This study was designed to measure the effect of iron supplementation on antioxidant status in iron-deficient anemia, including the time for hemoglobin normalization and at the time of filling of iron body stores. The extent of plasma lipid peroxidation was evaluated by measuring the levels of malondialdehyde and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase in 63 patients with iron-deficiency anemia before and after 6 wk of iron supplementation and at the time when body iron stores are saturated. After 6 wk of iron supplementation, a significant decrease of oxidative stress was observed in the treated subjects relative to controls (p<0.05). No significant differences existed between treated patients at 6 wk and at the end of the study. The erythrocyte levels of catalase, SOD, and GSH-Px were significantly lower in treated patients relative to controls (p<0.05). These levels increased after 6 wk of supplementation (p<0.05) and showed no significant differences with those at the end of the study.

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This study was designed to measure the effects of iron supplementation on respiratory burst in iron-deficient anemia. The performance of neutrophils was evaluated by measuring the activity of NADPH oxidase in 18 patients with iron-deficient anemia before and after body iron stores are saturated. The activity of NADPH oxidase was significantly lower in pretreatment patients relative to controls (p<0.05). The activity increased after iron supplementation to levels that had no significant differences relative to controls.

The present study was conducted to investigate how pinealectomy and zinc deficiency separately or in combination affected thyroid hormones in rats. The study was carried out on 40 Sprague-Dawley male rats. The rats were equally allocated to four groups: Group 1 (control group), Group 2 (zinc-deficient group), Group 3 (pinealectomized group) and Group 4 (pinealectomized and zinc-deficient group). At the end of a 4-week study period, the rats were decapitated and blood samples were taken. The samples were examined in terms of plasma zinc, melatonin, free and total T3, T4, and TSH. It was found that free T3 and T4 levels in the pinealectomized group (Group 3) were higher than all others (p < 0.01) while free T3, T4, and TSH levels in the zinc-deficient group (Group 2) were lower than all others (p < 0.01). Free T3 and T4 levels in the pinealectomized zinc-deficient group (Group 4) were lower than those in Groups 1 and 3 and higher than those in Group 2 (p < 0.01). The findings obtained at the end of the study period show that pinealectomy has a stimulating and zinc deficiency has a suppressing effect on thyroid hormones and that the suppressing effect caused by zinc deficiency is partially balanced by pinealectomy.

Extracorporeal low-density lipoprotein (LDL) apheresis is an established and highly effective therapy for the patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) not adequately responding to diet and drug therapy alone. This study was designed to measure the effect of lipid apheresis on oxidant and antioxidant status in a patient with FH. The levels of plasma lipid peroxidation were determined as thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances. The activities of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were established in one subject with FH before and after lipid apheresis. The pre- and post lipid apheresis procedures witness a significant decrease in oxidative stress (p<0.05) but the erythrocyte levels of CAT, SOD and GPx were unchanged.