Protective and stress factors for psychological distress: a comparative analysis of LGB and non-LGB older adults.

Objectives: Population ageing raises major public health and psychosocial challenges. Particularly, lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) older people may face increased vulnerabilities and marginalization when compared to their non-LGB (heterosexual) counterparts, which may entail more risks for their mental health. The aim of this study was to comparatively evaluate the levels of protective - social support, spirituality, and resilience and stress factors - loneliness and ageism - among LGB and non-LGB older adults, and their impact on psychological distress (PD).

Corrigendum: Safe and effective delivery of supplemental iron to healthy adults: a two-phase, randomized, double-blind trial - the safe iron study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2023.

Factors Associated With Mortality in Patients With Immune-Mediated Rheumatic Diseases and COVID-19 From Latin America: Data From Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil.

Objective: To describe characteristics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in patients with rheumatic immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) from Argentina, Mexico and Brazil, and to assess factors associated with mortality in this population.

Methods: Data from 3 national registries, SAR-COVID (Argentina), CMR-COVID (Mexico), and ReumaCoV-Brasil (Brazil), were combined. Adult patients with IMIDs and SARS-CoV-2 infection were recruited.

Safe and effective delivery of supplemental iron to healthy adults: a two-phase, randomized, double-blind trial - the safe iron study.

Introduction: The safety of novel forms of iron in healthy, iron-replete adults as might occur if used in population-based iron supplementation programs was examined. We tested the hypotheses that supplementation with nanoparticulate iron hydroxide adipate tartrate (IHAT), an iron-enriched product (ASP), or ferrous sulphate heptahydrate (FS) are safe as indicated by erythrocyte susceptibility to malarial infection, bacterial proliferation, and gut inflammation. Responses to FS administered daily or weekly, and with or without other micronutrients were compared.

Iron deficiency and the effectiveness of the BNT162b2 vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 infection: A retrospective, longitudinal analysis of real-world data.

Background: Iron plays a key role in human immune responses; however, the influence of iron deficiency on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine effectiveness is unclear.

Aim: To assess the effectiveness of the BNT162b2 messenger RNA COVID-19 vaccine in preventing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and COVID-19-related hospitalization and death in individuals with or without iron deficiency.

Methods: This large retrospective, longitudinal cohort study analyzed real-world data from the Maccabi Healthcare Services database (covering 25% of Israeli residents).

Impact of inorganic iron and haem on the human gut microbiota; An batch-culture approach.

Although iron is an essential nutrient for humans, as well as for almost all other organisms, it is poorly absorbed (~15%) from the diet such that most passes through the upper gut into the large intestine. The colonic microbiota is thus exposed to, and potentially influenced by, such residual iron which could have an impact on human health. The aim of the research described here is to determine how the major forms of dietary iron (inorganic iron and haem) influence metabolic activity and composition of the human gut microbiota by utilizing an parallel, pH-controlled anaerobic batch culture approach.

A novel nano-iron supplement versus standard treatment for iron deficiency anaemia in children 6-35 months (IHAT-GUT trial): a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled non-inferiority phase II trial in The Gambia.

Background: Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is the leading cause of years lost to disability in most sub-Saharan African countries and is especially common in young children. The IHAT-GUT trial assessed the efficacy and safety of a novel nano iron supplement, which is a dietary ferritin analogue termed iron hydroxide adipate tartrate (IHAT), for the treatment of IDA in children under 3 years of age.

Methods: In this single-country, randomised, double-blind, parallel, placebo-controlled, non-inferiority Phase II study in The Gambia, children 6-35 months with IDA (7≤Hb < 11 g/dL and ferritin<30 μg/L) were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to receive either IHAT, ferrous sulphate (FeSO) or placebo daily for 3 months (85 days).

Does the Use of Immunosuppressive Drugs Impact on SARS-CoV-2 Infection Outcome? Data From A National Cohort of Patients With Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases (SAR-COVID Registry).

Background/objective: This study describes the impact of immunomodulatory and/or immunosuppressive (IM/IS) drugs in the outcomes of COVID-19 infection in a cohort of patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs).

Methods: Adult patients with IMIDs with a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection were included. Data were reported by the treating physician between August 13, 2020 and July 31, 2021.

Sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with poor COVID-19 outcomes in patients with rheumatic diseases: data from the SAR-COVID Registry.

Background/objective: This study aims to describe the course and to identify poor prognostic factors of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with rheumatic diseases.

Methods: Patients ≥ 18 years of age, with a rheumatic disease, who had confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection were consecutively included by major rheumatology centers from Argentina, in the national, observational SAR-COVID registry between August 13, 2020 and July 31, 2021. Hospitalization, oxygen requirement, and death were considered poor COVID-19 outcomes.

An Argentinean cohort of patients with rheumatic and immune-mediated diseases vaccinated for SARS-CoV-2: the SAR-CoVAC Registry-protocol and preliminary data.

Background/objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in patients with rheumatic and immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) in Argentina: the SAR-CoVAC registry.

Methods: SAR-CoVAC is a national, multicenter, and observational registry. Adult patients with rheumatic or IMIDs vaccinated for SARS-CoV-2 were consecutively included between June 1 and September 17, 2021.

Gut microbiomes from Gambian infants reveal the development of a non-industrialized Prevotella-based trophic network.

Distinct bacterial trophic networks exist in the gut microbiota of individuals in industrialized and non-industrialized countries. In particular, non-industrialized gut microbiomes tend to be enriched with Prevotella species. To study the development of these Prevotella-rich compositions, we investigated the gut microbiota of children aged between 7 and 37 months living in rural Gambia (616 children, 1,389 stool samples, stratified by 3-month age groups).

Parenting and Health: The Major Challenge of Complex Relations.

Parenting is an interpersonal process associated with taking care and fostering the healthy development of children and young people [...

Novel oral iron therapy for iron deficiency anaemia: How to value safety in a new drug?

Aims: Novel oral iron supplements may be associated with a reduced incidence of adverse drug reactions compared to standard treatments of iron deficiency anaemia. The aim was to establish their value-based price under conditions of uncertainty surrounding their tolerability.

Methods: A discrete-time Markov model was developed to assess the value-based price of oral iron preparations based on their incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained from the perspective of the NHS in the UK.

The IHAT-GUT Iron Supplementation Trial in Rural Gambia: Barriers, Facilitators, and Benefits.

Introduction: In most sub-Saharan African countries iron deficiency anaemia remains highly prevalent in children and this has not changed in the last 25 years. Supplementation with iron hydroxide adipate tartrate (IHAT) was being investigated in anaemic children in a phase two clinical trial (termed IHAT-GUT), conducted at the Medical Research Council Unit the Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) (abbreviated as MRCG hereof). This qualitative study aimed to explore the personal perceptions of the trial staff in relation to conducting a clinical trial in such settings in order to highlight the health system specific needs and strengths in the rural, resource-poor setting of the Upper River Region in the Gambia.

The Impact of Low-Level Iron Supplements on the Faecal Microbiota of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Healthy Donors Using In Vitro Batch Cultures.

Ferrous iron supplementation has been reported to adversely alter the gut microbiota in infants. To date, the impact of iron on the adult microbiota is limited, particularly at low supplementary concentrations. The aim of this research was to explore the impact of low-level iron supplementation on the gut microbiota of healthy and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) volunteers.

Hemoglobin point-of-care testing in rural Gambia: Comparing accuracy of HemoCue and Aptus with an automated hematology analyzer.

Background: Anemia is one of the most impactful nutrient deficiencies in the world and disproportionately affects children in low-resource settings. Point-of-care devices (PoCDs) measuring blood hemoglobin (Hb) are widely used in such settings to screen for anemia due to their low cost, speed, and convenience. Here we present the first iteration of Aptus, a new PoCD which measures Hb and hematocrit (HCT).

A novel nano-iron supplement to safely combat iron deficiency and anaemia in young children: The IHAT-GUT double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial protocol.

Iron deficiency and its associated anaemia (IDA) are the leading forms of micronutrient malnutrition worldwide. Here we describe the rationale and design of the first clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of an innovative nano iron supplement, iron hydroxide adipate tartrate (IHAT), for the treatment of IDA in young children (IHAT-GUT trial). Oral iron is often ineffective due to poor absorption and/or gastrointestinal adverse effects.

A Case Report of an Intestinal Helminth Infection of Human Hymenolepiasis in Rural Gambia.

Background: also called dwarf tapeworm infection, is an intestinal helminth not previously reported in The Gambia and only very rarely reported in West Africa.

Case Presentation: We report a case of infection in a 29-month-old child living in a rural community of the north bank of the Upper River Region (URR) in The Gambia. The child presented with mild iron deficiency anaemia and granulocytosis but was otherwise mostly asymptomatic despite the moderate-intensity of infection.

Evaluation of the Educational Needs in Argentine Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Using the SpENAT Questionnaire.

Background: The SpENAT, a Spanish version of the Educational Needs Assessment Tool, is a self-completed questionnaire that assesses educational needs (ENs) with the purpose of providing tailored and patient-centered information. It consists of 39 questions grouped into the 7 following domains: Pain management, Movement, Feelings, Arthritic process, Treatments, Self-help measures and Support system.

Objectives: The objective of the study was to describe the ENs of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients using the SpENAT and to determine the main sources of information consulted by these patients.

Intravenous Irons: From Basic Science to Clinical Practice.

Iron is an essential trace mineral necessary for life, and iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is one of the most common haematological problems worldwide, affecting a sixth of the global population. Principally linked to poverty, malnutrition and infection in developing countries, in Western countries the pathophysiology of IDA is primarily linked to blood loss, malabsorption and chronic disease. Oral iron replacement therapy is a simple, inexpensive treatment, but is limited by gastrointestinal side effects that are not inconsequential to some patients and are of minimal efficacy in others.

Iron deficiency anaemia: experiences and challenges.

Iron deficiency remains the largest nutritional deficiency worldwide and the main cause of anaemia. Severe iron deficiency leads to anaemia known as iron deficiency anaemia (IDA), which affects a total of 1·24 billion people, the majority of whom are children and women from resource-poor countries. In sub-Saharan Africa, iron deficiency is frequently exacerbated by concomitant parasitic and bacterial infections and contributes to over 120 000 maternal deaths a year, while it irreparably limits the cognitive development of children and leads to poor outcomes in pregnancy.

Ferric citrate and ferric EDTA but not ferrous sulfate drive amphiregulin-mediated activation of the MAP kinase ERK in gut epithelial cancer cells.

Ferric chelates may be used as oral iron supplements or phosphate binders but both ferric citrate and ferric EDTA have been shown to promote tumor burden in murine models of colon cancer. Here we studied their effects on cancer cell growth, at typical supplemental iron levels encountered in the gastrointestinal tract (0.01-0.

A 1-h time interval between a meal containing iron and consumption of tea attenuates the inhibitory effects on iron absorption: a controlled trial in a cohort of healthy UK women using a stable iron isotope.

Tea has been shown to be a potent inhibitor of nonheme iron absorption, but it remains unclear whether the timing of tea consumption relative to a meal influences iron bioavailability. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of a 1-h time interval of tea consumption on nonheme iron absorption in an iron-containing meal in a cohort of iron-replete, nonanemic female subjects with the use of a stable isotope (Fe). Twelve women (mean ± SD age: 24.

Dietary strategies for improving iron status: balancing safety and efficacy.

In light of evidence that high-dose iron supplements lead to a range of adverse events in low-income settings, the safety and efficacy of lower doses of iron provided through biological or industrial fortification of foodstuffs is reviewed. First, strategies for point-of-manufacture chemical fortification are compared with biofortification achieved through plant breeding. Recent insights into the mechanisms of human iron absorption and regulation, the mechanisms by which iron can promote malaria and bacterial infections, and the role of iron in modifying the gut microbiota are summarized.

Complex regional pain syndrome type 1: Analysis of 108 patients.

Introduction: Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) type 1 is characterized by the presence of pain, edema, functional impotence, impaired mobility, trophic changes, vasomotor instability and bone demineralization.

Material And Methods: We carried out a retrospective and prospective, descriptive, observational study of 108 patients over 18 years of age with suspected CRPS who met Doury's criteria. We recorded demographic data, clinical characteristics, comorbidities, previous predisposing conditions and triggering factors, such as injury or fracture.