Impact of oral nutritional supplement composition on healing of different chronic wounds: A systematic review.

Chronic wounds are characterized by prolonged non-healing, significantly affecting patients' quality of life. Oral formulas may enhance the wound healing process and contribute to cost reduction in care. This review aimed to evaluate the effects of oral nutritional supplementation on chronic wound healing and provide insights into formula characteristics. A comprehensive search across Cinahl, Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science databases yielded nine studies from the past decade involving 741 patients ages 52 to 81.7 across various care settings: hospitals, long-term care facilities, and home care. Primary wound types included pressure injuries (58%), diabetic foot ulcers (40%), and venous ulcers (2%). The intervention duration ranged from 2 to 16 wk, with sample sizes varying from 24 to 270 patients. Notably, four studies reported a reduction in wound area and an increased healing rate with a hypercaloric, hyperproteic formula enriched with zinc and vitamins A, C, and E. However, two studies found no significant differences compared with control groups. Two other studies investigated a combination of arginine, glutamine, and ß-hydroxy-ß-methylbutyrate; however, they did not yield significant results, and one study favored a hyperproteic formula instead of a hyperproteic formula with arginine. This review provides evidence supporting the potential of oral nutritional supplementation to enhance the healing process of chronic wounds. Based on our findings, a desirable formula should be characterized by a high calorie and protein content and the inclusion of antioxidant micronutrients, including, but not limited to, vitamins A, E, C, and zinc.

FRAIL scale as a screening tool and a predictor of mortality in non-dialysis dependent patients.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to compare the diagnostic yield of the FRAIL scale with respect to the physical frailty phenotype measure and their association with mortality in non-dialysis-dependent patients. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, non-dialysis dependent patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 3b-5 seen in the nephrology outpatient clinics of two university hospitals were included. The presence of frailty was evaluated by physical frailty phenotype measure and the FRAIL scale. Patients were evaluated for six months, and mortality was recorded. The Kappa test was used to evaluate the diagnostic properties between the methods, and logistic regression to test the association between frailty and mortality. RESULTS: One hundred fifty-three patients were evaluated; average age was 65 (56-70) years, 50.9% were women, and the all-cause mortality rate was 2.6%. Forty-six patients were classified as living with frailty according to the physical frailty phenotype while 36 patients were rated frail by the FRAIL scale. In adults < 60 years of age, the FRAIL scale showed good accuracy (84.9%) and specificity (93.2%) but had low sensitivity (41.3%) and moderate agreement (Kappa = 0.41; p < 0.001) compared to the definition of the physical frailty phenotype. The adjusted logistic regression model showed that the patients with frailty assessed by the FRAIL scale had a greater chance of mortality than the non-frail patients (OR: 6.8; CI95%:1.477-31.513; p = 0.014). CONCLUSION: Physical frailty phenotype identifies more patients as having pre-frailty and frailty in non-dialysis dependent patients as compared to the FRAIL scale. However, the FRAIL scale is a simple bedside tool that can be useful for screening for frailty and whose results were associated with mortality.

Efeito de uma ação de aconselhamento nutricional, com uso de rede social, no enfrentamento à obesidade / Effect of a nutritional counseling activities, by using a social network, in coping with obesity

Estratégias inovadoras precisam ser adotadas para o combate à crescente prevalência de obesidade. Assim, o objetivo desse trabalho é avaliar o efeito de uma ação de aconselhamento nutricional com uso de rede social no enfrentamento à obesidade. Este é um estudo experimental do tipo antes e depois, incluindo 60 indivíduos com excesso de peso e adscritos a uma Unidade Básica de Saúde. Foi realizado de junho-outubro de 2020. As ações educativas (compartilhamento de informações sobre alimentação saudável e saúde e pactuação de desafios) foram realizadas pelo aplicativo WhatsApp®, semanalmente, por 16 semanas. Foram coletadas informações sociodemográficas, econômicas, clínicas, antropométricas, sobre consumo alimentar e exames bioquímicos. Os dados foram comparados por teste de Wilcoxon ou Kappa. A maioria dos participantes era do sexo feminino e 36,4% com diagnóstico de hipertensão. Após a intervenção, verificou-se redução de circunferência da cintura (antes:107,3±11,4; depois:105,6±11,5 cm, p=0,004), colesterol total (antes:205,9±48,3; depois:191,5±34,3 mg/dL, p<0,001) e LDL-c (antes:132,4±37,8; depois:120,2±29,3 mg/dL, p<0,001). A ação foi capaz de promover reduções de marcadores corporais de obesidade e de descompensações metabólicas associadas a obesidade, demonstrando a importância de intervenções inovadoras que possam somar a outras intervenções e facilitar a adesão do público.

Innovative strategies need to be adopted to combat the growing prevalence of obesity. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of a nutritional counseling activity using a social network in coping with obesity. This is a before-and-after experimental study, including 60 overweight individuals enrolled in a Primary Care Center. It was carried out from June to October 2020. Educational actions (sharing information about healthy eating and health and agreeing on challenges) were carried out through the WhatsApp® application, weekly, for 16 weeks. Sociodemographic, economic, clinical, anthropometric, food consumption, and biochemical data were collected. Data were compared by the Wilcoxon or Kappa test. Most participants were female and 36.4% had a diagnosis of hypertension. After the intervention, there was a reduction in waist circumference (before:107.3±11.4; after:105.6±11.5 cm, p=0.004), total cholesterol (before:205.9±48, 3; after:191.5±34.3 mg/dL, p<0.001), and LDL-c (before:132.4±37.8; after:120.2±29.3 mg/dL, p<0.001). The activity was able to promote reductions in body markers of obesity and metabolic imbalances associated with obesity, demonstrating the importance of innovative interventions that can add to other interventions and facilitate public adherence.

Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory response to curcumin supplementation in hemodialysis patients: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Hemodialysis (HD) patients are vulnerable to malnutrition and cardiovascular complications due to many factors, including oxidative stress and inflammation. Curcumin supplementation is associated with attenuation of proinflammatory cytokines and increased activity of antioxidant enzymes, but its effects in HD patients are unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of curcumin supplementation on oxidative stress and inflammation in HD patients. METHODS: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial enrolled 43 HD patients and divided them into two groups: supplemented with curcumin (1 g/day) or placebo (corn starch) for 12 weeks. Demographic information and blood samples were taken at the start and the end of the study to determine serum malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations, antioxidant enzyme activity, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). RESULTS: The curcumin group showed a significant increase in catalase activity [Δ = 1.13 ± 2.87 versus Δ = -1.08 ± 2.68; p = 0.048] and preserved glutathione peroxidase activity [Δ = -4.23 ± 11.50 versus Δ = -14.44 ± 13.96; p < 0.01] compared with the placebo group. However, no significant changes were found in MDA concentrations, glutathione reductase activity, and hs-CRP concentrations after the intervention. CONCLUSION: Curcumin supplementation for 12 weeks had potential effects on antioxidant response, but it was not enough to reduce oxidative stress markers and inflammation in HD patients. This trial was registered at EnsaiosClínicos.gov.br under registration number RBR-2t5zpd.

Transcultural adaptation of the Thirst Distress Scale (TDS) into Brazilian Portuguese and an analysis of the psychometric properties of the scale for patients on hemodialysis / Adaptação transcultural do instrumento Thirst Distress Scale (TDS) para o português brasileiro e propriedades psicométricas em pacientes em hemodiálise

Abstract Objective: To produce a transcultural adaptation of the Thirst Distress Scale (TDS) into Brazilian Portuguese and analyze the scale's psychometric properties for patients on hemodialysis (HD). Methods: The original scale was translated, back translated, and discussed with psychometric assessment experts. The final version was tested with 126 patients on HD and retested with 70 individuals from the original patient population. Cronbach's alpha was used to measure the scale's internal consistency. Reliability of thirst intensity evaluated via the visual analogue scale (VAS) was tested with Kappa statistic and the Bland-Altman plot. Reproducibility was assessed based on the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results: The wording of three items and the verb tenses of six had to be adjusted in the final version of the Brazilian Portuguese TDS. Comprehension of the scale by patients on HD was good, the scale's internal consistency was satisfactory (0.84; p<0.001), agreement with a visual analogue scale (VAS) was moderate (kappa=0.44; p<0.001), and reproducibility neared perfection (ICC=0.87; p<0.001). Conclusion: Our results showed that the Brazilian Portuguese version of the scale might be used reliably. The Brazilian Portuguese version of the TDS is a practical, affordable, accessible and well-accepted tool that has a lot to offer for the management of patients with HD.

Resumo Objetivo: Realizar a adaptação transcultural da escala Thirst Distress Scale (TDS) para o português brasileiro e estudar suas propriedades psicométricas em pacientes em hemodiálise (HD). Métodos: Foram realizadas traduções, retrotraduções, discussão com especialistas e avaliação psicométrica, com aplicação da versão final em 126 pacientes em HD e reteste em 70 pacientes da amostra inicial. A consistência interna do instrumento foi obtida pelo alfa de Cronbach. Para analisar a concordância com a intensidade de sede, avaliada pela Escala Visual Analógica (EVA), foi utilizado o teste Kappa e a estratégia gráfica de Bland-Altman. Para avaliar a reprodutibilidade, foi realizado teste de correlação intraclasse (CCI). Resultados: Para obtenção da versão final da escala TDS em português brasileiro, intitulada TDS-BR, foi necessária adaptação de vocabulário em três itens e mudança de tempo verbal em seis itens. Houve boa compreensão da escala pelos pacientes em HD, consistência interna satisfatória (0,84, p<0,001), concordância moderada com a Escala Visual Analógica (EVA) (kappa=0,44; p<0,001) e reprodutibilidade quase perfeita (CCI=0,87; p<0,001). Conclusão: Os resultados obtidos indicam a aplicabilidade e confiabilidade do instrumento na língua portuguesa (Brasil). A ferramenta, por ser de fácil compreensão e baixo custo, além de ter boa aceitação, pode ser um instrumento relevante no manejo da sede de pacientes em HD.

Transcultural adaptation of the Thirst Distress Scale (TDS) into Brazilian Portuguese and an analysis of the psychometric properties of the scale for patients on hemodialysis.

OBJECTIVE: To produce a transcultural adaptation of the Thirst Distress Scale (TDS) into Brazilian Portuguese and analyze the scale's psychometric properties for patients on hemodialysis (HD). METHODS: The original scale was translated, back translated, and discussed with psychometric assessment experts. The final version was tested with 126 patients on HD and retested with 70 individuals from the original patient population. Cronbach's alpha was used to measure the scale's internal consistency. Reliability of thirst intensity evaluated via the visual analogue scale (VAS) was tested with Kappa statistic and the Bland-Altman plot. Reproducibility was assessed based on the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). RESULTS: The wording of three items and the verb tenses of six had to be adjusted in the final version of the Brazilian Portuguese TDS. Comprehension of the scale by patients on HD was good, the scale's internal consistency was satisfactory (0.84; p<0.001), agreement with a visual analogue scale (VAS) was moderate (kappa=0.44; p<0.001), and reproducibility neared perfection (ICC=0.87; p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Our results showed that the Brazilian Portuguese version of the scale might be used reliably. The Brazilian Portuguese version of the TDS is a practical, affordable, accessible and well-accepted tool that has a lot to offer for the management of patients with HD.