The Critical Role of the Early Evaluation of Iron and Vitamin B12 Deficiency in Pregnancy.

Background and objective Anemia is a common hematological disorder during pregnancy, with iron deficiency (ID) being the most prevalent cause globally. It severely affects maternal and fetal health. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of anemia and its association with iron and vitamin B12 deficiency during pregnancy.

Cancer-Associated Thrombosis: Pathophysiology, Laboratory Assessment, and Current Guidelines.

Dysregulated hemostasis in cancer patients is associated with various clinical conditions, from thromboembolic complications to disseminated intravascular coagulation. Despite the well-established association between cancer and thromboembolic complications, the mechanisms involved are not completely elucidated. There are several predisposing factors in cancer for increased thrombus generation, such as immobilization and chemotherapy.

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)-Associated Coagulopathy in Adults.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is used for the management of severe respiratory and cardiac failure and as a bridge to achieve definite treatment or transplantation. ECMO-associated coagulopathy (EAC) is a frequent complication leading to high rates of thrombosis or severe haemorrhage, contributing to morbidity and mortality among patients. Understanding the pathophysiology of EAC is substantial for effectively managing patients on ECMO.

Early prediction of COVID-19 outcome using artificial intelligence techniques and only five laboratory indices.

We aimed to develop a prediction model for intensive care unit (ICU) hospitalization of Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) patients using artificial neural networks (ANN). We assessed 25 laboratory parameters at first from 248 consecutive adult COVID-19 patients for database creation, training, and development of ANN models. We developed a new alpha-index to assess association of each parameter with outcome.

Nucleated Red Blood Cells: Could They Be Indicator Markers of Illness Severity for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Patients?

Background: We aimed to assess whether nucleated red blood cells (NRBCs) count could serve as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for morbidity and mortality in critically ill neonates.

Methods: The association between NRBCs count and neonatal morbidity and mortality was evaluated in an observational cohort of critically ill neonates hospitalized in our neonatal intensive care unit over a period of 69 months. The discriminative ability of NRBCs count as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers was evaluated by performing the Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve analysis.

Coagulation Profiles of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Patients, Assessed by Non-Conventional Hemostatic Tests and Markers of Platelet Activation and Endothelial Dysfunction.

Many pathophysiologic processes of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), namely, excess vasoconstriction, vascular remodeling and in situ thrombosis, involve the coagulation cascade, and more specifically, platelets. The aim of this study was to globally assess coagulation processes in PAH, by using non-conventional hemostatic tests, along with markers of platelet activation and endothelial dysfunction. We studied 44 new PAH patients (22 with idiopathic PAH and 22 with connective tissue disease) and 25 healthy controls.

Red Blood Cell Alloantibody Titration - Does the Titration Method Matter?

Background: Red blood cell (RBC) alloantibody titration is a quasi-quantitative method to assess antibody concentration and is considered a useful means of estimating maternal alloimmunization during pregnancy. Traditionally, titration is performed using conventional tube test (CTT). The gel microcolumn agglutination-based method (GMA) has been proven reliable for many immunohematology tests.

Thromboelastometry Variables in Neonates with Perinatal Hypoxia.

Perinatal hypoxia is associated with an increased risk of coagulation disorders by enhancing the consumption of platelets and some clotting factors due to the associated severe hypoxemia, acidemia, and compromised oxygen and blood supply to the neonatal liver and bone marrow. Thromboelastometry (TEM), which estimates the dynamics of blood coagulation, may represent an attractive tool for studying the coagulation status of these neonates. We aimed at assessing the hemostatic profile of neonates with perinatal hypoxia using the standard extrinsically activated TEM (ex-TEM) assay.

The prognostic utility of ICH-score in anticoagulant related intracerebral hemorrhage.

Although intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) score is used to provide an estimate on the probability of mortality following spontaneous ICH of any cause, its utility has not been exclusively tested in ICH patients with history of treatment with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) or non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs). The aim of the present report is to investigate the utility of ICH score for mortality prognostication of VKA-ICH and NOAC-ICH patients. We used receiver operating characteristic curve analyses to estimate the accuracy parameters for the different values of ICH score in the prognosis of mortality within 30-days after the onset of NOAC-ICH or VKA-ICH.

Optimization of risk stratification for anticoagulation-associated intracerebral hemorrhage: net risk estimation.

Background: Every anticoagulation decision has in inherent risk of hemorrhage; intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the most devastating hemorrhagic complication. We examined whether combining ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke risk in individual patients might provide a meaningful paradigm for risk stratification.

Methods: We enrolled consecutive patients with anticoagulation-associated ICH in 15 tertiary centers in the USA, Europe and Asia between 2015 and 2017.

Microbleed prevalence and burden in anticoagulant-associated intracerebral bleed.

Prior studies suggest an association between Vitamin K antagonists (VKA) and cerebral microbleeds (CMBs); less is known about nonvitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs). In this observational study we describe CMB profiles in a multicenter cohort of 89 anticoagulation-related intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) patients. CMB prevalence was 51% (52% in VKA-ICH, 48% in NOAC-ICH).

Clinical Application of Thromboelastography/Thromboelastometry (TEG/TEM) in the Neonatal Population: A Narrative Review.

Hemostasis is a dynamic age-related process, which gradually evolves from fetal life throughout childhood until adulthood. Although at birth there is a hemostatic deficit of most coagulation factors, studies have shown that this "hemostatic immaturity" is functionally counterbalanced in healthy term or preterm newborns. This delicate hemostatic balance is, however, deranged in sick neonates, resulting in an enhanced risk of hemorrhage and/or thrombosis.

Clinical Outcomes and Neuroimaging Profiles in Nondisabled Patients With Anticoagulant-Related Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

Background and Purpose- The aim of this study was to prospectively validate our prior findings of smaller hematoma volume and lesser neurological deficit in nonvitamin K oral anticoagulant (NOAC) compared with Vitamin K antagonist (VKA)-related intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Methods- Prospective 12-month observational study in 15 tertiary stroke centers in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Consecutive patients with premorbid modified Rankin Scale score of <2 with acute nontraumatic anticoagulant-related ICH divided into 2 groups according to the type of anticoagulant: NOAC versus VKA.

Platelet and coagulation disorders in newly diagnosed patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

There is a complex and not fully elucidated association between pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and coagulation disorders. The goal of this study was to evaluate platelet function, coagulation and fibrinolysis in PAH patients at diagnosis, before PAH-specific treatment initiation. We enrolled 20 healthy controls and 30 PAH patients (20 with connective tissue disease (CTD-PAH) and 10 idiopathic (iPAH)).

Direct oral anticoagulant- vs vitamin K antagonist-related nontraumatic intracerebral hemorrhage.

Objective: To compare the neuroimaging profile and clinical outcomes among patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) related to use of vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) or direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) for nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF).

Methods: We evaluated consecutive patients with NVAF with nontraumatic, anticoagulant-related ICH admitted at 13 tertiary stroke care centers over a 12-month period. We also performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of eligible observational studies reporting baseline characteristics and outcomes among patients with VKA- or DOAC-related ICH.

Red Blood Cell Transfusions in Greece: Results of a Survey of Red Blood Cell Use in 2013.

Objective: Greece is ranked as the second highest consumer of blood components in Europe. For an effective transfusion system and in order to reduce variability of transfusion practice by implementing evidence-based transfusion guidelines it is necessary to study and monitor blood management strategies. Our study was conducted in order to evaluate the use of red blood cell units (RBC-U) in nationwide scale mapping parameters that contribute to their proper management in Greece.