MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was done at Iraqi Communicable Disease Control Center, where all confirmed cases of Salmonella typhi are reported, for a period 2019-2021. All demographic, epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients, comorbidities, type of samples, distribution of S. typhi by age and gender, time distribution in each year and profile of bacterial resistance and sensitivity to antibiotics were gathered and analysed.

RESULTS: Most samples were taken from blood. The mean age of cases during 2019, 2020 and 2021 was 18.7 ± 6.5, 17.7 ± 14.1 and 17.3 ± 12.8. Males constituted 56.7%, 58.5% and 39.8%, respectively. Some cases had comorbidities. Most cases had headache and fever. Some of them had nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting and epigastric pain. The age and sex were significantly associated with years of reporting. The most months of case reporting were June-July (2019 and 2021), Jan. -Feb. (2020). There was an obvious increase in S. typhi resistance to ceftriaxone (92.2%, 86.1%, 88.8%) and ampicillin (77.1%, 76.9%, 81.27%). There was a gradual increase in sensitivity to tetracycline (83.1%, 88.1%, 94%), cotrimoxazole (86.7%, 86.1%, 92.2%), ciprofloxacin (78.3%, 90.1%, 87.8%) and cefixime (77.7%, 72.3%, 72.7%).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study done in Baghdad on 112 patients who attended Al-Zahraa Allergic Center. Their demographic characteristics, total IgE, eosinophil counts and PCR result for COVID-19 were determined.

RESULTS: The means for IgE and eosinophils were 245.7±260.1IU/ml and 444.5±117.1cells/microliter sequentially. Around 32.1% had high IgE level (i.e., atopic) and 11.6% had COVID-19. Among the atopic patients, 33.3%, 30.5% and 36.2% had atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis and asthma respectively. More than half (58.3%) of them were male, 55.5% aged <45 years, 36.2% were retired or had no job, 69.5% were graduated from secondary school or more and 88.8% lived in urban areas. There is no significant association in IgE level between those with and without COVID-19, which means that exposure to SARS Cov2 virus could not be a trigger or exacerbation for atopic diseases. Also, there was no association between atopic patients with COVID-19 and those without it regarding type of atopy, age, sex, occupation, education, type of living area.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the effectiveness of the Malaysian Geriatric Patients' Hospital Foodservice Protocol (MYGERYFS).

METHODS: The protocol comprises 3 phases. Phase One is a cross-sectional study that took place at public hospitals with geriatric wards in the Klang Valley. Univariate data from Phase One were analyzed descriptively. Pearson correlation and chi-square were conducted to find factors associated with foodservice satisfaction. Phase Two involves the collaboration of health care professionals in the geriatric field. In Phase Three, a feasibility study will be conducted to determine the feasibility of the MYGERYFS protocol in a hospital among 60 geriatric patients. These patients will be randomized into control and intervention groups, respectively. Intervention care will be done to ensure the safety of the protocol.

RESULTS: Data collection for Phase One of the study has been completed. A total of 233 geriatric respondents with the mean age of 71.39 (SD 7.99) years were gathered. Approximately 51.5% (n=120) of the respondents were female, while 48.5% (n=113) were male, with a mean BMI of 24.84 (SD 6.05) kg/m2. Their mean energy and protein intakes were 1006.20 kcal (SD 462.03 kcal) and 42.60 (SD 22.20) grams, respectively. Based on the Mini Nutritional Assessment, older patients who scored 12-14 (normal) were 27.9% (n=65), those who scored 8-11 (at risk) were 54.9% (n=128), and those who scored 0-7, which is the lowest (malnutrition), were 17.2% (n=40) of the study population. Hence, most patients were at risk of malnutrition. Although a majority of the patients claimed to have good foodservice satisfaction 26.2% (n=61), they also experienced at least 3 barriers during mealtimes. It was found that dietary intake and mealtime barriers were significantly associated with the respondent's foodservice satisfaction. Data for Phase Two and Phase Three are yet to be collected and analyzed.

CONCLUSIONS: This study protocol could potentially benefit the hospital foodservice system and aid in improving geriatric nutritional status.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04858165; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04858165.

METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted among surgical GC patients who were admitted for elective surgery. Data on socio-demographic characteristics, clinical status (diagnosis, the staging of cancer, comorbidities and family history on cancer), anthropometric measures [ Body Mass Index (BMI), weight changes, the percentage of weight loss past one month, muscle mass, fat mass, fat-free mass and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC)], biochemical profiles [C-reactive protein, albumin and C-reactive protein (CRP) to albumin ratio (CAR)], handgrip strength, total daily energy and protein intake, and malnutrition status [scored Patient Generated-Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA)] were assessed during admission.

RESULTS: Study recruited 124 participants and 57.2% (n = 71) were malnourished. Mean for age, weight changes past one month, handgrip strength, total daily energy and protein intake, PG-SGA score and CAR of participants were 49.9 ± 12.5 years, -4.9 ± 7.2%, 15.6 ± 6.2 kg, 25±7 kcal/kg/day, 1.0 ± 0.3 g/kg/day, 6.5 ± 5.4 and 0.7 ± 1.9, respectively. Multiple linear regression test revealed that the percentage of weight loss past one month, haemoglobin, CRP and handgrip strength were the significant predictors of malnutrition.

METHODS/DESIGN: This open-labelled, randomised controlled trial (RCT) will randomly allocate patients into intervention and control groups. Ambulated Malaysian aged over 18 years and scheduled for elective surgery for (suspected) GC, will be included in this study. The intervention group will be given whey-protein-infused carbohydrate-loading drinks on the evening before their operation and 3 h before their operation as well as started on early oral feeding 4 h post-operatively. The control group will be fasted overnight pre-operation and only allowed plain water, and return to a normal diet is allowed when bowel sounds return post-operatively. The primary outcomes of study are length of post-operative hospital stay, length of clear-fluid tolerance, solid-food tolerance and bowel function. Additional outcome measures are changes in nutritional status, biochemical profile and functional status. Data will be analysed on an intention-to-treat basis.