INTRODUCTIONIron deficiency, associated with a decline in cognitive function, is the most common nutritional deficiency globally. The present study aimed to identify the impact of weekly iron supplements on the attention function of female students from a high school in North Khorasan Province, Iran.

METHODSThis was a blind, controlled, clinical trial study, involving 200 female students who were chosen using the stratified randomised sampling method. First, laboratory studies were performed to detect iron consumption limitations. Next, the 200 students were divided randomly and equally into case and control groups. The case group was treated with 50 mg of ferrous sulfate twice a week for 16 weeks. We compared both groups' data on attention, iron status and erythrocyte indices. Questionnaires were used to collect demographic data, while clinical data was collected using complete blood count and Toulouse-Piéron tests. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics, as well as paired and independent t-tests.

RESULTSThe mean attention scores of the case and control groups were 104.8 ± 7.0 and 52.7 ± 9.6, respectively (p < 0.001). The mean haemoglobin levels of the two groups were 12.5 ± 0.9 and 11.2 ± 1.0, respectively (p < 0.001). Compared to the control group, the attention scores and haemoglobin concentrations of the case group were found to be improved by approximately 90% and 10%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONOral iron supplements (50 mg twice a week for 16 weeks) were able to improve the attention span and haematologic indices of female high school students.

Administration, Oral ; Adolescent ; Attention ; physiology ; Blood Cell Count ; Cognition ; physiology ; Dietary Supplements ; Double-Blind Method ; Erythrocyte Indices ; Female ; Ferrous Compounds ; administration & dosage ; Humans ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVETo investigate the occurrence of delayed neuronal degeneration, activation of microglia and nuclear factor-kappa B after rat intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and the possible role of iron.

METHODSICH model was induced by infusion of autologous whole blood into the right basal ganglia. To evaluate the possible role of iron on delayed neuron loss, an iron model by injection of FeCl(2) into hippocampus was also set up. Degeneration of neurons and the activation of microglia and NF-kappa B were detected.

RESULTBoth whole blood and iron caused neuron degeneration for at least 14 days were revealed by Fluoro-jade C staining. Consistently, activated microglia and NF-kappa B positive cells were also observed in the peri-hematoma area and the ipsilateral hippocampus.

CONCLUSIONThe iron may participate in the delayed neuron injury followed ICH; the activated microglia and NF-kappa B may be involved in the process of delayed neuronal injury.

Animals ; Cerebral Hemorrhage ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Ferrous Compounds ; administration & dosage ; Hippocampus ; pathology ; Male ; Microglia ; metabolism ; NF-kappa B ; metabolism ; Nerve Degeneration ; prevention & control ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Time Factors

Role of iron in hair loss is not clear yet. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between iron and hair loss. Retrospective chart review was conducted on patients with female pattern hair loss (FPHL) and male pattern hair loss (MPHL). All patients underwent screening including serum ferritin, iron, and total iron binding capacity (TIBC), CBC, ESR and thyroid function test. For normal healthy controls, age-sex matched subjects who had visited the hospital for a check-up with no serious disease were selected. A total 210 patients with FPHL (n = 113) and MPHL (n = 97) with 210 healthy controls were analyzed. Serum ferritin concentration (FC) was lower in patients with FPHL (49.27 +/- 55.8 microg/L), compared with normal healthy women (77.89 +/- 48.32 microg/L) (P < 0.001). Premenopausal FPHL patients turned out to show much lower serum ferritin than age/sex-matched controls (P < 0.001). Among MPHL patients, 22.7% of them showed serum FC lower than 70 microg/L, while no one had serum FC lower 70 microg/L in healthy age matched males. These results suggest that iron may play a certain role especially in premenopausal FPHL. The initial screening of iron status could be of help for hair loss patients.
Administration, Oral ; Adult ; Alopecia/blood/*diagnosis/drug therapy ; Dietary Supplements ; Female ; Ferritins/blood ; Ferrous Compounds/therapeutic use ; Hemoglobins/analysis ; Humans ; Iron/*blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Premenopause ; Retrospective Studies ; Thyroid Function Tests

Germanium biotite (GB) is an aluminosilicate mineral containing 36 ppm germanium. The present study was conducted to better understand the effects of GB on immune responses in a mouse model, and to demonstrate the clearance effects of this mineral against Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) in experimentally infected pigs as an initial step towards the development of a feed supplement that would promote immune activity and help prevent diseases. In the mouse model, dietary supplementation with GB enhanced concanavalin A (ConA)-induced lymphocyte proliferation and increased the percentage of CD3+CD8+ T lymphocytes. In pigs experimentally infected with PRRSV, viral titers in lungs and lymphoid tissues from the GB-fed group were significantly decreased compared to those of the control group 12 days post-infection. Corresponding histopathological analyses demonstrated that GB-fed pigs displayed less severe pathological changes associated with PRRSV infection compared to the control group, indicating that GB promotes PRRSV clearance. These antiviral effects in pigs may be related to the ability of GB to increase CD3+CD8+ T lymphocyte production observed in the mice. Hence, this mineral may be an effective feed supplement for increasing immune activity and preventing disease.
Aluminum Silicates/administration & dosage/*therapeutic use ; Animal Feed/analysis ; Animals ; Antigens, CD3/metabolism ; Antigens, CD8/metabolism ; Antiviral Agents/administration & dosage/*therapeutic use ; Concanavalin A/metabolism ; Dietary Supplements/analysis ; Disease Models, Animal ; Ferrous Compounds/administration & dosage/*therapeutic use ; Germanium/administration & dosage/*therapeutic use ; Lung/immunology/virology ; Lymphocyte Activation/drug effects ; Lymphocytes/cytology/drug effects ; Lymphoid Tissue/immunology/virology ; Mice ; Mitogens/metabolism ; Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome/*drug therapy/pathology/virology ; Porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus/*drug effects ; Swine