BackgroundThis study aimed to investigate the prevalence of malnutrition and explore the somatic, psychological, functional, and social or lifestyle characteristics linked to malnutrition in elderly people at a hospital in Turkey.Material/MethodsThis study included 1030 patients older than 65 years of age who were seen at the internal medicine and geriatrics outpatient clinics of the study centers in Istanbul, Ankara, Duzce, Corum, Mardin, Malatya, and Diyarbakir provinces between January and December 2014. All patients underwent Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) tests via one-on-one interview method. The demographic properties of the patients were also recorded during this interview.ResultsAmong 1030 patients included in this study, 196 (19%) had malnutrition and 300 (29.1%) had malnutrition risk. The malnutrition group and the other groups were significantly different with respect to mean GDS score, income status, educational status, the number of children, functional status (ADL, IADL), the number of patients with depression, and the number of comorbid disorders. According to the results of the logistic regression analysis, age (OR=95% CI: 1.007–1.056; p=0.012), BMI (OR=95% CI: 0.702–0.796; p<0.001), educational status (OR=95% CI: 0.359–0.897; p=0.015), comorbidity (OR=95% CI: 2.296–5.448; p<0.001), and depression score (OR=95% CI: 1.104–3.051; p=0.02) were independently associated with malnutrition.ConclusionsOur study demonstrates that age, depression, BMI, comorbidity, and the educational status were independently associated with malnutrition in an elderly population.

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Metformin (MTF) associated gastrointestinal symptoms are fairly common side effects that adversely affect patients' treatment adherence. However, the variability of gastrointestinal symptoms in MTF-using patients has not been fully explained. In our study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between vitamin B12 deficiency with MTF-related gastrointestinal symptoms. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) using MTF were included in the study sequentially. Demographic characteristics of the patients, duration of diabetes, MTF dose and duration used, and gastrointestinal symptoms were recorded. Afterward, a hemogram, HgbA1c, and vitamin B12 measurements were performed. Patients with and without vitamin B12 deficiency were divided into two groups. The two groups were compared with statistical methods. Twenty-five percent of patients had low serum vitamin B12 levels. Patients with vitamin B12 deficiency had a longer diabetes duration, and a longer MTF usage duration (p<0.001, p<0.001) than the patients without vitamin B12 deficiency. There was no correlation between B12 deficiency and MTF dosage (p=0.590). Gastrointestinal symptoms were seen more frequently in the B12 deficiency group (p=0.025). Bloating and constipation, nausea, abdominal pain, and vomiting were seen commonly in the B12 deficiency group (p=0.002, p<0.001, p=0.014, p=0.004, respectively). Three or more symptoms were frequently seen in B12-deficient patients (p<0.001). Patients with both a MTF usage duration of 10 years or higher and vitamin B12 deficiency are found to be 434% more likely to have active gastrointestinal symptoms than all other patient groups (OR:5.343, 95%CI (2.173-13.140), p<0.001). Study results have shown that gastrointestinal symptoms seen in patients with T2DM taking MTF may be associated with vitamin B12 deficiency. MTF-related gut microbiome changes may play a role in this relationship. In particular, we recommend that patients who have been using MTF for ≥10 years and have gastrointestinal complaints should be followed more closely for vitamin B12 deficiency.

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Aim: In our study, we aimed to investigate whether the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) can evaluate mortality in cancer patients treated in the palliative care unit (PCU). Material and Method: Cancer patients who received palliative care treatments in the PCU were screened retrospectively, and 309 patients were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups; hospitalizations ending with discharge as Group 1 (n=154) and hospitalizations ending with exitus as Group 2 (n=155). SII values of the two groups were compared. SII was calculated with the formula of neutrophil count x platelet count / lymphocyte count. To determine the best cut-off value for the mortality distinction ability of the SII, a Receiver Operating Curve (ROC) analysis was used. Results: The mean age and distribution of genders of the two groups were similar (p=0.706, p=0.964). There was a statistically significant difference between the SII values of the two groups (p