Health care professionals’ experience, understanding and perception of need of advanced cancer patients with cachexia and their families: The benefits of a dedicated clinic.

BACKGROUND: Cachexia is defined as the on-going loss of skeletal muscle mass that cannot be fully reversed by conventional nutritional support. It is found in up to 80% of patients with advanced cancer and has profound psycho-social consequences for patients and their families. Previous studies demonstrate that many healthcare professionals receive little formal education in cachexia management leading them to feel that they have limited understanding of the syndrome and cannot intervene effectively. This study aims to examine the value of a dedicated cachexia clinic and its influence on staff understanding and practice. METHODS: An exploratory qualitative study was conducted. The study employed semi-structured interviews with a range of healthcare professionals responsible for designing and delivering cancer care in a large teaching hospital in Australia. This hospital had a dedicated cachexia clinic. RESULTS: In-depth interviews were conducted with 8 healthcare professionals and senior managers. Four themes were identified: formal and informal education; knowledge and understanding; truth telling in cachexia and palliative care; and, a multi-disciplinary approach. Findings show that improved knowledge and understanding across a staff body can lead to enhanced staff confidence and a willingness to address cancer cachexia and its consequences with patients and their families. CONCLUSION: Comparisons with similar previous research demonstrate the advantages of providing a structure for staff to gain knowledge about cachexia and how this can contribute to feelings of improved understanding and confidence necessary to respond to the challenge of cachexia

Interrupting prolonged sitting with frequent short bouts of light-intensity activity in people with type 1 diabetes improves glycaemic control without increasing hypoglycaemia: The SIT-LESS randomised controlled trial

Aim To examine the impact of interrupting prolonged sitting with frequent short bouts of light-intensity activity on glycaemic control in people with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Materials and Methods In total, 32 inactive adults with T1D [aged 27.9 ± 4.7 years, 15 men, diabetes duration 16.0 ± 6.9 years and glycated haemoglobin 8.4 ± 1.4% (68 ± 2.3 mmol/mol)] underwent two 7-h experimental conditions in a randomised crossover fashion with >7-day washout consisting of: uninterrupted sitting (SIT), or, interrupted sitting with 3-min bouts of self-paced walking at 30-min intervals (SIT-LESS). Standardised mixed-macronutrient meals were administered 3.5 h apart during each condition. Blinded continuous glucose monitoring captured interstitial glucose responses during the 7-h experimental period and for a further 48-h under free-living conditions. Results SIT-LESS reduced total mean glucose (SIT 8.2 ± 2.6 vs. SIT-LESS 6.9 ± 1.7 mmol/L, p = .001) and increased time in range (3.9-10.0 mmol/L) by 13.7% (SIT 71.5 ± 9.5 vs. SIT-LESS 85.1 ± 7.1%, p = .002). Hyperglycaemia (>10.0 mmol/L) was reduced by 15.0% under SIT-LESS (SIT 24.2 ± 10.8 vs. SIT-LESS 9.2 ± 6.4%, p = .002), whereas hypoglycaemia exposure (<3.9 mmol/L) (SIT 4.6 ± 3.0 vs. SIT-LESS 6.0 ± 6.0%, p = .583) was comparable across conditions. SIT-LESS reduced glycaemic variability (coefficient of variation %) by 7.8% across the observation window (p = .021). These findings were consistent when assessing discrete time periods, with SIT-LESS improving experimental and free-living postprandial, whole-day and night-time glycaemic outcomes (p < .05). Conclusions Interrupting prolonged sitting with frequent short bouts of light-intensity activity improves acute postprandial and 48-h glycaemia in adults with T1D. This pragmatic strategy is an efficacious approach to reducing sedentariness and increasing physical activity levels without increasing risk of hypoglycaemia in T1D

Temporal Effects of Sleeve Gastrectomy on Glucose-Insulin Homeostasis and Incretin Hormone Response at 1 and 6 Months

Abstract Background Bariatric surgery is an effective treatment for morbid obesity and glycaemic dysfunction. Objectives The aim of the work was to examine both the static and dynamic changes of glucose-insulin homeostasis and incretin hormone response following sleeve gastrectomy (SG) in a sample of 55 participants preoperatively and 1 month and 6 months postoperatively. The focus was on a sample of patients with impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Setting Morriston Hospital, UK. Methods Prospective study comprising of 55 participants with impaired glucose homeostasis and T2D undergoing SG (mean body mass index [BMI] 50.4 kg/m2, mean glycated haemoglobin [A1C] 7.4%). Serial measurements of glucose, insulin, C-peptide, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic hormone (GIP) were performed during oral glucose tolerance testing preoperatively and 1 and 6 months postoperatively. Areas under the curve (AUC) were examined at 30, 60, and 120 min. Results We observed significant improvements in measures of obesity, as well as static and dynamic measures of glucose, insulin, C-peptide and HOMA. Furthermore, significant increases in GLP-1 response as early as 6 months postoperatively were also seen. Conclusions To our knowledge, no study has examined the detailed dynamic changes in glucose and insulin homeostasis in this number of participants undergoing SG in relation to incretin hormones GIP and GLP-1. This current study supports the role of SG for the treatment of obesity-related glucose dysregulation. </jats:sec