Objectives: To evaluate the utility of the Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA) in assessing nutritional, physical and psychosocial functions in community-living elderly individuals. Design: A cross-sectional study of elderly individuals investigated in August 2007 and August-September 2008. Nutritional status was assessed using serum biomarkers, anthropometric measurements and the MNA. Physical function was assessed by measuring grip strength and both usual and maximum walking speeds. The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) was used to measure the individual's depressive state. Setting: Elder-care facilities in Tokyo, Japan. Subjects: Community-living elderly individuals aged $65 years (n 130). Results: The MNA evaluation classified twenty-seven (20?8 %) individuals as being at risk for malnutrition (MNA score #23?5); these at-risk individuals included a high proportion of the elderly aged $75 years. MNA scores correlated with nutritional biomarkers (total protein, albumin, cholinesterase, Hb) and anthropometric measurements (triceps skinfold, subscapular skinfold, mid-arm muscle area) and exhibited a strong correlation with grip strength and GDS score. Multivariate analysis revealed that grip strength, GDS score, marital status and maximum walking speed are strong predictors of MNA score. Conclusions: The MNA is considerably useful in providing a comprehensive assessment of nutritional status in elderly, community-living Japanese. However, larger-scale epidemiological studies are needed to determine the utility and the appropriate cut-off point of the MNA as a screen for risk of malnutrition. Keywords Community-living elderly Mini-Nutritional Assessment Grip strength DepressionThe proportion of elderly people is increasing markedly around the world. In Japan today, 22?1 % of the total population is $65 years of age, and this statistic is estimated to exceed 33?7 % in 2035. Moreover, the population of very old people (aged $75 years) is expanding to 10?2 % (1) . This demographic shift will change healthcare problems, and continued good health of the elderly population will remain a major challenge in public health (2) . Malnutrition is a common health problem in the elderly, causing a decline in the quality of life. Particularly in community-living elderly, chronic malnutrition is a widespread, but often unrecognized, problem that goes untreated. The prevalence of risk of malnutrition (RM) in the elderly living at home is 24 (SD 0?4) % in a previous review (3) . Reports suggest that 30 % of Japanese community-living elderly individuals are at RM, and 50 % have multiple health problems requiring medical treatment (4) . Increasing health-care expenditures among the elderly is also becoming a serious global socio-economic problem. The assessment of malnutrition risk among the community-living elderly is important for early intervention and prevention, which may contribute to the improvement of the social economy. Nutritional status in the elderly is influenced by various factors, including physical and psychosoc...

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The relationship of chronotype differences with dietary habits and health-related outcomes among elderly people is not fully understood, although sex and generation differences are observed in human chronotype. Accordingly, we analysed the association of chronotype (as assessed by the midpoint of sleep) with dietary intake and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in elderly Japanese women. The subjects in this cross-sectional study were 1618 women aged 65 years and older who were grandmothers or acquaintances of dietetics students. The subjects were classified into quintiles with respect to the midpoint of sleep, from the earliest to the latest quintile. HRQoL was assessed by the Japanese version of the short-form 36-item health survey score. Mental health was assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale. Dietary intake was assessed by a brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire. A later midpoint of sleep was associated with a lower intake of vitamin D and a higher intake of bread and caffeinated drinks. No correlations were observed between chronotype and other nutrient and food intake. The subjects with a late midpoint of sleep (eveningness) showed poor general health perception (GH) and high CES-D scores. Other HRQoL scores did not differ among groups with different midpoints of sleep. In conclusion, chronotype as assessed by the midpoint of sleep is associated with poor GH and depressive tendencies in elderly Japanese women. Additionally, a few associations were found between dietary intake and chronotype in elderly Japanese women.

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AimsThe intrauterine environment is considered to affect immunological development in fetus, leading to an increased risk of developing allergy. In particular, maternal lipopolysaccharides (LPS) administration might regulate the development of allergic disease in offspring. Several studies have shown that being obese relates to a higher prevalence of allergic diseases compared to normal weight. The present study explored the effects of inducing maternal inflammation with LPS before pregnancy on body weight, physical composition including body fat, adipokine production, and pathology of allergic rhinitis in offspring.Main methodsFemale mice received a single intraperitoneal injection of LPS (2 μg/g BW). After 5 days of LPS administration, female mice were mated with males, and experimental allergic rhinitis was induced in female offspring. Immunization and nasal challenge with ovalbumin (OVA) were performed at 7 and 8 weeks of age. Allergic rhinitis-like symptoms, OVA-specific IgE and adipokines in sera, body weight, fat pad weight, and cytokine production by splenocytes in these 9-week-old offspring.Key findingsMaternal LPS administration results in a significant increase in body weight, visceral fat accumulation, and serum leptin concentration, and the dominance of Th1 in Th balance. Nevertheless, there was no statistical difference in OVA-specific IgE titer and allergic-like symptoms between the groups.SignificanceIn conclusion, maternal LPS promoted leptin production and altered Th balance in mice offspring, but not improved allergic symptoms in a mouse model of allergic rhinitis. It might suggest that inflammation during pregnancy plays a role in the adipose tissue function which could diversely influence allergic inflammation in offspring.