Assessment of Students' Perception of the Nutrition Curriculum in a Canadian Undergraduate Medical Education Program.

Background: Nutrition plays an important role in diseases, and physicians need to be proficient in providing nutrition counselling to patients. There is limited information regarding nutrition education in Canadian medical schools.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate students' perspectives about nutrition training provided in the undergraduate medical education program at Dalhousie University.

B-vitamin deficiency in hospitalized patients with heart failure.

The impact of heart failure and its treatment on specific nutrient requirements is unknown. Furthermore, depletion of water-soluble B vitamins that play key roles in the production of cellular energy in patients with heart failure can contribute to depletion of energy reserves observed in the failing heart. A cross-sectional study recently reported that approximately one third of hospitalized patients with heart failure had tissue levels suggestive of thiamin deficiency (vitamin B-1).

The prevalence of thiamin deficiency in hospitalized patients with congestive heart failure.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of thiamin deficiency (TD) in a cross section of hospitalized congestive heart failure (CHF) patients and to investigate factors that contribute to its development.

Background: Thiamin deficiency manifests as symptoms of CHF and, therefore, may worsen existing heart failure. Congestive heart failure patients may be at increased risk for TD as a result of diuretic-induced urine thiamin excretion, disease severity, malnutrition, and advanced age.