Iron Deficiency (ID)

Maternal iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is associated with maternal and infant mortality, spontaneous preterm birth, maternal postpartum hemorrhage, and neurocognitive defects in the neonate. Therefore, preventing maternal IDA in at-risk women is critical. The standard approach to improving iron status in pregnancy (i.e., oral iron supplements) is suboptimal and gastrointestinal discomforts associated with this approach (i.e., constipation) impairs adherence. The incidence of ID (18%) and IDA (5%) in pregnant populations suggest alternative interventions are needed to optimize iron status in pregnancy. There is increasing evidence that consuming the probiotic Lactoplantibacillus plantarum 299v (LP299V®) can enhance dietary non-heme iron absorption by changes in the composition and metabolic patterns of gut microbiota that reduce intestinal pH, enhance mucin production and favor an anti-inflammatory milieu. This immunomodulatory effect may be important because inflammation stimulates hepatic production of hepcidin, a master regulator of systemic iron homeostasis, which inhibits iron flow into circulation from diet and body stores. Further, the effects of LP299V® may extend to the placenta. The investigators' team showed previously that maternal iron deficiency is associated with changes to placental iron metabolism with more iron sequestered in the placenta and less iron transferring to the fetus. Given its positive effects on maternal iron status, the investigators surmise that LP299V® supplementation will result in higher placenta protein expression of iron transporters, transferrin receptor-1 and ferrroportin-1, and lower placental iron accumulation/content. The primary goal of this study is to test the efficacy of this low-cost, safe, innovative approach to optimizing maternal iron status in individuals at risk for ID in pregnancy \[Hb 11.0 - 11.9 g/dL (first trimester) and Hb 10.5 - 11.5 g/dL (second trimester) based on new OB clinical complete blood count (CBC) results obtained from the EHR\] from 10-16 weeks gestational age (GA) until the time of labor. The investigators will also test the effects on neonatal (cord blood) iron status and (cord blood + newborn heel stick) Hb at birth and determine the effect of maternal LP299V® supplementation on the maternal gut microbiome, hepcidin-ferroportin axis and placenta iron and placenta transport of iron as its primary mechanisms of action. Finally, the investigators will explore the effect of maternal LP299V® supplementation on infant neurodevelopment at birth. This study is an essential first step toward evaluating if twice daily oral LP299V® is an efficacious, safe, inexpensive, and scalable clinical strategy for the prevention of maternal ID and its related complications in at-risk women.

The INITIATE-HF study is a cluster randomized controlled trial that aims to find out if reminding doctors about treatment guidelines for iron deficiency in adults with heart failure who are hospitalized and have evidence of iron deficiency changes the subsequent use of intravenous (IV) iron. Two groups of hospitalized adult patients with known heart failure and iron deficiency will be compared: * Group 1 will include doctors who receive a notification with their patient's iron storage test results and guideline recommendations related to the use of IV iron. * Group 2 will include doctors who do not receive this notification and continue with usual standard of care. The study will measure if this provider-facing notification affects physician use of recommended IV iron treatment in eligible patients with heart failure, left ventricular ejection fraction less than 50%, and iron deficiency. Secondarily, if there is an increased use of IV iron observed in the intervention group, this study will evaluate whether there are differential health outcomes (i.e., fewer subsequent hospital visits and lower risk of death) of patients whose providers were assigned to the intervention group.