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Abstract Background and Objectives: Women of reproductive age are at risk of Iron deficiency. Some Studies reported That There is a relationship between Body indices and iron. Iron overload is also harmful. It enhances the risk of cardiovascular disease which is due to increased Lipid peroxidation. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between obesity and iron status in women of reproductive age. Material and Methods: In this case-control study, the relationship between iron status and obesity in women of reproductive age was studied in 35 obese (BMIِ≥30kg/m²) and 35 non-obese (BMI=19-25kg/m²) women matched by age. Demographic data was gathered by a questionnaire. Body weight and height were measured and body mass index (BMI) was calculated for each subject. After taking Venous blood samples and separating plasma, we investigated iron status by measuring hemoglobin, hematocrit, and plasma iron and ferritin concentrations. Results: Although no difference is observed in plasma iron and Total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC), the results of obese group show significant higher hemoglobin (137 ± 8 versus 129 ± 7 g/L, p<0.05), hematocrit (0.41 ± 0.02 versus 0.38 ± 0.03, p<0.05), and plasma ferritin concentrations (49.3 ± 32.2 versus 28.6 ± 19.7µg/L, p<0.001). In addition, BMI was positively correlated with hemoglobin (rho=0.29, p<0.001), hematocrit (rho=0.28, p<0.001), and plasma ferritin concentrations (rho=0.39, p<0.0001). Conclusion: we conclude that obese women of reproductive age have higher iron stores than the non-obese women. Therefore, obese- reproductive women are at low risk of depleting iron stores. On the other hand, systematic iron-fortification programs may enhance the prevalence of iron overload in these subjects. Keywords: Obesity, iron status, reproductive age women

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Abstract Bachground and objectives: Dientamoeba fragilis is a habitant protozoa in human colon causing clinical symptoms, such as local stomach pain, weight loss, lack of appetite and flatulence. It is important to diagnose this infection correctly and differentiate it from other Protozoa. In this study PCR and Iron Hematoxylin methods were used to detection of this protozoa in Chalous Medical centers refers in 2010. Material and Methods: The stool samples (n=302) of this cross-sectional study were selected via cluster random sampling. After wet mount study the samples were preserved in PVA (for staining) and Ethanol (for molecular). The samples were studied both Staining and Molecular methods. Sensitivity and specificity were assessed. Results: Of 302 samples, six of them are positive via staining method (1.99%) and five by molecular method. All negative results with staining method are also negative with PCR. Contamination with E.coli in 2 samples and with Balstocystis homonis were seen in one sample. Sensitivity and specificity of PCR was 85% and 100% respectively. Conclusion: The discrepancy between two methods maybe caused by observer errors in staining method and unsynchronized molecular and microscopic studies. Key words: Dientamoeba fragilis, PCR, Iron Hematoxylin, Chalous region

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Abstract Background and objective: Hepcidin is a cystein-rich antimicrobial peptide, which is secreted by the liver. It fights against wide spectrum of bacteria, viruses and fungi and it is a major regulator of iron homeostasis. Today, scientists have made many efforts on the production of hepcidin. Baculovirus expression system is one of the best eukaryotic expression systems for production of recombinant hepcidin and production of the recombinant vector is one of the most important steps in this expression system. Material & Methods: First, the total RNA was separated from HepG2 cell line as a source of hepcidin expression. Then, after synthesis of total cDNA, human hepcidin sequence was amplified, using specific primers by PCR method. Next, hepcidin sequence was cloned into pTZ57R/T vector. After digestion of recombinant vector using ECoRI and BamHI restriction enzymes, recombinant pFastBac HT B vector containing human hepcidin cDNA was produced. Results: Coding sequence of human hepcidin is correctly cloned into pTZ57R/T vector and sub cloning into pFastBac HT B vector is performed successfully. The presence of a clear band near 274 bp resulted from PCR amplification and restriction enzyme are the confirmation of the cloning of human hepcidin. Conclusion: According to our knowledge, the present study is the first work that focuses on recombinant vector containing coding sequence of human prohepcidin. This recombinant vector can be used for human hepcidin production. Key words: Vector, Hepcidin, Iron

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Abstract Background and Objective: Of the most common hypochromic microcytic anemia are iron deficiency anemia and minor thalassemia, which are common in Iran and their differential diagnosis is extremely important. The level of 25-hydroxy vitamin D is the indication of vitamin D blood status. The aim of this study was to compare serum levels of vitamin D in people with minor thalassemia and iron deficiency anemia with healthy subjects in order to investigate the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and iron absorption. Material and Methods: In this case-control study, 24 patients with minor thalassemia, 20 patients with iron deficiency anemia and 24 healthy individuals participated. Groups were matched for age and sex. Testing of Vitamin D level by ELISA, ferritin by quantitative luminescence method and HbA2 by column chromatography was carried out. Results: The number of individuals with low level of vitamin D in iron deficiency group is 15 (75%), in minor thalassemia group is 8 (33/3%) and in the control group 11 (45.8%). Conclusion: In this study, the highest percentage of vitamin D deficiency is observed in cases with iron deficiency anemia. Because of association between vitamin D and anemia, iron and vitamin D supplementation is recommended to enrich the diet. Keywords: Anemia Minor Thalassemia Iron Deficiency Anemia Vitamin D

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Abstract Background and Objective: Iron deficiency anemia is one of the most common nutritional problems in the world. This research aimed at determining the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in one of the most endangered age group in Baft, Iran. Material and Method: this cross-sectional study was conducted on 325 high school students selected via simple random sampling (165boysand 160girls). The participants with MCV≤ 80µm or MCH ≤ 27 Pg who had simultaneously TIBC ≤ 15 % or Ferritin ≤ 1 5 ng/ml were considered as an iron deficiency anemia. Results: considering MCV and MCH, the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in girls (14.37%) and boys (2.42%) was significantly different (P <0.05). Conclusion: The prevalence of anemia in high school students of Baft is significantly high in comparison with other studies. To increase students' intellectual and physical performance, Screening and treatment of iron deficiency are recommended. Keywords: Anemia Iron Deficiency Baft Students

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       The paper titled“Comparison of the serum vitamin D level in patients with iron deficiency anemia, beta thalassemia with the control subjects”  was assesesd and the following needs to be explained(1).

Usually , the rational for the research should be explaied in  introduction part. This part is too long and contains unnecessary information which  does not help to address the possible association of vitamin D deficiency, neither with  a genetic condition such as beta thalassemia a minor, nor with  iron deficiency anemia. to address these issues, the writer should refer to  some physiologic or pathophysiologic explanation of the research.

Regarding the design method, I should say that; there is not such a method as “descriptive-analytical cross sectional” design. Cross sectional descriptive researche is  meant to answer epidemiologic questions and have some obligations such as random sampling, which was not the case in this study (2). On the other hand,  analytical studies are designed to find the role of a risk factor in developing an outcome. Case-control studies and cohort  studies are the examples of analytical designs. In this case,  vitamin D deficiency is not the risk factor for neither iron deficiency nor the beta thalassemia. Thus, there is  no reason for selecting such a method. However, an association of two nutritional disorders is well known and is addressed in the discussion of the paper (1). I believe this paper is the result of an irrational sampling.

The sample size should be explained in any research methodology whether the  study is cross-sectional or analytic, but in this article  the sample size  is not rationalized.

Given an important point in analytical researche is the way that confounding variables are being dealt with,  this paper does not mentioned these variables such as job, sun exposure, diet and specially using nutritional supplement are not addressed. However, two important variants of age and gender have been matched (1).

There are a  large number of researche regarding vitamin D deficiency in Iran that are not addressed in this paper. In some of these, the definition of vitamin D deficiency is on the basis of serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) (3). In a systematic review and meta analysis of Heshmat et al. 77% of Iranian population had vitamin D deficiency (4). This high prevalence could be associated with any, even unrelated condition.

Result should be started with introducing the groups including the matched variables such as age and gender. For showing the results, table is better than the the text. without statistical tests and P values, explaining the difference is  not acceptable in scientific writings.

Discussion part of the paper was mostly the repetition of the introduction. I was not convinced by the discussion. It seems that the concept of “association” was confused with " causation" .

Kosarian, M. (MD)

Professor of Pediatrics, Thalasemia Research Center,

Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

            The main objective of this study was to compare the lack of vitamin D or association of iron deficiency anemia with healthy individuals.

the case group were the  patients with iron deficiency anemia and the  two controls  were Thalassemia Minor and  Healthy people.  The Thalassemia Minor Group, in  a microcytic anemia, was similar to the control group. the cause of microcytic is genetic  rather  iron deficiency.

 The Sampling was census.The  participants were the students who have been enrolled in that year; therefore, the Random sampling is not considered.

The design of a research  defines the  type of the study.

The printed research was designed in two categories: Cross sectional study (The Nutritional Target) and Analytic (comparison between the three groups)

Sinct all the participants  were students, the impact of the job, nutrition and… other factors, were the same.

Considering the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, less than 50 percent, in control group shows that this deficiency could be varied in different groups.

This study basically was designed just to express the association or lack of association of iron deficiency anemia.

As shown in the results and discussion, The amount of vitamin D deficiency in patients with iron deficiency was more than the control group.

Given that Vitamin D deficiency in patients with iron deficiency brings about  Various complications for Growth and health, this study largely emphasizes follow-up of these patients.

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Background and objectives: Soil contamination with Toxocara spp. eggs is the main source of human toxocariasis. The aim of this study was to determine rate of soil contamination with Toxocara spp. eggs in Yazd, central Iran.
Methods: During September 2014 to February 2015, a total of 220 soil samples were collected from public parks, primary schools, green areas, kindergartens, suburban areas, streets, residential complexes, backyards and a bus terminal in the city of Yazd, Yazd Province. Soil samples were investigated for the presences of Toxocara eggs by flotation technique using sucrose solution (1.2 g/cm³) and using light microscopy. Data analysis was carried out by SPSS (version 23) software package.
Results: A total of 220 soil samples from nine different places were examined. Of these samples, 51 (23.2%) were contaminated with Toxocara spp. eggs. The contamination rate was 26.3% in public parks, 19.2% in primary schools, 28.6% in green areas, 22.2% in kindergartens, 24% in suburban areas, 8.3% in streets, 18.8% in residential complexes, 19% in backyards and 28.6% in the bus terminal. There was no significant difference in the soil contamination rate with Toxocara spp. eggs between different sampling places (χ² = 3.096, d.f = 8 and P= 0.92) and sampling areas (χ²= 2.289, d.f = 2 and P= 0.318).
Conclusion: The high rate of soil contamination with Toxocara spp. eggs in Yazd emphasize on the need for preventive measures, such as improving sanitation, providing public health education and controlling stray dogs and cats near children play areas.

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Increasing antibiotic resistance is a global health problem. In recent years, due to the indiscriminate use of antibacterial compounds, many bacterial pathogens, including staphylococci, members of the Enterobacteriaceae family including Klebsiella pneumoniae and bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii have become multi-drug resistant. Consequently, it is important to explore alternative approaches for eliminating resistant strains. Bacteria synthesize low-weight molecules called siderophores to chelate iron from the environment as a vital element for their growth and survival. One way to deal with resistant bacterial strains is to utilize siderophore-mediated iron uptake pathways as entrance routes for drug delivery. Therefore, the production of drugs with Trojan horse strategy in the form of conjugated siderophore-antibiotic complexes has recently received much attention for dealing with resistant isolates. In this review, we discuss the efficacy of siderophore-antibiotic conjugates as a Trojan horse strategy for eliminating drug-resistant pathogens.

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Background and objectives: Considering the increasing use of nanochitin for the removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions, examining the biological effects of this substance on the level of essential metals for humans and animals is crucial. Therefore, this study investigated impact of oral administration of nanochitin on serum levels of iron (Fe) and calcium (Ca) in Wistar rats.
Methods: Twenty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four treatment groups and one control group. Two groups were fed with nanochitin at doses of 1.6 and 2.6 μg/g for 6 weeks, and the other two groups received the mentioned doses for 10 weeks. Serum concentrations of Fe and Ca were measured using atomic absorption spectroscopy.
Results: Oral administration of 2.6 μg/g nanochitin for 10 weeks caused a significant decrease in serum Ca and Fe concentrations (p<0.05). Oral administration of 1.6 and 2.6 μg/g nanochitin for 6 weeks caused a non-significant reduction in serum Fe and Ca concentrations (p>0.05). However, nanochitin consumption for 10 weeks resulted in a significant decrease in serum Fe concentration but not Ca.
Conclusion: The limited reduction of serum Fe and Ca concentrations after oral consumption of nanochitin at a low dose and for a limited duration indicates that the controlled use of nanochitin could be safe for animals. However, complementary studies are needed to determine the exact effects of nanochitin on the animals’ bodies. On the other hand, it is recommended to use Fe and Ca supplements after consuming high doses of nanochitin for longer periods.

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Background: Discovering new cytotoxic compounds has received significant attention due to the rise in drug resistance and the adverse effects associated with chemotherapy drugs. In this study, the cytoplasmic extract of Lactobacillus casei was used to produce iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe₂o₃ NPs), and the cytotoxic effects of NPs were investigated on MCF-7 and human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK-293) cells.
Methods: The cytoplasmic extract of L. casei was mixed with 10³M iron sulfate solution and incubated for 3 weeks at 37 °C and 5% CO₂. The coprecipitation method was used to synthesize chemical Fe₂o₃ NPs. The synthesis of NPs was studied by electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and the cytotoxic effects were evaluated with dilutions (10, 100, and 1000 µg/mL) on MCF-7 and HEK cells.
Results: X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopy presented the mean of NPs synthesized by the green method to be about 15 nm and their shape to be spherical, as well as the average of chemically synthesized NPs to be about 20 nm with cubic structure. Chemical and green synthesized NPs only at a concentration of 1000 µg/mL were able to significantly reduce the survival rate of normal HEK-293 cells; chemically synthesized NPs decreased MCF-7 cell survival only at 1000 µg/mL and green synthesis at 100 µg/mL and 1000 µg/mL.
Conclusion: Generating Fe₂o₃ NPs is biologically safe using the green synthesis method and the cytoplasmic extract of L. casei, which may be a suitable candidate for the treatment of cancer cells.

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Background: Certain trace elements, like cerium, have the potential to disrupt iron metabolism. This study explored the impact of cerium on intestinal iron absorption, focusing on the initial stage of iron metabolism. We employed the rat everted gut sac (EGS) segments to assess the interference caused by cerium. The primary objectives of this study were to examine the absorption of cerium in the intestines and to compare iron absorption in the presence and absence of cerium.
Methods: For the EGS experiment, segments of the rat's duodenum, ileum, or jejunum were promptly excised, cut into 5-6 cm segments, and rinsed with a physiological solution. These freshly prepared rat EGS segments were then incubated in Earle's medium containing iron (III) and/or cerium (III). We examined the impact of ascorbic acid, glucose, and different time intervals on the intestinal absorption of cerium and iron. Specifically, we investigated how glucose (5 mM) and ascorbic acid (2.8 mM) affected the absorption of cerium and iron at various concentrations (ranging from 0 to 200 mg/L). Additionally, we assessed the interfering effect of cerium on iron absorption.
Results: The results indicated that the maximum intestinal absorption of Fe (III) and Ce (III) occurred at a concentration of 200 mg/L. Furthermore, it was observed that their uptake increased following the reduction by ascorbic acid. The absorption of these elements also rose in the presence of glucose, suggesting energy-dependent transport. Additionally, a consistent cerium concentration was found to decrease iron absorption by 24.3% (P ≤ 0.05).
Conclusion: Based on the results, cerium likely reduces iron uptake by competing with iron. Cerium can also disrupt iron metabolism and lead to iron-related metabolic disorders. However, further studies at the molecular and intracellular levels are needed to gain a better understanding of this mechanism.
 

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Background: Soil contamination with parasites poses a significant and concerning risk for the transmission of parasitic infections to humans and animals. Considering the crucial role of soil as a potential source of parasite transmission, this study aimed to investigate the presence of helminth and protozoan parasites in the soil of public parks in Gorgan City.
Methods: In this study, a total of 80 soil samples were collected from 16 public parks in Gorgan City in 2022. The soil samples were collected from various areas within the parks, including flower-making, children's play areas, walking paths, sitting areas, and garbage dumps. To isolate the parasites from the soil samples, a saturated solution of sodium nitrate was utilized. The samples were carefully examined under a microscope, and all isolates were stained and subjected to further investigation using special acid-fast stain.
Results: Toxocara eggs were the most commonly detected parasite, present in 40% of the samples (n=32). Coccidia oocysts were found in 12.5% of the samples (n=10), which could potentially be Sarcocystis or Toxoplasma oocysts. Mites were also detected in 12.5% of the samples (n=10). Additionally, Cryptosporidium oocysts were identified using Ziehl-Neelsen's modified staining method, and they were found in 10% of the samples (n=8).
Conclusion: Health education plays a vital role in raising awareness about preventive measures. Collecting reservoirs of parasites (Such as dogs and cats) and planning for the proper disposal of human waste also play an important role in prevention of this disease.