background : the ifa test is one of the most usual methods for detecting anti- toxoplasma antibod­ies, although it has not any unique standardization. it seems that the microscopic judg­ment of results is an important confounder in ifa test. therefore, we conducted the present study to clarify the role of microscopic observer, and other confounders on the test. methods: eighty sera were collect...

INTRODUCTION Intermittent iron-folic acid supplementation (IFA) is currently recommended for pregnant women in populations where anaemia prevalence among pregnant women is <20% or if daily iron is not acceptable. The effect of providing lower doses of antenatal elemental iron through intermittent regimes on longer-term health outcomes in childhood is unclear. METHODS A prospective cohort stud...

We compared the indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) with Western blot (Wb) as a confirmatory method to detect antibodies anti retrovirus (HIV-1 and HTLV-I/II). Positive and negative HIV-1 and HTLV-I/II serum samples from different risk populations were studied. Sensitivity, specificity, positive, negative predictive and kappa index values were assayed, to assess the IFA efficiency versus Wb...

One hundred and five samples of gastric washes were obtained from 52 pediatric patients. Eleven of the 105 samples (10%) gave positive results using immunofluorescence antibody test (IFA) for Pneumocystis jirovecii. Single-step polymerase chain reaction (PCR) produced 13% (14 samples), whereas detection by nested PCR was increased to 65 samples (62%). Moderate agreement (kappa = 0.5) was found ...

BACKGROUND Little evidence about the effects of antenatal iron supplementation on infant anaemia is available. The aim was to compare effects on six-month-old infants' Haemoglobin (Hb) concentration and anaemia of daily iron-folic acid (IFA), twice-weekly IFA with or without other micronutrients (MMN) and usual antenatal care in rural Vietnam. METHODS AND FINDINGS Secondary data analysis from...

OBJECTIVE The present literature review aimed to review the evidence for community-based distribution (CBD) of iron-folic acid (IFA) supplementation as a feasible approach to improve anaemia rates in low- and middle-income countries. DESIGN The literature review included peer-reviewed studies and grey literature from PubMed, Cochrane Library, LILAC and Scopus databases. SETTING Low- and mid...

Background Several epidemiological studies from low- and middle-income countries have reported a protective effect of maternal antenatal iron/folic acid (IFA) on childhood mortality. Objective The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of maternal antenatal IFA supplementation on childhood mortality in Pakistan. Design A propensity score-matched sample of 8,512 infants live-born within the ...