A Single-group, Clinical Interventional Study on the Effect of Iron Deficiency Anemia on Blood Glucose and Insulin Resistance in Women with Type II Diabetes.

AIMS: Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is one of the disorders recently associated with an increase in insulin resistance (IR) and, consequently, diabetes mellitus (DM) affection by causing oxidative stress. In this study, we look at how IDA may contribute to developing type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM), controlling diabetes, and reducing IR in women with T2DM. METHODS: In this single group, clinical interventional study, we enrolled 40 women with T2DM and IDA. Before and after intervention with ferrous sulfate tablets, their blood glucose (BG) levels and IR levels were evaluated. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Qom University of Medical Sciences (ethics code: IR.MUQ.REC.1397.031) and registered at the Iranian Center for Clinical Trials (No. IRCT20170215032587N3). A significant level was considered p <0.05. RESULT: The mean age of patients was 48.18 ± 4.6 years, with 5.3-5.8 years duration of T2DM. After the intervention, the mean fasting blood glucose (FBG) level reached 198.53 ± 48.11 to 170.93 ± 37.41, which was significant (p <0.0001). Also, hemoglobin A1C level reached from 8.49 ± 0.9 to 7.96 ± 0.58, which was significant (p <0.0001). Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) demonstrating a significant reduction of IR levels after intervention with ferrous sulfate tablets (p <0.018). CONCLUSIONS: IDA treatment in patients with T2DM can significantly reduce the BG and IR levels. To better control BG, checking iron status and its correction may provide better clinical outcomes in these patients. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: IRCT20170215032587N3.

Outcomes and complications of heart failure with iron deficiency anemia: a nationwide analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Heart failure is a pressing public health concern, affecting millions in the United States and projected to rise significantly by 2030. Iron deficiency, prevalent in nearly half of ambulatory heart failure patients, contributes to anemia and diminishes patient outcomes. In this study, we aim to evaluate the impact of iron deficiency anemia on acute heart failure hospitalizations outcomes. METHODS: Utilizing the 2019 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database, a retrospective observational study assessed 112,864 adult patients hospitalized with heart failure and 7,865 cases also had a concomitant diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia (IDA). RESULTS: Among 112,864 heart failure hospitalizations in 2019, approximately 7% had concomitant iron deficiency anemia (IDA). Heart failure patients with IDA exhibited distinct demographic characteristics, with females comprising 51.1% (p < 0.01) and higher rates of complicated hypertension (p < 0.01), complicated diabetes (p < 0.01), and peripheral vascular disease (p < 0.01). Adjusted mean LOS for patients with IDA was significantly longer at 1.31 days (95% CI 0.71-1.47; p < 0.01), persisting in both HFpEF and HFrEF subgroups. While total hospital charges were comparable in HFpEF, HFrEF patients with IDA incurred significantly higher charges ($13427.32, 95% CI: 1463.35-$25391.29, p = 0.03) than those without IDA. Complications such as atrial fibrillation and acute kidney injury were notably more prevalent in HFpEF and HFrEF patients with IDA. CONCLUSION: The study highlighted that iron deficiency in heart failure patients leads to extended hospital stays, increased costs, and heightened risks of specific complications, particularly in HFrEF. Our study emphasized the implications of IDA in patients with heart failure ranging from prolonged hospitalizations and increased costs. Addressing iron deficiency is crucial, given its substantial impact on heart failure hospitalizations and outcomes, emphasizing the need for proactive diagnosis and management.

Inpatient management of iron deficiency anemia in pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease: A single center experience.

BACKGROUND: Screening for iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is important in managing pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Concerns related to adverse reactions may contribute to a reluctance to prescribe intravenous (IV) iron to treat IDA in this population. AIM: To track the efficacy and safety of IV iron therapy in treating IDA in pediatric IBD patients admitted to our center. METHODS: A longitudinal observational cohort study was performed on 236 consecutive pediatric patients admitted to our tertiary IBD care center between September 2017 and December 2019. 92 patients met study criteria for IDA, of which 57 received IV iron, 17 received oral iron, and 18 were discharged prior to receiving iron therapy. RESULTS: Patients treated with IV iron during their hospitalization experienced a significant increase of 1.9 (± 0.2) g/dL in mean (± SE) hemoglobin (Hb) concentration by the first ambulatory follow-up, compared to patients who received oral iron 0.8 (± 0.3) g/dL or no iron 0.8 (± 0.3) g/dL (P = 0.03). One out of 57 (1.8%) patients that received IV iron therapy experienced an adverse reaction. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that treatment with IV iron therapy is safe and efficacious in improving Hb and iron levels in pediatric patients with IDA and active IBD.

[Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of intravenous infusion of ferric derisomaltose in the treatment of iron deficiency anemia: a single-center retrospective analysis].

Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of ferric derisomaltose injection versus iron sucrose injection in the treatment of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) . Methods: A total of 120 patients with iron deficiency anemia admitted from June 2021 to March 2023 were given intravenous iron supplementation with ferric derisomaltose to assess the efficacy and safety of hemoglobin (HGB) elevation before and after treatment. Simultaneously, the clinical effects of iron supplementation with iron sucrose were compared to those of inpatient patients during the same period. Results: Baseline values were comparable in both groups. Within 12 weeks of treatment, the elevated HGB level in the ferric derisomaltose group was higher than that of the iron sucrose group, with a statistical difference at all time points, and the proportion of HGB increased over 20 g/L in the patients treated for 4 weeks was higher (98.7%, 75.9% ). During the treatment with ferric derisomaltose and iron sucrose, the proportion of mild adverse reactions in the ferric derisomaltose group was slightly lower than that of the iron sucrose group, and neither group experienced any serious adverse reactions. The patients responded well to the infusion treatment, with no reports of pain or pigmentation at the injection site. Conclusion: The treatment of IDA patients with ferric derisomaltose has a satisfactory curative effect, with the advantages of rapidity, accuracy, and safety. Therefore, it is worthy of widespread clinical use.

Exploring progress in iron supplement formulation approaches for treating iron deficiency anemia through bibliometric and thematic analysis.

Anemia is a severe health issue that affects around one-third of the global population. Therefore, the present study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis to investigate the research trends regarding advancements on iron formulations in treating iron deficiency anemia via oral or parenteral route. This study adopts thematic and bibliometric methods on existing research on novel iron formulations. It also provides perspective into the existing understanding on treatment strategies for iron deficiency anemia. This study is conducted on 543 papers on various ferrous and ferric formulations used in the treatment of iron deficiency anemia. The study period is from 1977 to 2022, and the papers are identified from the Scopus database. The bibliometric analysis was carried out using the R tool's Bibliometrix package. The study discusses performance analysis, including annual publications, geographic analysis, relevant affiliations, journal analysis, and citation analysis. In addition, the conceptual structure, including the co-occurrence network, thematic map, thematic evolution, intellectual structure highlighting co-citation analysis, and social structure depicting the collaboration network and collaboration world map, are presented. The results showed increased research on formulation strategies for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia from 2010 onwards. The top 5 contributing countries are the USA, Italy, India, Germany, and the UK, and peer-reviewed journals from the area of nutrition. The most trending areas of study are iron deficiency anemia in pregnancy, chronic kidney diseases, inflammatory bowel diseases, and various intravenous formulations used in its treatment. The authors from Europe collaborate the most with authors from other countries. The study concludes that a safer and more effective iron formulation is needed to reduce the prevalence of anemia. The findings of the study are helpful in advancing research on innovative formulations for treating iron deficiency anemia. The insights from the study are helpful to policymakers in designing specific health policies and investing more in research and development of novel formulations for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia.

Early identification of patients at risk for iron-deficiency anemia using deep learning techniques.

OBJECTIVES: Iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) is a common health problem worldwide, and up to 10% of adult patients with incidental IDA may have gastrointestinal cancer. A diagnosis of IDA can be established through a combination of laboratory tests, but it is often underrecognized until a patient becomes symptomatic. Based on advances in machine learning, we hypothesized that we could reduce the time to diagnosis by developing an IDA prediction model. Our goal was to develop 3 neural networks by using retrospective longitudinal outpatient laboratory data to predict the risk of IDA 3 to 6 months before traditional diagnosis. METHODS: We analyzed retrospective outpatient electronic health record data between 2009 and 2020 from an academic medical center in northern Texas. We included laboratory features from 30,603 patients to develop 3 types of neural networks: artificial neural networks, long short-term memory cells, and gated recurrent units. The classifiers were trained using the Adam Optimizer across 200 random training-validation splits. We calculated accuracy, area under the receiving operating characteristic curve, sensitivity, and specificity in the testing split. RESULTS: Although all models demonstrated comparable performance, the gated recurrent unit model outperformed the other 2, achieving an accuracy of 0.83, an area under the receiving operating characteristic curve of 0.89, a sensitivity of 0.75, and a specificity of 0.85 across 200 epochs. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showcase the feasibility of employing deep learning techniques for early prediction of IDA in the outpatient setting based on sequences of laboratory data, offering a substantial lead time for clinical intervention.

Consensus of the Brazilian association of hematology, hemotherapy and cellular therapy on patient blood management: Anemia tolerance.

Anemia is a pathological condition in which the hemoglobin and red blood cell mass decrease; it is mainly defined by the concentration of hemoglobin in the blood. The World Health Organization guidelines establish specific values to define anemia in different population groups. Early detection of anemia can also be a valuable indicator of underlying medical conditions. Clinical studies have explored the relationship between perioperative anemia and morbidity, highlighting the need for more judicious therapeutic strategies, such as the use of Patient Blood Management, which aims to prevent and treat anemia in a personalized and effective way. Patient Blood Management emerges as a promising approach to dealing with anemia, recognizing that its correction through transfusion always carries risks and that personalized prevention and treatment can offer better outcomes for patients.

Associative Patterns Between Iron Deficiency Anemia and Febrile Seizures in the Five to 60 Months Age Group: A Comprehensive Systematic Review.

Febrile seizures (FS) are commonly seen in younger age groups. The cause of seizures is multifactorial, including viral illnesses, certain vaccines such as MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), family history of FS, and certain mineral deficiencies like zinc. Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is the most common cause of anemia in children of the same age group. The systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. This review aimed to investigate the correlation between IDA and fever convulsions. A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar databases for studies published between January 2013 and September 2023. The following keywords were used to search the articles: "children", "febrile seizures", and "iron deficiency anemia", using all possible combinations and using the word "and" between them. Following the inclusion and exclusion criteria application, we included 23 case-control studies written in the English language in this study. Quality assessment of studies was done using the Newcastle Ottawa Scale.

Safety and efficacy of East Asian herbal medicine for iron deficiency anemia in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of East Asian herbal medicine (HM) for iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in children and adolescents. Methods: Twelve electronic databases were searched in 28 May 2023 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the efficacy of HM in children with IDA. The primary outcome measures for treatment included blood hemoglobin and serum ferritin levels, whereas the secondary outcomes included the total effective rate (TER), incidence of adverse events (AEs), average healing time, and hematologic indicators related to IDA. Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.4 and R studio 4.3 software, and subgroup analyses were performed according to the different groups (type of intervention and duration of treatment). The effect size measures used were the risk ratio, mean difference, and standardized mean difference with 95% confidence intervals. The risk of bias was assessed using a revised Cochrane risk of bias tool for randomized trials, and the quality of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation tools. Results: The meta-analysis included 28 studies. Five studies compared the efficacy of HM alone with that of oral iron alone, whereas 23 compared the efficacy of a combination of HM and oral iron with that of oral iron alone. The meta-analysis revealed that the HM treatment group showed significant improvements in all outcome measures compared to those observed in the oral iron group. Moreover, HM significantly reduced the incidence of gastrointestinal AE, compared to that associated with oral iron. Among the 28 studies, the most commonly used HM prescription was Xingpi Yanger Granules, and the most commonly used botanical drug was Astragali Radix, followed by Atractylodis Rhizoma Alba and Angelicae Sinensis Radix. Conclusion: This meta-analysis identified evidence of the efficacy and safety of HM in children with IDA. Compared to conventional oral iron therapy, HM improved IDA-related blood markers and TER, with fewer AEs and shorter mean healing times. However, further well-designed, large-scale clinical trials are necessary to strengthen the evidence of the efficacy and safety of botanical drugs. Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO 2022 CRD42022334670. (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42022334670).

Bilateral Sudden Hearing Loss in Iron Deficiency Anemia.

The present study describes an unusual case of bilateral sudden hearing loss associated with iron deficiency anemia. Although hematologic disorders such as anemia or leukemia have been reported to be associated with sudden hearing loss, bilateral sudden hearing loss, which was presented as the first manifestation of iron deficiency anemia, has not been reported. A 74-year-old man presented with simultaneous bilateral sudden hearing loss without vertigo. A complete blood count test revealed a hemoglobin level of 6.4 g/dL and a ferritin level of 14.5 mg/mL, indicating iron deficiency anemia. Postcontrast 3D FLAIR MRI showed enhancement of the bilateral cochlea, vestibules, and lateral semicircular and posterior semicircular canals. After treatment, the patient's hearing loss partially improved.

Capsule endoscopy for obscure gastrointestinal bleed in the tropics: A single-center experience on 350 patients.

BACKGROUND: Obscure gastrointestinal bleed (OGIB), now called small bowel bleed (SBB), comprises 5% to 10% of all gastrointestinal (GI) bleed episodes and capsule endoscopy (CE) is a tool for its evaluation. Studies on CE in a large sample of SBB patients from the tropics are limited. METHODS: We did a retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained database of patients with SBB undergoing CE using PillCam or MiroCam CE. RESULTS: Of 350 patients (age 52.4 ± 17.4 years; 248 [70.9%] male) undergoing CE, 243 (69.4%) and 107 (30.6%) had overt and occult SBB, respectively. CE detected lesions in 244 (69.7%) patients (single lesion in 172 [49.1%]; multiple in 72 [20.6%]). The single lesions included vascular malformations (52, 14.9%), ulcer/erosion (47, 13.4%), tumor (24, 6.9%), hookworm (19, 5.4%), stricture (15, 4.3%), hemobilia (1, 0.3%) and blood without identifiable lesion (9, 2.6%). Of 72 with multiple lesions, ulcer with stricture was the commonest finding (n = 43, 12.3%). No abnormality was detected in 106 (30.3%) patients. The frequency of lesion detection was comparable among patients with overt and occult SBB (173/243, 71.2% vs. 71/107, 66.3%, respectively; p = 0.4). Younger patients (0 to 39 years) more often had multiple lesions on CE than the older (≥ 40 years) ones (26/76, 34.2% vs. 46/228, 20.2%, respectively; p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: CE has a high diagnostic yield in SBB in the tropics, regardless of the type of bleed or of CE brand and the duration of recording. Multiple lesions associated with SBB are commoner among younger (< 40 years) patients.

Diagnosis and management of anemia in pediatric inflammatory bowel diseases: Clinical practice guidelines on behalf of the SIGENP IBD Working group.

Anemia is one of the most frequent extra-intestinal manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease. Insidious onset, variability of symptoms and lack of standardized screening practices may increase the risk of underestimating its burden in children with IBD. Despite its relevance and peculiarity in everyday clinical practice, this topic is only dealt with in a few documents specifically for the pediatric field. The aim of the current guidelines is therefore to provide pediatric gastroenterologists with a practical update to support the clinical and therapeutic management of children with IBD and anemia. A panel of 19 pediatric gastroenterologists and 1 pediatric hematologist with experience in the field of pediatric IBD was agreed by IBD Working group of the Italian Society of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (SIGENP) to produce the present article outlining practical clinical approaches to the pediatric patient with IBD and anemia. The levels of evidence and recommendations have been defined for each part of the statement according to the GRADE system.

Identification and prediction of association patterns between nutrient intake and anemia using machine learning techniques: results from a cross-sectional study with university female students from Palestine.

PURPOSE: This study utilized data mining and machine learning (ML) techniques to identify new patterns and classifications of the associations between nutrient intake and anemia among university students. METHODS: We employed K-means clustering analysis algorithm and Decision Tree (DT) technique to identify the association between anemia and vitamin and mineral intakes. We normalized and balanced the data based on anemia weighted clusters for improving ML models' accuracy. In addition, t-tests and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were performed to identify significant differences between the clusters. We evaluated the models on a balanced dataset of 755 female participants from the Hebron district in Palestine. RESULTS: Our study found that 34.8% of the participants were anemic. The intake of various micronutrients (i.e., folate, Vit A, B5, B6, B12, C, E, Ca, Fe, and Mg) was below RDA/AI values, which indicated an overall unbalanced malnutrition in the present cohort. Anemia was significantly associated with intakes of energy, protein, fat, Vit B1, B5, B6, C, Mg, Cu and Zn. On the other hand, intakes of protein, Vit B2, B5, B6, C, E, choline, folate, phosphorus, Mn and Zn were significantly lower in anemic than in non-anemic subjects. DT classification models for vitamins and minerals (accuracy rate: 82.1%) identified an inverse association between intakes of Vit B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, E, folate, Zn, Mg, Fe and Mn and prevalence of anemia. CONCLUSIONS: Besides the nutrients commonly known to be linked to anemia-like folate, Vit B6, C, B12, or Fe-the cluster analyses in the present cohort of young female university students have also found choline, Vit E, B2, Zn, Mg, Mn, and phosphorus as additional nutrients that might relate to the development of anemia. Further research is needed to elucidate if the intake of these nutrients might influence the risk of anemia.

Production of iron-enriched yeast and it's application in the treatment of iron-deficiency anemia.

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is one of the most serious forms of malnutrition. Wild type strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae have higher tolerance to inorganic iron and higher iron conversion and accumulation capacity. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of S. cerevisiae enriched iron as a potential organic iron supplement on mice with iron deficiency anemia. 60 male Kunming mice (KM mice, with strong adaptability and high reproduction rate, it can be widely used in pharmacology, toxicology, microbiology and other research) were randomly divided into normal control group and iron deficiency diet model group to establish IDA model. After the model was established, IDA mice were randomly divided into 5 groups: normal control group, IDA group, organic iron group (ferrous glycinate), inorganic iron group (ferrous sulfate) and S. cerevisiae enriched iron group. Mice in the experimental group were given different kinds of iron by intragastric administration once a day for 4w. The results showed that S. cerevisiae enriched iron had an effective recovery function, and the body weight and hematological parameters of IDA mice returned to normal levels. The activities of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and total antioxidant capacity in serum were increased. In addition, the strain no. F8, able to grow in an iron-rich environment, was more effective in alleviating IDA and improving organ indices with fewer side effects compared to ferrous glycinate and ferrous sulfate groups. This study suggests that the iron-rich strain no. F8 may play an important role in improving IDA mice and may be developed as a new iron supplement.

Intravenous iron infusions in pediatric patients: A retrospective review of efficacy and safety.

Pediatric iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is often treated with oral iron supplementation as the first-line therapy despite poor adherence. This single-institution retrospective chart review of pediatric patients was conducted to assess the safety, efficacy, and adherence of intravenous (IV) iron infusions compared to oral iron therapy in patients who had failed a trial of oral iron supplementation. We reviewed medical records of patients aged 1-21 with IDA who received at least one IV iron infusion at Cooper University Hospital between 2016 and 2021. Paired t-tests compared pre-infusion and post-infusion hematologic indices of hemoglobin (Hgb), mean corpuscular volume, red blood cell count, red cell distribution width, ferritin, total iron binding capacity, iron stores, and iron saturation. We compared adherence and adverse reactions to both oral iron supplementation and IV iron infusions using McNemar's test. A total of 107 subjects were included (mean age of 12.7 years). Hgb, ferritin, iron, and iron saturation between pre-infusion and post-final infusion significantly improved (p < 0.001). Hgb, ferritin, and iron improved when subcategorizing by race and etiology of IDA. Adherence to IV iron infusions (70.1%) was significantly greater than adherence to oral iron therapy (43.0%). There were also significantly fewer adverse effects with IV iron infusions (3.7%) compared to oral iron (77.9%). We demonstrated the safety, efficacy, and improved adherence of IV iron infusions compared to oral iron supplementation for treatment of pediatric IDA in patients who were unable to tolerate oral iron supplementation. Future studies could compare adherence to multiple doses of IV iron infusions in contrast with other single-dosing IV iron formulations.

Artificial intelligence-driven diagnosis of ß-thalassemia minor & iron deficiency anemia using machine learning models.

Background: Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and b-thalassemia minor (BTM) are the two most common causes of microcytic anemia, and although these conditions do not share many symptoms, differential diagnosis by blood tests is a time-consuming and expensive process. CBC can be used to diagnose anemia, but without advanced techniques, it cannot differentiate between iron deficiency anemia and BTM. This makes the differential diagnosis of IDA and BTM costly, as it requires advanced techniques to differentiate between the two conditions. This study aims to develop a model to differentiate IDA from BTM using an automated machine-learning method using only CBC data. Methods: This retrospective study included 396 individuals, consisting of 216 IDAs and 180 BTMs. The work was divided into three parts. The first section focused on the individual effects of hematological parameters on the differentiation of IDA and BTM. The second part discusses traditional methods and discriminant indices used in diagnosis. In the third section, models developed using artificial neural networks (ANN) and decision trees are analysed and compared with the methods used in the first two sections.

Assessment of fetal cardiac functions in pregnant women with anemia: prospective, case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the fetal cardiac functions between pregnant women with iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and healthy controls. METHODS: This single-center, prospective, case-control study was conducted at a tertiary hospital. A total of 150 patients, including 50 patients with IDA and 100 healthy pregnant women at 30-34 weeks of gestation, were included in the study. Of the patients with anemia, 20 had mild anemia, 18 had moderate anemia, and 12 had severe anemia. Pulsed-wave Doppler, M-mode, and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) were performed to evaluate fetal cardiac functions. The fetal cardiac score was calculated using the systolic, diastolic, and global hemodynamic function parameters. RESULTS: The myocardial performance index and isovolumetric relaxation time were significantly higher in the IDA group than the control group, while isovolumetric contraction time was similar. Among the tricuspid and mitral valve diastolic parameters, the E, A, and E/A values were significantly lower in the IDA group (p<0.001). Mitral and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursions (MAPSE and TAPSE, respectively) were significantly lower in the IDA group (p<0.001). The IDA group also had significantly lower values for the TDI parameters, mitral and tricuspid E', A', S', E'/A' and a significantly higher E/E' ratio (p<0.001). Upon examination of anemia subgroups, a significant decrease was observed in the tricuspid and mitral A, E, and E/A in those with severe anemia (p<0.001). M-mode Doppler analysis revealed significantly lower TAPSE and MAPSE in the patient group with severe anemia. According to the subgroup comparison of TDI findings, the patients with severe anemia had significantly lower tricuspid and mitral E', A', S' and E'/A' (p<0.001) values and a significantly higher E/E' ratio (p<0.001). The fetal cardiac score was significantly higher in the maternal IDA group compared to the control group. A significant negative correlation was found between maternal hemoglobin level and fetal cardiac score (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: There may be changes in the systolic and diastolic cardiac functions of the fetuses of pregnant women with IDA. This study showed an increased E/E' ratio in the fetuses of pregnant women with IDA, suggesting a decrease in fetal heart maturation. Within the IDA group, fetal cardiac functions were more affected in those with severe anemia. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Effect of IV ferric carboxy maltose for moderate/severe anemia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Anemia remains a prevalent global health issue with varying severity. Intravenous iron supplementation, particularly with ferric carboxymaltose (FCM), has appeared as a possible therapeutic intervention for individuals with moderate to severe anemia. The study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) in reducing anemia. Methods: We searched electronic databases, registries, websites, e-libraries, reference lists of reviews, citations, etc. We included randomized control trials (RCTs), non-RCTs, and single-arm studies, while observational studies, case series, and case studies were excluded. Two reviewers independently screened the studies and extracted the data. We included studies of moderate-to-severely anemic Indians and excluded Indians with other comorbidities. We assessed the risk of bias and the overall quality of evidence (QoE) using GRADE GDT. Result: We identified 255 studies and included 14 studies (11 RCT, one non-RCT, and two single-arm studies) with 1,972 participants for qualitative analysis and 10 studies in the meta-analysis. All the included studies detailed the use of FCM for anemia. The primary outcomes assessed in the included studies were anemia, hemoglobin, and adverse events. The outcomes assessed ranged from 2 weeks to 12 weeks. The risk of bias varied across different studies with different outcomes. FCM is consistent with a fewer number of adverse events as compared to other interventions and provides "moderate" to "very low" QoE. Conclusion: A slow single infusion of 1 gram of FCM is well-tolerated, safe, and effective in treating iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and surpasses other interventions (Iron Sucrose Complex (ISC), Iron sucrose, and ferrous ascorbate) in elevating hemoglobin levels and replenishing iron stores. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=459363, CRD42023459363.

Impact of litter size on the hematological and iron status of gilts, sows and newborn piglets: a comparative study of domestic pigs and wild boars.

BACKGROUND: The critically low hepatic iron stores of newborn piglets are considered to be a major cause of neonatal iron deficiency in modern breeds of domestic pig (Sus domestica). The main factor believed to contribute to this phenomenon is large litter size, which has been an objective of selective breeding of pigs for decades. As consequence, iron transferred from the pregnant sow has to be distributed among a greater number of fetuses. RESULTS: Here, we investigated whether litter size influences red blood cell (RBC) indices and iron parameters in Polish Large White (PLW) piglets and gilts. Small and large litters were produced by the transfer of different numbers of embryos, derived from the same superovulated donor females, to recipient gilts. Piglets from large litters obtained following routine artificial insemination were also examined. Our results clearly demonstrated that varying the number of piglets in a litter did not affect the RBC and iron status of 1-day-old piglets, with all showing iron deficiency anemia. In contrast, gilts with small litters displayed higher RBC and iron parameters compared to mothers with large litters. A comparative analysis of the RBC status of wild boars (having less than half as many piglets per litter as domestic pigs) and PLW pigs, demonstrated higher RBC count, hemoglobin level and hematocrit value of both wild boar sows and piglets, even compared to small-litter PLW animals. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide evidence that RBC and iron status in newborn PLW piglets are not primarily determined by litter size, and indicate the need to study the efficiency of iron transport across the placenta in domestic pig and wild boar females.

Role of Endoscopy in the Diagnosis, Grading, and Treatment of Portal Hypertensive Gastropathy and Gastric Antral Vascular Ectasia.

Portal hypertensive gastropathy (PHG) and gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) are 2 distinct gastric vascular abnormalities that may present with acute or chronic blood loss. PHG requires the presence of portal hypertension and is typically associated with chronic liver disease, whereas there is controversy about the association of GAVE with chronic liver disease and/or portal hypertension. Distinguishing between GAVE and PHG is crucial because their treatment strategies differ. This review highlights characteristic endoscopic appearances and the clinical features of PHG and GAVE, which, in turn, aid in their appropriate management.