Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0240066 (iron deficiency)
 7,156 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

An association has been shown between iron deficiency and a low gastric acidity while the latter is known to increase susceptibility to cholera. This study was undertaken to ascertain whether iron deficiency is a risk factor for contracting cholera. The subjects were 60 adult males-30 with cholera admitted to ICDDR,B and 30 controls matched for age, sex and socio-economic status from the same household or immediate neighbourhood of the index case. Fingerstick blood was taken from all subjects to estimate the haematocrit, and serum ferritin concentration by an ELISA. The mean ferritin level of the study group was 38.7 ng/100 ml, in the controls. There was a significant difference in the serum ferritin level between the groups (P less than 0.005), Wilcoxon Sign Rank test for matched pairs suggesting that cholera patients tend to have lower serum ferritin concentration. Further prospective studies are required to define the possible association between iron deficiency and cholera more accurately.
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PMID:Serum ferritin and cholera. A prospective study. 175 Jan 1

Almost all segments of the gastrointestinal tract have been used as urinary tract substitutes. The specific nutritional and gastrointestinal complications depend on the particular portion of bowel that is removed from the alimentary tract. The use of stomach theoretically may predispose the patient to hypergastrinemia and peptic ulcer disease, hypocalcemia, and iron deficiency or megaloblastic anemia. Resection of a large amount of jejunum causes malabsorption. Limited use of colon segments usually is well tolerated, but loss of large parts of the colon directly decreases available absorptive area, resulting in diarrhea. Resection of the ileum and ileocecal valve can lead to several disease states. One is mixed secretory-osmotic diarrhea. Decreased ileal reabsorption of bile salts results in fat malabsorption and steatorrhea. The presentation of increased amounts of bile salts and fatty acids to the colon decreases water absorption and stimulates active chloride and water secretion, producing a cholera-like high-volume secretory diarrhea. The loss of the ileocecal valve and ileum segment accelerates intestinal transit time, which does not allow for complete digestion and absorption of food. Water and electrolytes remain associated with undigested food particles and may overwhelm the absorptive capacity of the colon, resulting in an osmotic diarrhea. A second problem is vitamin B12 deficiency. Surgical reduction of sites in the terminal ileum for active and exclusive uptake of vitamin B12 might lead to hypovitaminosis. If this is unrecognized, patients may develop irreversible neurologic injury. A third problem is cholelithiasis. Derangements in bile salt metabolism can occur when as little as 10 cm of ileum is resected, and the propensity to form gallstones is increased. Pigment gallstones appear to be the predominant stone associated with ileal resections. The fourth possible problem is urolithiasis, the etiology of which is multifactorial in patients with ileal resections. With decreased availability of bile salts, fat malabsorption occurs. Fatty acids bind with calcium and magnesium to form soaps, resulting in increased levels of free oxalate available for absorption. Moreover, fatty acids directly increase colonic permeability to oxalate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:Nutritional and gastrointestinal complications of the use of bowel segments in the lower urinary tract. 194 6

Iron deficiency and diarrhea are two of the most significant issues for global health. Iron deficiency anemia is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world, affecting nearly 25% of the world population (UNICEF/WHO 1999). The prevalence of iron deficiency in developing countries is illustrated by comparison with other deficiencies: iron deficiency affects 3.5 billion people, while vitamin A and iodine deficiency affect 0.3 billion people and 0.8 billion people, respectively. The prevalence is highest among young children and women of childbearing age (particularly pregnant women). It is estimated that national productivity levels could be raised as much as 20% by correcting iron deficiency in developing countries. Recombinant human lactoferrin (rhLF), expressed and extracted from rice seed, is being evaluated by Ventria Bioscience for use as a dietary supplement to treat iron deficiency and/or iron deficiency anemia. Diarrhea is also a major world health issue. Sixty percent of children who die under age five die of pneumonia, diarrhea or measles. World Health Organization oral rehydration solution (WHO-ORS) is one of the major medical advances in the past 50 years, saving the lives of 1 to 2 million children annually. Many studies have demonstrated similar efficacy of rice-based ORS. There are studies documenting the reduced frequency of diarrhea in breast-fed children and this health improvement is attributed to the antimicrobial action of the human milk proteins lactoferrin and lysozyme. In vitro data document the growth inhibition of the diarrheal associated organisms: rotavirus, ETEC, cholera, salmonella, and shigella by human lactoferrin (hLF) and human lysozyme. Using Ventria's ExpressTec system, we have expressed human lactoferrin and human lysozyme in rice. In a rice-based ORS formulation, these proteins have the potential to provide not only the benefits of reduced stool volume and improved weight gain, but also shorten the course of diarrheal episodes via antimicrobial activity against the causative agent.
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PMID:Recombinant human lactoferrin treatment for global health issues: iron deficiency and acute diarrhea. 1522 87