Reinforcement Effects of Social Network Intervention during Nutritional Supplementation in Frail Older Adults.

Introduction: Chronic undernutrition and a homebound state are corelated and are both important components of frailty. However, whether social network intervention combined with protein supplementation is an effective strategy to prevent functional decline among frail older adults is unclear.

Methods: 150 frail older adults participated in a 3-month, 3-armed, community-based clinical trial and were randomly assigned to one of 3 groups: high-protein supplementation (additional 27 g of protein/day), the Social Nutrition Program (additional 27 g of protein/day and social network intervention), or a control group.

Knowledge, Self-Efficacy, and Perceived Barriers on the Low-Iodine Diet among Thyroid Cancer Patients Preparing for Radioactive Iodine Therapy.

The purposes of the study were to assess knowledge, self-efficacy, and perceived barriers on a low-iodine diet among thyroid cancer patients and to identify strategies for nutrition education. A self-administered questionnaire was developed based on a review of literature and pilot-tested. A total of 121 female thyroid cancer patients participated in a survey and 117 responses were used for data analysis.

Age at diagnosis is an independent predictor of small renal cell carcinoma recurrence-free survival.

Purpose: Controversy exists as to the influence of age at diagnosis on prognosis in patients with renal cell carcinoma. We investigated the relationship between age at diagnosis and disease recurrence after surgery in patients with small renal cell carcinoma.

Materials And Methods: Of the 1,196 patients who underwent curative surgery for renal cell carcinoma between 1989 and 2005 at our institution 490 with renal cell carcinoma 4 cm or less were included in our study.