Performance of point-of-care glucose testing for the diagnosis of gestational diabetes in South Africa.

Objective: Lack of accessibility to oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) in South Africa means many pregnant women go without testing for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). This study evaluated point-of-care (POC) glucometers against the laboratory-based glucose method in pregnant women.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study on pregnant women attending the prenatal clinic in Johannesburg who were recommended for the OGTT.

Longitudinal changes in vitamin D and its metabolites in pregnant South Africans.

Background: Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) has been associated with adverse maternal and foetal outcomes and is determined by measuring 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D). The 25(OH)D is catabolized to 24, 25-(OH) D and the ratio of 25(OH) D to 24, 25-(OH)D, the vitamin D metabolite ratio (VMR), is thought to be a superior marker of VDD, being elevated in such states. The aims of this study were to assess the longitudinal vitamin D status of pregnant women by measuring cholecalciferol, 25(OH)D, 24, 25-(OH)D and VMR at two time points and also to determine any association of vitamin D and metabolites with gestational age at birth, birth length and weight.

Evaluating chronic kidney disease in rural South Africa: comparing estimated glomerular filtration rate using point-of-care creatinine to iohexol measured GFR.

Objectives: The prevalence of chronic kidney disease is rising rapidly in low- and middle-income countries. Serum creatinine and estimation of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) are critical diagnostic tools, yet access to centralised laboratory services remains limited in primary care resource-limited settings. The aim of this study was to evaluate point-of-care (POC) technologies for serum creatinine measurement and to compare their performance to a gold standard measurement using iohexol measured GFR (mGFR).

Branched-chain and aromatic amino acids and cardiometabolic risk in Black African and Asian Indian populations.

Introduction: Studies have shown that systemic levels of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and aromatic amino acids (AAAs) are elevated in cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs) in populations resident in high income countries. However, little is known about the association of BCAAs and AAAs with metabolic syndrome and its components in Asian Indian (AI) and Black African (BA) populations.

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the association of BCAAs and AAAs with the metabolic syndrome, its individual components and insulin resistance in AI and BA populations.

Hepcidin and GDF-15 are potential biomarkers of iron deficiency anaemia in chronic kidney disease patients in South Africa.

Background: Anaemia is a common presenting feature among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and it is associated with poor clinical outcomes and quality of life. It is not clear if growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) or hepcidin are useful as early markers of iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) among non-dialysis CKD patients. We therefore evaluated the diagnostic validity of GDF-15 and hepcidin as biomarkers of IDA among non-dialysis CKD patients in Johannesburg, South Africa.