Impact of Perioperative Immunonutrition on Postoperative Outcomes for Patients Undergoing Head and Neck or Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgeries: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

OBJECTIVE: To clarify whether perioperative immunonutrition is effective in adult patients with or without malnutrition undergoing elective surgery for head and neck (HAN) or gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. BACKGROUND: It is important to avoid postoperative complications in patients with cancer as they can compromise clinical outcomes. There is no consensus on the efficacy of perioperative immunonutrition in patients with or without malnutrition undergoing HAN or GI cancer surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched MEDLINE (PubMed), MEDLINE (OVID), EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science Core Selection, and Emcare from 1981 to 2022 using search terms related to immunonutrition and HAN or GI cancer. We included randomized controlled trials. Intervention was defined as immunonutritional therapy including arginine, n-3 omega fatty acids, or glutamine during the perioperative period. The control was defined as standard nutritional therapy. The primary outcomes were total postoperative and infectious complications, defined as events with a Clavien-Dindo classification grade ≥ II that occurred within 30 days after surgery. RESULTS: Of the 4825 patients from 48 included studies, 19 had upper GI cancer, 9 had lower, and 8 had mixed cancer, whereas 12 had HAN cancers. Immunonutrition reduced the total postoperative complications (relative risk ratio: 0.78; 95% CI, 0.66-0.93; certainty of evidence: high) and infectious complications (relative risk ratio: 0.71; 95% CI, 0.61-0.82; certainty of evidence: high) compared with standard nutritional therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Nutritional intervention with perioperative immunonutrition in patients with HAN and GI cancers significantly reduced total postoperative complications and infectious complications.

Nutritional counseling for patients with incurable cancer: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: This systematic review aims to determine whether nutritional counseling by registered dietitians and/or nutritional specialists is recommended for adult patients with incurable advanced or recurrent cancer who are refractory to or intolerant of anticancer therapy. METHODS: This systematic review analyzed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of nutritional counseling in cancer patients older than 18 years, primarily those with stage 4 cancer. Nutrition counseling was performed by registered dietitians and/or nutritional specialists using any method, including group sessions, telephone consultations, written materials, and web-based approaches. We searched the Medline (PubMed), Medline (OVID), EMBASE (OVID), CENTRAL, Emcare, and Web of Science Core Collection databases for articles published from 1981 to 2020. Two independent authors assessed the risk of bias used the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool. Meta-analysis was performed for results and outcomes that allowed quantitative integration. This systematic review protocol was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (ID: CRD42021288476) and registered in 2021. RESULTS: The search yielded 2376 studies, of which 7 assessed 924 patients with cancer aged 24-95 years. Our primary outcome of quality of life (QoL) was reported in 6 studies, 2 of which showed improvement with nutritional counseling. Our other primary outcome of physical symptoms was reported in two studies, one of which showed improvement with nutritional counseling. Quantitative integration of both QoL and physical symptoms was difficult. A meta-analysis of energy and protein intake and body weight was performed for secondary outcomes. Results showed that nutrition counseling increased energy and protein intake, but total certainty of evidence (CE) was low. Bodyweight was not improved by nutrition counseling. CONCLUSIONS: Nutrition counseling is shown to improve energy and protein intake in patients with incurable cancer. Although neither nutrient intake can be strongly recommended because of low CE, nutrition counseling is a noninvasive treatment strategy that should be introduced early for nutrition intervention for patients with cancer. This review did not find sufficient evidence for the effect of nutrition counseling on QoL, a patient-reported outcome. Overall, low-quality and limited evidence was identified regarding the impact of nutrition counseling for patients with cancer, and further research is needed.

Taking action against malnutrition in Asian healthcare settings: an initiative of a Northeast Asia Study Group.

Malnutrition is common in Asia, especially among people who are critically ill and/or older. Study results from China, Japan, and Taiwan show that malnutrition or risk of malnutrition is found in up to 30% of communitydwelling people and as much as 50% of patients admitted to hospitals-with prevalence even higher among those older than 70 years. In Asia, malnutrition takes substantial tolls on health, physical function, and wellbeing of people affected, and it adds huge financial burdens to healthcare systems. Attention to nutrition, including protein intake, can help prevent or delay disease- and age-related disabilities and can speed recovery from illness or surgery. Despite compelling evidence and professional guidelines on appropriate nutrition care in hospital and community settings, patients' malnutrition is often overlooked and under-treated in Asian healthcare, as it is worldwide. Since the problem of malnutrition continues to grow as many Asian populations become increasingly "gray", it is important to take action now. A medical education (feedM.E.) Global Study Group developed a strategy to facilitate best-practice hospital nutrition care: screen-intervene-supervene. As members of a newly formed feedM.E. Northeast Asia Study Group, we endorse this care strategy, guiding clinicians to screen each patient's nutritional status upon hospital admission or at initiation of care, intervene promptly when nutrition care is needed, and supervene or follow-up routinely with adjustment and reinforcement of nutrition care plans, including post-discharge. To encourage best-practice nutrition in Asian patient care settings, our paper includes a simple, stepwise Nutrition Care Pathway (NCP) in multiple languages.

Antithrombin III improved neutrophil extracellular traps in lung after the onset of endotoxemia.

BACKGROUND: Coagulation and inflammation are closely linked during acute inflammatory conditions, such as sepsis. Antithrombin (AT) is an anticoagulant that also has anti-inflammatory activities. The effects of therapeutically administering AT III after the onset of endotoxemia or sepsis were not clear. Here, we studied the effects of administering AT III after inducing lethal endotoxemia in mice. METHODS: Mice were injected intraperitoneally with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce endotoxemia. AT III was administered 3 h later. We assessed survival and the severity of endotoxemia and quantified plasma cytokine levels and biochemical markers of liver and kidney function. In the lungs, we examined neutrophil accumulation, neutrophil extracellular traps, alveolar wall thickness, and chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1 (cxcl-1), cxcl-2, and high mobility group box 1 expression. RESULTS: Administering AT III reduced the severity and mortality of LPS-induced endotoxemia as indicated by 24-h survival of 84% of the mice that received LPS + AT III and only 53% of mice given LPS alone (P < 0.05). AT III treatment attenuated several changes induced in the lungs by endotoxemia including cxcl-2 mRNA expression, high mobility group box 1 protein expression, neutrophil accumulation, alveolar septal thickening, and neutrophil extracellular trap formation. AT III did not decrease plasma cytokine levels or plasma urea nitrogen levels that were upregulated as a result of LPS-induced endotoxemia. CONCLUSIONS: Administration of AT III after the onset of endotoxemia improved outcomes in a mouse model. The attenuation of lung inflammation may have a large impact on mortality and morbidity. Because lung inflammation increases the likelihood of mortality from sepsis, AT III could be a useful agent in septic patients.