The aim of this study was to assess the net clinical and prognostic effects of intravenous (i.v.) iron therapy in patients with systolic heart failure (HF) and iron deficiency (ID). We performed an aggregate data meta-analysis (random effects model) of randomized controlled trials that evaluated the effects of i.v. iron therapy in iron-deficient patients with systolic HF. We searched electronic databases up to September 2014. We identified five trials which fulfilled the inclusion criteria (509 patients received i.v. iron therapy in comparison with 342 controls). Intravenous iron therapy has been shown to reduce the risk of the combined endpoint of all-cause death or cardiovascular hospitalization [odds ratio (OR) 0.44, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.30-0.64, P < 0.0001], and the combined endpoint of cardiovascular death or hospitalization for worsening HF (OR 0.39, 95% CI 0.24-0.63, P = 0.0001). Intravenous iron therapy resulted in a reduction in NYHA class (data are reported as a mean net effect with 95% CIs for all continuous variables) (−0.54 class, 95% CI −0.87 to −0.21, P = 0.001); an increase in 6-min walking test distance (+31 m, 95% CI 18-43, P < 0.0001); and an improvement in quality of life [Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) score +5.5 points, 95% CI 2.8-8.3, P < 0.0001; European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) score +4.1 points, 95% CI 0.8-7.3, P = 0.01; Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) score −19 points, 95% CI:-23 to −16, P < 0.0001; and Patient Global Assessment (PGA) +0.70 points, 95% CI 0.31-1.09, P = 0004]. The evidence indicates that i.v. iron therapy in iron-deficient patients with systolic HF improves outcomes, exercise capacity, and quality of life, and alleviates HF symptoms.

Iron deficiency (ID) is frequent in heart failure (HF), linked with exercise intolerance and poor prognosis. Intravenous iron repletion improves clinical status in HF patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤45%. However, uncertainty exists about the accuracy of serum biomarkers in diagnosing ID. The aims of this study were (i) to identify the iron biomarker with the greatest accuracy for the diagnosis of ID in bone marrow in patients with ischaemic HF, and (ii) to establish the prevalence of ID using this biomarker and its prognostic value in HF patients.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the impact of iron status on survival in patients with type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD).RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSSerum ferritin, transferrin saturation (Tsat), and soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) were measured in 287 patients with type 2 diabetes and stable CAD (65 ± 9 years of age, 78% men).RESULTSDuring a mean follow-up of 45 ± 19 months, there were 59 (21%) deaths and 60 (21%) cardiovascular hospitalizations. Both serum ferritin and sTfR strongly predicted 5-year all-cause mortality rates, independently of other variables (including hemoglobin, measures of renal function, inflammation, and neurohormonal activation). There was an exponential relationship between sTfR and mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] per 1 log mg/L: 4.24 [95% CI 1.43–12.58], P = 0.01), whereas the relationship between ferritin and mortality was U-shaped (for the lowest and the highest quintiles vs. the middle quintile [reference group], respectively: adjusted HR 7.18 [95% CI 2.03–25.46], P = 0.002, and adjusted HR 5.12 [1.48–17.73], P = 0.01). Similar patterns were observed for the composite outcome of all-cause mortality or cardiovascular hospitalization, and in these multivariable models, low Tsat was related to unfavorable outcome.CONCLUSIONSBoth low and high serum ferritin (possibly reflecting depleted and excessive iron stores, respectively) along with high serum sTfR (reflecting reduced metabolically available iron) identify patients with type 2 diabetes and CAD who have a poor prognosis.

Identifying genomic regions, particularly individual genes associated with semen quality traits, may be very important for improving sire fertility via selective breeding. The aim of the study was to estimate (co)variance components and effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) from the Illumina BovineSNP50 BeadChip (Illumina, San Diego, CA) on semen production traits and to find candidate genes for these traits. The analyzed data set originates from the Polish Holstein-Friesian dairy cattle population and consists of 1,212 bulls kept at 4 artificial insemination stations. For each bull, 5 semen production traits were collected: sperm concentration, semen volume, number of spermatozoa, motility, and motility score. A multitrait mixed model was used to estimate genetic parameters. The parameters obtained were used to estimate SNP effects for each trait separately by the mixed model, which is used in the Polish direct genomic value project. Additionally, genes located in the vicinity of significant SNP were selected as candidate genes. For motility, 20 genome-wide significant SNP, located on 12 autosomes, were identified. For sperm concentration, we found 7 significant SNP: 3 on chromosome X, and 1 on chromosomes 1, 6, 23, and 24. For semen volume and motility score, 3 and 1 significant SNP were detected, respectively. All these SNP were located on chromosome X. For the number of spermatozoa, 12 significant SNP were observed. Six SNP were located on chromosome X, 3 on chromosome 8, and 1 on chromosomes 2, 7, and 16. This study clearly indicated a key role of the X chromosome in the determination of semen quality and emphasized that including such traits into genetic evaluation should be strongly considered.

The aim of the study was to fit the genomic evaluation model to Polish Holstein-Friesian dairy cattle. A training data set for the estimation of additive effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) consisted of 1227 Polish Holstein-Friesian bulls. Genotypes were obtained by the use of Illumina BovineSNP50 Genotyping BeadChip. Altogether 29 traits were considered: milk-, fat- and protein- yields, somatic cell score, four female fertility traits, and 21 traits describing conformation. The prediction of direct genomic values was based on a mixed model containing deregressed national proofs as a dependent variable and random SNP effects as independent variables. The correlations between direct genomic values and conventional estimated breeding values estimated for the whole data set were overall very high and varied between 0.98 for production traits and 0.78 for non return rates for cows. For the validation data set of 232 bulls the corresponding correlations were 0.38 for milk-, 0.37 for protein-, and 0.32 for fat yields, while the correlations between genomic enhanced breeding values and conventional estimated breeding values for the four traits were: 0.43, 0.44, 0.31, and 0.35. This model was able to pass the interbull validation criteria for genomic selection, which indicates that it is realistic to implement genomic selection in Polish Holstein-Friesian cattle.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13353-011-0047-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The major objectives of this study were 1) to assess the statistical properties of models commonly used for the estimation of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) effects under the assumption of various modes of inheritance and various parameterizations of SNP genotypes using simulated data, and 2) to compare effects of the selected polymorphisms located within butyrophilin (BTN1A1), diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1), leptin (LEP), and leptin receptor (LEPR) candidate genes on milk production traits using data from 2 dairy cattle breeds (190 Jersey cows and 475 Polish Holstein-Friesian cows). Simulation results showed that type I error and power were not dependent on the assumed parameterization, but differences were observed regarding confidence intervals of estimated SNP effects. In the presence of epistasis, correct confidence intervals for all (epistatic and nonepistatic) SNP and all modes of inheritance were provided only by the parameterization proposed by C. H. Kao and Z. B. Zeng in 2002. However, if no dominance effect was included in the model, confidence intervals for SNP effects were correct for all parameterizations. Results based on real data showed that for both breeds the additive effects of polymorphisms were generally similar, except for LEPR, which had a different allele associated with increased fat content in Holstein-Friesians than in Jerseys. In both breeds, DGAT1 had the largest additive effect of the polymorphisms considered, but its effect on most milk traits was more pronounced in Jerseys than in Holstein-Friesians. Evidence of epistasis was found between LEPR and DGAT1, as well as between LEPR and BTN1A1, but only for milk content traits and only in the Holstein-Friesian breed. There was also more evidence for dominance in the Holstein-Friesian breed than in the Jersey breed.

Although Slavic populations account for over 4.5% of world inhabitants, no centralised, open-source reference database of genetic variation of any Slavic population exists to date. Such data are crucial for clinical genetics, biomedical research, as well as archeological and historical studies. The Polish population, which is homogenous and sedentary in its nature but influenced by many migrations of the past, is unique and could serve as a genetic reference for the Slavic nations. In this study, we analysed whole genomes of 1222 Poles to identify and genotype a wide spectrum of genomic variation, such as small and structural variants, runs of homozygosity, mitochondrial haplogroups, and de novo variants. Common variant analyses showed that the Polish cohort is highly homogenous and shares ancestry with other European populations. In rare variant analyses, we identified 32 autosomal-recessive genes with significantly different frequencies of pathogenic alleles in the Polish population as compared to the non-Finish Europeans, including C2, TGM5, NUP93, C19orf12, and PROP1. The allele frequencies for small and structural variants, calculated for 1076 unrelated individuals, are released publicly as The Thousand Polish Genomes database, and will contribute to the worldwide genomic resources available to researchers and clinicians.

Background: Patients with heart failure (HF) are at high risk of unfavorable courses of COVID-19. The aim of this study was to evaluate characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 patients with HF. Methods: Data of patients hospitalized in a tertiary hospital in Poland between March 2020 and May 2021 with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 were analyzed. The study population was divided into a HF group (patients with a history of HF) and a non-HF group. Results: Out of 2184 patients (65 ± 13 years old, 50% male), 12% had a history of HF. Patients from the HF group were older, more often males, had more comorbidities, more often dyspnea, pulmonary and peripheral congestion, inflammation, and end-organ damage biomarkers. HF patients had longer and more complicated hospital stay, with more frequent acute HF development as compared with non-HF. They had significantly higher mortality assessed in hospital (35% vs. 12%) at three (53% vs. 22%) and six months (72% vs. 47%). Of 76 (4%) patients who developed acute HF, 71% died during hospitalization, 79% at three, and 87% at six months. Conclusions: The history of HF identifies patients with COVID-19 who are at high risk of in-hospital complications and mortality up to six months of follow-up.