Anthropometry Indices and Body Composition in Adolescent Girls with Anemia: A Scoping Review.

To reduce anemia rates, it is crucial to gain a deeper understanding of anemia and its associated factors. It is essential for teenagers who are going through a period of rapid growth to promptly address anemia since untreated anemia can negatively impact their reproductive health. This literature review investigated the relationship between nutritional and anthropometric status indicators, body composition, and prevalence of anemia in teenage girls. Studies were selected based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) criteria. A comprehensive search across multiple databases (PubMed= 409, ScienceDirect= 3153, Scopus= 4, Sage Journals= 358) and manual citation of five articles yielded 3929 articles, of which 630 were excluded for irrelevance, one was inaccessible, and nine articles were included in the study after assessing their eligibility. The review's findings suggest that indicators such as Body Mass Index (BMI) and Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) are indicated as initial assessments to screen the nutritional status of adolescent females and estimate their risk of anemia. Only one article has specifically discussed the connection between fat mass and anemia in terms of body composition. The need for studies on anthropometry and body composition-related anemia underscores the need to broaden investigations to gain a more nuanced understanding of this subject.

In vivo Anti-Inflammatory and Immunomodulatory Activity of Soft Coral Nephthea sp. from Southeast Sulawesi.

<b>Background and Objective:</b> <i>Nephthea</i> sp., has various biological activities. The study on anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory of <i>Nephthea</i> sp., from Southeast Sulawesi is still limited. Hence, this study aims to determine the content of secondary metabolite compounds and their pharmacological activities including anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> <i>Nephthea</i> sp., was collected from Saponda Island and extracted using ethyl acetate. The chemical contents were analyzed by a phytochemical screening test, anti-inflammatory activity by xylene-induced ear edema and immunomodulatory activity using macrophage phagocytic activity (SPA) in experimental animals. <b>Results:</b> The ethyl acetate extract of <i>Nephthea</i> sp., contains flavonoids and steroids. According to the result obtained, the ethyl acetate extract of <i>Nephthea</i> sp., exhibited anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activity <i>in vivo</i>. The EAN 0.2 demonstrated the highest potency and showed no significant difference compared to diclofenac sodium at a concentration of 0.15 mg mL¹ (p>0.05) with the highest percentage edema inhibition as in xylene-induced ear edema. In addition, EAN 0.2 exhibited a similar result in increasing SPA compared to control (p>0.05). Both assays showed significant differences with negative control in this study (p<0.05). <b>Conclusion:</b> Soft coral <i>Nephthea</i> sp., can be a potential candidate as an anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory agent.