[Prognostic factors for malnutrition in patients with colorectal cancer]. / Factores pronósticos de desnutrición en pacientes con cáncer colorrectal.

Introduction: Introduction: patients undergoing major abdominal surgery, including colorectal surgery, particularly if they are oncological patients, are at risk of malnutrition with a worse postoperative evolution and an increase in complications. Objectives: to assess the prevalence of malnutrition in patients undergoing colon and rectal surgery in our hospital, and to identify the different risk factors for malnutrition. Methods: a retrospective cohort study including all patients operated on for colorectal cancer in our environment. Results: a total of 382 patients with a mean age of 69.93 years were included in the study. Considering different risk factors for malnutrition, we obtained that 50.6 % of the patients had some of the risk indicators for malnutrition altered at the time of admission. The variables that proved to be independent factors related to malnutrition were age, DM, baseline malnutrition, and heart disease. Preoperative malnutrition turned out to be the greatest risk factor for presenting moderate/severe malnutrition in the postoperative period with an OR of 3.83 (2.1-6.9; p < 0.001), and was also associated with a higher incidence of postoperative complications and longer hospital stays. We obtained that the percentage of postoperative complications was significantly higher in the group of patients diagnosed with peroperative malnutrition (36.3 % vs 22.0 %, p = 0.004). Conclusions: the percentage of malnutrition in patients with colorectal cancer is high, an aspect that is underestimated in most surgical services. In our study, malnutrition leads to worse outcomes with an increase in complications.

Introducción: Introducción: los pacientes sometidos a cirugía mayor abdominal, y más si se trata de pacientes oncológicos, son pacientes en riesgo de desnutrición, lo que conlleva una peor evolución posoperatoria y un aumento de las complicaciones. Objetivos: conocer la prevalencia de la desnutrición en los pacientes sometidos a cirugía de colon y recto en nuestro medio hospitalario e identificar los distintos factores de riesgo de desnutrición. Métodos: estudio de cohortes retrospectivo incluyendo a todos los pacientes intervenidos de cáncer colorrectal de forma programada en nuestro medio hospitalario. Resultados: se incluyeron en el estudio 382 pacientes con una edad media de 69,93 años. Considerando distintos factores de riesgo de desnutrición, obtuvimos que un 50,6 % de los pacientes tenían alterado alguno de los indicadores de riesgo de desnutrición en el momento del ingreso. Las variables que mostraron ser factores independientes relacionados con la desnutrición fueron la edad, la DM, la desnutrición basal y la cardiopatía. La desnutrición preoperatoria resultó ser el factor de mayor riesgo para presentar desnutrición moderada/grave en el posoperatorio con un OR de 3,83 (2,1-6,9; p < 0,001) y además se asoció a una mayor incidencia de complicaciones posoperatorias y a estancias hospitalarias más prolongadas. Obtuvimos que el porcentaje de complicaciones posoperatorias fue significativamente mayor en el grupo de pacientes diagnosticados de desnutrición peroperatoria (36,3 % vs. 22,0 %, p = 0,004). Conclusiones: el porcentaje de desnutrición en los pacientes con cáncer colorrectal es elevado, aspecto subestimado en la mayoría de los servicios quirúrgicos. La desnutrición conlleva en nuestro estudio una peor evolución con un incremento de las complicaciones.

Factores pronósticos de desnutrición en pacientes con cáncer colorrectal / Prognostic factors for Malnutrition in patients with colorectal cancer

Introducción: los pacientes sometidos a cirugía mayor abdominal, y más si se trata de pacientes oncológicos, son pacientes en riesgo de desnutrición, lo que conlleva una peor evolución posoperatoria y un aumento de las complicaciones. Objetivos: conocer la prevalencia de la desnutrición en los pacientes sometidos a cirugía de colon y recto en nuestro medio hospitalario e identificar los distintos factores de riesgo de desnutrición. Métodos: estudio de cohortes retrospectivo incluyendo a todos los pacientes intervenidos de cáncer colorrectal de forma programada en nuestro medio hospitalario. Resultados: se incluyeron en el estudio 382 pacientes con una edad media de 69.93 años. Considerando distintos factores de riesgo de desnutrición, obtuvimos que un 50.6 % de los pacientes tenían alterado alguno de los indicadores de riesgo de desnutrición en el momento del ingreso. Las variables que mostraron ser factores independientes relacionados con la desnutrición fueron la edad, la DM, la desnutrición basal y la cardiopatía. La desnutrición preoperatoria resultó ser el factor de mayor riesgo para presentar desnutrición moderada/grave en el posoperatorio con un OR de 3.83 (2.1-6.9; p < 0.001) y además se asoció a una mayor incidencia de complicaciones posoperatorias y a estancias hospitalarias más prolongadas. Obtuvimos que el porcentaje de complicaciones posoperatorias fue significativamente mayor en el grupo de pacientes diagnosticados de desnutrición peroperatoria (36.3 % vs. 22.0 %, p = 0.004). Conclusiones: el porcentaje de desnutrición en los pacientes con cáncer colorrectal es elevado, aspecto subestimado en la mayoría de los servicios quirúrgicos. La desnutrición conlleva en nuestro estudio una peor evolución con un incremento de las complicaciones. (AU)

Introduction: patients undergoing major abdominal surgery, including colorectal surgery, particularly if they are oncological patients, are at risk of Malnutrition with a worse postoperative evolution and an increase in complications. Objectives: to assess the prevalence of Malnutrition in patients undergoing colon and rectal surgery in our hospital, and to identify the different risk factors for Malnutrition. Methods: a retrospective cohort study including all patients operated on for colorectal cancer in our environment. Results: a total of 382 patients with a mean age of 69,93 years were included in the study. Considering different risk factors for Malnutrition, we obtained that 50,6 % of the patients had some of the risk indicators for Malnutrition altered at the time of admission. The variables that proved to be independent factors related to Malnutrition were age, DM, baseline Malnutrition, and heart disease. Preoperative Malnutrition turned out to be the greatest risk factor for presenting moderate/severe Malnutrition in the postoperative period with an OR of 3,83 (2,1-6,9; p < 0,001), and was also associated with a higher incidence of postoperative complications and longer hospital stays. We obtained that the percentage of postoperative complications was significantly higher in the group of patients diagnosed with peroperative Malnutrition (36,3 % vs 22,0 %, p = 0,004). Conclusions: the percentage of Malnutrition in patients with colorectal cancer is high, an aspect that is underestimated in most surgical services. In our study, Malnutrition leads to worse outcomes with an increase in complications. (AU)

Las hormonas gastrointestinales en el control de la ingesta de alimentos / Gastrointestinal hormones in food intake control

El descubrimiento de la existencia de hormonas gastrointestinales que modulan la homeostasis energética ha despertado un gran interés. Algunas de estas hormonas, actuando en el hipotálamo o el núcleo del tracto solitario en el tronco encefálico, ejercen efectos moduladores del apetito y la saciedad. En términos generales, las señales endocrinas generadas en el tracto gastrointestinal tienen efecto anorexigénico directo o indirecto a través del sistema nervioso vegetativo. Sólo la ghrelina, hormona producida en el estómago, se ha asociado de manera consistente con el inicio de la ingesta y se la considera una de las principales señales orexigénicas en los modelos animales estudiados y en humanos. En esta revisión, se describen brevemente las principales hormonas de origen gastrointestinal implicadas en la regulación del apetito. Dada la importancia que los trastornos de la ingesta de alimentos, especialmente la obesidad, han adquirido, un mejor conocimiento de los mecanismos de acción de estas señales endocrinas podría contribuir al desarrollo de nuevas moléculas que incrementen y mejoren nuestro arsenal terapéutico para tratar la obesidad y las enfermedades crónicas relacionadas con ella (AU)

The discovery of gut hormones regulating the energy balance has aroused great interest in the scientific community. Some of these hormones modulate appetite and satiety, acting on the hypothalamus or the solitary tract nucleus in the brainstem. In general, the endocrine signals generated in the gut have direct or indirect (through the autonomous nervous system) anorexigenic effects. Only ghrelin, a gastric hormone, has been consistently associated with the initiation of food intake and is regarded as the main orexigenic signal both in animal models and humans. In this review, we provide a brief description of the major gastrointestinal hormones implicated in the regulation of food intake. Given the increased importance of food intake disturbances, especially obesity, a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of action of the gastrointestinal hormones might contribute to the development of new molecules that could increase the therapeutic arsenal for treating obesity and its associated comorbidities (AU)

GH responses to GHRH and GHRP-6 in Streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rats.

GH responses to GHRH, the physiologic hypothalamic stimulus, and GHRP-6, a synthetic hexapeptide that binds the Ghrelin receptor, were studied in rats treated with streptozotocin (STZ), an experimental model of diabetes. Sprague-Dawley male rats received a single injection either of STZ (70 mg/Kg in 0.01 M SSC, i.p.) or of the vehicle (0.01 M SSC). GH responses were challenged with two different doses of GHRH (1 and 10 microg/kg) or GHRP-6 (3 and 30 microg/kg) and with a combination of both at low (1 + 3 microg/kg) or high (10 + 30 microg/kg) doses, respectively. We observed a dose-dependent effect for GH responses to GHRH both in STZ-treated rats and in controls. However, we could not find significant differences between STZ-rats and controls. GH responses to GHRP-6 occurred in a dose-dependent manner in STZ-rats, but not in controls. GH responses to GHRP-6 in both groups were clearly lower than those elicited by GHRH. GH responses to 30 microg/Kg of GHRP-6 were significantly greater in STZ-rats than in controls (AUC: 3549.9 +/- 1001.4 vs. 2046.4 +/- 711.7; p<0.05). The combined administration of GHRH plus GHRP-6 was the most potent stimuli for GH in both groups. The administration of doses in the lower range (1 + 3 microg/Kg, GHRH + GHRP-6 respectively) induced a great peak of GH in STZ-rats and in control rats, revealing a synergistic effect of GHRH and GHRP-6 in both groups. When the higher doses were administered (10 + 30 microg/kg), GH levels in time 5, and AUC were significantly higher in control rats. In addition, a negative correlation between WT (weight tendency) values and GH responses, represented as AUC, could be established in STZ-rats (r2=-0.566, p=0.004 for GHRH; r2=-0.412, p=0.028 for GHRP-6). Thus, the more negative the values of WT were, the more severe the metabolic alteration and, therefore, the higher the GH response to GHRH and GHRHP-6. In conclusion, our results do not support the existence of a functional hypothalamic hypertone of SS in diabetic rats, as GH responses were not usually reduced in STZ-rats, except when both secretagogues were administered together at the higher doses. Besides, GH responses to GHRH and GHRP-6 were inversely correlated with the severity of the metabolic alteration in STZ-rats, meaning that worse glycaemic control promoted higher GH secretion. These results resemble those found in humans, where GH responses to secretagogues are increased in type-1 diabetes and depend on hyperglycaemia, and are representative of not well-controlled insulin-dependent diabetic status.