Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Fraser J. Graham, Gabriele Masini, Pierpaolo Pellicori, John G. F. Cleland, Nicola Greenlaw, Jocelyn Friday, Syed Kazmi, Andrew L. Clark
Summary: Iron deficiency and anaemia are common in chronic heart failure patients, with high rates of incidence and resolution. Persistent or incident iron deficiency is associated with higher mortality, while resolution of iron deficiency is associated with lower mortality. Anaemia, even if resolved, is still associated with poor outcomes.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HEART FAILURE
(2022)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Jeness Campodonico, Flavia Nicoli, Irene Motta, Margherita Migone De Amicis, Alice Bonomi, Maria Cappellini, Piergiuseppe Agostoni
Summary: In patients with heart failure, anemia is associated with poor prognosis. Patients with TSAT <20% have worse prognosis compared to those with TSAT >= 20%, and patients with ferritin between 100 and 300 ug/L and TSAT <20% likely have the poorest survival rate.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PREVENTIVE CARDIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Charikleia Papadopoulou, Johannes Reinhold, Nicolai Gruner-Hegge, Anna Kydd, Sai Bhagra, K. Jayan Parameshwar, Clive Lewis, Luis Martinez, Stephen J. Pettit
Summary: This study evaluated three definitions of iron deficiency in heart transplantation patients and found that iron deficiency, defined by serum iron concentration or transferrin saturation, was associated with adverse clinical outcomes, while the same association was not seen with the guideline definition of iron deficiency.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HEART FAILURE
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Gabriele Masini, Fraser J. Graham, Pierpaolo Pellicori, John G. F. Cleland, Joseph J. Cuthbert, Syed Kazmi, Riccardo M. Inciardi, Andrew L. Clark
Summary: Different definitions of iron deficiency (ID) lead to inconsistent prevalence and prognosis. Definitions lacking specificity may attenuate the benefits of intravenous iron therapy, while definitions lacking sensitivity may exclude patients who should receive intravenous iron therapy.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Jassin Rashidi-Alavijeh, Nargiz Nuruzade, Alexandra Frey, Eva-Maria Huessler, Anne Hoerster, Amos Cornelius Zeller, Andreas Schuette, Hartmut Schmidt, Katharina Willuweit, Christian Markus Lange
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the role of iron supplementation in improving the prognosis of patients with cirrhosis. The results showed that an increase in hemoglobin levels was associated with improved transplant-free survival in patients with cirrhosis. The combination of iron supplementation and rifaximin had a stronger effect on prognosis.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Antoine Jobbe-Duval, Melanie Bezard, Stephane Moutereau, Mounira Kharoubi, Silvia Oghina, Amira Zaroui, Arnault Galat, Coraline Chalard, Elisabeth Hugon-Vallet, Francois Lemonnier, Damien Eyharts, Elsa Poulot, Pascale Fanen, Benoit Funalot, Valerie Molinier-Frenkel, Vincent Audard, Luc Hittinger, Marc Antoine Delbarre, Emmanuel Teiger, Thibaud Damy
Summary: Iron deficiency is common in patients with cardiac amyloidosis, regardless of subtype. Patients are more likely to have iron deficiency if diagnosed with ATTR, diabetic, and/or treated with aspirin. The benefit of intravenous iron therapy for iron deficiency in cardiac amyloidosis needs further study on morbidity and mortality.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Shinya Tanaka, Kentaro Kamiya, Hiroshi Saito, Kazuya Saito, Yuki Ogasahara, Emi Maekawa, Masaaki Konishi, Takeshi Kitai, Kentaro Iwata, Kentaro Jujo, Hiroshi Wada, Takatoshi Kasai, Nobuaki Hamazaki, Kohei Nozaki, Hirofumi Nagamatsu, Tetsuya Ozawa, Katsuya Izawa, Shuhei Yamamoto, Naoki Aizawa, Kazuki Wakaume, Kazuhiro Oka, Shin-ichi Momomura, Nobuyuki Kagiyama, Yuya Matsue
Summary: The study investigated the prevalence and clinical implications of coexistence of anaemia and frailty in older patients hospitalized with heart failure. The coexistence of anaemia and frailty in these patients was found to have a significant negative impact on mortality.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Ridha I. S. Alnuwaysir, Niels Grote Beverborg, Martijn F. Hoes, George Markousis-Mavrogenis, Karla A. Gomez, Haye H. van der Wal, John G. F. Cleland, Kenneth Dickstein, Chim C. Lang, Leong L. Ng, Piotr Ponikowski, Stefan D. Anker, Dirk J. van Veldhuisen, Adriaan A. Voors, Peter van der Meer
Summary: Iron deficiency, chronic kidney disease, and/or anemia in patients with heart failure have significant overlap in biomarker profiles, indicating common pathways associated with these syndromes. Iron deficiency alone or on top of chronic kidney disease and anemia is associated with worse quality of life, exercise capacity, and prognosis in patients with worsening heart failure.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HEART FAILURE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shekhar Chauhan, Pradeep Kumar, Strong P. Marbaniang, Shobhit Srivastava, Ratna Patel
Summary: Anaemia in adolescents is associated with physical disorders, growth, and mental retardation, with higher prevalence among adolescent girls. This study fills a gap in anaemia intervention programs for adolescents by analyzing data from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, India. The findings suggest that anaemia is more prevalent among rural adolescents, those with lower education levels, late adolescence, and those with no exposure to mass media. Effective public health policies targeting rural adolescents and disseminating information through mass media are needed to address anaemia in this population.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Susumu Hirose, Yuya Matsue, Kentaro Kamiya, Nobuyuki Kagiyama, Masaru Hiki, Taishi Dotare, Tsutomu Sunayama, Masaaki Konishi, Hiroshi Saito, Kazuya Saito, Yuki Ogasahara, Emi Maekawa, Takeshi Kitai, Kentaro Iwata, Kentaro Jujo, Hiroshi Wada, Takatoshi Kasai, Shin-ichi Momomura, Tohru Minamino
Summary: Using the GLIM criteria and GNRI, it was found that 42.4% and 46.5% of elderly patients with heart failure were malnourished, respectively. Malnutrition was associated with a higher mortality rate and showed independent prognostic value. The GLIM criteria showed significant improvement in prognostic predictive ability compared to GNRI.
CLINICAL NUTRITION
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Jin Joo Park, Minjae Yoon, Hyoung-Won Cho, Sang-Eun Lee, Jin-Oh Choi, Byung-Su Yoo, Seok-Min Kang, Dong-Ju Choi
Summary: This study conducted in Korean patients with heart failure revealed a high prevalence of iron deficiency, especially in women. Clinical parameters are not sufficient to diagnose iron deficiency, and routine laboratory examinations are necessary to identify affected patients.
JOURNAL OF KOREAN MEDICAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Matthew W. Segar, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, Kershaw Patel, Javed Butler, W. H. Wilson Tang, Muthiah Vaduganathan, Carolyn S. P. Lam, Subodh Verma, Darren K. McGuire, Ambarish Pandey
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and prognostic implications of diabetes with cardiomyopathy among community-dwelling individuals. The study found that the prevalence of DbCM among individuals with diabetes varied depending on the definition criteria used, and DbCM can identify a high-risk subgroup for developing heart failure.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Caterina Rizzo, Rosa Carbonara, Roberta Ruggieri, Andrea Passantino, Domenico Scrutinio
Summary: Iron deficiency is a common comorbidity in patients with heart failure and can greatly affect quality of life and prognosis. Treatment guidelines recommend initiating iron replacement therapy based on specific blood markers to improve symptoms and exercise capacity.
FRONTIERS IN CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Selim Bozkurt
Summary: This study evaluates the effects of anaemia on cardiac function and cerebral blood flow in heart failure patients supported with CF-LVAD using computational simulations. The results show that reduced haemoglobin levels increase cerebral blood flow rate, while iron deficiency increases ventricular diameters.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Stefan D. Anker, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, Javed Butler, Stephan von Haehling, Ewa A. Jankowska, Piotr Ponikowski, Tim Friede
Summary: Iron deficiency is common in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction, and it is associated with a poor prognosis. The effect of intravenous iron replacement on recurrent heart failure hospitalizations and cardiovascular mortality in these patients is uncertain. This study used a Bayesian analysis to provide precise estimates of the effect of intravenous iron replacement and found that it significantly reduced the rates of recurrent heart failure hospitalizations and cardiovascular mortality.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HEART FAILURE
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Lucio Luzzatto, Julie Makani
Summary: Rare diseases pose challenges in Africa due to financial barriers, with the impact of orphan drugs legislation being negligible. There is a need to remove economic barriers and ensure access to appropriate treatment for African patients.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Richard Owden Mwaiswelo, Billy Ngasala, Dominick Msolo, Eliningaya Kweka, Bruno P. Mmbando, Andreas Martensson
Summary: This study assessed the safety and effectiveness of a single dose of 0.25 mg/kg primaquine in reducing transmission of Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes in individuals with no, reduced, or increased CYP2D6 enzyme activity. The results showed that the use of primaquine was safe and effective in reducing gametocyte transmission.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Bruno P. Mmbando, Richard O. Mwaiswelo, Frank Chacky, Fabrizio Molteni, Ally Mohamed, Samwel Lazaro, Billy Ngasala
Summary: Malnutrition and malaria are common co-morbidities among under-fives in low-income countries, but their interaction and influence of socioeconomic factors are not well understood in Masasi and Nanyumbu districts. This study found a high prevalence of undernutrition, especially stunting, and its association with sex, age, anaemia, and malaria infection.
Article
Microbiology
Alfred Dusabimana, Joseph Nelson Siewe Fodjo, Michel Mandro Ndahura, Bruno P. Mmbando, Stephen Raimon Jada, Annelies Boven, Eric De Smet, Tony Ukety, Alfred K. Njamnshi, Anne Laudisoit, Steven Abrams, Robert Colebunders
Summary: Through surveys and antibody testing in onchocerciasis-endemic villages, it was found that there is a correlation between high epilepsy prevalence and high Onchocerca volvulus antibody seroprevalence among children aged 6-10. However, in some areas, there is a higher epilepsy prevalence but lower Ov16 antibody seroprevalence among young children, which may be due to a decrease in the Simulium vector population caused by deforestation.
Article
Hematology
Evarist Mulyahela Wilson, Irene Kida Minja, Ferdinand Mabula Machibya, Agnes Jonathan, Julie Makani, Paschal Ruggajo, Emmanuel Balandya
Summary: The purpose of the study was to determine the oxygen saturation in the dental pulp of primary teeth in children with sickle cell disease (SCD) and sickle cell trait (SCT). The study found that children with SCD had lower oxygen saturation in their teeth compared to those with SCT, while the oxygen saturation in their fingers remained unaffected.
JOURNAL OF BLOOD MEDICINE
(2022)
Editorial Material
Hematology
Julie Makani, Marina Cavazzana, Kalpna Gupta, Obiageli Nnodu, Isaac Odame, Leon Tshilolo, Russell Ware, Lucio Luzzatto
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Ambroise Wonkam, Soraya Bardien, Rokhaya Ndiaye Diallo, Amadou Gaye, Mohamed Zahir Alimohamed, Siana Kya, Julie Makani, Guida Landoure, Leon Mutesa, Ghada El-Kamah, Amal Mohamed, Melanie Newport, Scott M. Williams, Michele Ramsay, Victoria Nembaware, Derek Applewhite
Summary: The African Society of Human Genetics aims to provide a platform for scientists in Africa to collaborate on human genetics and genomics research in order to address the public health burden posed by various diseases. They support the Black Lives Matter movement and advocate for an end to the exploitation of African people in genomic research.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE CELL
(2022)
Letter
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Grace Moshi, Vivien A. Sheehan, Julie Makani
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Hilda J. Tutuba, Agnes Jonathan, William Lloyd, Upendo Masamu, Emanuela Marco, Julie Makani, Paschal Ruggajo, Benson R. Kidenya, Irene K. Minja, Emmanuel Balandya
Summary: The study assesses the efficacy of maternal health education and maternal screening for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) on knowledge and uptake of infant screening for SCD among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania. The results demonstrate that the interventions of maternal health education and maternal screening for SCD are effective in raising knowledge and improving the uptake of infant diagnosis for SCD.
Article
Hematology
Mboka Jacob, Jamie M. Kawadler, Russell Murdoch, Magda Ahmed, Hilda Tutuba, Upendo Masamu, Karin Shmueli, Dawn E. Saunders, Chris A. Clark, Jinna Kim, Shifa Hamdule, Julie Makani, Hanne Stotesbury, Fenella J. Kirkham
Summary: Brain injury is a common complication of sickle cell anaemia (SCA), leading to reduced volume of white matter (WM) and grey matter (GM) structures in patients. This study examines the impact of silent cerebral infarction (SCI), vasculopathy, and anaemia on WM and regional GM volumes in African children. Results show that SCA patients have smaller volumes of WM, cortical and subcortical GM, as well as specific brain regions, compared to controls. SCI and vasculopathy further decrease subcortical GM volume, while SCA patients without SCI or vasculopathy exhibit larger putamen and hippocampus volumes. Haemoglobin levels only significantly affect GM volumes in controls. Overall, SCA patients generally have reduced GM volumes, although some subcortical regions may be spared. SCI and vasculopathy can impact changes in subcortical GM and WM volume, while anaemia may affect brain volume in non-SCA children.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF HAEMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Vivian Paintsil, Mwashungi Ally, Hezekiah Isa, Kofi A. Anie, Josephine Mgaya, Malula Nkanyemka, Victoria Nembaware, Yaa Gyamfua Oppong-Mensah, Flora Ndobho, Lulu Chirande, Abel Makubi, Obiageli Nnodu, Ambroise Wonkam, Julie Makani, Kwaku Ohene-Frempong
Summary: This study aimed to establish minimum standards for the management of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) in order to improve patient health outcomes. A review of 15 management guidelines resulted in the development of a comprehensive document with recommendations for all six different referral levels.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2023)
Letter
Hematology
Florence Urio, Siana Nkya, Josephine Mgaya, Helen Rooks, Peter Ponsian, Sara El Hoss, Teddy Mselle, Julie Makani, Stephan Menzel
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Edwin A. Liheluka, Isolide S. Massawe, Mercy G. Chiduo, Celine I. Mandara, Frank Chacky, Leah Ndekuka, Filbert F. Temba, Bruno P. Mmbando, Misago D. Seth, Daniel P. Challe, Williams H. Makunde, Athanas D. Mhina, Vito Baraka, Method D. Segeja, Yahya A. Derua, Bernard M. Batengana, Paul M. Hayuma, Rashid A. Madebe, Masunga C. Malimi, Renata Mandike, Sigsbert Mkude, Fabrizio Molteni, Ritha Njau, Ally Mohamed, Susan F. Rumisha, Deus S. Ishengoma
Summary: Despite the significant decline in the past two decades, malaria remains a major public health concern in Tanzania, with over 93% of the population still at risk. This study examined the knowledge, attitudes, practices, and beliefs of community members and service providers on malaria in the Northwestern and Southern regions of Tanzania. The findings revealed both good knowledge and misconceptions about malaria, as well as various risk factors that contribute to the persistence of the disease burden in these regions.
Article
Hematology
Emmanuela E. Ambrose, Benson R. Kidenya, Mwesige Charles, Joyce Ndunguru, Agnes Jonathan, Julie Makani, Irene K. Minja, Paschal Ruggajo, Emmanuel Balandya
Summary: The purpose of this study was to assess the clinical and haematological outcomes of Hydroxyurea in children with Sickle cell anaemia (SCA) in North-western Tanzania, and to identify the barriers to its utilization. The study compared the outcomes of children with SCA at baseline and after at least one year of Hydroxyurea treatment accessed via cash, insurance, and projects. The results showed that children who accessed Hydroxyurea through insurance and projects experienced significant improvement in clinical and haematological outcomes. However, there were several barriers to access, including high cost, insurance challenges, and drug unavailability. These findings emphasize the need for efforts to improve sustainable access to Hydroxyurea for all SCA patients.
JOURNAL OF BLOOD MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Carol-Ann Benn, Cassandra P. T. Mbanje, Dominic Van Loggerenberg, Julie Makani
Summary: This study aimed to assess the benefit of culturally similar breast clinic navigators in facilitating treatment adherence and improving overall care in patients. Through counselling sessions and regular telephone follow-up, breast clinic navigators were able to address navigation concerns, provide support for the patient, and inform the multidisciplinary team on the patient's thought process and potential barriers for care. Thus, treatment plans were personalised, resulting in improved, holistic care.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF BREAST HEALTH
(2023)