Relationship between sarcopenia and cachexia with prognostic markers of middle-aged and older inpatients with COVID-19: a case-control study.

PURPOSE: SARS-CoV-2 infection can lead to various manifestations beyond an inflammatory response, such as anorexia, hyposmia, and other symptoms that may increase the risk of nutritional disorders. Sarcopenia and cachexia are conditions that appear to influence COVID-19 evolution. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate sarcopenia and cachexia in hospitalized patients with COVID-19, verifying their clinical impacts and relationship with prognostic markers. METHODS: This is a case-control study involving inpatients with and without a COVID-19 diagnosis. The occurrence of sarcopenia was evaluated according to European Working Group on Sarcopenia 2 criteria. Cachexia was evaluated according to (Evans et al. in Clin Nutr 27:793-799, 2008) criteria. Inflammatory markers and the 4C Mortality Score were evaluated. RESULTS: Our study included 96 individuals, divided into two groups: COVID-19 (n = 32) and control (n = 64). The mean age of the COVID-19 group was 63.3 ± 11.8 years, and the control group had a mean age of 64.3 ± 5.5 years. No significant differences in mean age were found between the groups. The prevalence of sarcopenia and cachexia in patients with COVID-19 was 21.9% and 28.1%, respectively, while in the control group, it was 29.7% and 26.6%, respectively. Sarcopenic patients with COVID-19 had a higher risk of death (4C Mortality Score) (p = 0.038). The occurrence of sarcopenia or cachexia within the COVID-19 group was not associated with inflammatory biomarkers or a higher number of COVID-19 symptoms (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The presence of sarcopenia among COVID-19 patients increased the risk of mortality.

High-caloric or isocaloric maternal high-fat diets differently affect young-adult offspring behavior in anxiety-related tests and offspring sensitivity to acute fluoxetine.

OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the influence of two maternal high-fat diets with different caloric contents on anxiety-like behavior in young-adult offspring and their sensitivity to acute fluoxetine. METHODS: females Wistar rats were used and divided according to diet received during gestation and lactation: Control (CTR), high-fat/isocaloric (HI) and high-fat/high-caloric (HH). Offspring were subsequently divided into three subgroups according to acute administration of vehicle or fluoxetine (1 or 10 mg/kg). To assess animals' anxiety-like behaviors, three tests were used: open field (OF), elevated plus-maze (EPM) and free-exploratory paradigm (FEP). RESULTS: In OF, HI and HH showed increased hyperactivity- and anxiety-related behaviors, HI being more hyperactive than HH. In response to fluoxetine, HI offspring decreased number of quadrants entered, decreased number of central entries and spent less time in rearing in peripheral areas, while HH offspring showed less time spent in rearing in the OF peripheral area. In EPM test, HI pups spent more time in closed arms than the HH pups. Fluoxetine decreased number of open arms entries for HI offspring and increased percentage of time spent in central area for HH animals. Maternal diet did not influence FEP test, neither HI nor HH presented a response after fluoxetine acute administration. CONCLUSION: Maternal high-fat diets influence offspring anxiety-like behavior in state-anxiety tests but not in trait-anxiety test. Responsiveness to acute fluoxetine depended on maternal diet, dose and which behavioral tests were being evaluated.

A maternal high-fat/high-caloric diet delays reflex ontogeny during lactation but enhances locomotor performance during late adolescence in rats.

Objective: The main goal of the present study was to investigate the effects of two maternal high-fat diets with different energy densities on the somatic growth, reflex ontogeny, and locomotor activity of offspring. Methods: Twenty-nine female Wistar rats (220-250 g) were mated and grouped into three different dietary conditions: control (n = 11, AIN-93G diet, 3.6 kcal/g), high-fat/high-caloric (HH, n = 9, 51% of the calories from fat, 4.62 kcal/g), and high-fat/isocaloric (HI, n = 9, 51% of the calories from fat, 3.64 kcal/g). The fat source was mainly lard. The dietary groups were maintained during gestation and lactation. From postnatal day 1 (PND1) until weaning, the somatic growth, maturation of physical features, and reflex ontogeny of the male pups were evaluated. The locomotor activity was evaluated in an open field at PND8, PND14, PND17, PND21, PND30, PND45, and PND60. Results: HH dams had a lower food intake but no difference in caloric intake or body weight gain. The HH pups had higher body weights, greater tail and body lengths, and an increased axis of the head at weaning. The prediction of ear unfolding, delayed palmar grasp, and cliff avoidance maturation were also observed in the HH offspring. At PND60, the HH pups showed an increased average speed as well as an average potency and kinetic energy in the open field. Conclusion: A high-fat/high-caloric maternal diet increases somatic growth, predicts the maturation of physical features, and delays reflex ontogeny during lactation, and it enhances motor performance during late adolescence. A maternal HI diet does not elicit the same influences on offspring development compared with the HH diet.