Clinical Research Directory

Effects of Intermittent Hypoxia Training With Iron Supplementation on Red Blood Cells and Iron Levels in Trained Athletes

This study investigates how training under conditions of reduced oxygen (intermittent hypoxia) affects the body's ability to produce red blood cells and manage iron levels, compared to training under normal oxygen conditions. Red blood cells are essential for transporting oxygen throughout the body, and their production depends on having enough available iron. Thirty-two physically trained participants completed a 3-week training program, either in low-oxygen conditions or in normal oxygen conditions. All participants followed the same diet and received daily supplements of iron and vitamins to ensure adequate nutritional support. The main hypothesis of this study is that training in low-oxygen conditions stimulates the production of red blood cells more strongly than training in normal oxygen conditions, and that this increased production requires the body to use stored iron, potentially lowering iron reserves. Results showed that participants training in low-oxygen conditions experienced a greater increase in red blood cells and related markers compared to those training in normal conditions. At the same time, their stored iron levels decreased, suggesting that the body was using its iron reserves to support the increased production of red blood cells. In contrast, participants training in normal oxygen conditions showed smaller changes and maintained or slightly increased their iron stores. These findings suggest that low-oxygen training can enhance the body's capacity to produce red blood cells but may also reduce iron reserves. This highlights the importance of monitoring iron levels during such training programs, especially in athletes or individuals with conditions related to low oxygen availability, such as anemia. Overall, this study aims to improve understanding of how oxygen availability influences blood health and may help guide future strategies that combine hypoxia training and iron supplementation to support performance and treat certain medical conditions.

Effects of Intravenous Injection of Erythropoietin on Hepcidin Pharmacokinetics in Healthy Volunteers

The aim of this study is to measure the variations of serum and urinary hepcidin levels following a single intravenous injection of erythropoietin in healthy volunteers. Hepcidin is a major regulator of iron homeostasis. It acts by binding on ferroportin, and limits cellular efflux of iron through enterocytes and macrophages. Anemia and hypoxia are known to modulate hepcidin synthesis. In these situations, erythropoietin synthesis is increased, so it can be postulated that erythropoietin could modulate hepcidin synthesis.

Hepcidin and Glucose Metabolism

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), defined as hyperglycemia with blood glucose values above normal but below those diagnostic of DM, and iron deficiency (ID) with or without anemia (IDA) are common during pregnancy. Both disease patterns are associated with an increased risk of complications during pregnancy and at delivery and may have a variety of negative effects on different aspects of child development. Thus, GDM and ID/IDA during pregnancy should be prevented. Whether iron supplementation with high oral doses acutely increases hepcidin during pregnancy, and whether this acute iron-induced increase in hepcidin decreases insulin sensitivity, is uncertain.

European Rare Blood Disorders Platform (ENROL)

ENROL, the European Rare Blood Disorders Platform has been conceived in the core of ERN-EuroBloodNet as an umbrella for both new and already existing registries on Rare Hematological Diseases (RHDs). ENROL aims at avoiding fragmentation of data by promoting the standards for patient registries' interoperability released by the EU RD platform. ENROL's principle is to maximize public benefit from data on RHDs opened up through the platform with the only restriction needed to guarantee patient rights and confidentiality, in agreement with EU regulations for cross-border sharing of personal data. Accordingly, ENROL will map the EU-level demographics, survival rates, diagnosis methods, genetic information, main clinical manifestations, and treatments in order to obtain epidemiological figures and identify trial cohorts for basic and clinical research. To this aim, ENROL will connect and facilitate the upgrading of existing RHD registries, while promoting the building of new ones when / where lacking. Target-driven actions will be carried out in collaboration with EURORDIS for educating patients and families about the benefits of enrolment in such registries, including different cultural and linguistic strategies. The standardized collection and monitoring of disease-specific healthcare outcomes through the ENROL user-friendly platform will determine how specialized care is delivered, where are the gaps in diagnosis, care, or treatment and where best to allocate financial, technical, or human resources. Moreover, it will allow for promoting research, especially for those issues that remain unanswered or sub-optimally addressed by the scientific community; furthermore, it will allow promoting clinical trials for new drugs. ENROL will enable the generation of evidence for better healthcare for RHD patients in the EU as the ultimate goal. ENROL officially started on 1st June 2020 with a duration of 36 months. ENROL is co-funded by the Health Programme of the European Union under the call for proposals HP-PJ-2019 on Rare disease registries for the European Reference Networks. GA number 947670

RADeep Multicenter European Epidemiological Platform for Patients Diagnosed With Rare Anemia Disorders (RADs)

Rare Anaemia Disorders (RADs) is a group of rare diseases characterized for presenting anaemia as the main clinical manifestation. Different medical entities classified as RADs by ORPHA classification are most of them chronic life threating disorders with many unmet needs for their proper clinical management creating an impact on European health systems. RADs present diagnostic challenges and their appropriate management requires from specialised multidisciplinary teams in Centers of expertise. Although there are some examples of well-established national registries on RADs in EU, the lack of recommendations for Rare disease registries implementation and the lack of standards for interoperability has led to the fragmentation or unavailability of data on prevalence, survival, main clinical manifestations or treatments in most of the European countries.

Study of Markers of Iron Metabolism and Their Relationship With Phosphocalcic and Hepatic Metabolism and Inflammation in Hemodialysis Patients

From a scientific point of view and for publication purposes, it therefore seems important to study the metabolism of iron and in particular to define its conditions of absorption, metabolism, elimination and storage in the body at course of advanced renal failure. The study will follow the evolution of hormones regulating iron metabolism and put into perspective their links with phosphocalcic and hepatic metabolisms as well as inflammation in hemodialysis patients. The main objective of this program is to study the evolution of hepcidin and erythroferrone levels in hemodialysis patients. These two biomarkers regulating iron metabolism are not performed routinely in dialysis centers and are not listed in the nomenclature.