Objective: to assess the effectiveness of auriculotherapy in reducing occupational stress among Family Health Strategy workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: a controlled randomized clinical trial divided into two groups, namely: auriculotherapy for stress group and placebo group. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to assess data normality. The ANOVA test for repeated measures and the Tukey post-hoc test were applied to the group with normal samples. In turn, the Friedman and Durbin-Conover tests were employed in the group with non-normal distribution. Cohen’s d index was calculated for the therapy effect size. A 95% significance level and p<0.05 were considered. Results: the auriculotherapy group presented 16.3% and 23.7% reductions in occupational stress after the third and sixth auriculotherapy sessions, with Cohen’s d indices of 1.12 (large effect) and 1.82 (very large effect), respectively. Conclusion: auriculotherapy proved to be effective in reducing occupational stress among Family Health Strategy workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is suggested that new studies are developed both during and after the pandemic in order to improve health workers’ Quality of Life. ReBEC registration: RBR - 38hjyt3.

Introduction: Coronaviruses have been shown to infect humans. Such viral types were the causing agents of the outbreaks of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Specific malnutrition leads to deleterious effects on immunity. Thus, the treatment of these deficiencies, both in outpatients and inpatients with suspected SARS-CoV-2, could help the immune system to play its role in an optimal level of defense. Objective: This review aims to discuss the beneficial effects of treatments for specific deficiencies related to vitamins A, D, C, zinc, and selenium. Methods: This is a narrative review. The search included research in electronic databases and manual search for citations in LILACS and MEDLINE, developed between June 2020 and December 2020. Results and Discussion: The immune system undergoes changes throughout life and depends on an adequate supply of nutrients. Some micronutrients of the diet have very specific roles to develop and maintain an effective immune system. The most needed micronutrients to support immunocompetence are vitamins A, C, D, E, B2, B6, B12, folic acid and the minerals zinc, selenium, iron, magnesium, and copper. The diet is expected to supply an adequate amount of these nutrients. However, the daily intake of these necessary substances may be greater during infection. This is particularly important in acute respiratory tract infections. Conclusion: This article demonstrates the importance of maintaining a balanced diet, with adequate intake of micronutrients, especially when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: glutamine (GLN), the most abundant non-essential amino acid in the plasma, tends to be rapidly depleted in cells in situations of metabolic stress. Some studies have demonstrated the benefits of GLN supplementation on mortality, infection, and length of hospital stay. The objective of this review was to analyze whether parenteral supplementation with GLN has any relevant effect in critically ill surgical patients. Methods: based on a systematic database search, randomized clinical trials (RCTs) published since 1985 were included if they had evaluated the effect of parenteral GLN supplementation in critical surgical patients. The statistical analysis was performed using the RevMan 5.3 software. Results: seven RCTs were eligible for the meta-analysis. Parenteral glutamine supplementation was associated with a non-significant 24 % reduction in mortality (RR = 0.76; 95 % CI: 0.50-1.15). Infections were significantly reduced (RR = 0.60; 95 % CI: 0.45-0.80), and length of hospital stay was 4.09 days shorter (95 % CI: -6.71 to -1.46). Conclusion: parenteral GLN usage in critical surgical patients seems to decrease infection and length of hospital stay, but we could not demonstrate a significant reduction in mortality.

The high levels of anxiety, stress, and depression produced by the global Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic could trigger eating disorders. Health professionals are more exposed to these changes due to their work environment. To evaluate the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and the onset of binge eating disorder and psychiatric disorders in Brazilian health professionals. This descriptive, prospective, cross-sectional study interviewed 219 Brazilian health professionals between June and October 2020 using an online questionnaire. The 7-Item Binge Eating Disorder Screener was used to diagnose binge eating disorder. The Self-Reporting Questionnaire was used to assess psychiatric disorders. The statistical analysis included calculation of absolute frequency, relative frequency, mean and standard deviation. Contingency coefficient C was used to determine the association between the variables. A total of 35 (16%) participants reported symptoms related to binge eating disorder, while 131 (59.8%) reported psychiatric symptoms. There was an association between binge eating disorder, psychiatric disorders, and body mass index. Our findings suggest the onset of psychiatric disorders and binge eating disorders in these professionals and that elevated body mass index is directly associated with these disorders.

Protein-calorie malnutrition is highly prevalent in oncology patients, particularly in the advanced stages of the disease, with an estimated 20–30% of patient deaths attributed to this nutritional state¹ 1 Muscaritoli M, Arends J, Bachmann P, Baracos V, Barthelemy N, Bertz H, et al. ESPEN practical guideline: clinical nutrition in cancer. Clin Nutr. 2021;40(5):2898-913. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2021.02.005 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2021.02.0... . Loss of lean body mass, muscle strength, and performance, along with increased morbidity and mortality, reduced quality of life, and lower tolerance to treatment toxicity leading to more frequent treatment interruptions, are characteristic features of malnutrition¹ 1 Muscaritoli M, Arends J, Bachmann P, Baracos V, Barthelemy N, Bertz H, et al. ESPEN practical guideline: clinical nutrition in cancer. Clin Nutr. 2021;40(5):2898-913. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2021.02.005 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2021.02.0... ,² 2 Bossi P, Delrio P, Mascheroni A, Zanetti M. The spectrum of malnutrition/cachexia/sarcopenia in oncology according to different cancer types and settings: a narrative review. Nutrients. 2021;13(6):1980. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13061980 https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13061980... . Its causes may stem from the cancer itself and/or its treatment and encompass factors such as reduced food intake, increased energy expenditure, metabolic disturbances related to the tumor, and, in some cases, malabsorption. Hyporexia can occur in 40–80% of cases and is multifactorial, potentially arising from issues like nausea, dysgeusia, dysphagia, pain, and depression, among others.