Worldwide, more individuals have iron deficiency than any other health problem. Most of those affected are unaware of their lack of iron, in part because detection of iron deficiency has required a blood sample. Here we report a non-invasive method to optically measure an established indicator of iron status, red blood cell zinc protoporphyrin, in the microcirculation of the lower lip. An optic...

Iron is essential for providing oxygen to working muscles during exercise, and iron deficiency leads to decreased exercise capacity during endurance events. However, the mechanism of iron deficiency among endurance athletes remains unclear. In this study, we compared iron status between two periods involving different training regimens. Sixteen female long-distance runners participated. Over a ...

BACKGROUND Animal data suggest that maternal iron deficiency during pregnancy leads to lower birth weight and sustained blood pressure elevation in the offspring. In humans, iron deficiency during pregnancy is common and is associated with adverse birth outcomes such as low birth weight. Data are lacking, however, regarding the effects of maternal iron intake and iron status during pregnancy on...

BACKGROUND Beta-thalassemia major (β-TM) patients need blood transfusions, which result in iron deposition. To regulate chelation therapy, iron load has to be measured. With MRI, the amount of signal loss and T2* decay time shortening are used for iron quantification. OBJECTIVES The aim was to measure adrenal iron load with T2* relaxometry using MRI, and to compare it with liver and cardiac i...

Recent knowledge gained regarding the relationship between erythropoietin, iron, and erythropoiesis in patients with blood loss anemia, with or without recombinant human erythropoietin therapy, has implications for patient management. Under conditions of significant blood loss, erythropoietin therapy, or both, iron-restricted erythropoiesis is evident, even in the presence of storage iron and i...

Chronic liver disease is accompanied by multiple hematological abnormalities. Iron deficiency anemia is a frequent complication of advanced liver disease. The etiology is multifactorial, mostly due to chronic hemorrhage into the gastrointestinal tract. The diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia is very challenging, as simple laboratory methods, including serum iron, ferritin, transferrin saturatio...

An Invalid Test of the Iron Hypothesis To the Editor: Ascherio et al1 saw no association of blood donation with myocardial infarction or fatal coronary heart disease (CHD) in men and concluded that this is “strong evidence against the hypothesis that iron depletion reduces coronary risk.” This conclusion is not supported by their findings. Iron depletion was only achieved in a handful of men. A...

Iron is an essential micronutrient but is also highly toxic. In yeast and plant cells, a key detoxifying mechanism involves iron sequestration into intracellular storage compartments, mediated by members of the vacuolar iron-transporter (VIT) family of proteins. Here we study the VIT homologue from the malaria parasites Plasmodium falciparum (PfVIT) and Plasmodium berghei (PbVIT). PfVIT-mediate...

A SI1\IPLE METHOD FOR STAINING non-hemoglobin irOn within erythrocytes aIld their precursors and within macrophages and other cells containing particulate iron has been itl use in our laboratories since 1951 . This method has made possible rapid estimates of the amount of non-hemoglobin iron ill the marrow and in the blood in both new and old films of marrow or blood as well as in both newT and...

AIMS To determine whether iron supplementation would enhance erythropoiesis in preterm infants treated with high doses of human recombinant erythropoietin (r-HuEPO). METHODS Sixty three preterm infants were randomly allocated at birth to one of three groups to receive: r-HuEPO alone, 1200 IU/kg/week (EPO); or r-HuEPO and iron, 1200 IU/kg/week of r-HuEPO plus 20 mg/kg/week of intravenous iron ...