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  1. Marc I, Boutin A, Pronovost E, Perez Herrera NM, Guillot M, Bergeron F, et al.
    JAMA Netw Open, 2023 Mar 01;6(3):e233934.
    PMID: 36943265 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.3934
    IMPORTANCE: High-dose docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid, may affect the risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). However, high-level summative evidence supporting such clinical association in very preterm infants is lacking.

    OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between enteral supplementation with high-dose DHA during the neonatal period and the risk of BPD in preterm infants born at less than 29 weeks' gestation.

    DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, medRxiv, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from inception to August 1, 2022, for eligible articles with no language restrictions.

    STUDY SELECTION: Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) were eligible for inclusion (1) if their interventions involved direct administration of a minimum DHA supplementation of 40 mg/kg/d or breast milk or formula feeding of at least 0.4% of total fatty acids, and (2) if they reported data on either BPD, death, BPD severity, or a combined outcome of BPD and death.

    DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Two investigators completed independent review of titles and abstracts, full text screening, data extraction, and quality assessment using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0. Risk ratios (RRs) with 95% CIs were pooled using random-effect meta-analyses.

    MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Primary outcome was BPD using trial-specific definitions, which was further stratified for RCTs that used a more stringent BPD definition based on systematic pulse oximetry assessment at 36 weeks' postmenstrual age. Other outcomes were BPD, death, BPD severity, or combined BPD and death.

    RESULTS: Among the 2760 studies screened, 4 RCTs were included, which involved 2304 infants (1223 boys [53.1%]; mean [SD] gestational age, 26.5 [1.6] weeks). Enteral supplementation with high-dose DHA was associated with neither BPD (4 studies [n = 2186 infants]; RR, 1.07 [95% CI, 0.86-1.34]; P = .53; I2 = 72%) nor BPD or death (4 studies [n = 2299 infants]; RR, 1.04 [95% CI, 0.91-1.18]; P = .59; I2 = 61%). However, an inverse association with BPD was found in RCTs that used a more stringent BPD definition (2 studies [n = 1686 infants]; RR, 1.20 [95% CI, 1.01-1.42]; P = .04; I2 = 48%). Additionally, DHA was inversely associated with moderate-to-severe BPD (3 studies [n = 1892 infants]; RR, 1.16 [95% CI, 1.04-1.29]; P = .008; I2 = 0%).

    CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Results of this study showed that enteral supplementation with high-dose DHA in the neonatal period was not associated overall with BPD, but an inverse association was found in the included RCTs that used a more stringent BPD definition. These findings suggest that high-dose DHA supplementation should not be recommended to prevent BPD in very preterm infants.

  2. Samson KLI, Loh SP, Lee SS, Sulistyoningrum DC, Khor GL, Mohd Shariff ZB, et al.
    J Nutr, 2021 Aug 07;151(8):2264-2270.
    PMID: 33978167 DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxab115
    BACKGROUND: Weekly iron-folic acid (IFA) supplements are recommended for all menstruating women in countries where anemia prevalence is ≥20%; however, it is unknown whether the inclusion of folic acid in weekly IFA supplements reduces anemia.

    OBJECTIVES: We examined whether the inclusion of folic acid in weekly IFA supplements conferred any benefit on hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, anemia reduction, or iron status [ferritin and soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR)], over iron alone.

    METHODS: In this secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial in Malaysia, n = 311 nonpregnant women (18-45 y old) received 60 mg Fe with either 0, 0.4, or 2.8 mg folic acid once-weekly for 16 wk. Fasting blood was collected at baseline and 16 wk. A generalized linear model (normal distribution with identity link) was used to assess Hb concentration at 16 wk (primary outcome).

    RESULTS: At baseline, 84% of women had low folate status (plasma folate  0.05). Baseline plasma folate concentration did not modify the effect of treatment on Hb concentration at 16 wk. Among all women, the risks of anemia [risk ratio (RR): 0.65; 95% CI: 0.45, 0.96; P = 0.03] and iron deficiency based on ferritin (RR: 0.30; 95% CI: 0.20, 0.44; P 

  3. Samson KLI, Loh SP, Khor GL, Mohd Shariff Z, Yelland LN, Leemaqz S, et al.
    BMJ Open, 2020 02 05;10(2):e034598.
    PMID: 32029499 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-034598
    INTRODUCTION: Folic acid (0.4 mg) taken prior to and during early pregnancy reduces the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs). Because these birth defects occur early in pregnancy, before women may know they are pregnant, many countries have mandated the addition of folic acid to food staples. In countries where fortification is not possible, and weekly iron folic acid programmes exist to reduce anaemia, the WHO recommends that 2.8 mg (7×0.4 mg) folic acid be given instead of the current weekly practice of 0.4 mg. Currently, there is a lack of evidence to support if the 2.8 mg folic acid per week dose is sufficient to raise erythrocyte folate concentrations to a level associated with a reduced risk of a NTD-affected pregnancy. We aim to conduct a three-arm randomised controlled trial to determine the effect of weekly folic acid with iron on erythrocyte folate, a biomarker of NTD risk.

    METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will recruit non-pregnant women (n=300; 18-45 years) from Selangor, Malaysia. Women will be randomised to receive either 2.8, 0.4 or 0.0 (placebo) mg folic acid with 60 mg iron weekly for 16 weeks, followed by a 4-week washout period. The primary outcome will be erythrocyte folate concentration at 16 weeks and the mean concentration will be compared between randomised treatment groups (intention-to-treat) using a linear regression model adjusting for the baseline measure.

    ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval was obtained from the University of British Columbia (H18-00768) and Universiti Putra Malaysia (JKEUPM-2018-255). The results of this trial will be presented at scientific conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals.

    TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBERS: ACTRN12619000818134 and NMRR-19-119-45736.

  4. Samson KLI, Loh SP, Lee SS, Sulistyoningrum DC, Khor GL, Shariff ZBM, et al.
    BMJ Glob Health, 2020 12;5(12).
    PMID: 33272946 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-003897
    INTRODUCTION: Weekly iron-folic acid (IFA) supplements are recommended for all menstruating women in countries where anaemia prevalence is >20%. Anaemia caused by folate deficiency is low worldwide, and the need to include folic acid is in question. Including folic acid might reduce the risk of a neural tube defect (NTD) should a woman become pregnant. Most weekly supplements contain 0.4 mg folic acid; however, WHO recommends 2.8 mg because it is seven times the daily dose effective in reducing NTDs. There is a reluctance to switch to supplements containing 2.8 mg of folic acid because of a lack of evidence that this dose would prevent NTDs. Our aim was to investigate the effect of two doses of folic acid, compared with placebo, on red blood cell (RBC) folate, a biomarker of NTD risk.

    METHODS: We conducted a three-arm double-blind efficacy trial in Malaysia. Non-pregnant women (n=331) were randomised to receive 60 mg iron and either 0, 0.4, or 2.8 mg folic acid once weekly for 16 weeks.

    RESULTS: At 16 weeks, women receiving 0.4 mg and 2.8 mg folic acid per week had a higher mean RBC folate than those receiving 0 mg (mean difference (95% CI) 84 (54 to 113) and 355 (316 to 394) nmol/L, respectively). Women receiving 2.8 mg folic acid had a 271 (234 to 309) nmol/L greater mean RBC folate than those receiving 0.4 mg. Moreover, women in the 2.8 mg group were seven times (RR 7.3, 95% CI 3.9 to 13.7; p<0.0001) more likely to achieve an RBC folate >748 nmol/L, a concentration associated with a low risk of NTD, compared with the 0.4 mg group.

    CONCLUSION: Weekly IFA supplements containing 2.8 mg folic acid increases RBC folate more than those containing 0.4 mg. Increased availability and access to the 2.8 mg formulation is needed.

    TRAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER: This trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry (ACTRN12619000818134).

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