Objectives  The purpose of this study was three‐fold: to identify which behavioural, communicative and personal presentation characteristics most closely represent patients’ views of professionalism; to determine whether patients perceive resident doctors as displaying these characteristics, and to explore whether or not resident doctor professional behaviour creates an impression of clinical competence to the degree where patients perceive a decreased need for Attending Physician involvement. Methods  We carried out a descriptive, cross‐sectional study at an academic centre. An anonymous, voluntary four‐question survey with multiple items was administered to all adult patients or the parents of paediatric patients attending an ophthalmology clinic who were seen by a resident doctor followed by an Attending Physician. Results  A total of 133 of 148 (90%) surveys were returned. All the itemised characteristics of professionalism were reported to be important or very important to the majority of participants. The most important were: ‘Pays attention to my concerns’ (90%); ‘Is compassionate’ (83%), and ‘Speaks in terms that I can understand’ (83%). Although 85% of respondents reported that resident doctors demonstrated all the characteristics of professionalism listed on the survey, 83% of participants stated that it was important or very important that residents have Attending Physician involvement. Conclusions  Patient‐centred components of professionalism, such as communication skills and compassion, are more important to patients than social behaviours, such as appearance and acknowledgement of family members. Resident doctors are perceived to display a high level of professionalism during patient care. Patients clearly desire direct resident doctor supervision by an Attending Physician.

We have investigated the hypothesis that nutritional supplementation of the diet in low-physical-functioning (LPF) older individuals with a specially formulated composition based on essential amino acids (EAAs) would improve physical function as compared to supplementation with the same amount of whey protein. A third group of comparable volunteers were given nutrition education but no supplementation of the diet.After 6 weeks of whey protein supplementation (n=32) there was no effect on the distance walked in 6 minutes, but the distance walked improved significantly from the pre-value after 12 weeks of whey supplementation. EAA consumption (n=28) significantly improved walking distance at both 6 and 12 weeks. The distance walked at 12 weeks (419.0 +/- 25.0 m) was 35.4 m greater than the pre-value of 384.0 +/- 23.0 m (p< 0.001). The increase in distance walked by the EAA group was also significantly greater than in the whey group at both 6 and 12 weeks (p< 0.01). In contrast, a decrease in distance walked was observed in the control group (n=32) (not statistically significant, NS). EAA supplementation also improved grip strength and leg strength, and decreased body weight and fat mass. Plasma LDL concentration was significantly reduced in the EAA group, as well as the concentration of macrophage migration inhibitory factor. There were no adverse responses in any groups, and compliance was greater than 95% in all individuals consuming supplements.We conclude that dietary supplementation with an EAA-based composition may be a beneficial therapy in elderly individuals with low physical functional capacity.

Background Screening for Barrett's oesophagus relies on endoscopy, which is invasive and few who undergo the procedure are found to have the condition. We aimed to use machine learning techniques to develop and externally validate a simple risk prediction panel to screen individuals for Barrett's oesophagus. MethodsIn this prospective study, machine learning risk prediction in Barrett's oesophagus (MARK-BE), we used data from two case-control studies, BEST2 and BOOST, to compile training and validation datasets. From the BEST2 study, we analysed questionnaires from 1299 patients, of whom 880 (67·7%) had Barrett's oesophagus, including 40 with invasive oesophageal adenocarcinoma, and 419 (32·3%) were controls. We randomly split (6:4) the cohort using a computer algorithm into a training dataset of 776 patients and a testing dataset of 523 patients. We compiled an external validation cohort from the BOOST study, which included 398 patients, comprising 198 patients with Barrett's oesophagus (23 with oesophageal adenocarcinoma) and 200 controls. We identified independently important diagnostic features of Barrett's oesophagus using the machine learning techniques information gain and correlationbased feature selection. We assessed multiple classification tools to create a multivariable risk prediction model. Internal validation of the model using the BEST2 testing dataset was followed by external validation using the BOOST external validation dataset. From these data we created a prediction panel to identify at-risk individuals.Findings The BEST2 study included 40 diagnostic features. Of these, 19 added information gain but after correlationbased feature selection only eight showed independent diagnostic value including age, sex, cigarette smoking, waist circumference, frequency of stomach pain, duration of heartburn and acidic taste, and taking antireflux medication, of which all were associated with increased risk of Barrett's oesophagus, except frequency of stomach pain, with was inversely associated in a case-control population. Logistic regression offered the highest prediction quality with an area under the receiver-operator curve (AUC) of 0·87 (95% CI 0·84-0·90; sensitivity set at 90%; specificity of 68%). In the testing dataset, AUC was 0·86 (0·83-0·89; sensitivity set at 90%; specificity of 65%). In the external validation dataset, the AUC was 0·81 (0·74-0·84; sensitivity set at 90%; specificity of 58%). Interpretation Our diagnostic model offers valid predictions of diagnosis of Barrett's oesophagus in patients withsymptomatic gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, assisting in identifying who should go forward to invasive confirmatory testing. Our predictive panel suggests that overweight men who have been taking antireflux medication for a long time might merit particular consideration for further testing. Our risk prediction panel is quick and simple to administer but will need further calibration and validation in a prospective study in primary care.

In a recent randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we were able to demonstrate the superiority of a dietary supplement composed of essential amino acids (EAAs) over whey protein, in older adults with low physical function. In this paper, we describe the comparative plasma protein expression in the same subject groups of EAAs vs whey. The plasma proteomics data was generated using SOMA scan assay. A total of twenty proteins were found to be differentially expressed in both groups with a 1.5-fold change. Notably, five proteins showed a significantly higher fold change expression in the EAA group which included adenylate kinase isoenzyme 1, casein kinase II 2-alpha, Nascent polypeptide-associated complex subunit alpha, peroxiredoxin-1, and peroxiredoxin-6. These five proteins might have played a significant role in providing energy for the improved cardiac and muscle strength of older adults with LPF. On the other hand, fifteen proteins showed slightly lower fold change expression in the EAA group. Some of these 15 proteins regulate metabolism and were found to be associated with inflammation or other comorbidities. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis showed the association of these proteins with several biological processes. Furthermore, protein–protein interaction network analysis also showed distinct networks between upregulated and downregulated proteins. In conclusion, the important biological roles of the upregulated proteins plus better physical function of participants in the EAAs vs whey group demonstrated that EAAs have the potential to improve muscle strength and physical function in older adults. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03424265 “Nutritional interventions in heart failure.”