Prevalence and Assessment of Factors Associated With Malnutrition in Children Residing in Slums of Mumbai: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background Malnutrition in children continues to be a serious public health problem in India. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the prevalence of malnutrition and assess factors contributing to it in children of the marginalized slum population of India, masked in the metropolitan cities.  Methods A retrospective data analysis with a cross-sectional model was conducted by medical volunteers affiliated with the Rotaract Club of Medicrew who had organized a free pediatric health check-up camp in the Dharavi village of Mumbai, India for children under five. Children under five years of age group of either sex residing in the slums of Dharavi and whose parents consented are included in the study. Neonates, children older than five years of age, and children whose parents did not consent for them to be included in the study were excluded. A pretested, pre-validated questionnaire was administered, and statistical analysis was done with p-values <0.05 considered to be statistically significant. Results  A total of 126 children were included. Out of these children, 109 of them (86.50%) had a mid-arm circumference of more than 12.5 cm (normal), 11 (8.73%) were between 11.5 cm and 12.5 cm (moderate acute malnutrition), and five (4.77%) were less than 11.5 cm (severe acute malnutrition). Among the 126 kids, 86 kids were above the age of two and their BMI was assessed, 36 (44.19%) were found to be underweight (<5th percentile) while 14 (16.3%) were obese (>95th percentile), and four (4.65%) were overweight (85th-95th percentile). For 106 (84.13%) of these children, the caregivers were mothers while others were fathers (n=4; 3.18%), grandmothers (n=5; 3.97%), sisters (n=5; 3.97%), and aunts (n=6; 4.76%). Out of those who had commenced receiving formal education, only 39 (55.71%) were in an appropriate grade for their age. The mean expenditure on food as a proportion of the total household income was 36.40% (standard deviation (SD) 15.0%). On the single-item sleep quality scale, the sleep of only 36 kids (28.58%) was reported by their caregivers as excellent. A high proportion of other medical problems were reported in the children. Conclusion Our study reports a substantial burden of malnutrition among children residing in the slums of Dharavi. Rigorous strengthening and conceptualization of on-ground nutritional programs targeted toward slum children should be done by Indian healthcare policymakers.

ESPEN guideline on nutrition and hydration in dementia - Update 2024.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Dementia is accompanied by a variety of changes that result in an increased risk of malnutrition and low-intake dehydration. This guideline update aims to give evidence-based recommendations for nutritional care of persons with dementia in order to prevent and treat these syndromes. METHODS: The previous guideline version was reviewed and expanded in accordance with the standard operating procedure for ESPEN guidelines. Based on a systematic search in three databases, strength of evidence of appropriate literature was graded by use of the SIGN system. The original recommendations were reviewed and reformulated, and new recommendations were added, which all then underwent a consensus process. RESULTS: 40 recommendations for nutritional care of older persons with dementia were developed and agreed, seven at institutional level and 33 at individual level. As a prerequisite for good nutritional care, organizations caring for persons with dementia are recommended to employ sufficient qualified staff and offer attractive food and drinks with choice in a functional and appealing environment. Nutritional care should be based on a written care concept with standardized operating procedures. At the individual level, routine screening for malnutrition and dehydration, nutritional assessment and close monitoring are unquestionable. Oral nutrition may be supported by eliminating potential causes of malnutrition and dehydration, and adequate social and nursing support (including assistance, utensils, training and oral care). Oral nutritional supplements are recommended to improve nutritional status but not to correct cognitive impairment or prevent cognitive decline. Routine use of dementia-specific ONS, ketogenic diet, omega-3 fatty acid supplementation and appetite stimulating agents is not recommended. Enteral and parenteral nutrition and hydration are temporary options in patients with mild or moderate dementia, but not in severe dementia or in the terminal phase of life. In all stages of the disease, supporting food and drink intake and maintaining or improving nutrition and hydration status requires an individualized, comprehensive approach. Due to a lack of appropriate studies, most recommendations are good practice points. CONCLUSION: Nutritional care should be an integral part of dementia management. Numerous interventions are available that should be implemented in daily practice. Future high-quality studies are needed to clarify the evidence.

Insights into the molecular mechanisms of malnutrition-associated steatohepatitis: A review.

Malnutrition is a public health epidemic mainly targeting poverty-stricken people, young ones, older people, pregnant women, and individuals with metabolic disorders. Severe malnutrition is linked with several metabolic defects, such as hepatic dysfunction, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and osteoarthritis. The proper functioning of the liver plays a crucial role in ensuring the supply of nutrients to the body. Consequently, inadequate nutrition can lead to severe periportal hepatic steatosis due to compromised mitochondrial and peroxisome functions. Reduced protein intake disrupts essential metabolic processes like the TCA cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, and ß-oxidation, ultimately affecting ATP production. Furthermore, this can trigger a cascade of events, including disturbances in amino acid metabolism, iron metabolism, and gut microbiota, which activate genes involved in de novo lipogenesis, leading to the accumulation of lipids in the liver. The condition, in prolonged cases, progresses to steatohepatitis and liver fibrosis. Limited therapeutic solutions are available; however, few dietary supplements and drugs have demonstrated positive effects on the growth and health of malnourished individuals. These supplements improve parameters such as inflammatory and oxidative status, reduce triglyceride accumulation, enhance insulin sensitivity, and downregulate gene expression in hepatic lipid metabolism. This review elucidates the various mechanisms involved in malnutrition-associated steatohepatitis and provides an overview of the available approaches for treating this condition.

Nutritional care for cancer patients: are we doing enough?

Malnutrition is associated with higher rates of surgical complications, increased anticancer treatment toxicities, longer hospital stays, higher healthcare costs, poorer patient quality of life, and lower survival rates. Nutritional support has been shown to improve all of these outcomes. However, the nutritional care of cancer patients is still suboptimal and several issues remain unresolved. Although the effectiveness of nutritional support depends on the timeliness of intervention, assessment of nutritional status is often delayed and perceived as unimportant. When diagnoses of malnutrition are made, they are rarely recorded in medical records. Hospitals lack medical staff dedicated to clinical nutrition, making it difficult to integrate nutritional care into the multidisciplinary management of cancer patients. Outside the hospital, nutritional support is hampered by heterogeneous reimbursement policies and a lack of adequate community nutrition services. In addition, an increasing number of patients are turning to potentially harmful "anti-cancer" diets as trust in medicine declines. Adopting mandatory nutrition screening, monitoring quality of care metrics, providing nutrition education to care providers, and implementing telehealth systems are some of the most urgent interventions that need to be established in the future.

Worming into infancy: Exploring helminth-microbiome interactions in early life.

There is rapidly growing awareness of microbiome assembly and function in early-life gut health. Although many factors, such as antibiotic use and highly processed diets, impinge on this process, most research has focused on people residing in high-income countries. However, much of the world's population lives in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where, in addition to erratic antibiotic use and suboptimal diets, these groups experience unique challenges. Indeed, many children in LMICs are infected with intestinal helminths. Although helminth infections are strongly associated with diverse developmental co-morbidities and induce profound microbiome changes, few studies have directly examined whether intersecting pathways between these components of the holobiont shape health outcomes in early life. Here, we summarize microbial colonization within the first years of human life, how helminth-mediated changes to the gut microbiome may affect postnatal growth, and why more research on this relationship may improve health across the lifespan.

Controlling the nutritional status score: a new tool for predicting postoperative mortality in patients with infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm treated with endovascular aneurysm repair.

Background: AAA is a fatal condition that commonly occurs during vascular surgery. Nutritional status exerts a significant influence on the prognosis of various pathological conditions Scores from the CONUT screening tool have been shown to predict outcomes of certain malignancies and chronic diseases. However, the ramifications of nutritional status on AAA patients undergoing EVAR have not been elucidated in prior studies. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the correlation between CONUT scores and postoperative prognostic outcomes in patients with AAA undergoing EVAR. Methods: This was a retrospective review of 177 AAA patients treated with EVAR from June 2018 to November 2019 in a single center. Patient characteristics, CONUT scores, and postoperative status were collected. These patients were stratified into groups A and B according to CONUT scores. Subsequently, a comparative analysis of the baseline characteristics between the two cohorts was conducted. Cox proportional hazards and logistic regression analyses were employed to identify the autonomous predictors of mid-term mortality and complications, respectively. Results: Compared with group A, patients in group B had higher midterm mortality (p < 0.001). Univariate analysis showed that CONUT scores; respiratory diseases; stent types; preoperative Hb, CRP, PT, and Fb levels were risk factors for death. Multivariate analysis confirmed that CONUT score [HR, 1.276; 95% CI, 1.029-1.584; p = 0.027] was an independent risk factor for mortality. Logistic regression analysis showed that prior arterial disease, smoking, and D-dimer levels were risk factors, although multivariate analysis showed smoking (OR, 3.492; 95% CI, 1.426-8.553; p = 0.006) was an independent risk factor. Kaplan-Meier curves showed that patients in group B had shorter mid-term survival than those in group A (log-rank p < 0.001). Conclusion: Malnutrition was strongly associated with mid-term mortality in patients with infrarenal AAA treated with EVAR.

Diagnosis of nutritional status, dyslipidemia and associated risk factors in indigenous Yaqui schoolchildren.

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is a global problem that affects schoolchildren and can increase the risk of diseases in adulthood. Adult members of the Yaqui Indigenous group have been shown to have serious health problems, and Yaqui schoolchildren could therefore find themselves in a similar situation. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the nutritional status, lipid profile and associated factors in a sample of Yaqui schoolchildren. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 109 Yaqui schoolchildren who lived in their localities of origin were recruited. Anthropometric measurements were carried out, a venous blood sample was extracted in fasting conditions, and several questionnaires were applied. RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight/obesity was 38.5%, with no cases of chronic malnutrition being recorded; 38.6% of the children had dyslipidemia. Fiber consumption was a protective factor against overweight/obesity, while fat intake was a risk factor. The physical activity score was found to be a protective factor against dyslipidemia, and the risk factors were BMI-for-age Z-scores, waist circumference, family history of dyslipidemia, educational level, and permanent employment. CONCLUSIONS: Yaqui schoolchildren equally suffer from a high proportion of overweight/obesity and dyslipidemia. The associated factors may be useful for the design of contextualized interventions for this population.

ANTECEDENTES: La malnutrición es un problema mundial que afecta a niños escolares, capaz de incrementar el riesgo de enfermedades en la edad adulta. Adultos yaquis han presentado graves problemas de salud, por lo que los escolares podrían encontrarse en una situación similar. OBJETIVO: Evaluar el estado nutricional, el perfil lipídico y los factores asociados en una muestra de escolares yaquis. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Se estudiaron 109 escolares habitantes de los pueblos originarios, en quienes se realizaron mediciones antropométricas, se extrajo una muestra de sangre venosa en condición de ayuno y se aplicaron cuestionarios. RESULTADOS: La prevalencia de sobrepeso/obesidad fue de 38.5 %, sin que se registraran casos de desnutrición crónica; 38.6 % de los escolares presentó dislipidemia. El consumo de fibra resultó ser un factor protector contra sobrepeso/obesidad y el consumo de grasa constituyó un factor de riesgo. La puntuación de actividad física resultó ser un factor protector contra dislipidemia y los factores de riesgo fueron puntuaciones Z del índice de masa corporal/edad, circunferencia de cintura, historia familiar de dislipidemias, nivel educativo y empleo permanente. CONCLUSIONES: Los escolares yaquis padecen por igual alta proporción de sobrepeso/obesidad y dislipidemia. Los factores asociados pueden resultar útiles para el diseño de intervenciones contextualizadas para esta población.

The relationship between LDH and GLIM criteria for cancer cachexia: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Cancer cachexia is a clinical condition characterized by recognizable "sickness behaviors" accompanied by loss of lean body tissue. The Global Leadership on Malnutrition (GLIM) has proposed phenotypic (unintentional weight loss, low body mass index and low muscle mass) and aetiologic (reduced food intake and inflammation or disease burden) diagnostic criteria. Recent work has suggested serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) might represent a 3rd aetiologic criteria. Little is known of its relationship with GLIM. A systematic review and meta-analysis of their comparative prognostic value and association was performed. METHODS: A search of electronic databases (PubMed, Medline, Ovid, Cochrane) up to February 2023 was used to identify studies that compared the prognostic value of LDH and components of the GLIM criteria in cancer. An analysis of the relationship between LDH and the components of GLIM was undertaken where this data was available. RevMan 5.4.1 was used to perform a meta-analysis for each diagnostic criteria that had 3 or more studies which reported hazard ratios with a 95 per cent confidence interval for overall survival (OS). RESULTS: A total of 119 studies were reviewed. Advanced lung cancer was the most studied population. Included in the meta-analysis were 6 studies (n=2,165) on LDH and weight loss, 17 studies (n=7,540) on LDH and low BMI, 5 studies (n=758) on LDH and low muscle mass, 0 studies on LDH and food intake and 97 studies (n=37,185) on LDH and inflammation. There was a significant association between elevated serum LDH and each of low BMI (OR 1.39, 1.09 - 1.77; p=0.008), elevated NLR (OR 2.04, 1.57 - 2.65; p<0.00001) and elevated CRP (OR 2.58, 1.81 - 3.67; p<0.00001). There was no association between elevated serum LDH and low muscle mass. Only one study presented data on the association between LDH and unintentional weight loss. Elevated LDH showed a comparative OS (HR 1.86, 1.60 - 2.16; p<0.00001) to unintentional weight loss (HR 1.57, 1.23 - 1.99; p=0.0002) and had a similar OS (HR 2.01, 1.73 - 2.34; p<0.00001) to low BMI (HR 1.57, 1.29 -2.90; p<0.0001). LDH also showed an OS (HR 2.25, 1.76 - 2.87; p<0.00001) congruous with low muscle mass (HR 1.93, 1.14 - 3.27; p=0.01) and again, LDH conferred as poor an OS (HR 1.71, 1.60 - 1.82; p<0.00001) as elevated NLR (HR 1.57, 1.44 - 1.71; p<0.00001) or CRP (HR 1.53, 1.41 - 1.65; p<0.00001). CONCLUSION: Current literature suggests elevated serum LDH is associated with inflammation in cancer (an aetiologic GLIM criterion), however more work is required to establish the relationship between LDH and the phenotypic components of GLIM. Additionally, elevated serum LDH appears to be a comparative prognosticator of overall survival in cancer when compared to the GLIM criteria.

The Impact of Malnutrition on the Developing Lung and Long-Term Lung Health: A Narrative Review of Global Literature.

Worldwide, over 2 billion children under the age of 5 experience stunting, wasting, or are underweight. Malnutrition contributes to 45% of all deaths in this age group (approximately 3.1 million deaths) [1]. Poverty, food insecurity, suboptimal feeding practices, climate change, and conflict are all contributing factors. Malnutrition causes significant respiratory problems, including increased risk of respiratory infections, impaired lung function, and increased risk of subsequent adult respiratory disease, including asthma, COPD, and lung cancer. Childhood malnutrition not only has serious consequences for children's health but it also has numerous consequences on wellbeing and educational attainment. Childhood malnutrition is a complex and multifaceted problem. However, by understanding and addressing the underlying causes, and investing in prevention and treatment programs, it is possible to maximize children's health and wellbeing on a global scale. This narrative review will focus on the impact of childhood malnutrition on lung development, the consequent respiratory disease, and what actions can be taken to reduce the burden of malnutrition on lung health.

Effects of school nurse-led health education to reduce malnutrition among primary school children in Bangladesh: Cluster nonrandomized controlled trial.

Background: Malnutrition is a major health concern among children especially in low and middle-income countries. However, there are limited studies on school health in Bangladesh. This study aimed to reduce malnutrition among primary school children in Bangladesh by increasing awareness and knowledge through school nurse-led health education. Methods and Materials: A prospective, open-label, parallel-group (1:1), cluster nonrandomized controlled trial on primary school children conducted in rural Bangladesh. The study lasted 13 months between September 2021 and September 2022. Four schools were selected and assigned to the intervention and control groups (CGs). Next, school nurses provided evidence-based health education to the children in the intervention group (IG) for 9 months to improve awareness and knowledge of malnutrition. Data were collected at baseline, midline, and endline. Results: Overall, 604 children were enrolled at the baseline; among them, 455 (CG, n = 220; IG, n = 235) completed the study. Changes in the malnutrition rate-the primary outcome-were not significant (P = 0.225). However, after adjusting the endline data with baseline and sociodemographic data, the children's body mass index improved significantly in the IG than in the CG (P < 0.05). Changes in eating behavior, and awareness and knowledge of malnutrition-the secondary outcomes-significantly differed between the groups (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The school nurse-led health education program significantly improved primary school children's awareness and knowledge of malnutrition. This study revealed the effectiveness of school nurses in reducing malnutrition among children, which may decrease future morbidity and mortality rates in children.

mNUTRIC Score in ICU Mortality Prediction: An Emerging Frontier or Yet Another Transient Trend?

How to cite this article: Arunachala S, Kumar J. mNUTRIC Score in ICU Mortality Prediction: An Emerging Frontier or Yet Another Transient Trend? Indian J Crit Care Med 2024;28(5):422-423.

Determinants of severe acute malnutrition among children less than five years visiting health centers in Leqa Dulacha District, East Wallaga Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia: A case control study.

Background: In underdeveloped nations like Ethiopia, severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is one of the most pressing public health issues. Despite efforts to pinpoint the causes of SAM, the impact of parents' drug usage on their children's nutritional status remains unclear and unresolved. Objective: The purpose of this research was to determine the risk factors for SAM in children under five who were attending medical facilities in the Leqa Dulacha district. Materials and Methods: A health facility-based case-control study was carried out from March 1 to July 30, 2022, with 256 children under the age of five. Random sampling was used to identify study participants in a methodical manner. Mothers and other child caretakers were interviewed using a structured questionnaire and anthropometric measurements were performed using standardized, calibrated equipment. Epi-data version 3.1 was used to code and enter the data, and it was then exported to IBM SPSS for analysis. An analysis of multivariable binary logistic regression was conducted, and the measure of association employed was the adjusted odds ratio (AOR), with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: A total of 96.5% of respondents responded. SAM in children was significantly correlated with the following factors: parent alcohol consumption [AOR = 3.142; 95% CI = (1.104, 8.945)]; child illness in the previous 15 days [AOR = 4.122; 95% CI = (1.686, 10.07)]; poor dietary diversity [AOR = 3.044; 95% CI = (1.189, 7.788)]; household food insecurity [AOR = 4.024; 95% CI = (1.544, 10.490)]; and parent chewing chat [AOR = 3.484; 95% CI = (1.329, 9.134)]. Conclusions: A number of factors have been linked to SAM in children, including the use of health services, the child's illness within the previous 15 days, food security, child feeding practices, and parent substance use. Therefore, it is important to emphasize the value of health education programs on child feeding habits, particularly the significance of dietary diversity, and to work together to modify the way that parents raise their children.

The extent, range and nature of quantitative nutrition research engaging with intersectional inequalities: A systematic scoping review.

Addressing malnutrition for all requires understanding inequalities in nutrition outcomes and how they intersect. Intersectionality is increasingly used as a theoretical tool for understanding how social characteristics intersect to shape inequalities in health outcomes. However, little is known about the extent, range and nature of quantitative nutrition research engaging with intersectional inequalities. This systematic scoping review aimed to address this gap. Between 15 May 2021 and 15 May 2022, we searched 8 databases. Studies eligible for inclusion used any quantitative research methodology and aimed to investigate how social characteristics intersect to influence nutrition outcomes. In total, 55 studies were included, with 85% published since 2015. Studies spanned populations in 14 countries but were concentrated in the U.S. (n=35) and India (n=7), with just one in a low-income country (Mozambique). Race or ethnicity and gender were most commonly intersected (n=20), and BMI and overweight and/or obesity were the most common outcomes. No studies investigated indicators of infant and young child feeding or micronutrient status. Study designs were mostly cross-sectional (80%); no mixed-method or interventional research was identified. Regression with interaction terms was the most prevalent method (n=26); two of 15 studies using non-linear models took extra steps to assess interaction on the additive scale, as recommended for understanding intersectionality and assessing public health impacts. Nine studies investigated mechanisms that may explain why intersectional inequalities in nutrition outcomes exist, but intervention-relevant interpretations were mostly limited. We conclude that quantitative nutrition research engaging with intersectionality is gaining traction but is mostly limited to the U.S. and India. Future research must consider the intersectionality of a wider spectrum of public health nutrition challenges across diverse settings, and use more robust and mixed-method research to identify specific interventions for addressing intersectional inequalities in nutrition outcomes. Data systems in nutrition must improve to facilitate this.

Prospective validation of the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition criteria for identifying malnutrition in hospitals: A protocol and feasibility pilot study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to pilot a protocol for prospective validation of the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria in hospital patients and evaluate its feasibility and patient acceptability. METHODS: The validation protocol follows the GLIM consortium's rigorous methodological guidance. Protocol feasibility was assessed against criteria on recruitment (≥50%) and data collection completion (≥80%); protocol acceptability was assessed via patient satisfaction surveys and interviews. Adult inpatients in a tertiary hospital underwent four nutrition assessments (each by a different assessor); two Subjective Global Assessments (SGAs) and two GLIM assessments. All five GLIM criteria were assessed with bioelectrical impedance analysis used for muscle mass. Interrater reliability, criterion validity, and predictive validity were reported to detect trends. RESULTS: All primary feasibility criteria were met (consent rate 76%; data for GLIM criterion validity collected on 83% participants). Of predictive outcome data, 100% of hospital-related data, 82% of 6-month mortality data, and 39% of 6-month health-related quality of life data were collected. The mean (SD) age of participants was 61.0 ± 16.2 years, and 51.5% were male. The median (interquartile range) length of stay and body mass index were 7 (4-15) days and 25.6 (24.2-33.0) kg/m2, respectively. GLIM criteria diagnosed 70% of the patients as malnourished vs 55% with SGA. Most patients found the data collection acceptable with minimal burden. CONCLUSION: The methods outlined in this rigorous GLIM validation protocol are feasible to undertake in hospitals and acceptable to patients. This paper provides practical methodological guidance for future prospective GLIM validation studies.

Influence of malnutrition according to the glim criteria on the chemotherapy toxicities in patients with advanced lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Cancer-associated malnutrition is highly prevalent in advanced lung cancer, and 50% of global cancer-related deaths are attributed to cancer-associated malnutrition. Platinum-containing chemotherapy is the standard treatment for advanced lung cancer. Unfortunately, it can cause exacerbated toxicities, which can also have a negative impact on patient's prognosis and quality of life. The Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria have been proposed as the world's first accepted diagnostic criteria for malnutrition. However, the effectiveness of GLIM criteria in predicting chemotherapy toxicities in patients with advanced lung cancer is unclear. The aim of this study was to apply the GLIM criteria to assess the prevalence of pre-treatment diagnosis of malnutrition in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to determine the impact of nutritional status on patient's chemotherapy toxicity. METHODS: We conducted a study of hospitalized patients with pathologically and clinically diagnosed advanced NSCLC who presented to our hospital from May 2021 to January 2022. Initially, the Nutritional Risk Screening-2002 (NRS-2002) was used for nutritional risk screening, and nutritional status was assessed using the Scored Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) and GLIM criteria. Chemotherapy toxicity was assessed and graded according to CTCAE5.0, and chemotherapy efficacy was assessed according to RECIST1.1. Kappa test was used to analyze the agreement between PG-SGA and GLIM criteria. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine the relationship between malnutrition and chemotherapy toxicity. RESULTS: A total of 215 patients with advanced NSCLC were evaluated for nutritional status. Most of the patients had normal BMI (61.86%) before the start of treatment, 40% were well-nourished as assessed by the PG-SGA tool, and 51.17% were well-nourished as assessed by GLIM criteria. Consistency analysis showed moderate agreement (Kappa = 0.463, P < 0.001) and their correlation was also moderate (Spearman, rs = 0.475, P < 0.001). The objective response rate (ORR) (P = 0.040) and disease control rate (DCR) (P < 0.001) were significantly lower in malnourished patients diagnosed according to GLIM criteria than in well-nourished patients. Multivariate analysis showed that malnutrition (OR = 1.531,95%CI 0.757-3.009; OR = 6.623,95%CI 1.390-31.567, P = 0.046) diagnosed by GLIM criteria was an independent predictor of chemotherapy toxicity. Conclusions Malnutrition diagnosed by GLIM criteria better predicts toxicity during chemotherapy, determines the degree of clinical benefit of chemotherapy, and may affect patient prognosis.

Dietary diversity moderates household economic inequalities in the double burden of malnutrition in Tanzania.

OBJECTIVE: Improved food availability and a growing economy in Tanzania may insufficiently decrease pre-existing nutritional deficiencies and simultaneously increase overweight within the same individual, household, or population, causing a double burden of malnutrition (DBM). We investigated economic inequalities in DBM at the household level, expressed as a stunted child with a mother with overweight/obesity, and the moderating role of dietary diversity in these inequalities. DESIGN: We used cross-sectional data from the 2015-2016 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey. SETTING: A nationally representative survey. PARTICIPANTS: 2,867 children (aged 6-23 months) and their mothers (aged 15-49 years). The mother-child pairs were categorized into two groups based on dietary diversity score: achieving and not achieving minimum dietary diversity. RESULTS: The prevalence of DBM was 5.6% (SD=0.6) and significantly varied by region (ranging from 0.6%-12.2%). Significant interaction was observed between dietary diversity and household wealth index (p for interaction <0.001). The prevalence of DBM monotonically increased with greater household wealth among mother-child pairs who did not achieve minimum dietary diversity (p for trend <0.001; however, this association was attenuated in those who achieved minimum dietary diversity (p for trend=0.16), particularly for the richest households (p=0.44). Analyzing household wealth index score as a continuous variable yielded similar results (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 2.10 [1.36-3.25] for non-achievers of minimum dietary diversity, 1.38 [0.76-2.54] for achievers). CONCLUSIONS: Greater household wealth was associated with higher odds of DBM in Tanzania; however, the negative impact of household economic status on DBM was mitigated by minimum dietary diversity.

Managing malnutrition and multimorbidity in primary care: dietary approaches to reduce treatment burden.

There are many health and nutrition implications of suffering from multimorbidity, which is a huge challenge facing health and social services. This review focuses on malnutrition, one of the nutritional consequences of multimorbidity. Malnutrition can result from the impact of chronic conditions and their management (polypharmacy) on appetite and nutritional intake, leading to an inability to meet nutritional requirements from food. Malnutrition (undernutrition) is prevalent in primary care and costly, the main cause being disease, accentuated by multiple morbidities. Most of the costs arise from the deleterious effects of malnutrition on individual's function, clinical outcome and recovery leading to a substantially greater burden on treatment and health care resources, costing at least £19.6 billion in England. Routine identification of malnutrition with screening should be part of the management of multimorbidity together with practical, effective ways of treating malnutrition that overcome anorexia where relevant. Nutritional interventions that improve nutritional intake have been shown to significantly reduce mortality in individuals with multi-morbidities. In addition to food-based interventions, a more 'medicalised' dietary approach using liquid oral nutritional supplements (ONS) can be effective. ONS typically have little impact on appetite, effectively improve energy, protein and micronutrient intakes and may significantly improve functional measures. Reduced treatment burden can result from effective nutritional intervention with improved clinical outcomes (fewer infections, wounds), reducing health care use and costs. With the right investment in nutrition and dietetic resources, appropriate nutritional management plans can be put in place to optimally support the multimorbid patient benefitting the individual and the wider society.

Beyond the bowel: Wernicke's encephalopathy as a neurological complication of Crohn's disease: A case report.

Wernicke encephalopathy (WE) is a rare but severe neurological syndrome characterized, in its classic form, by the acute onset of ocular disturbances, ataxia, and cognitive impairment. It is caused by a deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1) and mainly affects chronic alcoholics, although it can also affect patients with pathologies that lead to malnutrition. We present a case of a 58-year-old woman, who presented with significant weight loss over the past 6 months and who came to the emergency department for episodes of repetitive vomiting and a sleepy state. The patient underwent blood chemistry tests and a brain CT scan, which revealed symmetrical and bilateral hypodensity of the medial portion of the thalamus, tectal plate, and periaqueductal gray matte, suggestive of WE. She was subsequently referred to the Department of Neurology and underwent a brain MRI, which confirmed the clinical suspicion. She also had an abdominal CT scan and ileo-colonoscopy and was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. Immediately after the clinical diagnosis of WE, a replacement therapy based on intravenous thiamine at high doses was promptly set up, and the patient improved from a clinical point of view. Wernicke encephalopathy can be difficult to diagnose when it occurs in non-alcoholic patients; WE associated with IBD is a rare condition, and it can present with atypical and more subtle symptoms. Radiologists and physicians must be aware of this condition and imaging findings for rapid diagnosis and treatment.

Socioeconomic determinants of the double burden of malnutrition among women of reproductive age in sub-Saharan Africa: A cross-sectional study.

Background and Aim: The positioning of eliminating all forms of malnutrition within the spirit of the Sustainable Development Goals and the adoption of the United Nations resolution for a Decade of Action on Nutrition are a testament to strong global commitment to combat the double burden of malnutrition (DBM). Yet, there is a knowledge gap in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) regarding the influence of socioeconomic status on DBM. We investigated the associative effect of socioeconomic status on DBM in SSA. Methods: Data for the study were extracted from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) of 29 countries in SSA conducted from 2010 to 2020. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were fitted to examine the association between socioeconomic status and DBM. The results were presented using adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: Children of obese mothers were less likely to be stunted compared to those born to mothers who were not overweight/obese [aOR = 0.70; 95% CI = 0.66-0.77]. The odds of stunting increased with wealth index, with children born to poorest mothers having the highest odds compared to those born to richest mother [aOR = 1.79; 95% CI = 1.64-1.95]. The odds of stunting among children was highest among those born to mothers with no formal education compared to those whose mothers had higher education [aOR = 2.73; 95% CI = 2.34-3.18]. Conclusion: DBM among children in SSA is predicted by maternal level of education, and wealth status. These results underscore the urgency of tailored interventions and policies that address DBM among women of reproductive age, with a particular focus on the socioeconomic disparities in SSA. To effectively combat this pressing public health issue, it is imperative to direct efforts towards empowering women to attain higher levels of education and to implement strategies that consider the specific needs of women across varying socioeconomic statuses.