Cancer-associated anorexia: Validity and performance overtime of different appetite tools among patients at their first cancer diagnosis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Anorexia is a frequent symptom in cancer and we aimed to assess its prevalence among patients at their first cancer diagnosis by different appetite tools and the relationship between each tool with self-reports of food intake. We also tested whether cancer anorexia influences outcomes independently of reduced food intake or body weight loss (BWL) overtime and whether BWL was associated with complications during anticancer-therapy. METHODS: Functional Assessment of Anorexia/Cachexia Therapy (FAACT) score, self-assessment of appetite, Anorexia Questionnaire (AQ) and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) were administered. Percent of food intake was used as a criterion measure of anorexia. We registered BWL and anticancer-therapy complications over 3-month-follow-up. RESULTS: 438 cancer patients from 7 cancer-centers worldwide were included. The prevalence of anorexia was 39.9% by FAACT score, 40.2% by VAS, 40.6% by the self-assessment of appetite and 65.4% by AQ. Low food intake (≤50%) was reported in 28% of patients. All appetite tools correlated with food intake percent (P < 0.0001). We documented a correlation between self-assessment of appetite, FAACT score, VAS and BWL overtime (P < 0.04). The self-assessment of appetite (P = 0.0152) and the FAACT score (P = 0.043) were associated with BWL independently of anticancer therapies. Among patients with BWL, the risk to develop complications was greater with respect to those who maintained a stable or gained body weight (P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: In our sample of cancer patients, FAACT score and self-assessment of appetite performed well when low food intake was used as a criterion measure, and revealed an association of anorexia with BWL, which was, in turn, related to the development of anticancer-therapy complications.

L-[1-13C]phenylalanine breath test in patients with chronic liver disease of different etiologies.

The aim of this study was to compare the oxidation of L-[1-(13)C]phenylalanine ((13)C-PheOx) in patients with chronic liver failure due to different etiologies using L-[1-(13)C]phenylalanine breath test. Breath samples were collected before the administration of 100 mg L-[1-(13)C]phenylalanine, and every 10 min thereafter until completion of 1 h. Control subjects (n=9) presented a larger cumulative percentage of (13)C dose recovery (CPDR) than patients (n=124) with chronic liver disease, regardless of the etiology (7.5+/-0.7 vs. 4.2+/-0.2, p=0.001). No differences in CPDR were found considering the Child-Pugh (CP) class or etiology: alcoholic (CP A=7.7+/-0.7, CP B=4.1+/-0.5, CP C=2.0+/-0.3), hepatitis C virus (CP A=5.4+/-0.5, CP B=4.0+/-0.2, CP C=2.2+/-0.3), hepatocellular carcinoma (CP A=5.5+/-1.6, CP B=3.6+/-1.8, CP C=2.2+/-1.0); or cryptogenic cirrhotic patients (CP A=7.4+/-1.5, CP B=4.4+/-0.4, CP C=2.1+/-0.7). Results confirm that (13)C-PheOx decreases in patients with cirrhosis with respect to controls, notwithstanding the etiology.

[Assessment of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (HS-CRP) as a marker of liver inflammation in patients with metabolic syndrome]. / Evaluación de la proteína C reactiva ultrasensible (PCR-us) como marcador de inflamación hepática en pacientes con síndrome metabólico.

UNLABELLED: C-reactive protein (CRP) plays an important role on inflammatory processes associated to the metabolic syndrome (MS), alike of insulin sensitivity, endothelial dysfunction and fibrinolysis insufficiency. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) may be a sensible marker for the diagnosis of hepatic damage and has therefore been used as an alternative method for the noninvasive diagnosis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), especially in epidemiological studies. At the present time, the possible utility of high sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) as a simple measure to detect the degree of hepatic inflammatory response during the development NAFLD in MS has not been explored. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the measurement of serologic hsCRP for the identification of hepatic inflammatory response in patients with MS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Seven hundred and forty persons (526 men and 214 women), mean age 45 +/- 11 years who were asymptomatic and otherwise seeming healthy in whom a medical questionnaire was applied underwent physical examination, laboratory testing, hepatic ultrasound and measurement of hsCRP by the immuno-turbidimetric method. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of all possible hsCRP for detecting different degrees of hepatic inflammation (ALT > 44 U/L and ALT > 88 U/L). Patients were stratified according to the presence of metabolic syndrome (MS) and ALT concentration in three groups: Group I, having MS and ALT > 44 U/L (n = 39); Group II, having ALT > 44 U/L without MS (n = 105) and Group III, having ALT < or = 44 U/L without MS (n = 596). RESULTS: The optimal hsCRP cut-off for detecting patients with ALT 44 U/L was 2.5 mg/L (sensibility 66%; specificity 50%) and for detecting patients with ALT > 88 U/L was 2.35 (sensibility 72%; specificity 59%). hsCRP serum concentrations in Group I were significantly higher than in Group II and Group III (p < 0.05) but no difference was found between Group II and Group III (Group I = 6.0 +/- 6.7 mg/L vs. Group II = 2.8 +/- 3.1 mg/L, vs. Group III = 2.9 +/- 4.1 mg/L). ALT concentrations were also significantly higher in Group I than in Group II and Group III, (p < 0.05) and a difference between Group II and Group III (p < 0.05) was also found (Group I = 72 +/- 31 U/L vs. Group II = 64 +/- 29 U/L vs. Group III = 24 +/- 8 U/L). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the measurement of hsCRP for the identification of hepatic inflammatory response in patients with MS with NAFLD is limited because of its low sensibility and specificity observed on identifying different degrees of hepatic inflammation.

Gastroesophageal reflux in healthy subjects induced by two different species of chilli (Capsicum annum).

BACKGROUND: Although the ingestion of chilli has been associated with gastroesophageal reflux (GER) symptoms, there are no studies that have explored the effect of a chronic ingestion of different kinds of chilli with a variable content of capsaicin as a cause of GER. METHODS: The effect of chilli on esophageal 24-hour pH monitoring was studied in 12 healthy subjects without GER symptoms before and after of ingestion one of two kinds of chilli. Patients were randomized to ingest 3 g daily of cascabel chilli (Capsicum annum coraciforme containing 880 ppm of capsaicin) or ancho chilli (Capsicum annum grossum containing 488 ppm of capsaicin). RESULTS: After chilli ingestion, the Johnson De Meester Index (JDI) increased significantly [basal: 7 (1-14), after chilli: 13 (2-69), p = 0.0047]. When considering both kinds of chilli separately, the JDI varied, although nonsignificantly, with the ancho chilli [basal: 3 (1-8), after chilli: 10 (2-69), p = 0.11], and significantly with the cascabel chilli [basal: 10 (5-14), after chilli: 18 (2-44), p = 0.028]. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the chronic ingestion of chilli induces GER, and that the magnitude of the induced reflux seems to be related to the kind of chilli.

[Variations in a 24-year period of colorectal and gastric cancer in Mexico]. / Variaciones en un periodo de 24 años del cáncer colorrectal y gástrico en México.

OBJECTIVE: Gastric cancer (CG) and colorectal cancer (CCR) are the two most common neoplasms of the digestive system in the world. We performed a study to determine incidence and relation between CG and CCR in five hospitals in Mexico City. METHODS: Patients with admitted diagnosis of CG and CCR at Hospital General de Mexico, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Hospital Español de México, Centro Médico Nacional "20 de Noviembre" from the Instituto de Salud y Seguridad Social para Trabajadores del Estado, and Hospital Central Militar from January 1978 to December 2001 were studied. RESULTS: A total of 7,136 patients were studied. (CG 3,830, CCR 3,306). At Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición "Salvador Zubirán" CG was the most common digestive neoplasm; from 1999, ratio was inverted to < 1. At Hospital General de México, from the beginning and until 1984, ratio was > 2, and later had an average of 1.31. For Hospital Español, ratio always was < 1 without changes. At Centro Médico Nacional "20 de Noviembre", initially CCR was more frequent, then CG, and finally CCR. At Hospital Central Militar ratio was constant, > CG. At the beginning, was global behavior > CG, ratio seemed to invert, but since 1998 CG/CCR ratio was < 1 and continued that way. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we found that changes of CG/CCR ratio in a period of 24 years showed elevation of CCR incidence at five Mexican hospitals.

Android fat distribution as predictor of severity in acute pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Obesity is considered an independent risk factor for the development of severe acute pancreatitis (AP). The purpose of this study was to define the type of fat distribution related to severity in AP. METHODS: Eighty-eight patients with first-time AP underwent measurements of weight, height, waist and hip circumferences, and skinfold thickness on admission. Severity was defined according to Atlanta criteria. RESULTS: AP was severe in 27 (31%) patients. There was a tendency for obese patients to develop severe AP (p = 0.11). Android fat distribution by waist-to-hip ratio and waist circumference above ideal cut-off value (ROC curves analysis) were significantly associated with severity (RR: 5.54, 95% CI 1.39-22.04, and RR: 4.36, 95% CI 1.40-13.57, respectively). After adjusting for potential confounders, both measurements remained predictors of severity in the logistic regression model (OR: 9.23, 95% CI 1.67-51.07, and OR: 13.41, 95% CI 2.43-73.97, respectively). Body fat percentage was not associated with incidence of severity. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with android fat distribution and higher waist circumference are at greater risk for developing severe AP. Findings could be related to the amount of abdominal fat but also to an overactive systemic inflammatory response that tend to be upregulated in android fat distribution.

Efecto de la administración de fibra en la prevención de litiasis vesicular en obesos sometidos a dieta de reducción. Ensayo / Effect of liber on prevention of gallstones in obese subjects undergoing a weight reduction diet. A clinical trial

En personas obesas que llevan dietas de reducción, la incidencia de litiasis vesicular (LV) alcanza el 30 por ciento y el único tratamiento comprobado es la administración de ácido ursodesoxicólico (AUD). La fibra induce síntesis de ácidos biliares. Para comparar el efecto de una dieta de reducción equilibrada más AUD vs una dieta de reducción equilibrada suplementada con Psylluim plantago (Pp) en la prevención de LV en obesos se realizó un ensayo clínico doble ciego, en el que se incluyeron personas con índece de masa corporal (IMC) mayor a 30, con ultrasonido normal de vesícula y vías biliares (USVV). Cada persona se sometió a una dieta de reducción calculada a partir de su gasto energético (GE) y se asignaron en forma aleatoria a uno de los siguientes grupos: Grupo I: (dieta + 750 mg AUD + placebo de fibra) y el Grupo II (dieta recibió + 15 g de Pp + placebo de AUD). Antes y después de dos meses de tratamiento se les realizó evaluación antropométrica, medición del Ge en reposo por medio de calorimetría indirecta, USVV y endoscopia para conteo de cristales de colesterol en bilis duodenal a cada uno de los participantes. Fueron incluidas 36 personas, 18 para cada grupo. El promedio de reducción de peso fue de 6 ñ 3 kg para el grupo I y 6 ñ 2 kg para el grupo II. Una persona del grupo I (1/18) desarrolló LV vs dos personas (2/18) del grupo II, (p > 0.05). Todas las personas que desarrollaron LV perdieron un mínimo de 4 kg durante el periodo de estudio. El desarrollo de LV no correlacionó con la presencia de cristales en la bilis duodenal al inicio del estudio. Los resultados sugieren que una dieta equilibrada, baja en energía y suplementada con fibra permite la reducción de peso y disminuye el riesgo para desarrollar LV