• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.10
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• pp.1374-1381
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• 2009

This study was designed to investigate the differences of physiological variables by age group in alcohol-consuming men. The thirty year old-age group had the lowest waist-hip ratio (WHR), right and left cardio-ankle vascular index (R-CAVI and L-CAVI), right and left ankle-brachial index (R-ABI and L-ABI), amylase, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and creatine phosphokinase (CPK) levels, and the highest body weight (BW), interleukin-6 (IL-6), right and left intraocular pressure (R-IP and L-IP), hematocrit (Hct), hemoglobin (Hb), erythrocyte, red blood cells distribution width (RDW), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total cholesterol (TCH), triglyceride (TG), and ferritin levels. The forty year old-age group was the highest in hs CRp and CPK levels, but the lowest in ferritin level. The fifty year old-age group possessed the highest WHR, diastolic blood pressure (DBP), R- and L-ABI, eosinophil, and amylase levels. The sixty year old-age group had the highest R- and L-CAVI, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), ALP, $\gamma$-glutamyltranspeptidase ($\gamma$-GTP), rheumatoid factor (RF), $\alpha$-fetoprotein (AFP) and prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels and the lowest BW, DBP, R-IP, L-IP, Hct, Hb, leukocyte, platelet, RDW, eosinophil, monocyte, ALT, amylase, TG, and CPK levels. These findings indicate that there may be differences of physiological variables depending on age group in alcohol-consuming men. Further studies should be focused on the physiological differences between alcohol-consuming men and women.

• Plant Resources
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.26-30
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• 2001

To improve the iron content of red pepper, we have transferred the entire coding sequence of the ferritin gene(Fpl) into Capsicum annuum (L. cv. Chungyang and Bukang) by Agrobacterium mediated transformation. Transformants were found to contain the Fp1 gene at up to three loci, increased distinct iron content changes. In transgenic plants, iron content was as much as 7-fold to 8-folds greater than that of their untransformed counterparts. Furthermore, the Rl progenies from transformant(A7, A8) co-segregated into a 15:1 ratio for both Kanamycin resistance and genotype of high iron.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.42-49
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• 2019

Objective: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) is characterized by persistent airflow limitations associated with chronic inflammatory response due to noxious particles or gases in the lung. Iron deficiency is associated with chronic inflammation, such as COPD. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship among iron deficiency, iron homeostasis, and inflammation in retired miners with COPD. Methods: The serum levels of ferritin, soluble transferrin receptor(sTfR), and transferrin saturation(TSat) as biomarkers for iron deficiency and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein(hsCRP) as a biomarker for inflammation and hepcidin as a biomarker for iron homeostasis were measured in 93 male subjects. Iron deficiency was defined as any one or more of (1) sTfR>28.1 nmol/L, (2) TSat<16%, and (3) ferritin< $12{\mu}g/L$. Results: Iron deficiency was found 28% of the study subjects. Median levels of serum hsCRP was significantly increased related to airflow limitation of COPD(GOLD 1, $0.09{\mu}g/dL$ vs. GOLD 2, $0.17{\mu}g/dL$ vs. GOLD $3{\leq}$, $0.30{\mu}g/dL$, p=0.010), and was positively correlated with hepcidin(p=0.009). Mean level of serum hepcidin was lower in COPD subjects with iron deficiency(p=0.004) and serum levels of hepcidin was negatively correlated with %$FEV_1$ predicted(p=0.030). Conclusions: These results suggest that high serum levels of hepcidin are related to severe airflow limitation or inflammation and can decrease iron availability, regardless of iron status.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.49 no.11
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• pp.1174-1179
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• 2006

Purpose : Obesity and iron deficiency are common nutritional problems. Obese children are known to have iron deficiencies, but one presented opposite opinion in Korea. This study investigated the prevalence of obesity and iron deficiency in Incheon and the relationship between iron deficiency and obesity. Methods : Physical measurement and hematologic examinations were done a 764 healthy female students aged 14 to 15 years in May, 2005. Overweight was defined as a body mass index ${\geq}85th$ percentile. Iron deficiency was defined as serum ferritin <10 ng/mL. Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) was defined as serum Hb <12 g/dL and serum ferritin <10 ng/mL and/or transferrin saturation <16%. Results : 1) The prevalence of overweight was 24.4 percent (n=186), and that of obesity 16.5 percent (n=126). Ferritin and transferrin saturation was the lowest in the normal weight group. 2) The prevalence of iron deficiency and IDA was 18.7 percent (n=102) and 5.3 percent (n=41), respectively. 3) Iron deficiency was more common in the normal weight group compared with the overweight and underweight groups. Also, the non-obese had more iron deficiency and IDA than the obese. Conclusion : The prevalence of obesity in middle school girls could be higher in Incheon than in other regions, but there might be no difference in iron deficiency. However, iron deficiency was more prevalent in the normal weight group than in overweight group. The overweight group ate more food and gained more iron, so seemed to be less prevalent in iron deficiency than the normal weight group.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.193-202
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• 2009

In this study, we analyzed the blood cadmium concentration in general population of Korea, and followed the analyses the relations with epidemiologic factors, life-style and body iron store. The geometric mean concentration of blood cadmium was 1.20 ${\mu}g/L$ in study subject, the level of blood cadmium was higher in female (1.27 ${\mu}g/L$) than in male (1.11 ${\mu}g/L$). The mean concentration of blood cadmium was the highest in coastal area (1.80 ${\mu}g/L$) and followed in urban (1.01 ${\mu}g/L$) and rural area (0.90 ${\mu}g/L$). The cadmium concentration in whole blood was increased with age-dependent pattern, such as 0.64 ${\mu}g/L$ in the below 30 years, 0.95 ${\mu}g/L$ in the 30~44 years, 1.28 ${\mu}g/L$ in the 45~59 years and 1.31 ${\mu}g/L$ in the over 60 years. The level of blood cadmium was higher in smokers than in non-smokers, but was not significant by alcoholic habit. The blood cadmium level was different from occupations, which was the highest in the fishers as 1.87 ${\mu}g/L$. The inversed relation was observed between blood cadmium and serum Fe, while was correlated positively with the ferritin level. In summary, the environmental exposure to cadmium in Korean is not so much compared to other countries, and the blood cadmium is influenced by genetic factors (age and sex), life-styles (dietary habit, occupation and smoking habit) and nutrition such as serum iron.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.646-652
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• 2003

This study was performed to determine the iron status of the adolescent Korean girls before and after menarche. The 101 subjects aged 11-13 years who attending in an elementary school in Mokpo were recruited. They were divided into pre-menarche (A) group or post-menarche (B) group based on their menstruation status. The latter subjects were sub-divided into one of the four groups according to the times of their menstruation B-I( $\geq$ 3 times), B-II (4-6 times), B-III (7-9 times) or B-W ( $\geq$ 10 times). In the total subjects, dietary iron intake, 11.3 mg/day, was below the Korean RDA for iron, the percentage of heme iron to total iron intake, 15%, and the bioavailability of dietary iron, 12.3%, seemed to be low. And their body iron storage, 140.8 mg, seemed to be insufficient. However, they tended to meet body's iron requirement in the cell level. Red blood cell number (RBC), hematocrit (Hct), and hemoglobin (Hb) level in the total subjects were 4.5 1012/I, 39.3%, and 13.0 g/㎗, respectively. The subjects in B group had lower (p<0.05) RBC and Hct compared to those in A group and the prevalence of iron-deficiency anemia tended to be high. Serum iron, ferritin, and soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) and sTfR:ferritin ratio were 86.7 $\mu\textrm{g}$/d, 17.6 $\mu\textrm{g}$/l, 3.58 mg/1, and 230, respectively. Those four indices were not significantly different among the groups. The results of this study imply that, although there a tendency to affect negatively iron status, menstrual blood loss in adolescent females does not deteriorate obviously their iron status during the relatively short period up to 1 you. However, it should be better to improve their iron status after starting menarche by increasing iron intake, especially heme-iron, and enhancing factors for iron absorption.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.21 no.2 s.53
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• pp.153-163
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• 2006

Essential metals have been known to interact with non-essential toxic metals in the aspects of absorption, transport and deposition in the body. Iron deficiency has been reported to increase lead and/or cadmium absorption. The relation between iron and lead has been understood well in children but not in adults. Two hundred seventy adults (118 males and 152 females) were recruited from 3 different residental areas (rural, coastal and urban) to investigate the effects of environmental lead exposure on body iron status. The subjects were interviewed for life-style and diet of the last 24 hours, and measured for blood lead and body iron. The lead concentration in the whole blood was determined by a flameless method using an atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The body iron was evaluated with values of hemoglobin, hematocrit, RBCs, serum total iron, unsaturated iron binding capacity, total iron binding capacity and ferritin. The mean concentration of blood lead in adult was $3.31{\mu}g/dL$. The concentration was higher in male ($3.97{\mu}g/dL$) than in female ($2.86{\mu}g/dL$). The blood lead was influenced by residental area, life-style, smoking and drinking, occupation and diet habit of subjects, but not by age. A positive correlation was observed between the blood lead level and the serum iron or ferritin. These results suggest that environmental lead exposure in Korean adult may not be higher than other developed and developing countries. It is further indicated that blood lead in adult could be influenced by life-style, and environmental and genetic factors but no inverse relation with body iron as shown in children.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.435-440
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• 2009

Purpose : The concentration of soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) is estimated as an iron parameter to evaluate erythropoiesis and iron status. The aim of our study is to evaluate the correlation between sTfR concentration and inflammatory parameters and to distinguish iron deficiency anemia from anemia of inflammation. Methods : One hundred and forty-four infants younger than two years of age who visited Gyeongsang University Hospital for 7 years from 2000 to 2006 were enrolled. Patients who had hemoglobin (Hb) <11 g/dL and ferritin <12 mg/L were excluded. Routine hematologic lab, serum ferritin, sTfR, and inflammatory markers [C-reactive protein(CRP), interleukin-6(IL-6), and absolute neutrophil count (ANC)] were investigated. Results : In all patients, the sTfR concentration showed a correlation with Hb, ferritin, MCV, and ANC, but not with CRP and IL-6. In multiple regression models, positive correlations were found between sTfR concentration and IL-6 (r=0.078, P=0.043), and negative correlations were found between sTfR concentration and ANC (r=-0.117, P=0.033) and MCV (r=-0.027, P=0.009). Conclusion : sTfR concentration was influenced by inflammatory parameters. Therefore, sTfR does not appear to be a useful parameter for discriminating between iron deficiency anemia and anemia of inflammation in infants.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.167-173
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• 1998

This study was performed to assess the lead and cadmium status of children residing in urban factory area and to see if there is a difference of lead and cadmium status between the group with normal iron status. The mean lead concentration of male hair was 9.55ppm which is significantly higher than 6.61 ppm that of female. The mean lead concentration of male urine sample was 0.04ppm, 10.3ppm and $48.14\mu{g/L}$, which is higher than 0.08ppm, 6.08ppm and $20.69\mu{g/L}$ of normal group, respectively. In a suboptimal group the proportion of children whose urinary lead is higher than normal$(35\mu{g/L)$was 87.3%, whereas 2.5% for a normal group. The mean cadmium concentration of male hair was 2.58ppm, which is higher than 2.48ppm that of a female. The mean cadmium concentration of erythrocyte, hair and urine was 0.25ppm, 2.65ppm and $38.83\mu{g/L}$, which is higher than 0.20ppm, 2.40ppm and $19.78\mu{g/L}$ of the normal group, respectively. The proportion of children whose urinary cadmium level is higher than the low limit of risk of cadmium intoxication$(40\mu{g/L)}$ was 21.4%, whereas 0% for a mormal group. Urinary lead and cadmium level showed significantly negative correlation with the RBC count, hematocrit, hemoglobin and serum ferritin, whereas they had significantly positive correlation with FEP/Hb(p<0.01). There was no correlation between the IQ and the level of lead and cadmium.

• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.83-87
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• 2004

To investigate the effects of dietary phytate reduction and zinc supplementation on biochemical iron parameters in elderly Korean women consuming inadequate iron, fifteen healthy women aged 64-75 years were recruited for a feeding study. A high-phytate diet (27.8 phytate:zinc molar ratio) was provided for 9 days, followed by a nine-day low-phytate diet(12.3) and a subsequent 28-day period of unregulated meals with zinc supplementation (22 mg/d as zinc gluconate). Serum iron increased significantly with the low-phytate diet (130.4 $\mu g$/L) but returned to the level observed during the high-phytate diet (113.0 $\mu g$ /L) period when subjects were taking zinc supplements (105.8 $\mu g$ /L). However, serum ferritin in the subjects decreased significantly with the low-phytate diet (73.8 $\mu g$ /L) as well as with zinc supplementation (57.2 $\mu g$ /L), compared to levels following consumption of the high-phytate diet (89.6 $\mu g$ /L). Transferrin receptor and transferrin saturation were unchanged with the treatments. In summary, zinc supplementation might result in deteriorated iron status in elderly Korean women who consume inadequate iron, while there was no significant effect from reducing dietary phytate.