We assessed whether iron deficiency alters the concentration of vitamin A (VA) in plasma or liver and the chemical distribution between hepatic unesterified and esterified retinol. Weanling male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 10/group) were allocated to one of four diet groups: low iron (ID3, 3 mg of elemental iron/kg diet), marginal iron (ID15, 15 mg/kg), control diet food-restricted to the ID3 grou...

UNLABELLED Serum ferritin (SF) levels are commonly elevated in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) because of systemic inflammation, increased iron stores, or both. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between elevated SF and NAFLD severity. Demographic, clinical, histologic, laboratory, and anthropometric data were analyzed in 628 adult patients with NAFLD (...

Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) converts the superoxide anion into H(2)O(2), which, unless it is detoxified by glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPx1), can increase hepatic iron and can react with iron to form genotoxic compounds. We investigated the role of Ala/Val-MnSOD and Pro/Leu-GPx1 polymorphisms on hepatic iron accumulation and hepatocellular carcinoma development in patients with alcohol...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the usefulness of single-shot spin-echo echo-planar imaging (SSEPI) sequence for quantifying mild degree of hepatic iron stores in patients with viral hepatitis. METHODS This retrospective study included 34 patients with chronic viral hepatitis/cirrhosis who had undergone histological investigation and magnetic resonance imaging with T2-weighted gradient-recalled echo...

The hereditary hemochromatosis protein HFE promotes the expression of hepcidin, a circulating hormone produced by the liver that inhibits dietary iron absorption and macrophage iron release. HFE mutations are associated with impaired hepatic bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)/SMAD signaling for hepcidin production. TMPRSS6, a transmembrane serine protease mutated in iron-refractory iron deficienc...

Received 1/17/2005; revised 3/26/2005; accepted 4/1/2005. For correspondence or reprints contact: Chin-Ho Tsao, M.D., Division of Nuclear Medicine, Mackay Memorial Hospital, 92 Section 2, Chung-Shan North Road, Taipei 104, Taiwan. Tel: (886)2-25433535 ext. 2241, Fax: (886)2-25433535 ext. 2925, E-mail: [email protected] A 60-year-old male complained of progressing pale and jaundice in re...

BACKGROUND Hemochromatosis in white subjects is mostly due to homozygosity for the common C282Y substitution in HFE. Although clinical symptoms are preventable by early detection of the genetic predisposition and prophylactic treatment, population screening is not currently advocated because of the discrepancy between the common mutation prevalence and apparently lower frequency of clinical dis...

The aim of the present study was to describe histologic features of the liver in insulin resistance-associated hepatic iron overload (IR-HIO), defined as the association of metabolic disorders and hepatic iron overload. We included 139 patients in the study on the basis of one or more metabolic disorders and liver iron overload unrelated to usual causes. Liver biopsy specimens were reviewed, an...

Secondary iron overload is associated with significant mortality and morbidity. Although new, less invasive techniques are becoming available, the most acceptable and readily accessible way to assess iron overload is to measure hepatic iron by liver biopsy. In this study, we report on serial liver biopsies (at least 2) in a cohort of transfusion-dependent patients (49) on long-term desferrioxam...

The relationship between the serum ferritin concentration and total body iron stores was investigated in 41 patients with idiopathic haemochromatosis and 199 first or second degree relatives. Thirty-two relatives (16.1%) had increased iron stores and serum ferritin levels were increased in all but one of them. The false-positive rate in the relatives with normal iron stores was 1.8% compared wi...