BACKGROUND Bone marrow iron microscopy has been the "gold standard" method of assessing iron deficiency. However, the commonly used method of grading marrow iron remains highly subjective. AIM To improve the bone marrow grading method by developing a detailed protocol that assesses iron in fragments, in macrophages around fragments and in erythroblasts. METHODS A descriptive study of marrow...

Divalent metal-ion transporter-1 (DMT1), the principal mechanism by which nonheme iron is taken up at the intestinal brush border, is energized by the H(+)-electrochemical potential gradient. The provenance of the H(+) gradient in vivo is unknown, so we have explored a role for brush-border Na(+)/H(+) exchanger (NHE) isoforms by examining iron homeostasis and intestinal iron handling in mice la...

BACKGROUND The potential benefits of administering a dose of intravenous iron in patients with moderate postpartum anaemia rather than oral iron alone remains unproven. AIMS To determine whether a single injection of intravenous iron followed by a 6-week course of oral iron is as effective over 6 months in restoring normal haemoglobin levels and replenishing iron stores in women with moderate...

The positive association between body iron stores and risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) initially observed among a Finnish male population has not been corroborated by studies conducted in other populations. The soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR):ferritin ratio has been suggested to be a better index than ferritin to measure body iron stores. Because sTfR is sensitive to iron deficiency, th...

BACKGROUND Iron is an essential mineral for both cellular and pathogen survival and is essential for viral replication. In turn, iron metabolism has been shown to be altered by several viral infections. However, little is known about the association between iron status and human papillomavirus (HPV) natural history. We hypothesize iron to be an HPV cofactor that is associated with longer durati...

\Vitli the technical assistance of Arthur L. Foy T lIE STIMULUS to gastrointestinal absorption of iron remains unknown. Previous work seems to indicate that hepatic iron and total body iron stores are not as important as the rate of iron utilization in regulating iron absorption.’ Stimulation of erythropoiesis by blood letting increases iron utilization. However, following acute phlebotomy ther...

Systemic iron homeostasis depends on the regulated expression of hepcidin, a peptide hormone that negatively regulates iron egress from intestinal cells and macrophages by altering the expression of the cellular iron exporter ferroportin. In doing so, hepcidin can control both the total body iron by modulating intestinal iron absorption as well as promote iron available for erythropoiesis by af...

Haematologica 2008;93:741-52. 2. Piga A, Fisher R, Harmatz P, St. Pierre TG, Longo F, Fung E, et al. Comparison of LIC obtained from biopsy, BLS and R2-MRI in iron overloaded patients with β-thalassemia, treated with deferasirox (Exjade, ICL670). Blood 2005; 106:755a. 3. Brittenham GM, Farrell DE, Harris JW, Feldman ES, Danish EH, Muir WA, et al. Magnetic-susceptibility measurement of human iro...