Project Details
Projekt
Interaction of trace elements with aging phenotypes, inflammation and wound healing disorders in age-advanced multimorbid patients.
Applicant
Professorin Dr. Kristina Norman
Subject Area
Nutritional Sciences
Term
since 2020
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 316442145
Background: Trace elements (TE) have been implicated in aging processes and age-related disease progression owing to their many roles in immune functioning, signaling pathways, oxidative processes and genomic stability. Although the metabolism of TE is closely intertwined, profiles of several TE and their functional biomarkers have not yet been investigated with regard to wound healing disorders or frailty in old multimorbid patients, although they most likely have altered profiles owing not only to higher age but to inflammation and low dietary intake.We hypothesize that TE profiles are altered in old patients when compared to healthy age- and sex matched controls and that these alterations are related to inflammatory status, frailty, nutritional status as well as predictive of short-term outcome. Also, we expect TE profile imbalances in patients with wound-healing disorders compared to successful wound healing or healthy age- and sex–matched controls.Methods: We will study a clinical cohort consisting of 517 old patients who have been assessed with a battery of tests (reflecting clinical characteristics, wound healing parameters, frailty, nutrition, physical status and level of independence, fatigue, mental health, cognition and quality of life) at hospital admission and discharge and followed up at 3 and 6 months after discharge. TE and functional biomarkers will be measured by the respective experts of this consortium. This project will be divided into 3 work packages. In WP1 we will recruit an age-and sex-matched control group (n=150) who will be assessed using the same tests and complete data preparation of the clinical cohort. In WP2 we will measure pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines using validated ELISA kits. This project will inform other projects in the DFG consortium TraceAge by providing biomaterial of this well characterized cohort. In WP3 we will assess TE profiles and functional TE biomarkers in old patients compared to age-and sex-matched healthy controls, with specific focus on the TE profile of patients with wound healing disorders compared to those with successful wound healing, those without wounds and the controls. Moreover we will assess the complex relation between TE and inflammation (pro- and anti inflammatory biomarkers). We will also study TE profiles with regard to important nutrition phenotypes such as anorexia of aging and unintended weight loss. In a next step, we will determine the degree of TE imbalance according to the aging phenotype frailty. Lastly, we will be able to relate TE profiles and the functional biomarkers to 6-month posthospital outcome (mortality and rate of acute unplanned readmissions). Outlook: This project will allow us to deepen our understanding of the role of TE in inflammatory burden, frailty as well as wound healing disorders. By studying the 6 TE and their functional biomarkers we will contribute to better understanding of the need for age - as well as inflammation-specific TE needs.
DFG Programme
Research Units
