Capillary Blood Testing Research Articles

Non-invasive detection of bilirubin concentrations during the first week of life in a low-resource setting along the Thailand–Myanmar border

BackgroundNeonatal hyperbilirubinaemia (NH) is a common problem worldwide and is a cause of morbidity and mortality especially in low-resource settings.MethodsA study was carried out at Shoklo Malaria Research Unit (SMRU)...

Continuous ketone monitoring: Exciting implications for clinical practice.

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a life-threatening complication usually affecting people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and, less commonly, people with type 2 diabetes. Early identification of ketosis is a cornerstone in DKA prevention and management. Current methods for ketone measurement by people with diabetes include capillary blood or urine testing. These approaches have limitations, including the need to carry testing strips that have a limited shelf life and a requirement for the user to initiate a test. Recent studies have shown the feasibility of continuous ketone monitoring (CKM) via interstitial fluid with a sensor inserted subcutaneously employing an enzymatic electrochemical reaction. Ketone readings can be updated every 5 minutes. In the future, one would expect that commercialized devices will incorporate alarms linked with standardized thresholds and trend arrows. Ideally, to minimize the burden on users, CKM functionality should be integrated with other devices used to implement glucose management, including continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps. We suggest CKM provision to all at risk of DKA and recommend that the devices should be worn continuously. Those who may particularly benefit are individuals who have T1D, are pregnant, on medications such as sodium-glucose linked transporter (SGLT) inhibitors that increase DKA, people with recurrent DKA, those with T1D undertaking high intensity exercise, are socially or geographically isolated, or those on low carbohydrate diets. The provision of ketone profiles will provide important clinical insights that have previously been unavailable to people living with diabetes and their healthcare professionals.

Utility of photoplethysmography in detecting elevated blood glucose among non-diabetics.

This study aimed to evaluate a technique of using photoplethysmography (PPG) for detecting elevated blood glucose in individuals. This is a prospective, cross-sectional study in which 500 healthy volunteers were recruited at a tertiary hospital in Singapore from October 2021 to February 2023. Capillary glucose was measured concurrently with PPG signals acquired using the wrist-worn Actxa Tracker (Spark + Series 2) and the In-Ear Prototype model SVT, which were worn for a duration of 8 min. Participants with a capillary blood test reading ≤11.1 mmol/dL had to consume a standard glucose tolerance drink and return 1 h later for a second capillary blood test. Two hundred and forty-four features were subsequently extracted from the PPG signals. Of the 500 volunteers, 17 were excluded because of incomplete records. This led to a total of 483 participants' records being included in the final analysis. For predicting elevated capillary blood glucose level, demographics alone achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.75. When wearable features derived from PPG were combined with demographics, AUC improved significantly to 0.82 (P = 0.0001). This study shows that a non-invasive method of assessing diabetes mellitus risk using PPG combined with demographics is a viable option to provide a cheaper and more accessible modality for population-wide diabetes mellitus risk assessment.

Diabetes Duration, Perceived Comfort with Self-Management and Glycaemic Control in Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Evidence is lacking on whether diabetes duration is associated with type 1 diabetes (T1D) self-management during late adolescence before transfer from paediatric to adult care. We examined associations of diabetes duration with dimensions of perceived comfort with diabetes self-management (self-efficacy, transition readiness, diabetes distress) and glycaemic control in late adolescence. Using a cross-sectional design, we conducted a secondary analysis of baseline data of adolescents (ages 16-17 years) with T1D followed at paediatric diabetes academic hospitals in Montreal and enrolled in the Group Education Trial to Improve Transition (GET-IT-T1D). Participants completed validated questionnaires on self-efficacy (Self-Efficacy for Diabetes Self-Management Measure [SEDM], score 1 to 10), diabetes distress and transition readiness, as well as a haemoglobin (HbA1c) capillary blood test. Our primary outcome was self-efficacy. We examined associations of diabetes duration with self-efficacy, diabetes distress, transition readiness and HbA1c using linear and logistic regression models adjusted for sex, socioeconomic status, insulin pump use, glucose sensor use, and psychiatric comorbidity. Of 203 adolescents with T1D, mean diabetes duration (SD) was 7.57 (4.44) years. Mean SEDM score was 6.83 (SD 1.62). Diabetes duration was not associated with self-efficacy, diabetes distress or transition readiness. Each additional year of diabetes duration was associated with 0.11% (95% CI, 0.05 to 0.16) higher HbA1c. Whereas diabetes duration is not associated with dimensions of perceived comfort with diabetes self-management, adolescents with longer diabetes duration are at risk for higher HbA1c and may need additional support to improve glycaemic control before transition to adult care.

The possibility of automatic capillary blood testing in routine blood tests: an evaluation of the automatic mode of the Mindray BC-7500 CRP Auto Hematology Analyzer for capillary blood testing.

Capillary blood is a common specimen type used for infant blood routine tests. Until now, this specimen type could only be tested with the manual mode in hematology analyzers. Manual sample mixing and loading increases the amount labor force and can be more easily affected by human factors. This study was designed to investigate the proficiency of the automatic mode of the Mindray BC-7500 CRP Auto Hematology Analyzer for capillary blood testing. The complete blood count (CBC) results for capillary blood were compared between the automatic and manual modes. Special types of samples, including samples with high or low volume, thalassemia red cells, high fibrinogen, high hematocrit (HCT), or high triglyceride levels, were compared and evaluated. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to define the agreement between the 2 modes. The industry standard Analytical Quality Specifications for Routine Tests in Clinical Hematology (WS/T 406-2012), published by the National Health Commission of China, was used to evaluate the correlation between the results from the 2 modes. There was good correlation between the automatic and manual modes for every type of sample, and the ICCs were all higher than 0.9. Except for high HCT or high triglyceride samples, there were no differences found between the 2 modes based on the WS/T 406-2012 standard. This new automatic mode utilized in the Mindray BC-7500 CRP Auto Hematology Analyzer for capillary blood yielded the same results as the manual mode except in the case of samples with high HCT or triglycerides. Capillary blood might be routinely tested automatically with hematology analyzers in the near future, which might reduce the labor required and improve standardization.

Prevalence and influencing factors of anaemia among pregnant women in rural areas of Northwestern China

ObjectivesAnaemia during pregnancy is a significant public health problem that adversely impacts both the mother and foetus. However, the factors influencing maternal anaemia in deprived areas of Northwestern China have not yet been thoroughly investigated. This study aimed to describe the prevalence and potential influencing factors of anaemia among expectant mothers in rural areas of Northwestern China. Study designThis was a cross-sectional survey. MethodsA cross-sectional survey of 586 expectant mothers was conducted to investigate the prevalence of anaemia, prenatal healthcare coverage, dietary diversity and nutrient supplementation intake. The study population was selected from the sample areas using a random sampling method. Data were collected through a questionnaire, and haemoglobin concentrations were measured by a capillary blood test. ResultsThe results show that 34.8% of the study population were anaemic, with 13% having moderate-to-severe anaemia. The results of the regression analysis showed that diet was not significantly associated with haemoglobin concentrations or the prevalence of anaemia. However, regular prenatal healthcare attendance was found to be an important influencing factor for both haemoglobin concentration (β = 3.67, P = 0.002) and the prevalence of anaemia (odds ratio = 0.59, P = 0.011). ConclusionsPregnant women receiving regular prenatal care were less likely to be anaemic; thus, it is essential to implement strategies to improve attendance at maternal public health services to reduce the prevalence of maternal anaemia.

Patient Self-Testing of Kidney Function at Home, a Prospective Clinical Feasibility Study in Kidney Transplant Recipients

People with long-term health conditions often attend clinics for kidney function tests. The Self-Testing Own Kidneys (STOK) study assessed feasibility of kidney transplant recipients using hand-held devices to self-test kidney function at home and investigated agreement between home self-test and standard clinic test results. A prospective, observational, single-center, clinical feasibility study (TRN: ISRCTN68116915), with N= 15 stable kidney transplant recipients, investigated blood potassium and creatinine results agreement between index self-tests at home (patient self-testing of capillary blood, using Abbott i-STAT Alinity analyzers [i-STAT]) and reference tests in clinic (staff sampled venous blood, analyzed with laboratory Siemens Advia Chemistry XPT analyzer) using Bland-Altman and error grid analysis. The mean within-patient difference between index and reference test in creatinine was 2.25 μmol/l (95% confidence interval [CI]:-12.13, 16.81 μmol/l) and in potassium was 0.66 mmol/l (95% CI:-1.47, 2.79 mmol/l). All creatinine pairs and 27 of 40 (67.5%) potassium pairs were judged clinically equivalent. Planned follow-up analysis suggests that biochemical variables associated with potassium measurement in capillary blood were predominant sources of paired test result differences. Paired patient and nurse i-STAT capillary blood test potassium results were not statistically significantly different. This small feasibility study observed that training selected patients to competently use hand-held devices to self-test kidney function at home is possible. Self-test creatinine results showed good analytical and clinical agreement with standard clinic test results. Self-test potassium results showed poorer agreement with standard clinic test results; however, patient self-use of i-STATs at home was not a statistically significant source of difference between paired potassium test results.

Performance of Different Glucose Testing Methods Amongst Patients of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in St. Francis Hospital Nsambya, Kampala, Uganda: A CrossSectional and Descriptive Study

Background: Medical examination detects illness or disease risk factors in individuals otherwise well to treat early on and minimize morbidity and death. In spite of recommended GDM screening during prenatal care worldwide and local standards, it has been shown that the procedure has not been properly implemented. A further difficulty might be the lack of consensus worldwide and on local consistence on GDM screening and diagnosis guidelines. Methods: The study was a hospital based cross-sectional and descriptive study that employed both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. A descriptive study was concerned with describing the characteristics of a particular individual, or of a group in a given situation. The study was guided by the primary objective of assessing the extent of GDM monitoring among women receiving antenatal care at St. Francis Hospital Nsambya in Kampala, Uganda. Both Capillary and venous blood samples in which plasma/serum was taken from pregnant mothers and their glucose levels estimated using a One touch (Roche Diagnostics) code 298 and plasma calibrated glucometer and Roche Cobas C311fully automated Chemistry Analyser respectively. Both whole blood glucose and plasma/serum glucose was determined as per the principle of enzyme hexokinase (HK) catalyzes the reaction between glucose and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to form glucose-6-phosphate (G-6-P) and adenosine diphosphate (ADP). In the presence of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), G-6-P is oxidized by the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate Dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) to 6-phosphogluconate and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH). The increase in NADH concentration was directly proportional to the glucose concentration and was measured spectrophotometrically at 340 nm. The data was analysed using the McNemar's test to determine the sensitivity, specificity and the direct cost for performing capillary glucose. Receiver operator characteristic and Area under curve analyses to analyze the predictive power of the constructed equation Sensitivity, specificity, false positive rate and false negative rate was computed to validate the capillary method in testing/detecting Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. Data analysis was performed using the SPSS package Results: The results presented below for both capillary and Venous Blood Glucose were based on the principle of glucose oxidase test. Cutoff for the different blood sugar level were as follows; Normal A1C test being < 5.4% and Diabetes being >5.4%. Based on the Venous Blood Glucose tests method, 89.0% (154/173) respondents tested normal, while 11.0% (19/173) had diabetes. However, capillary blood glucose testing method identified 78.6% (136/173)5 respondents as being normal compared 21.4% (37/173) having diabetes. Results obtained from the process indicate capillary glucose blood test for gestation diabetes having very low sensitivity i.e. 30% for gestation diabetes. The findings of the study will help to create public awareness on disease burden, improved diagnosis, classification, management and health policies by the Ministry of Health about Gestational diabetes among Ugandan mothers. Conclusion: Most of the procedures employed to detect and trace for GDM was found to be painful and stressful. The healthcare providers and managers some lacked required skills and knowledge concerning GDM among women and procedural handling was found to be wanting in one case or another. The GDM prevalence was discovered to be slowly increasing even though it was detected to be at low levels at Nsambya hospital but the situation elsewhere might be different. Most of the GDM risk factors were majorly originating from family background, maternal ages discrepancies, and abuse of alcohol. Most GDM challenges were found to be fueled by lack of proper counseling and screening since it wasn’t routine among health care professionals hence lack of expertise and inconsistencies in handling GDM women. Preparing women for GDM screening and diagnosis would have reduced the risks and health challenges faced by pregnant women if they are well prepared and trained before subjecting them to the GDM testing.

HCV prevalence and treatment outcomes among drug users in an outpatient center for drug addiction in Northern Italy.

We aimed at evaluating hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence and treatment referral outcomes in a large population of drug users in Northern Italy. Each participant underwent a quick capillary blood test. Positive participants underwent HCV RNA quantification. HCV RNA positive subjects were referred to treatment and evaluated immediately at the end of treatment and at 3 and 6 months after treatment. Of the 636 participants tested, 244 were positive. Intravenous drug use was more frequent among subjects who tested positive for HCV antibodies (99%). Among subjects who tested positive, 68% were HCV-RNA positive while 32% were negative. Among people referred to treatment, nearly 30% did not show up while 70% completed the treatment with success. Over 99% of people who started direct-acting antiviral agent (DAA) have a sustained response. We observed a significant higher prevalence of HCV positive subjects among people who inject drugs (99%) and we observed a high success rate for HCV treatment engagement. Rapid testing for HCV represents a potential tool for HCV screening among high-risk groups.

Screening for familial hypercholesterolaemia in primary school children: protocol for a cross-sectional, feasibility study in Luxembourg city (EARLIE)

IntroductionFamilial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is a frequent (1:300) autosomal dominantly inherited condition which causes premature (women <60 years, men <55 years) cardio–cerebrovascular disease (CVD). Early detection and initiation of treatment can...

Measuring clinical lead testing coverage to support a population health initiative

Abstract Despite national efforts to reduce lead exposure, some children are still exposed to lead, leading to damage to the nervous system, delayed development, and learning and behavioral problems. CDC has recommended targeting high-risk groups for screening. In addition, Texas Department of State Health Services reported a concerning 17% lead testing coverage of 0-to-5-year-olds in in Harris County (where Houston is located). With the eventual goal of improving lead-related clinical care in a large pediatric hospital network, we asked the following questions: 1) What are the high-risk groups specific to our patient population? 2) For patients who are screened positive, are we adequately confirming the results? 3) For those with confirmed lead exposure, are we providing adequate follow-up care? To answer these questions, we analyzed lead testing and hemoglobin testing data on all children less than 6 years of age from the Texas Children’s Hospital’s electronic health record between 2017 and 2021. Lead screening could be performed on capillary or venous blood, but for elevations on capillary blood we analyzed if the results were confirmed with a venous blood test, as recommended by CDC. We used hemoglobin testing as an indicator of follow-up care of lead-exposed children, because an anemia work-up is recommended for such children. We repeated analysis using two different lead level thresholds, because of recent change to the CDC blood lead reference value from 5 mcg/dL to 3.5 mcg/dL in May 2021. We found 273 children (0.33% of children with capillary blood test) to have cBLL = 3.5mcg/dL. There was a significant racial disparity in the rate of lead screening. For example, the screening rate of Black children was 14%, whereas that of White children were 23%. There was a geographic discrepancy between the areas with most elevated cBLL and testing volume. For example, the area where cBLL was most frequently elevated (3.7%) received less than a fifth of tests compared to the most well-tested area. Only 75% of children with a cBLL = 5mcg/dL received a timely venous blood lead test for confirmation, and this dropped to 43% for children with a cBLL = 3.5mcg/dL. Similarly, only 75% of children with a confirmed venous lead level = 5 mcg/dL received a follow-up repeat vBLL test, and 55% received a follow-up hemoglobin measurement. There is room for improvement in population lead health, in terms of both equity and resource distribution. Improvement of lead-related clinical practice could benefit hundreds of children in the Houston metropolitan area.

P435 Evaluation of remote triazole capillary blood testing to facilitate remote therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM): A validation study

Poster session 3, September 23, 2022, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PMBackgroundThe advent of COVID-19 has meant that patients with chronic diseases needed to shield, however, investigations were needed to guide continual management of their disease. Remote monitoring options were evaluated to ensure the standard of care is not compromised.Purpose and HypothesisThe aim was to validate remote (return-posted) capillary triazole blood testing and evaluate the potential role of remote TDM in chronic antifungal therapy.Materials and MethodsA single-center prospective cross-sectional study of remote finger prick capillary blood testing compared with gold standard venesection was performed. Remote finger prick capillary blood testing was validated compared to local standard venesection using comparative statistical analysis Comparative statistical analysis: Paired t-test, correlation and Bland-Altman were used to determine if there was agreement or association between the sampling methods.ResultsA total of 66 patients receiving triazole therapy were recruited and 57 pooled pairs of remote capillary and venous triazole concentrations and metabolites were prospectively analyzed, with the rest of the blood samples not being analyzed due to insufficient sample, hemolysis, or undetectable triazole level of <0.2 mg/l. There was a significant difference in the comparison of the two methods of sampling with paired t-test at P <.0001. Bland-Altman analysis yielded wide bias (−49.07%) and wide limits of agreement (−85.5% to −12.64%). On average capillary triazole, concentrations were 37% lower than venous concentrations (Fig. 1). There was however a very strong correlation between capillary and venous tests (Pearson's correlation coefficient r = 0.9219, P <.0001, Fig. 2).ConclusionsRemote capillary triazole sampling does not appear interchangeable with venous sampling, but being strongly correlated and on average 2/3rd of the venous value, could be a predictor of venous triazole level, or be useful for intra-patient longitudinal monitoring. When incorporated into an outpatient clinical pathway it can improve shared decision-making and patient experience. Further research is required to determine appropriate target reference ranges if the new lower capillary levels can be used routinely, especially in the climate of COVID-19 where social distancing measures limit patient access to hospitals and clinics for routine investigations.

Effect of Video Counseling about Prevention of Anemia on Adolescent Girls Behavior in Supporting the First 1000 Days of Life

BACKGROUND: Lack of knowledge, attitudes, and behavior awareness to prevent anemia among adolescent girls in supporting 1000 HPK has resulted in high anemia incidence in Indonesia. Multimedia counseling is a method of learning that involves audio, visual, and discussion to make it more interesting and easy to understand. AIM: This study analyzed the effect of multimedia counseling about prevention of anemia on adolescent girls behavior to prevent anemia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study used pre-test–post-test with control group design, with a quasi-experimental design using the case–control method. The study population was 259, the samples were 90 respondents who were assigned to two groups, namely, 45 people in anemia group and 45 in non-anemia group. The samples were selected by simple random sampling. Respondents were given multimedia counseling about anemia prevention, behavioral questionnaire and food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Capillary blood test was conducted using Quik-Check, an the respondents were followed up every week and evaluated for 5 weeks. Results were tested using t-test and linear regression. RESULTS: Multimedia counseling had an effect on knowledge (t = 3.097; CI = 95%; 2.229–10.215; p = 0.003), attitude (t = 9.56; CI = 95%; 10.055–15.331; p = 0.001), behavior (t = −2.22; CI = 95%; −4.628–−0.260; p = 0.029), FFQ (t = −2.18; CI = 95%; −4.883 – −0.227; p = 0.032), and BMI (t = −10.40; CI = 95%; −5.094 - −3.460; p = 0.001) among adolescent girls in preventing anemia with R-Square of 0.952 (95%). CONCLUSION: There was an effect of multimedia counseling on the increase in knowledge, attitudes, and behavior in preventing adolescent anemia. Provision of ongoing multimedia counseling and monitoring of female careers in preventing adolescent anemia needs to be improved. Therefore, the role of health-care providers for monitoring and evaluation is very necessary.

Are Glycaemic Response, Glycaemic Index, and Glycaemic Load of Traditional Palm Sugar (Arenga pinnata) Different from Cane Sugar?: An Oral Glucose Tolerance Test

Background: Palm sugar (Arenga pinnata) is believed to benefit people with diabetes mellitus since they believe it has a low glycemic index. However, the total carbohydrates in palm sugar, particularly sucrose, are high. Thus, offering palm sugar to diabetic people still needs further studies.Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine differences in the glycemic response, glycemic index, and glycemic load of palm sugar compared to cane sugar.Methods: This study used an experimental design. Measurement of the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) through the finger-prick capillary blood test method. The main materials in this study were commercial white cane sugar as reference food and traditional palm sugar product of Lebak District, Banten Province, as a test food. Reference food and test food were provided equivalent to 50 g available carbohydrate dissolved in 250 ml mineral water subjected to 5 men and 5 women. The glycemic response was determined by the area under the curve (AUC) of the trapezoid method. The difference in glycemic response between the reference food and the test food was assessed using the independent sample t-test.Results: The peak of the increase in blood glucose occurred at 30 minutes. There was no difference in glycemic response between the reference food and the test food (p-value 0.685). The palm sugar glycemic index was 98.71 and was categorized into the high GI category. Meanwhile, the glycemic load of palm sugar and cane sugar was 11.80 and 12.22, those categorized into the medium GL category.Conclusions: No differences in glycemic response between palm sugar and cane sugar. The glycemic index of palm sugar was considered high and was not significantly different from cane sugar. The glycemic load of palm sugar and cane sugar was classified as moderate due to the small serving size. Using palm sugar less than cane sugar was expected to provide a lower glycemic response, glycemic index, and glycemic load.

Eksplanasi penyuluhan multimedia tentang pencegahan anemia terhadap perilaku remaja putri mencegah anemia

The way to cut off the chain of stunting is by inplanting clean and healthy living behaviors and consuming balanced nutrition in adolescent girls. Counseling using multimedia is more interesting than audio and visual, so it makes easier for teenagers to understand in stunting prevention.this study aims to analyze the explanation of multimedia counseling about prevention of anemia on adolescent girls behavior to prevent anemia. This study used pretest - posttest with control group design, with a quasi-experimental. The study population was 259, the samples were 90 respondents who were devided equally, they were 45 respondents to experiment groups and control groups selected by simple random sampling. Experiment groups used multimedia, while control groups used lecture and PPT. Respondents were given multimedia counseling about anemia prevention, behavioral questionnaire. Capillary blood test was conducted using Quik-Check, and the respondents were followed up every week and evaluated for 5 weeks. The results were tested using T-Test and linear regression. The results of this study obtained multimedia counseling had an effect on behavior (t = -2.22; CI = 95%; -4.628- -0.260; p value = 0.029). There was a multimedia explanation of the behavior of adolescent girls in preventing anemia.

Reliability of Capillary Complete Blood Count in Children With Acute Gastroenteritis.

Background: To assess the reliability of complete blood count (CBC) in the capillary blood of children with acute gastroenteritis (AGE), with a focus on leukocytes.Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study. Complete blood count was compared between the capillary and venous blood in children admitted to a pediatric gastroenterology department with primary diagnosis of AGE (ICD-10 A09, A08.0, A08.2). Capillary blood was obtained in the emergency room and venous blood was sampled in the ward shortly thereafter during peripheral intravenous line placement.Results: One hundred and forty children were included. The mean (±SD) age and weight of patients were 3.0 ± 2.9 years and 16 ± 9 kg; 26% had leukocytosis. The mean difference between obtaining results of capillary and venous blood tests was 2 ± 1 h. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for the identification of leukocytosis using the capillary blood was 0.98 (95% CI 0.96–1.0). The sensitivity and specificity were 86 and 98%, respectively (accuracy 95%). The positive and negative predictive values were 94 and 95%, respectively. The intraclass correlation coefficient revealed high concordance between capillary and venous CBC measurements (leukocyte count 0.94, hemoglobin 0.88, erythrocyte count 0.77, hematocrit 0.79, platelet count 0.90). Matched pairs comparisons revealed marginally higher erythrocytes (difference of medians: 0.2 T/L), hemoglobin (0.3 g/dL), hematocrit (1.0%), and platelets (9 G/L) in the capillary blood.Conclusion: Capillary CBC is useful in detecting leukocytosis in children with AGE.

Utilisation of remote capillary blood testing in an outpatient clinic setting to improve shared decision making and patient and clinician experience: a validation and pilot study

BackgroundIn a tertiary respiratory centre, large cohorts of patients are managed in an outpatient setting and require blood tests to monitor disease activity and organ toxicity. This requires either visits...

Prevalence of Anemia, Iron-Deficiency Anemia, and Associated Factors among Children Aged 1-5 Years in the Rural, Malaria-Endemic Setting of Popokabaka, Democratic Republic of Congo: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Iron deficiency (ID), the leading cause of anemia and the most common nutritional deficiency globally, is not well reported among children in malaria-endemic settings, and little is known about its contribution to anemia in these settings. We aimed to assess the prevalence of anemia, the role of ID using multiple parameters, and the factors associated with anemia in a malaria-endemic rural area. We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study of 432 children aged 1–5 years from the Popokabaka Health Zone, Democratic Republic of Congo. Sociodemographic characteristics, medical history, anthropometric parameters, and biochemical parameters were considered. Hemoglobin and malaria prevalence were assessed using rapid finger-prick capillary blood testing in the field. Venous blood samples were analyzed for serum ferritin, serum iron, total iron-binding capacity, and C-reactive protein (CRP) in a laboratory. Anemia was found in 294 out of 432 (68%) patients. Malaria was found in 375 out of 432 (87%), and ID in 1.8% according to diagnosis by adjusted ferritin only and in 12.9% according to transferrin saturation. ID indicators were not significantly correlated with low hemoglobin levels. Malaria, fever, and CRP > 5 mg/L were major factors associated with anemia in Popokabaka. Anemia control should focus on treating inflammatory conditions and infectious diseases among children in such settings.

Effect of community and peer support based healthy lifestyle program (CP-HELP) on self care behavior and fasting blood glucose in patient with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

This study aimed to examine the effect of community and peer support based healthy lifestyle program (CP-HELP) on self-care behavior and fasting blood glucose in patient with T2DM. The research design was used quasi experimental pre and post-test design. 163 participants with T2DM were divided into two groups, 83 participants as intervention group were given CP-HELP intervention and 80 participants as control group were given usual care. Measurement of self-care behavior used Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire (DSMQ). Furthermore, measurement of fasting blood glucose was measuredby capillary blood test. This study was used paired t test and multivariate analysis of variance. An increase of mean value of self-care behavior was occurred in both of group intervention and control. A significant different between pre-test and post-test in intervention group (p = 0.000). Results of statistical test used paired t test in control group, was not showed significantly different (p = 0.249). Improved of fasting blood glucose only occurred in intervention group (p = 0.020). Results of multivariate statistic test was showed in both outcomes obtained significant value less than 0.05, self-care behavior (p = 0.010), fasting blood glucose (p = 0.042). CP-HELP may be a promising interventional strategy to improve self-care behavior and improving of fasting blood glucose in patient with T2DM.The research results can be used as an important reference for improving self care behavior and fasting blood glucose in patient with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare personnel: results from an early systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background.SARS-CoV-2 infection has become a global public health concern globally. Even though Healthcare Workers (HCWs) are supposedly at increased risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection, to date no pooled evidence has been collected.Materials and Methods.We searched online electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, medRxiv.org for pre-prints) for all available contribution (up to May 20, 2019). Two Authors independently screened articles and extracted the data. The pooled prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 was analyzed using the random-effects model. The possible sources of heterogeneity were analyzed through subgroup analysis, and meta-regression.Results.The overall pooled prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 was 3.5% (95%CI 1.8–6.6) for studies based on molecular assays, 5.5% (95%CI 2.1–14.1) for studies based on serological assays, and 6.5% (95%CI 2.5–15.6) for point-of-care capillary blood tests. Among subgroups, serological tests identified higher risk for SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity in physicians than in nurses (OR 1.436, 95%CI 1.026 to 2.008). Regression analysis indicated the possible presence of publication bias only for molecular tests (t -3.3526, p-value 0.002648).Conclusions.The overall pooled prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 was lower than previously expected, but available studies were affected by significant heterogeneity, and the molecular studies by significant publication bias. Therefore, further high-quality research in the field is warranted. (www.actabiomedica.it)