Predictive Factors for Vitamin D Concentrations in Swiss Athletes: A Cross-sectional Study.

Vitamin D concentrations corresponding to 75 nmol/L 25(OH)D have been associated with maintained muscle function, growth and regeneration, optimal bone health and immunology in athletes. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence and predictors of insufficient 25(OH)D concentrations in athletes. Six hundred three Swiss athletes were assessed.

Detection of iron restriction in anaemic and non-anaemic patients: New diagnostic approaches.

Objective: The aim of this study was to detect iron restriction in non-anaemic patients and iron-restricted erythropoiesis (IRE) in patients with anaemia.

Method: Haematologic indices and biochemical markers of iron deficiency (ID) were determined using the clinically accepted cut-off level for serum ferritin of ≤30 μg/L as reference of ID. To evaluate the prevalence of iron restriction and IRE in patients with higher ferritin levels, we used the thresholds of the markers of ID as reference.

Serum hepcidin-25 in comparison to biochemical markers and hematological indices for the differentiation of iron-restricted erythropoiesis.

Background: Biochemical markers have problems in distinguishing iron deficiency anemia (IDA) from anemia of chronic disease (ACD), and the combined state of iron-restricted erythropoiesis (IRE) with ACD (ACD/IRE). We investigated the extent to which hepcidin-25, a potential marker for the evaluation of iron metabolism, enables the differentiation of the states above, and to assess its correlation with convential markers of iron deficiency.

Methods: One hundred and fifty-five patients with anemia were classified as having IDA, ACD or ACD/IRE using clinical findings, biochemical markers and hematological indices.

A new concept for the differential diagnosis and therapy of anaemia in cancer patients.

Purpose: This study aimed to prove the usefulness of the diagnostic plot, using the haemoglobin content of reticulocytes as a measure of functional iron deficiency (FID) and the ferritin index as a measure of iron availability, to customise anaemia treatment in cancer patients.

Methods: Based on results of this plot, cancer patients fulfilling practice guideline criteria to receive erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) were allocated to treatment with ESAs alone, iron alone or the combination of both. Primary endpoint was the percentage of patients identified to require iron in addition or as an alternative to ESA therapy.

Renal failure--measuring the glomerular filtration rate.

Background: Chronic renal disease is common, and its prevalence is rising. Its main causes are hypertension and diabetes mellitus. An abnormally low glomerular filtration rate (GFR) often escapes medical notice in the earliest, most treatable stage, so that an increasing number of patients progress to end-stage renal failure.

Renal function--estimation of glomerular filtration rate.

Assessment and follow-up of renal dysfunction is important in the early detection and management of chronic kidney disease. The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is the most accurate measurement of kidney disease and is reduced before the onset of clinical symptoms. Drawbacks to the measurement of GFR include the high cost and incompatibility with routine laboratory monitoring.

The diagnostic plot: a concept for identifying different states of iron deficiency and monitoring the response to epoetin therapy.

Iron balance is regulated by the rate of erythropoiesis and the size of the iron stores. Anemia that accompanies infection, inflammation, and cancer (anemia of chronic disease) features normal or increased iron stores, although patients may have functional iron deficiency, namely, an imbalance between iron requirements of the erythroid marrow and the actual supply. The proportion of hypochromic red cells and the hemoglobin content of reticulocytes are direct indicators of functional iron deficiency.

Reticulocyte hemoglobin measurement--comparison of two methods in the diagnosis of iron-restricted erythropoiesis.

The aims of this study were to diagnose iron-restricted erythropoiesis (functional iron deficiency) in patients with classic iron deficiency (ID), anemia of chronic disease (ACD) and the combined state of ID/ACD with the use of two hematological methods for the measurement of reticulocyte hemoglobinization. In comparison, the biochemical markers of iron status were determined. We studied 474 anemic patients admitted to hospital with a broad spectrum of diseases.

Anemia of chronic disease: pathophysiology and laboratory diagnosis.

Classic iron deficiency (ID) does not represent a challenge for the laboratory and physicians. The anemia that accompanies infection, inflammation, and cancer, commonly termed anemia of chronic disease (ACD), features apparently normal or increased iron stores. However, 20% of these patients have iron-restricted erythropoiesis (functional ID), an imbalance between the iron requirements of the erythroid marrow and the actual iron supply.

Multicenter evaluation of a fully mechanized soluble transferrin receptor assay on the Hitachi and cobas integra analyzers. the determination of reference ranges.

Soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) is reported to be a reliable marker for the diagnosis of iron deficiency, especially when iron metabolism is influenced by inflammatory disorders such as infection, chronic inflammation and cancer-related anemia. In the present multicenter study the analytical performance of a recently introduced, latex-enhanced immunoturbidimetric assay for the determination of soluble transferrin receptor (Tina quant [a] sTfR, Roche Diagnostics) on different fully mechanized analyzers such as Hitachi 917 and 911, and Cobas Integra 400 and 700 was evaluated. Within-run and between-run imprecision showed good results (CV<5% and <7%, respectively).

Biochemical markers and hematologic indices in the diagnosis of functional iron deficiency.

Background: The hypochromic red cell is a direct indicator of functional iron deficiency (ID) in contrast to the majority of biochemical markers, which measure functional ID indirectly via iron-deficient erythropoiesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the extent to which these biochemical markers can distinguish ID from anemia of chronic disease (ACD) as well as from the combined state of functional ID/ACD, using red cell hemoglobinization as the gold standard.

Methods: We studied 442 patients with various disease-specific anemias and 154 nonanemic patients.