Iron deficiency is usually attributed to chronic blood loss or inadequate dietary intake. Here, we show that iron deficiency anemia refractory to oral iron therapy can be caused by germline mutations in TMPRSS6, which encodes a type II transmembrane serine protease produced by the liver that regulates the expression of the systemic iron regulatory hormone hepcidin. These findings demonstrate that TMPRSS6 is essential for normal systemic iron homeostasis in humans.

The median weight loss for both phone and clinic groups at 12 and 26 weeks exceeded the NHLBI guideline of 10% weight loss from baseline. The phone approach may be a viable option to the traditional weight management clinic for both service providers and participants.

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Serum free light chain assay is a recently available test for diagnosis and monitoring of patients with plasma cell dyscrasias. In particular, this test is especially useful in patients that were previously difficult to follow with traditional laboratory methods. These patients include non-secretory multiple myeloma, amyloidosis and light chain deposition disease. In addition other uses for the test include monitoring response to treatment and earlier detection of relapse in all patients with plasma cell dyscrasias. Potential uses include assessing progression of patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, smoldering multiple myeloma, solitary bone plasmacytoma and extramedullary plasmacytoma to multiple meyloma. Analytical considerations for the assay are also discussed.

Unusually comprehensive studies of pulmonary function in hypertensive patients during left ventricular failure and cardiac asthma are presented. These findings are compared to those in mitral stenosis with congestive failure and in pulmonary emphysema with right heart failure. All patients were severely dyspneic and bedridden.

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very lean flame, rapid closure of the fuel valve produced no flashback. However, if the flame is left running for any length of time under these reduced flow conditions, localized overheating may cause damage to the burner.The 50-mm long-path nitrous oxide-acetylene flame shows a very stable CN emission region for some 20 mm above the burner head. Inert gas sheathing again extends the size and shape of this reducing region.The stability and intensity of the CN emission was measured just above the primary reaction cones with the circular burner. The results with and without nitrogen separation are shown in Figure 2 in comparison with a typical "circular slot" burner (2).Emission intensities for a restricted range of elements, from those which are readily atomized (e.g., sodium) to those which form refractory oxides (e.g., aluminium), were compared for the circular capillary and the circular slot burners operated both with and without flame separation (Table II). Although both the burner heads were of the same diameter and the gas flows were equivalent, the circular capillary burner gives a greater emission signal in all instances. Burner heads may be readily constructed from stainless steel capillary tubing on which stable laminar flames may be maintained. These burners are safer in operation than conventional burners, even with the nitrous oxide-acetylene flame. The method of construction may be used for flame or inert gas shields for these burners.