Clinical nutrition : official journal of the European Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition
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The present study aimed at retrospectively evaluating the incidence of mortality and major and minor postoperative complications in patients who underwent surgery for gastric cancer between 2000 and 2006 stratified according to the preoperative percentage weight loss, serum albumin levels and body mass index (BMI). ⋯ The present study suggests that weight loss and hypoalbuminemia are not associated with an increased risk of mortality and morbidity in patients who underwent surgery for gastric cancer. This study may represent a stimulus for further studies aiming at evaluating the actual role of malnutrition in the development of postoperative complications in major abdominal surgery.
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In human, citrulline (plasma concentration about 40 micromol/L) is an amino acid involved in intermediary metabolism and that is not incorporated in proteins. Circulating citrulline is mainly produced by enterocytes of the small bowel. For this reason plasma or serum citrulline concentration has been proposed as a biomarker of remnant small bowel mass and function. This article reviews this concept and its metabolic basis. ⋯ Reduced plasma citrulline levels are an innovative quantitative biomarker of significantly reduced enterocyte mass and function in different disease states in humans.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Metabolic effects of enteral versus parenteral alanyl-glutamine dipeptide administration in critically ill patients receiving enteral feeding: a pilot study.
Glutamine (Gln) may become conditionally indispensable during critical illness. The short-term metabolic effects of enteral versus parenteral Gln supplementation are unknown in this clinical setting. ⋯ This study showed that alanyl-Gln administration by enteral or parenteral routes did not appear to affect antioxidant capacity or oxidative stress markers, T-lymphocyte subset (CD-3, CD-4, CD-8) number, gut barrier function or whole-body protein metabolism compared to unsupplemented ICU patients requiring enteral tube feeding. Enteral Gln appeared to maintain plasma tocopherol levels in this pilot metabolic study.
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There is scarce information about immune function and parenteral fish oil (FO). The influence of a new parenteral lipid emulsion (LE) containing fish oil (SMOF) was experimentally evaluated on neutrophils' chemotaxis and macrophages' phagocytosis. ⋯ LE, independently of composition, had no influence on neutrophils' chemotaxis, but showed different effect on phagocytosis by macrophages. SMOF LE had neutral effect while fish oil LE enriched with MCT/LCT LE increased resident-macrophages' phagocytosis.
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Pomegranate fruit is inescapably linked with fertility, birth and eternal life because of its many seeds. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of pomegranate juice (PJ) consumption on sperm quality, spermatogenic cell density, antioxidant activity and testosterone level of male healthy rats. ⋯ The results suggest that PJ consumption improves sperm quality and antioxidant activity of rats.