The Prevalence of Absolute and Functional Iron Deficiency Anemia in New Cases of Smear-positive Pulmonary Tuberculosis and Their Sputum Conversion Rate at the End of Intensive Tuberculosis Treatment Phase.

About one third of the population is infected with tuberculosis (TB). On the other hand, iron deficiency is the most common micronutrient deficiency in the world. A number of studies have documented anemia in patients with TB, however, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in patients with acid-fast bacilli (AFB) sputum smear-positive, and sputum conversion in these two groups of patients with absolute and functional IDA at the end of the second month of anti-TB therapy in Zahedan, Iran. The results of this study revealed that 91 out of 198 (45.9%) sputum positive pulmonary TB patients were anemic, and among those 72 (79.1%) had iron deficiency anemia. The overall prevalence of IDA in this study was 36.3%. In 72 patients with IDA, 54 (75%) had functional while the remainder had absolute IDA 18 (25%). Twenty-one out of 72 (29.2%) of patients with IDA remained sputum positive and among 126 non IDA patients 47 (37.3%) had positive sputum smear at the end of intensive TB treatment phase (p=0.278). Approximately, less than half of patients with tuberculosis had anemia among them 79% had iron deficiency anemia. The frequency of functional IDA was three times more than absolute IDA. There was no statistically significant difference in sputum conversion between two groups of IDA and non-IDA patients after intensive phase of anti-TB therapy.

Evaluation of The Relationship between Cell-Free DNA Fetal Fraction of The Circulatory System and Fetal and Maternal Pregnancy Prognosis: A Prospective Study.

BACKGROUND: Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), sometimes called noninvasive prenatal screening (NIPS), is a non-invasive prenatal genetic test using cell-free DNA in maternal blood. This method is used to diagnose fetal aneuploidy disorders such as Down syndrome (trisomy 21), Edwards syndrome (trisomy 18) and Patau syndrome (trisomy 13), which causes disability disorders or significant postpartum defects. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between high and low fetal fraction (FF) and prognosis of maternal pregnancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this prospective study, after obtaining informed consent, 10 ml of blood was collected from 450 mothers with singleton pregnancies with gestational age above 11 weeks (11-16) at the request of NIPT for cell-free DNA BCT test. After obtaining the test results, maternal and embryonic results were evaluated based on the amount of non-cellular DNA FF. Data analysis was performed by using SPSS software version 21 and independent t test, chi-square statistical tests. RESULTS: Based on test results, 20.5% of women were nulli par. The mean FF index in the studied women was 8.3% with a standard deviation of 4.6. The minimum and maximum values were 0 and 27, respectively. The frequency of normal, low and high FFs was 73.2, 17.3 and 9.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: High FF has fewer risks to the mother and fetus than low FF. The use of FF level (high or low) can help us determining the prognosis of pregnancy and using it to better manage the pregnancy.

Evaluation of Liver Enzymes in Normal Pregnancies in a University Hospital of Zabol Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective: Changes in endocrine, nervous, renal, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems during pregnancy have been studied, but changes in liver function have been poorly studied. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the trend of changes in liver enzymes in normal pregnancy. Materials and methods: This prospective longitudinal study included 68 pregnant women who were referred to the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic of Amiral Momenin Hospital in Zabol in 2021. In terms of the trimester of pregnancy, the presence of underlying diseases, history of previous pregnancies, disorders of the enzymes of recent patients, the patients were evaluated, and the information from the patients' files was analyzed. Results: The average AST levels in pregnant women in the first, second, and third trimesters were 16.82, 17.47, and 18.00, respectively, which show that garlic consumption is increasing. The average PT in pregnant women decreased in the first, second, and third trimesters. The average direct and total bilirubin levels in pregnant women in the first and second trimesters showed a constant trend. The amount of total protein increased in pregnant women during the first, second, and third trimesters. In the second and third trimesters, the enzyme level was significantly higher in pregnant women than in nonpregnant women. The level of GGT in pregnant women in the first, second, and third trimesters showed a different trend. Conclusion: Accurate evaluation of patients, especially in the third trimester, is necessary from the point of view of increasing enzyme levels in other countries.