Prevention and treatment of catheter-related venous thrombosis in long-term parenteral nutrition: A SINuC position statement.

The implementation of long-term parenteral nutrition (PN) often requires the placement of central venous access, a procedure that carries a considerable risk of catheter-related venous thrombosis (CRT). The occurrence of CRT represents a major event in the natural history of patients in PN since it can lead to central venous access loss and PN failure. Despite the importance of this topic in clinical nutrition, the prevention and treatment of CRT in PN represents one of the "gray areas" of the literature of the presence of few randomized controlled clinical trials and the generally low level of evidence of published scientific papers. Through a narrative review of the literature and a Delphi consensus, the Italian Society of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (SINuC) aimed to collect some practical recommendations regarding the current state-of-the-art in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of CRT in patients undergoing long-term PN.

Effects of l-Arginine Plus Vitamin C Supplementation on Physical Performance, Endothelial Function, and Persistent Fatigue in Adults with Long COVID: A Single-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial.

Long COVID, a condition characterized by symptom and/or sign persistence following an acute COVID-19 episode, is associated with reduced physical performance and endothelial dysfunction. Supplementation of l-arginine may improve endothelial and muscle function by stimulating nitric oxide synthesis. A single-blind randomized, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in adults aged between 20 and 60 years with persistent fatigue attending a post-acute COVID-19 outpatient clinic. Participants were randomized 1:1 to receive twice-daily orally either a combination of 1.66 g l-arginine plus 500 mg liposomal vitamin C or a placebo for 28 days. The primary outcome was the distance walked on the 6 min walk test. Secondary outcomes were handgrip strength, flow-mediated dilation, and fatigue persistence. Fifty participants were randomized to receive either l-arginine plus vitamin C or a placebo. Forty-six participants (median (interquartile range) age 51 (14), 30 [65%] women), 23 per group, received the intervention to which they were allocated and completed the study. At 28 days, l-arginine plus vitamin C increased the 6 min walk distance (+30 (40.5) m; placebo: +0 (75) m, p = 0.001) and induced a greater improvement in handgrip strength (+3.4 (7.5) kg) compared with the placebo (+1 (6.6) kg, p = 0.03). The flow-mediated dilation was greater in the active group than in the placebo (14.3% (7.3) vs. 9.4% (5.8), p = 0.03). At 28 days, fatigue was reported by two participants in the active group (8.7%) and 21 in the placebo group (80.1%; p < 0.0001). l-arginine plus vitamin C supplementation improved walking performance, muscle strength, endothelial function, and fatigue in adults with long COVID. This supplement may, therefore, be considered to restore physical performance and relieve persistent symptoms in this patient population.

Effects of a New Combination of Medical Food on Endothelial Function and Lipid Profile in Dyslipidemic Subjects: A Pilot Randomized Trial.

Nutritional approaches to improve dyslipidemias have been recently developed, but evidences on different medical foods are often incomplete. The main aim of our study was to evaluate the effects on endothelial function, lipid profile, and glucose metabolism of two different combinations of nutraceuticals, first one containing Bergavit (200 mg Citrus bergamia), Omega-3 (400 mg), Crominex 3+ (10 mcg trivalent chromium), and red yeast rice (100 mg; 5 mg monacolin K) and second one containing red yeast rice (200 mg; 3 mg monacolin K), Berberine (500 mg), Astaxanthin (0.5 mg), folic acid (200 mcg), Coenzyme Q10 (2 mg), and Policosanol (10 mg). Fifty subjects affected by dyslipidemia not requiring statin treatment were enrolled in this randomized, blind, controlled trial and submitted to blood sampling for lipid and glucose profiles and instrumental evaluation of endothelial function before and after 6 weeks of treatment with nutraceuticals. Both nutraceutical combinations improved the lipid profile; the nutraceutical containing 5 mg of monacolin K, 200 mg of the extract Citrus bergamia, 400 mg of Omega-3, and 10 mcg of trivalent chromium entailed a significant improvement of endothelial function with enhanced cholesterol lowering effect. In conclusion, this study confirms the positive effect of functional food on lipid profile and endothelial function in absence of major undesirable effects.

Assessment of a topical product based on polysulfated galactosaminoglycan as an adjuvant in the treatment of acute STP and stasis dermo-hypodermitis.

BACKGROUND: Superficial thrombophlebitis (STP) is a relatively frequent pathology characterized by possible extension to the deep venous circulation, with notable local inflammatory reaction which is treated by subcutaneous administration of Fondaparinux. Stasis dermo-hypodermitis is characterized by cutaneous hyperpigmentation and eczema, treatment for which consists of the use of drugs targeting endothelial cells (mesoglycan, FFPM, sulodexide). In this study we evaluated the impact of local application of a mixture of semi-synthetic polysulfated galactosaminoglycans on the regression rate of STP and dermo-hypodermitis in patients treated with best medical therapy (BMT). METHODS: Thirty patients (20 F and 10 M) were enrolled from May to December 2017, 20 with dermo-hypodermitis due to stasis secondary to post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) and 10 with acute STP of the great saphenous vein or its collaterals. Topical administration of the galactosaminoglycan-based product was added to the BMT of 10 pts with PTS and 5 pts with STP for 45-60 days. In all patients a Visual Analogical Scale (VAS) was used to assess the intensity of spontaneous and induced pain at 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 days. RESULTS: With regard to PTS, VAS values at time 0 were comparable between the two groups, while at later times there was a progressive reduction in the score, with values of ≤2 at 30 days for patients treated with the topical product based on galactosaminoglycans vs. 60 days for the other control subjects. With regard to STP, the values of VAS at time 0 between the two groups were comparable, while at time 15 the VAS value was lower in subjects treated with the topical product. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study on the efficacy of a local formulation of a mixture of semi-synthetic polysulfated galactosaminoglycans highlighted the role of this product in accelerating the recovery of patients at the most advanced stages of chronic venous disease (CVD) and in the management of its complications. In the future, studies of larger series will be needed with the use of placebo to substantiate their effectiveness in these conditions and in other classes of CVD.