Nutritional Assessment Tools for Patients with Cancer:A Narrative Review

Cancer patients are at high risk of malnutrition,which can lead to adverse health outcomes such as prolonged hospitalization,increased complications,and increased mortality.Accurate and timely nutritional assessment plays a critical role in effectively managing malnutrition in these patients.However,while many tools exist to assess malnutrition,there is no universally accepted standard.Although different tools have their own strengths and limitations,there is a lack of narrative reviews on nutritional assessment tools for cancer patients.To address this knowledge gap,we conducted a non-systematic literature search using PubMed,Embase,Web of Science,and the Cochrane Library from their inception until May 2023.A total of 90 studies met our selection criteria and were included in our narrative review.We evaluated the applications,strengths,and limitations of 4 commonly used nutritional assessment tools for cancer patients:the Subjective Global Assessment(SGA),Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment(PG-SGA),Mini Nutritional Assessment(MNA),and Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition(GLIM).Our findings revealed that malnutrition was associated with adverse health outcomes.Each of these 4 tools has its applications,strengths,and limitations.Our findings provide medical staff with a foundation for choosing the optimal tool to rapidly and accurately assess malnutrition in cancer patients.It is essential for medical staff to be familiar with these common tools to ensure effective nutritional management of cancer patients.

Comparison of different preoperative objective nutritional indices for evaluating 30-d mortality and complications after liver transplantation

BACKGROUND The nutritional status is closely related to the prognosis of liver transplant re-cipients,but few studies have reported the role of preoperative objective nutri-tional indices in predicting liver transplant outcomes.AIM To compare the predictive value of various preoperative objective nutritional indicators for determining 30-d mortality and complications following liver transplantation(LT).METHODS A retrospective analysis was conducted on 162 recipients who underwent LT at our institution from December 2019 to June 2022.RESULTS This study identified several independent risk factors associated with 30-d mor-tality,including blood loss,the prognostic nutritional index(PNI),the nutritional risk index(NRI),and the control nutritional status.The 30-d mortality rate was 8.6%.Blood loss,the NRI,and the PNI were found to be independent risk factors for the occurrence of severe postoperative complications.The NRI achieved the highest prediction values for 30-d mortality[area under the curve(AUC)=0.861,P<0.001]and severe complications(AUC=0.643,P=0.011).Compared to those in the high NRI group,the low patients in the NRI group had lower preoperative body mass index and prealbumin and albumin levels,as well as higher alanine aminotransferase and total bilirubin levels,Model for End-stage Liver Disease scores and prothrombin time(P<0.05).Furthermore,the group with a low NRI exhibited significantly greater incidences of intraabdominal bleeding,primary graft nonfunction,and mortality.CONCLUSION The NRI has good predictive value for 30-d mortality and severe complications following LT.The NRI could be an effective tool for transplant surgeons to evaluate perioperative nutritional risk and develop relevant nutritional therapy.

Perioperative nutrition optimization:a review of the current literature

Objective:This article aims to elaborate the recent research status of perioperative nutrition optimization,in order to help clinical practice.Methods:This study employed a comprehensive and systematic method to search prominent databases,including PubMed and Web of Science,using carefully selected keywords.Following meticulous screening,the inclusion of high-quality studies was prioritized,and a thorough review of the references was conducted to comprehensively analyze the latest evidence on perioperative nutrition optimization.Results:The main contents include preoperative nutritional risk screening and assessment,nutritional support pathway,immune enhancing nutrition,preoperative and postoperative nutritional management,as well as personalized nutrition optimization strategies for specific populations(such as children,bariatric surgery patients,and cancer patients).Conclusions:In clinical practice,the importance of perioperative nutrition should be emphasized,and personalized nutrition management plans should be developed based on the characteristics and needs of patients.Further research and promotion of perioperative nutrition optimization strategies will help improve the overall prognosis and quality of life of surgical patients.

Nutritional assessment in cirrhotic patients with hepatic encephalopathy

Hepatic encephalopathy(HE) is one of the worst complications of liver disease and can be greatly influenced by nutritional status. Ammonia metabolism, inflammation and muscle wasting are relevant processes in HE pathophysiology. Malnutrition worsens the prognosis in HE, requiring early assessment of nutritional status of these patients. Body composition changes induced by liver disease and limitations superimposed by HE hamper the proper accomplishment of exams in this population, but evidence is growing that assessment of muscle mass and muscle function is mandatory due to the role of skeletal muscles in ammonia metabolism. In this review, we present the pathophysiological aspects involved in HE to support further discussion about advantages and drawbacks of some methods for evaluating the nutritional status of cirrhotic patients with HE, focusing on body composition.

Subjective Global Assessment as a Pre-Operative Nutrition Status Screening Tool for Head and Neck Cancer Patients of a Tertiary Health Care Setting

Introduction: In India, 57% of patients with head and neck cancers are documented with nutritional compromise. Active nutritional support has been shown to improve outcomes and reduce the cost of treatment in severely malnourished patients. The assessment of nutritional status should be a priority when initiating medical nutrition therapy. We evaluated the agreement between Subjective and Objective evaluation of pre-operative nutrition status of head and neck cancer patients in a tertiary cancer centre. Methods: Two hundred and thirty seven head and neck cancer patients who underwent surgery were eligible. The patients included both males (147) and females (90) with age varying between 23 - 88 years. All patients were screened for pre-operative nutrition status objectively as well as subjectively. The association of pre-operative SGA scores (A, B and C) subjectively, and PNS score (0, 1, 2) objectively were tested for statistical significance. Results: The cancer sites included tongue in 82, buccal mucosa in 30, thyroid in 28, alveolus in 18, glottis in 10, RMT in 10, nasal cavity in 9, FOM in 8. The pre-operative nutrition status based on subjective scores are A in 156 (65.8%), B in 75 (32%) and C in 6 (2.5%). The objective parameters obtained on the basis of BMI, % weight loss, PNI and S. albumin values are PNS 0 in 161 (67.9%), PNS 1 in 71 (30%) and PNS 2 in 5 (2.1%) patients. As the kappa coefficient p-0.56, there is moderate agreement between the pre-operative nutrition status subjectively as well as objectively. Conclusion: Subjective global assessment is a simple and inexpensive way to screen the pre-operative nutrition status when compared to the other objective assessment tool. SGA has moderate agreement with expensive and complicated objective assessment tools. So it can be a reliable tool for assessing the pre-operative nutrition status.

Comparison of different nutritional assessments in detecting malnutrition among gastric cancer patients

AIM: To evaluate the prevalence of preoperative and postoperative malnutrition and the relationships between objective and subjective nutritional assessment of gastric cancer patients. METHODS: From October 2005 to July 2006, we studied 80 patients with no evidence of recurrent disease and no loss to follow-up after curative surgery for gastric cancer. In this group, 9 patients underwent total gastrectomy and 71 patients subtotal gastrectomy. At admission, 6 and 12 mo after surgery, the patients were assessed on the subjective global assessment (SGA), nutritional risk screening (NRS-2002), nutritional risk index (NRI) and by anthropometric measurements and laboratory data. Differences between the independent groups were assessed with the Student's t test and oneway analysis of variance. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were calculated to evaluate the association between the scores and variables. RESULTS: The prevalence of malnutrition at admissionwas 31% by SGA and 43% by NRS-2002. At admission, the anthropometric data were lower in the malnourished groups defined by the SGA and NRS-2002 assessments, but did not differ between the groups using the NRI assessment. Body weight (BW), body mass index (BMI), triceps skin fold and midarm circumference were significantly reduced, but the total lymphocyte count, albumin, protein, cholesterol and serum iron levels did not decrease during the postoperative period. Six months after surgery, there was a good correlation between the nutritional assessment tools (SGA and NRS-2002) and the other nutritional measurement tools (BW, BMI, and anthropometric measurements). However, 12 mo after surgery, most patients who were assessed as malnourished by SGA and NRS-2002 had returned to their preoperative status, although their BW, BMI, and anthropometric measurements still indicated a malnourished status. CONCLUSION: A combination of objective and subjective assessments is needed for the early detection of the nutritional status in case of gastric cancer patients after gastrectomy.

Nutritional assessment with different tools in leukemia patients after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Objective： Correct nutritional assessment is essential for leukemia patients after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation （HSCT）. This study aimed to investigate the best nutritional assessment method for leukemia patients after HSCT, and find the possible nutritional risk of the patients during the transplantation process in order to intervene in the patients with nutritional risks and undernourished patients timely, so that the entire transplantation process could be successfully completed. Methods： A prospective study was performed in 108 leukemia patients after HSCT, and different nutritional assessment methods, including nutritional risk screening 2002 （NRS2002）, mini nutritional assessment （MNA）, subjective globe assessment （SGA） and malnutritional universal screening tools （MUST）, were used. The associations between nutritional status of these patients and nutritional assessment methods were analyzed. Results： A total of 108 patients completed SGA, and 99 patients completed NRS2002, MNA and MUST. During the treatment process, 85.2% of the patients lost weight, wherein, 50% lost weight greater than 5%, and 42.6% had significantly reduced food intake. For nutritional risk assessment, the positive rates of NRS2002, MNA and MUST were 100%, 74.7% and 63.6%, respectively. There was a significant difference （P〈0.05） among the positive rates of NRS2002, MNA and MUST. In undernutrition assessment, the positive rate of SGA （83.3%） was significantly higher than that of MNA （17.2%） （P〈0.05）, and the incidence rate of nutritional risk among leukemia patients _〈30 years old was greater than that of patients 〉30 years old （P〈0.05）. Conclusions： Patients with leukemia were in poor nutritional status during and after HSCT. The leukemia patients 〈30 years old had a greater incidence rate of nutritional risk. As nutritional risk screening tool, the specificity of NRS2002 is not high, but it can be used for evaluating nutritional deficiencies. MNA is a good nutritional risk screening tool, but not an adequate tool for nutritional assessment. If assessment of undernutrition is necessary, the combination of all these screening tools and clinical laboratory indicators should he applied to improve accuracy.

Nutritional assessment in patients with liver cirrhosis

Malnutrition is a liver cirrhosis complication affecting more than 20%-50%of patients.Although the term can refer to either nutrient deficiency or excess,it usually relates to undernutrition in cirrhosis settings.Frailty is defined as limited physical function due to muscle weakness,whereas sarcopenia is defined as muscle mass loss and an advanced malnutrition stage.The pathogenesis of malnutrition in liver cirrhosis is multifactorial,including decreased oral intake,maldigestion/malabsorption,physical inactivity,hyperammonemia,hypermetabolism,altered macronutrient metabolism and gut microbiome dysbiosis.Patients with chronic liver disease with a Body Mass Index of<18.5 kg/m2 and/or decompensated cirrhosis or Child-Pugh class C are at the highest risk of malnutrition.For patients at risk of malnutrition,a detailed nutritional assessment is required,typically including a history and physical examination,laboratory testing,global assessment tools and body composition testing.The latter can be done using anthropometry,cross-sectional imaging including computed tomography or magnetic resonance,bioelectrical impedance analysis and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.A multidisciplinary team should screen for and treat malnutrition in patients with cirrhosis.Malnutrition and sarcopenia are associated with an increased risk of complications and a poor prognosis in patients with liver cirrhosis;thus,it is critical to diagnose these conditions early and initiate the appropriate nutritional therapy.In this review,we describe the prevalence and pathogenesis of malnutrition in liver cirrhosis patients and discuss the best diagnostic approach to nutritional assessment for them.

The Values of the Prognostic Nutrition Index and the Patient Generated-Subjective Global Assessment during the Nutritional Assessment of Patients with Gastrointestinal Tumors

Objective To compare the value and consistency among the Patient Generated-Subjective Global Assessment(PG-SGA)and the Prognostic Nutrition Index(PNI)for assessing nutritional status in gastrointestinal tumor patients.Methods 251 patients from gastric cancer surgical ward from January 2019 to January 2020 were recruited through convenience sampling in this respective study.Nutritional screening and assessment were conducted for 251 gastrointestinal tumor patients using the nutritional risk screening 2002(NRS 2002)PG-SGA,and the PNI.PNI was calculated using the serum albumin level and the total lymphocyte count obtained from the patients’routine laboratory examination when they were admitted to the hospital.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)of the PG SGA and the PNI were plotted with the NRS 2002 used as the gold standard,and the diagnostic value of the PG-SGA and PNI was reflected by the area under the curve(AUC),sensitivity,specificity and Youden index.We then determined the optimal cut-off for the PNI and tested the consistency of the PG-SGA and PNI.Results The optimal cut-off point for the PNI was calculated to be 50.78.The AUC of the PG-SGA was 0.908(95%CI 0.871-0.944).The sensitivity was 89.9%,specificity was 76.2%and the Youden index was 0.661.The AUC of the PNI was 0.594(95%CI 0.516-0.572).The sensitivity was 73.8%,specificity was 44.3%and the Youden index was 0.181.In the consistency test,the kappa value was 0.838(P<0.001).Conclusion The PNI is of limited value for assessing malnutrition,although it did have good consistency with the PG-SGA.The combination of the PNI and PG-SGA can be used for diagnosing assessing malnutrition in clinical practice.

Assessment of Risk of Malnutrition in Elderly Hypertensive Patients with or without Associated Cardiovascular Risk Factors Living at Home (West Algeria) Sidi-Bel-Abbès

Undernutrition is frequently underestimated in the elderly, because clinical manifestations are non-specific. For the francophone Club geriatrics and nutrition, poly medication is one of the warning signs to be the possibility of malnutrition in an elderly person. To do this, it is particularly interesting to verify what the profiles of hypertensive patients who are at risk of malnutrition are. This component remains very little explored and studies are lacking. The authors conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study whose objective is to evaluate the prevalence of undernutrition in hypertensive patients with or without associated cardiovascular risk factors, in a population of consultants of liberal medical offices, determine the profiles of hypertensive patients who are at risk of undernutrition and describe their eating habits and their anthropometric parameters as well as the link between the number of supported antihypertensives and risk of undernutrition. 1144 patients with an average age of 65 years old have been collected during the period of recruitment. The data collection was done using a questionnaire: the MNA. Sensitive and specific, it is validated method which has international sacle. The percentage of the risk of malnutrition was estimated at 36.7%. Thus the number of associated cardiovascular risk factors becomes larger, and the risk of malnutrition is increased. The risk of malnutrition was three times higher in patients who take more than three medications per day compared with those who consumed less (75.8% vs. 24.2%). As a monotherapy, an increased risk of malnutrition is associated with diuretics. For these older hypertensives, the risk of malnutrition was linked to the type of used dual. The percentage of hypertension risk of malnutrition treated with free dual was significantly higher compared to hypertensive treated dual handset. Some associations have proved to be more favorable than others in terms of nutritional risk. Finally, a third of hypertension patients who were treated with quadruple therapy were at risk of malnutrition. This work was also designed to present an argument to a doctor to detect the risk of undernutrition in elderly hypertensives. The use of the MNA is a simple, effective and quick way for pressure balance rhymes with nutritional balance.

Nutrition support in surgical patients with colorectal cancer

AIM: To review the application of nutrition support in patients after surgery for colorectal cancer, and to propose appropriate nutrition strategies. METHODS: A total of 202 consecutive surgical patients admitted to our hospital with a diagnosis of colon cancer or rectal cancer from January 2010 to July 2010, meeting the requirements of Nutrition Risk Screening 2002, were enrolled in our study. Laboratory tests were performed to analyze the nutrition status of each patient, and the clinical outcome variables, including postoperative complications, hospital stay, cost of hospitalization and postoperative outcome, were analyzed. RESULTS: The "non-risk" patients who did not receive postoperative nutrition support had a higher rate of postoperative complications than patients who received postoperative nutrition support (2.40 ± 1.51 vs 1.23 ± 0.60, P = 0.000), and had a longer postoperative hospital stay (23.00 ± 15.84 d vs 15.27 ± 5.89 d, P = 0.009). There was higher cost of hospitalization for patients who received preoperative total parenteral nutrition (TPN)than for patients who did not receive preoperative TPN (62 713.50 ± 5070.66 RMB Yuan vs 43178.00 ± 3596.68 RMB Yuan, P = 0.014). Applying postoperative enteral nutrition significantly shortened postoperative fasting time (5.16 ± 1.21 d vs 6.40 ± 1.84 d, P = 0.001) and postoperative hospital stay (11.92 ± 4.34 d vs 15.77 ± 6.03 d, P = 0.002). The patients who received postoperative TPN for no less than 7 d had increased serum glucose levels (7.59 ± 3.57 mmol/L vs 6.48 ± 1.32 mmol/L, P = 0.006) and cost of hospitalization (47 724.14 ± 16 945.17 Yuan vs 38 598.73 ± 8349.79 Yuan, P = 0.000). The patients who received postoperative omega-3 fatty acids had a higher rate of postoperative complications than the patients who did not (1.33 ± 0.64 vs 1.13 ± 0.49, P = 0.041). High level of serum glucose was associated with a high risk of postoperative complications of infection. CONCLUSION: Appropriate and moderate nutritional intervention can improve the postoperative outcome of colorectal cancer patients.

Nutritional status in relation to lifestyle in patients with compensated viral cirrhosis

AIM:To assess the nourishment status and lifestyle of non-hospitalized patients with compensated cirrhosis by using noninvasive methods.METHODS:The subjects for this study consisted of 27 healthy volunteers,59 patients with chronic viral hepatitis,and 74 patients with viral cirrhosis,from urban areas.We assessed the biochemical blood tests,anthropometric parameters,diet,lifestyle and physical activity of the patients.A homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance(HOMA-IR) value of ≥ 2.5 was considered to indicate insulin resistance.We measured height,weight,waist circumference,arm circumference,triceps skin-fold thickness,and handgrip strength,and calculated body mass index,arm muscle circumference(AMC),and arm muscle area(AMA).We interviewed the subjects about their dietary habits and lifestyle using health assessment computer software.We surveyed daily physical activity using a pedometer.Univariate and multivariate logistic regression modeling were used to identify the relevant factors for insulin resistance.RESULTS:The rate of patients with HOMA-IR ≥ 2.5(which was considered to indicate insulin resistance) was 14(35.9%) in the chronic hepatitis and 17(37.8%) in the cirrhotic patients.AMC(%)(control vs chronic hepatitis,111.9% ± 10.5% vs 104.9% ± 10.7%,P = 0.021;control vs cirrhosis,111.9% ± 10.5% vs 102.7% ± 10.8%,P = 0.001) and AMA(%)(control vs chronic hepatitis,128.2% ± 25.1% vs 112.2% ± 22.9%,P = 0.013;control vs cirrhosis,128.2% ± 25.1% vs 107.5% ± 22.5%,P = 0.001) in patients with chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis were significantly lower than in the control subjects.Handgrip strength(%) in the cirrhosis group was significantly lower than in the controls(control vs cirrhosis,92.1% ± 16.2% vs 66.9% ± 17.6%,P < 0.001).The results might reflect a decrease in muscle mass.The total nutrition intake and amounts of carbohydrates,protein and fat were not significantly different amongst the groups.Physical activity levels(kcal/d)(control vs cirrhosis,210 ± 113 kcal/d vs 125 ± 74 kcal/d,P = 0.001),number of steps(step/d)(control vs cirrhosis,8070 ±3027 step/d vs 5789 ± 3368 step/d,P = 0.011),and exercise(Ex)(Ex/wk)(control vs cirrhosis,12.4 ± 9.3 Ex/wk vs 7.0 ± 7.7 Ex/wk,P = 0.013) in the cirrhosis group was significantly lower than the control group.The results indicate that the physical activity level of the chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis groups were low.Univariate and multivariate logistic regression modeling suggested that Ex was associated with insulin resistance(odds ratio,6.809;95% CI,1.288-36.001;P = 0.024).The results seem to point towards decreased physical activity being a relevant factor for insulin resistance.CONCLUSION:Non-hospitalized cirrhotic patients may need to maintain an adequate dietary intake and receive lifestyle guidance to increase their physical activity levels.

Handgrip Strength as a Predictor of Nutritional Status in Chinese Elderly Inpatients at Hospital Admission

Objective To assess nutritional status and define gender-and age-specific handgrip strength（HGS） cut-point values for malnutrition or nutritional risk in elderly inpatients. Methods A cross-sectional study of 1,343 elderly inpatients was conducted in the Chinese PLA General Hospital. Nutrition Risk Screening（NRS 2002） and Subjective Global Assessment（SGA） were administered. Anthropometric measurements and blood biochemical indicators were obtained using standard techniques. The gender-and age-specific receiver operating characteristic（ROC） curves were constructed to evaluate the HGS for nutritional status by SGA and NRS 2002. Sensitivity, specificity, and areas under the curves（AUCs） were calculated. Results According to NRS 2002 and SGA, 63.81% of elderly inpatients were at nutritional risk and 28.22% were malnourished. Patients with higher HGS had an independently decreased risk of malnutrition and nutritional risk. The AUCs varied between 0.670 and 0.761. According to NRS 2002, the optimal HGS cut-points were 27.5 kg（65-74 years） and 21.0 kg（75-90 years） for men and 17.0 kg（65-74 years） and 14.6 kg（75-90 years） for women. According to SGA, the optimal HGS cut-points were 24.9 kg（65-74 years） and 20.8 kg（75-90 years） for men and 15.2 kg（65-74 years） and 13.5 kg（75-90 years） for women. Conclusion Elderly inpatients had increased incidence of malnutrition or nutritional risk. HGS cut-points can be used for assessing nutritional status in elderly inpatients at hospital admission in China.

Malnutrition and liver disease in a developing country

Malnutrition is a highly prevalent and under recognized condition in developing countries of South Asia.The presence of malnutrition causes a severe impact on patients with liver cirrhosis.The etiology of cirrhosis differs in the South Asian region compared to the West,with hepatitis B and C still being the leading causes and the prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease increasing over time.Comorbid malnutrition worsens outcomes for cirrhosis patients.Urgent attention to address malnutrition is needed to improve patient outcomes.The etiology and pathophysiology of malnutrition in liver diseases is multifactorial,as reduction in liver function affects both macronutrients and micronutrients.A need for nutritional status assessment for liver disease patients exists in all parts of the world.There are many widely studied tools in use to perform a thorough nutritional assessment,of which some tools are low cost and do not require extensive training.These tools can be studied and evaluated for use in the resource limited setting of a country like Pakistan.Treatment guidelines for proper nutrition maintenance in chronic liver disease exist for all parts of the world,but the knowledge and practice of nutritional counseling in Pakistan is poor,both amongst patients and physicians.Emphasis on assessment for nutritional status at the initial visit with recording of vital signs is needed.Simultaneously,treating physicians need to be made aware of the misconceptions surrounding nutritional restrictions in cirrhosis so that patient education is done correctly based on proper scientific evidence.

Value of the controlling nutritional status score and psoas muscle thickness per height in predicting prognosis in liver transplantation

BACKGROUND Patients with end-stage liver disease usually have varying degrees of malnutrition,and severe malnutrition may affect the prognosis of patients after liver transplantation(LT).However,there is no recommended standard for the nutrition assessment of patients waiting for LT,and it is unknown whether malnutrition has an impact on the occurrence of postoperative complications.AIM The study aim was to investigate the value of the controlling nutritional status(CONUT)score and psoas muscle thickness per height(PMTH)in predicting prognosis in LT.METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 313 patients who underwent classic orthotopic LT from January 2016 to December 2018 in Tianjin First Central Hospital affiliated with Tianjin Medical University.The CONUT score is derived from the preoperative serum albumin and total cholesterol levels,and total lymphocyte count.Patients were divided into low(≤4),medium(5–8),and high(9–12)CONUT score groups perioperative characteristics,Clavien-Dindo grade III/IV/V postoperative complications,graft loss and infection,and cumulative postoperative survival in the three groups were compared 3 mo after LT.PMTH was calculated as the ratio of the transverse thickness of the psoas muscle in the umbilical plane to the height of the patient.The cutoff values of receiver operating characteristic curves were determined separately for men and women.The values were 14.1 cm/m2 for women and 17.9 cm/m2 for men.The patients were then divided into low and high PMTH groups by the cutoff values.The comparison of data between the two groups was the same as above.RESULTS Patients with medium and high CONUT scores had lower preoperative serum hemoglobin,more intraoperative red blood cell(RBC)transfusions,longer postoperative intensive care unit stay and hospital stays,higher 7 and 14 preoperative-day serum bilirubin levels,and a higher incidence of postoperative grade III/IV complications and infections than patients with low CONUT scores.Differences in the 3-mo cumulative survival among the three groups were not significant.Patients with a low PMTH had higher preoperative serum urea nitrogen,more intraoperative packed RBC and frozen plasma transfusions,longer times to postoperative ventilator extubation,higher incidence of total postoperative complications,and a lower 3-mo cumulative survival than those with a high PMTH.CONCLUSION A CONUT score≥5 and a low PMTH were both associated with poor prognosis in LT.The CONUT score had no predictive value for short-term patient survival after LT,but the PMTH was predictive of short-term patient survival after LT.

Grassland Pasture Composition and Quality in the Communes of Ziguinchor and Kolda, Senegal

In Senegal, natural pasture plays a major role in feeding livestock. During the rainy season, herbaceous plants account for a large proportion of the fodder consumed by ruminants. In Casamance, the composition and quality of these grasses are poorly known and underexploited. In this context, the study aimed to improve the knowledge and valorisation of the herbaceous fodder of the South. Individual interviews were conducted and a questionnaire was sent to farmers living in Ziguinchor and Kolda. A floristic inventory with a phytosociological approach was also carried out. The data collected were processed using Excel and Sphinx software in order to differentiate and classify the herbaceous species eaten by the tail. The majority of respondents were Fulani (55.30%). most of whom ranged in age from 30 to 60. Livestock rearing came second (38.3%) after agriculture (40%) among the principal activities of the people surveyed. The floristic inventory identified 95 species in 68 genera and 22 families. Species of low and medium pastoral value dominate the herbaceous layer. The global rangeland quality index was 48.16% and the brute pastoral value was 54.77%. Thirteen species contributed 54.86% of the pastoral value of the grassland. The floristic composition of community rangelands showed the presence of a varied herbaceous fodder range. The combination of which will help to develop a table of nutritional values for the formation of equilibrated feed rations for farmed livestock.

Clinical application of subjective global assessment in Chinese patients with gastrointestinal cancer

AIM： To investigate the role of subjective global assessment （SGA） in nutritional assessment and outcome prediction of Chinese patients with gastrointestinal cancer. METHODS： A total of 751 patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal cancer between August 2004 and August 2006 were enrolled in this study. Within 72 h after admission, SGA, anthropometric parameters, and laboratory tests were used to assess the nutritional status of each patient. The outcome variables including hospital stay, complications, and in-hospital medical expenditure were also obtained.RESULTS： Based on the results of SGA, 389 （51.8%）, 332 （44.2%）, and 30 （4.0%） patients were classified into well nourished group （SGA-A）, mildly to moderately malnourished group （SGA-B）, and severely malnourished group （SGA-C）, respectively. The prevalence of malnutrition classified by SGA, triceps skinfold thickness （TSF）, mid-upper arm muscle circumference （MAMC）, albumin （ALB）, prealbumin （PA）, and body mass index （BMI） was 48.2%, 39.4%, 37.7%, 31.3%, 21.7%, and 9.6%, respectively. In addition, ANOVA tests revealed significant differences in body mass index （BMI）, TSF, PA, and ALB of patients in different SGA groups. The more severely malnourished the patient was, the lower the levels of BMI, TSF, PA, and ALB were （P 〈 0.05）. x^2 tests showed a significant difference in SGA classification between patients receiving different types of treatment （surgery vs chemotherapy/radiotherapy）. As the nutritional status classified by SGA deteriorated, the patients stayed longer in hospital and their medical expenditures increased significantly. Furthermore, multiple regression analysis showed that SGA and serum ALB could help predict the medical expenditures and hospital stay of patients undergoing surgery. The occurrence of complications increased in parallel with the increasing grade of SGA, and was the highest in the SGA-C group （23.3%） and the lowest in the SGA-A group （16.8%）. CONCLUSION： SGA is a reliable assessment too and helps to predict the hospital stay and medica expenditures of Chinese surgical gastrointestina cancer patients.

Evaluating the Nutritional Status of Oncology Patients and Its Association with Quality of Life

Objective The primary aim of the study was to compare two nutritional status evaluation tools： the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment（PG-SGA） and Nutritional Risk Screening（NRS-2002）. Using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Core Questionnaire 30（EORTC QLQ-C30）, the second aim was to provide constructive advice regarding the quality of life of patients with malignancy. Methods This study enrolled 312 oncology patients and assessed their nutritional status and quality of life using the PG-SGA, NRS-2002, and EORTC QLQ-C30. Results The data indicate that 6% of the cancer patients were well nourished. The SGA-A had a higher sensitivity（93.73%） but a poorer specificity（2.30%） than the NRS-2002（69.30% and 25.00%, respectively） after comparison with albumin. There was a low negative correlation and a high similarity between the PG-SGA and NRS-2002 for evaluating nutritional status, and there was a significant difference in the median PG-SGA scores for each of the SGA classifications（P 〈 0.001）. The SGA-C group showed the highest PG-SGA scores and lowest body mass index. The majority of the target population received 2 points for each item in our 11-item questionnaire from the EORTC QLQ-C30. Conclusion The data indicate that the PG-SGA is more useful and suitable for evaluating nutritional status than the NRS-2002. Additionally, early nutrition monitoring can prevent malnutrition and improve the quality of life of cancer patients.

Comprehensive evaluation of nutritional status before and after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in 170 patients with hematological diseases

Objective： To investigate the nutritional status of patients before and after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation（HSCT）, and explore optimal methods for assessing nutritional status in patients with hematological diseases.Methods： This cohort study enrolled 170 patients who were diagnosed with hematological diseases and underwent allogeneic HSCT in the Department of Hematology, Peking University People＇s Hospital between May2011 and April 2013. We used fixed-point continuous sampling and four nutritional screening tools, Nutritional Risk Screening 2002（NRS-2002）, Mini Nutritional Assessment（MNA）, Subjective Global Assessment（SGA） and Malnutrition Universal Screening Tools（MUST）, in combination with body measurements, to extensively screen and evaluate nutritional risks and status in patients receiving HSCT before entering and after leaving laminar air flow rooms.Results： After HSCT, patients had significant reduction in weight, hip circumference, waist-hip ratio, calf circumference, mid-upper arm circumference, and suprailiac skinfold thickness compared with pre-HSCT measurements. Before HSCT, NRS-2002 identified that 21.2% of patients were at nutritional risks, compared with100% after HSCT. MUST indicated that before HSCT, 11.77% of patients were at high nutritional risk,compared with 59.63% after HSCT. MNA assessed that 0.06% of patients were malnourished before HSCT,compared with 19.27% after HSCT. SGA identified that before HSCT, 1.76% of patients had mild to severe malnutrition, which increased to 83.3% after HSCT. There is a significant increase in the nutritional risk and malnutrition in patients who received HSCT.Conclusions： Before HSCT, some patients already had nutritional risk or nutritional deficiencies, and prompt and close nutritional screening or assessment should be performed. The nutritional status of patients after HSCT was generally deteriorated compared with that before transplantation. Body measurements should be taken more frequently during the subsequent treatment window in the laminar air flow rooms. After HSCT, it is recommended to combine MNA and SGA to fully evaluate the nutritional status, and thus provide timely and reasonable nutritional support.

Nutrition in alcohol-related liver disease:Physiopathology and management

Malnutrition encompassing both macro-and micro-nutrient deficiency,remains one of the most frequent complications of alcohol-related liver disease(ArLD).Protein-energy malnutrition can cause significant complications including sarcopenia,frailty and immunodepression in cirrhotic patients.Malnutrition reduces patient’s survival and negatively affects the quality of life of individuals with ArLD.Moreover,nutritional deficit increases the likelihood of hepatic decompensation in cirrhosis.Prompt recognition of at-risk individuals,early diagnosis and treatment of malnutrition remains a key component of ArLD management.In this review,we describe the pathophysiology of malnutrition in ArLD,review the screening tools available for nutritional assessment and discuss nutritional management strategies relevant to the different stages of ArLD,ranging from acute alcoholic hepatitis through to decompensated end stage liver disease.