Six clinical nutrition research projects serve as a focus for CNRU activity and include the following studies: 1) Nutritional factors in hepatic encephalopathy. 2) Optimal intake of zinc and copper in pediatric patients requiring total parenteral nutrition or defined formula diets. 3) Micronutrient metabolism in patients with essential fatty acid deficiency. 4) Preliminary assessment of the efficacy of supplemental enteral tube feedings as an adjunct to combination chemotherapy in patients with small cell and anaplastic carcinoma of the lung. 5) Effects of chronic dialysis and uremia on vitamin and trace element metabolism in children and adults. 6) Nutritional assessments as predictors for determining need for special nutritional support in presurgical patients. Additionally, a pilot study to develop and utilize accurate, inexpensive, and timely screening tools for identifying undernourished hospital patients at admission is in progress. A brief nutrition questionnaire, the height-weignt index, and computerized screening of potentially nutrition-related routine laboratory data serve as the basis for screening of all admissions. The CNRU Metabolic Assessment Lab is developing age- and sex-related normal ranges for vitamin, mineral, and functional protein assays. Schemas have been devised for each project and the Clinfo computer system is in use for the storage and analysis of data.
NIH ExPorter
NIH ExPorter