Background: Early detection of iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) can enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of clinical treatment and quality of life for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. This study aimed to evaluate the validity of CHr and %Hypo in screening IDA among ESRD patients and compare their performance with screening IDA among non-ESRD patients. Method: A retrospective analysis of 312 participants was conducted at Cho Ray Hospital, Vietnam, including healthy control participants and ESRD patients. Receiver operator characteristics curves and the area under the curve (AUC) of models were used to evaluate the performance of CHr, %Hypo. Optimal cutoff values were determined using Youden's index. Results: Detecting IDA in ESRD patients is more complicated, as the screening performance of CHr and %Hypo in predicting IDA among ESRD patients were lower than non ESRD group, but still reasonable with AUC = 0.748 (95% CI: 0.656-0.840, power = 0.997) and 0.740 (95% CI: 0.647-0.833, power = 0.996), respectively. Cutoff values of CHr < 31.5 pg and %Hypo> 10.0 pg are recommended to obtain optimal screening ability for Vietnamese ESRD patients. Conclusion: CHr and %Hypo appears to be useful tools for screening IDA among both non ESRD and ESRD patients. The low cost and accessible of the two markers encourage their utility as effective screening tools in clinical practice.

IntroductionDiabetic bone disease is characterized by an increased fracture risk which may be partly attributed to deficits in cortical bone quality such as higher cortical porosity. However, the temporal evolution of bone microarchitecture, strength, and particularly of cortical porosity in diabetic bone disease is still unknown. Here, we aimed to prospectively characterize the 5-year changes in bone microarchitecture, strength, and cortical porosity in type 2 diabetic (T2D) postmenopausal women with (DMFx) and without history of fragility fractures (DM) and to compare those to nondiabetic fracture free controls (Co) using high resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT).MethodsThirty-two women underwent baseline HR-pQCT scanning of the ultradistal tibia and radius and a FU-scan 5 years later. Bone microarchitectural parameters, including cortical porosity, and bone strength estimates via µFEA were calculated for each timepoint and annualized. Linear regression models (adjusted for race and change in BMI) were used to compare the annualized percent changes in microarchitectural parameters between groups.ResultsAt baseline at the tibia, DMFx subjects exhibited the highest porosity of the three groups (66.3% greater Ct.Po, 71.9% higher Ct.Po.Volume than DM subjects, p &lt; 0.022). Longitudinally, porosity increased significantly over time in all three groups and at similar annual rates, while DMFx exhibited the greatest annual decreases in bone strength indices (compared to DM 4.7× and 6.7× greater decreases in failure load [F] and stiffness [K], p &lt; 0.025; compared to Co 14.1× and 22.2× greater decreases in F and K, p &lt; 0.020).ConclusionOur data suggest that despite different baseline levels in cortical porosity, T2D women with and without fractures experienced long-term porosity increases at a rate similar to non-diabetics. However, the annual loss in bone strength was greatest in T2D women with a history of a fragility fractures. This suggests a potentially non-linear course of cortical porosity development in T2D bone disease: major porosity may develop early in the course of disease, followed by a smaller steady annual increase in porosity which in turn can still have a detrimental effect on bone strength—depending on the amount of early cortical pre-damage.

Rationale: Catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome (CAPS) is a rare, life-threatening condition of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Treatment and management of CAPS remain challenging and the mortality rate is approximately 50% among cases. We describe a successfully treated case of a CAPS patient who had undergone massive bowel resection due to obstruction of superior mesenteric artery. Patient concerns: A 40-year-old male patient was admitted to our hospital with acute abdominal pain, melena, and a history of deep vein thrombosis in both legs for over 10 years, there was no previous diagnosis of APS. Diagnosis: The patient was diagnosed as CAPS with bowel necrosis due to obstruction of superior mesenteric artery based on the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies, computed tomography scan, and histopathological examination. Interventions: Emergency surgery was performed to remove approximately 6 meters of the necrotic small intestine, of which the length of the remaining small intestine was 40 cm from the duodenum and 80 cm from the ileocaecal valve. Anticoagulants were prescribed with low molecular weight heparin. After discharging, APS was managed with direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) for secondary thromboprophylaxis because the patient was unable to reach target International Normalized Ratio (INR) with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs). Outcomes: During 24 months of follow-up until now, the patient did not develop new thrombosis or relapse CAPS and his state remained stable. Lessons: While VKAs is amongst the most important and fundamental treatment, physicians should be aware that VKAs are absorbed via the small intestine. For CAPS cases who had undergone massive bowel resection, DOACs is a reasonable alternative which has been found to be as safe and effective as VKAs in terms of thrombosis prevention.

Background Due to the increasing demand for kidney transplants, sometimes donors with underlying medical conditions can be considered for living kidney donor transplant. Thalassemia is amongst the most common inherited disorders of hemoglobin globally, which is not restricted as an exclusion criterion. However, there is currently no study examine the safety and characteristics of kidney donors with thalassemia minor. Methods All eligible live kidney donors between 2016 and 2019 with thalassemia minor at a tertiary hospital were recruited. Baseline characteristics, clinical and laboratory outcomes were investigated. Results Fifteen donors (11 women, 55.5 ± 15.0 year-old) were included with a follow-up duration of 2 (1-4) years since operation. The most prevalent gene mutation among participants was DEL-SEA. No clinical manifestations of anemia were seen but 10 participants had mild anemia diagnosed from blood tests. Cardiovascular, liver and renal function were normal before nephrectomy. Until now, all donors are alive and maintain overall good health. Anemia condition is not affected, and the post-donation eGFR = 71.04 ± 11.54 mL/min/1.73m2 is comparable to outcomes of healthy donors reported in previous studies. Two donors are at risk of proteinuria at 1-year post-transplant with A/C ratio > 30 mg/g. Conclusions Thalassemia minor individuals who are non-transfusion-dependent, without anemia clinical manifestations and have no contraindications to kidney donation are safe to be donors in short-term. An eGFR of at least 80 mL/min/1.73m2 should be considered to avoid low post-donation eGFR, and awareness should be raised on thalassemia donors with even mild albuminuria. Nephrectomy does not worsen thalassemia.

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