Objective: To systematically analyze the relationship between maternal anemia and low birth weight. Methods: A search of studies was conducted in the main databases (Medline, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, SciELO, and Lilacs), the gray literature, and the reference lists of selected articles. Cohort and case-control studies that met the eligibility criteria were included in the review. There was no limitation on the language or date of publication. Article selection and data extraction were performed by two independent reviewers. Meta-analyses with random effects, subgroup analyses and meta-regressions were performed. Publication bias was measured using Egger regression and visual funnel plot inspection. Results: A total of 7243 articles were found, of which 71 comprised the systematic review and 68 were included in the meta-analyses. Maternal anemia was associated with low birth weight with an adjusted OR: 1.23 (95% CI: 1.06–1.43) and I²: 58%. The meta-regressions confirmed that the sample size and the methodological quality may partially explain the statistical heterogeneity. Conclusions: Maternal anemia was considered a risk factor for low birth weight.

To investigate the association between maternal anemia and low/insufficient birth weight. A prospective cohort study of pregnant women who underwent prenatal care at the healthcare units in a municipality of northeast Brazil together with their newborn infants was carried out. The pregnant women were classified as having anemia when the hemoglobin level was below 11 g/dl. Infants who were born full term weighing less than 2500 grams were classified as low birth weight, and those weighing between 2500 and 2999 grams were classified as insufficient weight. The occurrence of maternal anemia and its association with birth weight was verified using crude and adjusted Relative Risk (RR) estimates with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs). The final sample was comprised of 622 women. Maternal anemia was considered a risk factor for low/insufficient birth weight, after adjusting the effect measurement for maternal age, family income, urinary infection, parity, alcoholic beverage consumption during pregnancy and gestational body mass index: RR_adjusted = 1.38 [95% CI: 1.07 to 1.77]. Maternal anemia was associated with low/insufficient birth weight, representing a risk factor for the gestational outcomes studied.

Context: Clinical trials have investigated the effect of probiotics on postsurgical complications in colorectal cancer (CRC). However, so far, there are no systematic reviews evaluating the effect of probiotics and synbiotics on the clinical or infectious postsurgical complications of colorectal cancer.Objective: The objective of this review was to synthesize the best available evidence on the effects of the use of probiotics or synbiotics on pre-, peri-, and post-operative complications of CRC surgical resection.Data Sources: A search of the PubMed, Embase, LILACS, Scopus, Cochrane, Web of Science, ProQuest, and Google Scholar databases was conducted for clinical trials published up until January 2022.Data Extraction: The population characteristics, period and protocol of supplementation, and postoperative complications were extracted and reported. A random-effects model was used to estimate the effect of probiotic and synbiotic treatment on these variables.Data Synthesis: In total, 2518 studies were identified, of which 16 were included in the qualitative synthesis and 13 in the meta-analysis. Overall, probiotic supplementation reduced the incidence of ileus (odds ratio [OR] = .13, 95% confidence interval [CI]: .02, .78), diarrhea (OR = .32, 95% CI: .15, .69), abdominal collection (OR: .35, 95% CI: .13, .92), sepsis (OR = .41, 95% CI: .22, .80), pneumonia (OR = .39, 95% CI: .19, .83), and surgical site infection (OR = .53, 95% CI: .36, .78). The results of the subgroup analysis indicated that lower dose (14 days), and being administrated ≤5 days before and >10 days after surgery was more effective at reducing the incidence of surgical site infection.Conclusion: Probiotics and synbiotics seem to be a promising strategy for the prevention of postoperative complications after CRC surgery. Larger, high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to establish the optimal treatment protocol for the use of probiotics and synbiotics in preventing postoperative complications for CRC surgery.

Household food insecurity (HFI) during childhood is associated with poor dietary diversity and malnutrition, placing children's growth at risk. Children with growth disorders, such as stunting, are more likely to have poor cognition and educational performance, lower economic status, and an increased risk of nutrition‐related chronic diseases in adulthood. Our study aimed to systematically review and conduct a meta‐analysis of cohort studies investigating the association between HFI and stunting in children aged 0−59 months. Peer‐reviewed and grey literature were systematically searched in electronic databases with no language or date restrictions. Two reviewers independently assessed the studies for pre‐established eligibility criteria. Data were extracted using a standard protocol. Random‐effects meta‐analysis models were used, and I² > 40% indicated high heterogeneity across studies. We used the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system to assess the quality of the evidence. Nine cohort studies comprising 46,300 children were included. Approximately 80% (n = 7) of the studies found a positive association between HFI and stunting. Pooled odds ratio was 1.00 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.87−1.14; I²: 76.14%). The pooled hazard ratio between moderate and severe HFI and stunting was 1.02 (95% CI: 0.84−1.22; I²: 85.96%). Due to high heterogeneity, the quality of evidence was very low. Individual studies showed an association between HFI and stunting in children aged 0–59 months; however, this association was not sustained in the pooled analysis, possibly because of high heterogeneity across studies.