Validation of NUTRIFICO Mnemonic as a Nutritional Approach and Breaking Dismal News in Palliative Care / Validação do Mnemônico NUTRIFICO como Abordagem Nutricional e Comunicação de Notícias Difíceis em Cuidados Paliativos / Validación del Mneumónico NUTRIFICO como Enfoque Nutricional y Comunicación de Noticias Difíciles en Cuidados Paliativos

A assistência nutricional em cuidados paliativos possui papel preventivo e visa assegurar as necessidades nutricionais do paciente na tentativa de auxiliar o controle dos sintomas, manter a hidratação satisfatória, ressignificar a alimentação, reduzir a ansiedade, retardar o desenvolvimento da caquexia, preservar o peso e a composição nutricional. Objetivo: Desenvolver e validar o mnemônico NUTRIFICO como abordagem de assistência nutricional e comunicação de notícias difíceis em cuidados paliativos. Método: Pesquisa de desenvolvimento e validação de conteúdo que utilizou a técnica Delphi com a aplicação do delineamento misto com abordagens qualitativas e quantitativas para a coleta e análise dos dados. Os participantes, nutricionistas com atuação em cuidados paliativos e/ou formação na área, foram recrutados por amostragem do tipo bola de neve. O percentual de concordância mínimo definido para validação foi de 80% pela escala Likert de cinco pontos. Resultados: Quarenta participantes, incluindo oito "sementes", foram convidados a participar do estudo. Destes, 16 assinaram o Termo de Consentimento Livre e Esclarecido (TCLE). A análise de conteúdo seguiu duas rodadas Delphi e foi obtida uma taxa de concordância superior a 80% entre os participantes para todos os componentes. A versão final do mnemônico NUTRIFICO resultou em dois princípios-chave, oito componentes e 12 recomendações. Conclusão: O mnemônico NUTRIFICO foi considerado válido quanto ao conteúdo e, portanto, pertinente à aplicação na abordagem nutricional e comunicação de notícias difíceis em cuidados paliativos.

Nutritional assistance in palliative care has a preventive role and seeks to ensure the patient's nutritional needs in an attempt to help to control the symptoms, maintain satisfactory hydration, reframe food, reduce anxiety, delay the development of cachexia, preserve weight and nutritional composition. Objective: To develop and validate the NUTRIFICO mnemonic as an approach to nutritional assistance and communication of dismal news in palliative care. Method: Research development and validation of content utilizing the Delphi technique with the application of a mixed design with qualitative and quantitative approaches for data collection and analysis. The participants, nutritionists with experience in palliative care and/or training in the area, were recruited by sampling using the snowball method. The minimum agreement percentage defined for validation was 80% on the five-point Likert scale. Results: Forty participants were invited to participate in the study, including eight "seeds" and 16 signed the Informed Consent Form (ICF). The content analysis followed two Delphi rounds, an agreement rate greater than 80% was obtained among participants for all the components. The final version of the NUTRIFICO mnemonic presented two key principles, eight components and twelve recommendations. Conclusion: The mnemonic NUTRIFICO was validated in terms of content and relevant for the application in the nutritional approach and communication of dismal news in palliative care

Hydroalcoholic extract of Brazilian green propolis modulates inflammatory process in mice submitted to a low protein diet.

The occurrence of inflammation and protein malnutrition is an aggravating risk factor for morbidity and mortality in the clinical setting. The green propolis, a natural product made by Apis mellifera bees from Baccharis dracunculifolia resin, has therapeutic potential to modulate chronic inflammation. However, its effect on inflammation in an impaired nutritional status is not known. The aim of this study was to characterize the effects of the administration of the hydroalcoholic extract of the green propolis in the chronic inflammatory process of mice submitted to a low-protein diet. For this, we used the subcutaneous implantation of sponge disks as an inflammatory model and the animals were distributed in the following groups: standard protein diet (12% protein content), control treatment; standard protein diet, propolis treatment; low-protein diet (3% protein content), control treatment; low-protein diet, propolis treatment. Propolis was given daily at a dose of 500 mg/kg (p.o.) during a period of 7 or 15 days. Our main findings show that animals fed with standard protein diet and treated with propolis had low levels of red blood cells, hemoglobin, and hematocrit, with the subsequent reestablishment of these levels, in addition to monocyte count elevation and higher TNF levels after one week of treatment. In the low-protein diet group, the propolis treatment provided a significant recovery in weight and maintenance of total serum protein levels at the end of two weeks of treatment. Histological analysis showed propolis reduced the inflammatory infiltrate in the sponges of both standard and low-protein diet groups. In addition, the propolis extract presented antiangiogenic effect in both groups. Therefore, our data suggests that the hydroalcoholic extract of the green propolis promotes weight recovery and avoid the reduction of protein levels, in addition to inhibit inflammation and angiogenesis in animals fed with a low-protein diet.