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Alam J, Fahim SM, Islam MR, Alam MA, Gazi MA, Ahmed T. Effects of L-Carnitine Supplementation on the Rate of Weight Gain and Biomarkers of Environmental Enteric Dysfunction in Children with Severe Acute Malnutrition: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial. J Nutr 2024; 154:949-961. [PMID: 38331348 DOI: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2024.01.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a major public health concern among low- and middle-income countries, where the majority of the children encountering this acute form of malnutrition suffer from environmental enteric dysfunction (EED). However, evidence regarding the effects of L-carnitine supplementation on the rate of weight gain and EED biomarkers in malnourished children is limited. OBJECTIVES We aimed to investigate the role of L-carnitine supplementation on the rate of weight gain, duration of hospital stays, and EED biomarkers among children with SAM. METHODS A prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial was conducted at the Nutritional Rehabilitation Unit (NRU) of Dhaka Hospital, International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh. Children with SAM aged 9-24 mo were randomly assigned to receive commercial L-carnitine syrup (100 mg/kg/d) or placebo for 15 d in addition to standard of care. A total of 98 children with Weight-for-Length-z-score (WLZ) < -3 Standard deviation were enrolled between October 2021 and March 2023. Analyses were conducted on an intention-to-treat basis. RESULTS The primary outcome variable, "rate of weight gain," was comparable between L-carnitine and placebo groups (2.09 ± 2.23 compared with 2.07 ± 2.70; P = 0.973), which was consistent even after adjusting for potential covariates (age, sex, Weight-for-Age z-score, asset index, and WASH practices) through linear regression [ß: 0.37; 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.63,1.37; P = 0.465]. The average hospital stay was ∼4 d. The results of adjusted median regression showed that following intervention, there was no significant difference in the EED biomarkers among the treatment arms; Myeloperoxidase (ng/mL) [ß: -1342.29; 95% CI: -2817.35, 132.77; P = 0.074], Neopterin (nmol/L) [ß: -153.33; 95% CI: -556.58, 249.91; P = 0.452], alpha-1-antitrypsin (mg/mL) [ß: 0.05; 95% CI: -0.15, 0.25; P = 0.627]. Initial L-carnitine (μmol/L) levels (median, interquartile range) for L-carnitine compared with placebo were 54.84 (36.0, 112.9) and 59.74 (45.7, 96.0), whereas levels after intervention were 102.05 (60.9, 182.1) and 105.02 (73.1, 203.7). CONCLUSIONS Although our study findings suggest that L-carnitine bears no additional effect on SAM, we recommend clinical trials with a longer duration of supplementation, possibly with other combinations of interventions, to investigate further into this topic of interest. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT05083637.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinat Alam
- Nutrition Research Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
| | - Shah Mohammad Fahim
- Nutrition Research Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Md Ridwan Islam
- Nutrition Research Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Md Ashraful Alam
- Nutrition Research Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh; Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane Qld, Australia
| | - Md Amran Gazi
- Nutrition Research Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Tahmeed Ahmed
- Nutrition Research Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh; Office of the Executive Director, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh; Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States; Department of Public Health Nutrition, James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
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Afroze F, Khoshnevisan F, Harawa PP, Islam Z, Bourdon C, Khoswe S, Islam M, Sarker SA, Islam F, Sayeem Bin Shahid ASM, Joosten K, Hulst JM, Eneya C, Walson JL, Berkley JA, Potani I, Voskuijl W, Ahmed T, Chisti MJ, Bandsma RHJ. Trajectories of resting energy expenditure and performance of predictive equations in children hospitalized with an acute illness and malnutrition: a longitudinal study. Sci Rep 2024; 14:3613. [PMID: 38351162 PMCID: PMC10864294 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53791-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
There is scarce data on energy expenditure in ill children with different degrees of malnutrition. This study aimed to determine resting energy expenditure (REE) trajectories in hospitalized malnourished children during and after hospitalization. We followed a cohort of children in Bangladesh and Malawi (2-23 months) with: no wasting (NW); moderate wasting (MW), severe wasting (SW), or edematous malnutrition (EM). REE was measured by indirect calorimetry at admission, discharge, 14-and-45-days post-discharge. 125 children (NW, n = 23; MW, n = 29; SW, n = 51; EM, n = 22), median age 9 (IQR 6, 14) months, provided 401 REE measurements. At admission, the REE of children with NW and MW was 67 (95% CI [58, 75]) and 70 (95% CI [63, 76]) kcal/kg/day, respectively, while REE in children with SW was higher, 79 kcal/kg/day (95% CI [74, 84], p = 0.018), than NW. REE in these groups was stable over time. In children with EM, REE increased from admission to discharge (65 kcal/kg/day, 95% CI [56, 73]) to 79 (95% CI [72, 86], p = 0.0014) and was stable hereafter. Predictive equations underestimated REE in 92% of participants at all time points. Recommended feeding targets during the acute phase of illness in severely malnourished children exceeded REE. Acutely ill malnourished children are at risk of being overfed when implementing current international guidelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farzana Afroze
- The Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) Network, Nairobi, Kenya
- Nutrition Research Division (NRD), International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Farnaz Khoshnevisan
- The Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) Network, Nairobi, Kenya
- Translational Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Philliness Prisca Harawa
- The Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) Network, Nairobi, Kenya
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Zahidul Islam
- The Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) Network, Nairobi, Kenya
- Nutrition Research Division (NRD), International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Celine Bourdon
- The Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) Network, Nairobi, Kenya
- Translational Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Stanley Khoswe
- The Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) Network, Nairobi, Kenya
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Munirul Islam
- The Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) Network, Nairobi, Kenya
- Nutrition Research Division (NRD), International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Shafiqul Alam Sarker
- The Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) Network, Nairobi, Kenya
- Nutrition Research Division (NRD), International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Farhana Islam
- Nutrition Research Division (NRD), International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayeem Bin Shahid
- The Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) Network, Nairobi, Kenya
- Nutrition Research Division (NRD), International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Koen Joosten
- Department of Neonatal and Paediatric Intensive Care, Division of Paediatric Intensive Care, Erasmus MC, Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jessie M Hulst
- Division of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Chisomo Eneya
- The Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) Network, Nairobi, Kenya
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Judd L Walson
- The Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) Network, Nairobi, Kenya
- Department of International Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA
| | - James A Berkley
- The Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) Network, Nairobi, Kenya
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Clinical Research Department, KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - Isabel Potani
- The Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) Network, Nairobi, Kenya
- Division of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Wieger Voskuijl
- The Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) Network, Nairobi, Kenya
- Department of Paediatrics, Amsterdam Centre for Global Child Health, Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Tahmeed Ahmed
- The Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) Network, Nairobi, Kenya
- Nutrition Research Division (NRD), International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Office of Executive Director, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr, b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Mohammod Jobayer Chisti
- The Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) Network, Nairobi, Kenya
- Nutrition Research Division (NRD), International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Robert H J Bandsma
- The Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) Network, Nairobi, Kenya.
- Translational Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi.
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Fahim SM, Islam MR, Rasul MG, Raihan MJ, Ali NM, Bulbul MMI, Ahmed T. A qualitative assessment of facility readiness and barriers to the facility-based management of childhood severe acute malnutrition in the public healthcare settings in Bangladesh. Public Health Nutr 2022; 25:2971-2982. [PMID: 36089747 PMCID: PMC9991555 DOI: 10.1017/s1368980022002014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To assess facility readiness and identify barriers to the facility-based management of childhood severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in public healthcare settings. DESIGN Qualitative methods were applied to assess readiness and identify different perspectives on barriers to the facility-based management of children with SAM. Data collection was done using in-depth interviews, key informant interviews, exit interviews and pre-tested observation tools. SETTINGS Two tertiary care and four district hospitals in Rangpur and Sylhet Divisions of Bangladesh. PARTICIPANTS Healthcare professionals and caregivers of children with SAM. RESULTS Anthropometric tools, glucometer, medicines, F-75, F-100 and national guidelines for facility-based management of childhood SAM were found unavailable in some of the hospitals. Sitting and sleeping arrangements for the caregivers were absent in all of the chosen facilities. We identified a combination of health system and contextual barriers that inhibited the facility-based management of SAM. The health system barriers include inadequate manpower, rapid turnover of staff, increased workload, lack of training and lack of adherence to management protocol. The major facility barriers were insufficient space and unavailability of required equipment, medicines and foods for hospitalised children with SAM. The reluctance of caregivers to complete the treatment regimen, their insufficient knowledge regarding proper feeding, increased number of attendants and poverty of parents were the principal contextual barriers. CONCLUSIONS The study findings provide insights on barriers that are curbing the facility-based management of SAM and emphasise policy efforts to develop feasible interventions to reduce the barriers and ensure the preparedness of the facilities for effective service delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shah Mohammad Fahim
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division (NCSD), International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), 68, Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Sarani, Mohakhali, Dhaka1212, Bangladesh
| | - Md Ridwan Islam
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division (NCSD), International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), 68, Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Sarani, Mohakhali, Dhaka1212, Bangladesh
| | - Md Golam Rasul
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division (NCSD), International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), 68, Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Sarani, Mohakhali, Dhaka1212, Bangladesh
| | - Mohammad Jyoti Raihan
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division (NCSD), International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), 68, Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Sarani, Mohakhali, Dhaka1212, Bangladesh
| | - Nafi Mohammad Ali
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division (NCSD), International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), 68, Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Sarani, Mohakhali, Dhaka1212, Bangladesh
| | - Md Mofijul Islam Bulbul
- National Nutrition Services, Institute of Public Health Nutrition, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Tahmeed Ahmed
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division (NCSD), International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), 68, Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Sarani, Mohakhali, Dhaka1212, Bangladesh
- Office of the Executive Director, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Department of Public Health Nutrition, James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
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Ahmed Hanifi SMM, Menon N, Quisumbing A. The impact of climate change on children's nutritional status in coastal Bangladesh. Soc Sci Med 2022; 294:114704. [PMID: 35030394 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.114704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
This paper studies the impact of climate change on the nutritional status of very young children between the ages of 0-3 years by using weather data from the last half century merged with rich information on child, mother, and household characteristics in rural coastal Bangladesh. We evaluate the health consequences of rising temperature and relative humidity and varying rainfall jointly employing alternate functional forms. Leveraging models that control for annual trends and location-specific seasonality, and that allow the impacts of temperature to vary non-parametrically while rainfall and humidity have flexible non-linear forms, we find that temperatures that exceed 25 °C (the "comfortable" benchmark) in the month of birth exert negative effects on children's nutritional status as measured by mid upper arm circumference. Humidity has a positive impact which persists when child, mother and household controls are included. We find that exposure to changing climate in utero also matters. Explanations for these results include consequences of weather fluctuations on the extent of pasture, cropland, and rainfed lands planted with rice and other crops, and on mother's age at first marriage. Our results underline that climate change has real consequences for the health of very young populations in vulnerable areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- S M Manzoor Ahmed Hanifi
- Health System and Population Studies Division, International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, GPO Box 128, Dhaka, 1000, Bangladesh.
| | - Nidhiya Menon
- Department of Economics, MS 021, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA.
| | - Agnes Quisumbing
- Health, and Nutrition Division, International Food Policy Research Institute, 1201 Eye Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20005, USA.
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