Prevalence of Anemia, Iron Deficiency, Iron Deficiency Anemia and Diagnostic Performance of Hematologic and Biochemical Markers of Sideropenia in 1- to 5-Year-Old Children in Thrace Greece.

Background and Objective: Iron deficiency (ID) is a major public health problem with high prevalence in early childhood. We assessed the prevalence of anemia, ID, and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in healthy children of Thrace, Greece, its correlation with several factors, and evaluated the diagnostic performance of hematologic and biochemical markers of sideropenia. Patients and Methods: For 202 healthy children 1-5 years old, a questionnaire was filled out describing their nutritional habits during infancy and early childhood. Venous hemograms along with serum ferritin, TIBC, %TS, and CRP were obtained from all studied children. In a subset of 156 children, the concentration of sTfR was also determined. Results: Children with ID and IDA had significantly lower beef consumption than children without sideropenia (p=0.044). Using the WHO cutoff values of Hb <11g/dl and ferritin <12µg/l, the prevalence of anemia, ID, and IDA was 9.41%, 6.44%, and 3.47%, respectively. If Hb <12g/dl and ferritin<18µg/l were used as cutoffs, the prevalence of anemia, ID, and IDA was 26.73%, 16.33%, and 5.94%, respectively. ROC analysis revealed that at ferritin <12µg/l, the AUC of sTfR alone (0.827) was substantially better than that of TIBC (0.691), while at serum ferritin cutoff of 18µg/l, the AUC of TIBC (0.770) was better than that of sTfR (0.716). Conclusions: The prevalence of ID and IDA in children 1-5 years old in Thrace is like in other developed countries. The chosen cutoff of serum ferritin affects the evaluation of the diagnostic significance of the different sideropenia markers.

Levels of Produced Antibodies after Vaccination with mRNA Vaccine; Effect of Previous Infection with SARS-CoV-2.

The aim of this study was to estimate the immunogenic effect of mRNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. This study included 510 participants who received mRNA vaccine. The measurement of anti-COVID-19 antibodies was performed using the Abbott SARS-CoV-2 IgG quantitative assay (Abbott). Overall, mean titer of anti-Spike antibodies was 19,319.2 ± 1787.5 AU/mL. Vaccination induced a robust immunogenic response in those previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 compared with non-infected subjects. Additionally, individuals that were asymptomatic after vaccination produced lower levels of antibodies compared to feverish individuals. In conclusion, remarkably high levels of anti-Spike COVID-19 antibodies were observed after vaccination.

Estimation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol by machine learning methods.

BACKGROUND: Accurate determination of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) is important for coronary heart disease risk assessment and atherosclerosis. Apart from direct determination of LDL values, models (or equations) are used. A more recent approach is the use of machine learning (ML) algorithms. METHODS: ML algorithms were used for LDL determination (regression) from cholesterol, HDL and triglycerides. The methods used were multivariate Linear Regression (LR), Support Vector Machines (SVM), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB) and Deep Neural Networks (DNN), in both larger and smaller data sets. Also, LDL values were classified according to both NCEP III and European Society of Cardiology guidelines. RESULTS: The performance of regression was assessed by the Standard Error of the Estimate. ML methods performed better than established equations (Friedewald and Martin). The performance all ML methods was comparable for large data sets and was affected by the divergence of the train and test data sets, as measured by the Jensen-Shannon divergence. Classification accuracy was not satisfactory for any model. CONCLUSIONS: Direct determination of LDL is the most preferred route. When not available, ML methods can be a good substitute. Not only deep neural networks but other, less computationally expensive methods can work as well as deep learning.

Gut microbiome and Mediterranean diet in the context of obesity. Current knowledge, perspectives and potential therapeutic targets.

Mediterranean Diet has been recognized as one of the healthiest and sustainable dietary patterns worldwide, based on the food habits of people living in the Mediterranean region. It is focused on a plant-based cuisine combining local agricultural products and moderate intake of fish. As eating habits seem to exert a major impact on the composition of gut microbiota, numerous studies show that an adherence to the Mediterranean diet positively influences the microbiome ecosystem network. This has a profound effect on multiple host metabolic pathways and plays a major role in immune and metabolic homeostasis. Among metabolic disorders, obesity represents a major health issue where Mediterranean Dietary regime could possibly slowdown its spread. The aim of this review is to emphasize the interaction between diet and gut microbiota and the potential beneficial effects of Mediterranean diet on metabolic disorders like obesity, which is responsible for the development of many noncommunicable diseases.

Effects of Antibiotics upon the Gut Microbiome: A Review of the Literature.

The human gastrointestinal tract carries a large number of microorganisms associated with complex metabolic processes and interactions. Although antibiotic treatment is crucial for combating infections, its negative effects on the intestinal microbiota and host immunity have been shown to be of the utmost importance. Multiple studies have recognized the adverse consequences of antibiotic use upon the gut microbiome in adults and neonates, causing dysbiosis of the microbiota. Repeated antibiotic treatments in clinical care or low-dosage intake from food could be contributing factors in this issue. Researchers in both human and animal studies have strived to explain this multifaceted relationship. The present review intends to elucidate the axis of the gastrointestinal microbiota and antibiotics resistance and to highlight the main aspects of the issue.

Inverse association between Helicobacter pylori infection and childhood asthma in Greece: a case-control study.

INTRODUCTION: Helicobacter pylori infection is a well-established etiological factor for a variety of diseases such as peptic ulcer and gastric cancer. On the other hand, there is ongoing research suggesting that H. pylori might have a beneficial effect through a pivotal influence in the immunological response especially in asthma. The aim of the current case-control study was to evaluate the prevalence of H. pylori infection in asthmatic children. METHODS: Twenty-seven children with exacerbation of persistent asthma, aged 8.6±4.5 years (18 males, 9 females) and 54 age-sex-matched non-asthmatic controls were enrolled. Clinical examination and laboratory investigations were performed. Detection of H. pylori antigen (HpSA) in stool samples was performed by a commercial kit (bioNexia® kit, BioMérieux). Serum specific IgG antibodies were detected by a rapid chromatographic immunoassay (DIAsourceImmunoAssays). Serum IgE concentration was determined by electrochemiluminescence (ECL) (Roche Elecsys) and IgE levels ≥ 90 IU/mL were considered significantly elevated. RESULTS: In 3 (11.1%) of the 27 asthmatic children H. pylori infection (based on both detection of HpSA and specific IgG-Abs) was established, whereas as many as 16 of the 54 (29.6%) non-asthmatic ones were found infected (odds ratio 0.1; 95%CI, 0.039-0.305, p=0.026). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings reveal an inverse relationship between H. pylori infection and children's persistent asthma in Greece.