Optimal iron fortification of maternal diet during pregnancy and nursing for investigating and preventing iron deficiency in young rhesus monkeys.

The realization that pregnant and infant monkeys were challenged by high nutritional needs for iron led vendors to markedly increase iron concentrations in commercial diets. Yet, no systematic research was conducted to investigate the consequences of this important dietary change. Hematology and iron panels were determined for 142 infant rhesus monkeys gestated and reared on 3 different diets varying in iron concentration (180, 225 or 380 mg Fe/kg).

Improved diagnostic accuracy for neuroendocrine neoplasms using two chromogranin A assays.

Context: Chromogranin A (Cg A) is the best available diagnostic marker for neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs). However, clinical interpretation of Cg A results may be limited by considerable heterogeneity between commonly available Cg A assays. Variation in diagnostic accuracy of these assays largely reflects differences in antibody specificities.

Plasma hepcidin levels are elevated but responsive to erythropoietin therapy in renal disease.

Hepcidin is a critical inhibitor of iron export from macrophages, enterocytes, and hepatocytes. Given that it is filtered and degraded by the kidney, its elevated levels in renal failure have been suggested to play a role in the disordered iron metabolism of uremia, including erythropoietin resistance. Here, we used a novel radioimmunoassay for hepcidin-25, the active form of the hormone, to measure its levels in renal disease.