Case Report on a Multidisciplinary Approach to Address Malnutrition and Improve a Patient's Fitness for Treatment.

Approximately 5,700 people are diagnosed with myeloma each year in the UK. The standard of care is to receive an autologous stem cell transplant after completion of induction therapy. There are no specific dietary recommendations for people with myeloma, however they are at risk of malnutrition due to symptoms and side effects of treatments. This report describes the journey of a 73-year-old male diagnosed with immunoglobulin A (IgA) lambda myeloma in April 2021. The patient lost 23% of his body weight during 6 months of systemic anti-cancer treatment (SACT), resulting in postponing his transplant twice due to reduced fitness. This report describes an effective, although late, multidisciplinary intervention which was successful for the patient who managed to reestablish a healthy weight and good quality of life. The patient received his transplant in January 2023. This case highlights two important aspects of patient care that should not be underestimated in dietetic clinical practice: early screening and multidisciplinary collaboration. Monitoring the nutritional status of patients and providing early nutrition support can prevent hospital admissions, treatment delays and reduce the associated costs. Multidisciplinary teamwork can improve patient care and clinical outcomes, and it is fundamental to strengthen communication and collaboration among clinical disciplines.

Evaluation of bloodsucking arthropod bite as possible risk co-factor in Human herpesvirus-8 transmission route.

Human herpesvirus-8 non-sexual transmission occurs primarily from mother-to-child. The viral load in saliva is higher than in other human fluids. Moreover, there is evidence that bloodsucking arthropod bites induce an inflammatory/immune response that facilitates viral replication. We aim to explore possible risk factors in mother-to-child HHV-8 transmission associated with traditional methods which involve the use of saliva to relieve the irritation and skin reaction caused by arthropod bites. We administered questionnaires to 2244 children from several African countries and Italy. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used in the analysis of the answers to evaluate the relationships between the use of traditional methods and other risk factors. The use of traditional methods is high in Cameroon (63.0%) and Uganda (39.9%), intermediate in Senegal (26.7%) and Italy (21.7%), low in Madagascar (6.7%). Statistical analyses show significant direct relationships between the use of traditional methods, skin reactions to the bite and their duration in Cameroon, Uganda and Senegal. The use of saliva and herbs applied by the mothers on the child's skin, is a common habit in Africa. If this practice plays a role in the HHV-8 transmission, then, it could provide the basis for interventions capable of reducing the health impact of the infection in children in tropical areas.