Health outcomes of iron supplementation and/or food fortification in iron-replete children aged 4-24 months: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

© 2019 The Author(s). Background: Direct supplementation or food fortification with iron are two public health initiatives intended to reduce the prevalence of iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) in 4-24-month-old infants. In most high-income countries where IDA prevalence is 40%. Emerging concerns about delayed neurological effects of early-life iron overexposure have raised questions as to whether recommended guidelines in high-income countries are unnecessarily excessive. This systematic review will gather evidence from supplementation/fortification trials, comparing health outcomes in studies where iron-replete children did or did not receive additional dietary iron; and determine if replete children at study outset were not receiving additional iron show changes in haematological indices of ID/IDA over the trial duration. Methods: We will perform a systematic review of the literature, including all studies of iron supplementation and/or fortification, including study arms with confirmed iron-replete infants at the commencement of the trial. This includes both dietary iron intervention or placebo/average dietary intakes. One reviewer will conduct searches in electronic databases of published and ongoing trials (Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, CENTRAL, EBSCO [e.g. CINAHL Complete, Food Science and Technology Abstracts], Embase, ClinicalTrials.gov, ClinicalTrialsRegister.eu and who.it/trialsearch), digital theses and dissertations (WorldCat, Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations, DART-Europe E-theses Portal, Australasian Digital Theses Program, Theses Canada Portal and ProQuest). For eligible studies, one reviewer will use a data extraction form, and a second reviewing entered data for accuracy. Both reviewers will independently perform quality assessments before qualitative and, if appropriate, quantitative synthesis as a meta-analysis. We will resolve any discrepancies through discussion or consult a third author to resolve discrepancies. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement will be used as the basis for reporting. Discussion: Recommended iron supplementation and food fortification practices in high-income countries have been criticised for being both excessive and based on outdated or underpowered studies. This systematic review will build a case for revisiting iron intake guidelines for infants through the design of new trials where health effects of additional iron intake in iron-replete infants are the primary outcome. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42018093744

The Forel-Ule scale revisited spectrally: preparation protocol, transmission measurements and chromaticity

Within the EC-funded project CITLOPS (Citizens' Observatory for Coast and Ocean Optical Monitoring), with its main goal to empower endusers, willing to employ community-based environmental monitoring, our aim is to digitalize the colours of the Forel-Ule scale to establish the colour of natural waters through smartphone imaging. The objective of this study was to reproduce the Forel-Ule scale following the original recipes, measure the transmission of the solutions and calculate the chromaticity coordinates of the scale as Wernand and Van der Woerd did in 2010, for the future development of a smartphone application. Some difficulties were encountered when producing the scale, so a protocol for its consistent reproduction was developed and is described in this study. Recalculated chromaticity coordinates are presented and compared to measurements conducted by former scientists. An error analysis of the spectral and colourimetric information shows negligible experimental errors

Strehl ratio and optimum focus of high-numerical-aperture beams

We analytically calculate the focus setting for a beam with a high numerical aperture (NA) that optimizes its Strehl ratio in the case of small aberrations up to the ’just’ diffraction-limited value (Strehl ratio ≥0.80). The optimum focus setting deviates from the one that follows from a minimization of the wavefront aberration with the aid of the Zernike aberration coefficients. This deviation stems largely from the fact that the common quadratic approximation of the focus term becomes inadequate in the high-NA case. Fundamental high-NA amplitude nonuniformity in the exit pupil of an optical system in the case of a linearly polarized incident beam also nfluences the optimum focus setting. Results for spherical aberration and astigmatism are presented for an NA-value of 0.95

Psychological impact of preconception counseling: Assessment of anxiety before and during pregnancy

Objective: Assessment of anxiety levels in women and men before and after preconception counseling and during the first trimester of pregnancy. Methods: Couples were recruited from the fertility clinic of the University Medical Center Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Anxiety was assessed using the 40-item Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Results: 53 women and 51 men (74%) completed the STAI both before and after counseling. Anxiety levels did not change significantly after counseling or during the first trimester of pregnancy. 83.4% would recommend preconception counseling to others. Conclusion: Preconception counseling is valued by the majority of women and men and does not lead to adverse psychological effects. Copyrigh