Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific disorder characterized by the presence of hypertension with the onset of either proteinuria, maternal organ or uteroplacental dysfunction. Preeclampsia is one of the leading causes of maternal and fetal mortality and morbidity worldwide. However, the etiopathologies of preeclampsia are not fully understood. Many studies have indicated that genes are differentially expressed between normal and in the disease state. Hence, this study systematically searched the literature on human gene expression that was differentially expressed in preeclampsia. An electronic search was performed through 2019 through PubMed, Scopus, Ovid-Medline, and Gene Expression Omnibus where the following MeSH (Medical Subject Heading) terms were used and they had been specified as the primary focus of the articles: Gene, placenta, preeclampsia, and pregnancy in the title or We also found additional MeSH terms through Cochrane Library: Transcript, sequencing, and profiling. From 687 studies retrieved from the search, only original publications that had performed high throughput sequencing of human placental tissues that reported on differentially expressed genes in pregnancies with preeclampsia were included. Two reviewers independently scrutinized the titles and abstracts before examining the eligibility of studies that met the inclusion criteria. For each study, study design, sample size, sampling type, and method for gene analysis and gene were identified. The genes listed were further analyzed with the DAVID, STRING and Cytoscape MCODE. Three original research articles involving preeclampsia comprising the datasets in gene expression were included. By combining three studies together, 250 differentially expressed genes were produced at a significance setting of p < 0.05. We identified candidate genes: LEP, NRIP1, SASH1, and ZADHHC8P1. Through GO analysis, we found extracellular matrix organization as the highly significant enriched ontology in a group of upregulated genes and immune process in downregulated genes. Studies on a genetic level have the potential to provide new insights into the regulation and to widen the basis for identification of changes in the mechanism of preeclampsia. Integrated bioinformatics could identify differentially expressed genes which could be candidate genes and potential pathways in preeclampsia that may improve our understanding of the cause and underlying molecular mechanisms that could be used as potential biomarkers for risk stratification and treatment.

Background: Iron deficiency anaemia is one of the most prevalent nutritional deficiencies in the world which indicates poor nutrition and health. It is characterized by the reduction or absence of serum iron as well as iron stores in the body. Supplementation of calcium rich diet such as animals’ milk is known to have inhibitory effect on iron bioavailability. However, recent studies have found that goat’s milk does not only increase iron bioavailability in iron deficiency anaemia but also minimized the interference of iron absorption. This systematic review aims to evaluate the potential of goat’s milk as a treatment for iron deficiency anaemia. Methods: The search was conducted for relevant articles published in four electronic indexed databases namely Medline, Ovid, Scopus, and PubMed. Relevant reviews, manuscripts and bibliographies of screened studies were searched using Google search engine. Data reporting involved systematic reviews and report of the study according to PRISMA guidelines. Results: A total of eight articles were found to meet the inclusion criteria. It was reported that iron deficient rats treated with goat’s milk showed increased hemoglobin regeneration efficiencies. This was evidenced by increased serum haemoglobin, red blood cell count, packed cell volume, haematocrit and mean cell volume. The DMT-1 receptor in the small intestine was also up-regulated indicating induction of erythropoiesis. These findings were more significant with whole goat’s milk than skim powdered goat’s milk. In iron deficient subjects treated with iron therapy, iron bioavailability was not affected with goat’s milk supplementation whereas it was significantly low with cow’s milk. The serum iron, ferritin, hepcidin levels as well as iron stores in liver, spleen and bone marrow were improved when treated with goat’s milk. In normal rats, iron stores were reduced in the group treated with cow’s milk and high calcium diet but not in the group supplemented with goat’s milk and high calcium diet. Conclusion: This review identified several reports on the beneficial effect of goat milk in iron deficiency anaemia. The findings support the hypothesis that goat’s milk is beneficial in iron deficiency anaemia. The diet of iron deficient subjects is recommended to include goat’s milk as the hemoglobin regeneration efficiencies as well as the iron store are increased. It was also noted that goat’s milk did not interfere with iron absorption and it improves the metabolism and digestion of calcium.

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a medical condition characterized by insufficient iron levels in the body, resulting in a reduced ability to produce hemoglobin (Hb), a critical component of red blood cells. IDA is often associated with chronic fatigue, impaired cognitive function, and diminished well-being. Transferrin (Tf) is one of the major proteins in iron homeostasis, responsible for transporting iron through the blood to various tissues, while its carrier protein, transferrin receptor (TfR), mediates the cellular uptake of transferrin-bound iron into the cell. This study aims to evaluate the expression of TfR mRNA and protein in the small intestine following intervention with date palm and goat milk in IDA-induced rats. Twenty-four male Wistar rats were induced with IDA for 2 weeks using a low-iron diet. Following IDA detection, rats were supplemented with date palm and goat milk, singly and in combination. After four weeks, the rats were sacrificed, and the expression of TfR mRNA and protein in the small intestine was assessed using qPCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Data were analyzed using SPSS 24.0, with a significance level set at p<0.05. Results demonstrated that date palm and goat milk significantly improved Hb, serum iron, Tf saturation levels, and modulated the expression of TfR mRNA in the IDA-induced rats. Expression of TfR on the crypt region and brush border membrane of the small intestine was normalized following intervention. The findings indicate that supplementation of date palm and goat milk improved Hb and Tf saturation levels and significantly modulated duodenal TfR expression in IDA-induced rats.

The COVID-19 pandemic has global impact, especially to vulnerable populations such as elderly. This population may be affected with health issues in which telehealth appears to be a potential platform to improve their quality of life. The study aimed at reporting current literature on the benefits of telehealth among elderly during COVID-19 pandemic. The review emulates the five-phase framework of scoping reviews by Arksey and O’Malley, using three databases: MEDLINE, Scopus, and EBSCOhost. The MeSH term used were (("elderly" OR "older adult" OR "geriatric" OR "aged people") AND ("COVID-19" OR "COVID-19 pandemic)) AND ("telehealth " OR "telemedicine" OR "virtual consultation" OR " teleconsultation" OR "telecare"). A total of 390 articles were screened, of which 21 full-text articles were included. The papers were of systematic or scoping reviews (n=4), cross-sectional studies (n=6), longitudinal cohort studies (n=3), case reports (n=1), randomized control trials (n=1), qualitative studies (n=5) and 1 mixed method study. This review enlightened the role and benefits of telehealth services among the elderly in personal, psychosocial and environmental aspects. The barriers include their physical, cognitive and technical issues which limit telehealth utilization. Thus, recommendations were structured to enhance the efficiency in terms of technologically enabled aspects, patient-related factors, and provider-related factors. A rapid scale-up of telehealth services is significant for the provision of healthcare services among elderly. The accessibility of telehealth must be prioritized for older patients, their caregivers and health care provider to improve the quality of healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.