Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anemia worldwide, yet desiderosmia remains rarely described as one of its manifestations. The term "desiderosmia" was first proposed in a case series by Hansen et al. to describe compulsive olfactory cravings for specific scents observed in three symptomatic patients with iron deficiency, derived from the Latin word "desiderare" for desire and the Greek word "osme" for smell. Desiderosmia appears to be closely related to pica, a common manifestation of iron deficiency, though the key difference is that patients report olfactory cravings without the desire to consume the scent-producing substance. As far as the authors of this report are aware, the number of published cases of desiderosmia is extremely scarce, and the term itself has yet to become recognized in medical literature, owing to its novelty. We report the case of a 32-year-old woman with menorrhagia and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) refractory to oral ferrous sulfate despite adherence. Despite her hemoglobin improving from 9.1 to 9.9 g/dL (reference range: 12-15.5 g/dL), her ferritin remained critically low at 1 ng/mL (reference range: 30-400 ng/mL). At that time, she developed an intense urge to smell pine-scented cleaning products, alongside migraines and restless leg syndrome, hypothesized to be neuropsychological symptoms linked to altered CNS iron homeostasis. We speculate that desiderosmia may share a similar neurological mechanism, correlating more closely with the severity of iron store depletion rather than with anemia severity. Recognition of this symptom prompted identification of IDA not improving with oral iron and escalation of therapy to IV ferrous carboxymaltose. Following treatment with intravenous iron repletion, her ferritin increased to 52 ng/mL, and she no longer experienced desiderosmia or any other iron deficiency symptoms. This case highlights the need for validating studies of desiderosmia's potential as a diagnostic marker in cases of severe iron deficiency and the symptom's pathophysiology.

This study aimed to elucidate the Fe2+ chelation mechanism of a duck plasma-derived peptide (RCLQ) and its iron bioavailability-enhancing potential, exploring a high-value strategy for duck blood by-product utilization. The RCLQ-Fe complex was prepared and characterized. Structural characterization, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation were employed to identify the specific chelation sites and binding mechanism. Stability under varying pH, temperature, and simulated gastrointestinal digestion was assessed. A Caco-2 monolayer model evaluated iron absorption efficacy via cellular ferritin levels and key iron metabolism-related gene/protein expression. Molecular simulations and spectral data revealed Fe2+ primarily binds to the amide oxygen of Leu and Gln within RCLQ. The RCLQ-Fe chelate demonstrates remarkable stability, outperforming conventional ferrous sulfate. In Caco-2 cells, ferritin levels in RCLQ-Fe-treated groups exceeded those in ferrous sulfate groups; the high-concentration RCLQ-Fe group showed 6.16-fold greater iron transport than controls at 120 min, via upregulating Dmt1, IRP1, Dcytb and Epn1. This study elucidated the Fe2+ binding mechanism of RCLQ and iron absorption-enhancing pathways of RCLQ-Fe in Caco-2 cells. It provides a theoretical basis for RCLQ-Fe as a promising high-efficiency iron fortifier and a novel strategy for high-value utilization of duck blood by-products.

Iron-deficiency anemia is the most common hematologic disorder in pregnancy. Slow iron repletion, poor gastrointestinal tolerance, and late presentation during gestation often limit the effectiveness of oral ferrous salts, which remain the traditional first-line treatment. Intravenous iron offers faster iron delivery, but its role in routine antenatal care remains uncertain, particularly regarding its long-term safety and cost-effectiveness compared to traditional oral iron treatments. This qualitative systematic review included 10 randomized controlled trials published within the last decade that enrolled pregnant women with iron-deficiency anemia or persistent iron deficiency (defined, where applicable, as ferritin <30 μg/L after approximately four weeks of oral iron therapy) and compared intravenous iron with oral iron or one intravenous formulation with another. Across the included trials, intravenous iron generally produced more rapid ferritin replenishment and, in many studies, a faster rise in hemoglobin than oral therapy. Oral ferrous preparations were associated with more gastrointestinal adverse effects; for example, in one study, gastrointestinal treatment-related events were reported in more women receiving oral ferrous sulfate versus those receiving ferric carboxymaltose. In another trial, nausea/vomiting occurred in greater number of oral-iron recipients versus intravenous ones, while constipation and epigastric discomfort were reported only in the oral group. By contrast, serious intravenous treatment-related events were uncommon in the larger trials. Smaller and medium-sized trials generally favored parenteral iron for hematologic recovery, but the largest pragmatic studies from India, Malawi, and Nigeria showed that biochemical superiority did not consistently translate into lower rates of late-pregnancy anemia or improved major maternal and neonatal outcomes. One head-to-head intravenous trial also suggested practical and hematologic advantages of ferric carboxymaltose over iron sucrose. From a hematology perspective, intravenous iron appears most useful when rapid restoration of iron stores is needed, when adherence to oral therapy is doubtful, or when little time remains before delivery. Future trials should standardize ferritin-based diagnostic criteria, clearly distinguish hematologic from obstetric endpoints, and better define which patients are most likely to derive clinically meaningful benefit from parenteral iron.

Although ferrous sulfate (FeSO4) is increasingly applied in aerobic composting, its dosage-dependent effects on carbon stabilization, nitrogen retention and microbial functional pathways remain insufficiently defined. In this study, livestock manure composting was conducted with four FeSO4 dosages (0, 0.5, 1.5 and 4.5%) to evaluate physicochemical dynamics, humification, microbial succession and predicted carbon-nitrogen functional profiles. Compared with the control, moderate FeSO4 addition (0.5-1.5%) significantly accelerated thermophilic onset and improved compost maturity (P < 0.05). Within this range, 1.5% FeSO4 achieved the highest humic acid accumulation and humification indices, together with significantly lower late-stage dissolved organic carbon, indicating enhanced carbon stabilization. Total nitrogen retention was also significantly higher under 0.5-1.5% FeSO4 than in the control and 4.5% treatment. In contrast, excessive FeSO4 input (4.5%) constrained humification and redirected carbon metabolism toward glycolytic and fermentative pathways. Functional prediction revealed that nirK/nirS abundance peaked at 1.5%, whereas higher FeSO4 enriched norBC, nosZ and amoABC, indicating intensified terminal denitrification and nitrification potential. Redundancy analysis showed that carbon-related variables explained most variation in carbon- and nitrogen-cycling genes. Overall, 0.5-1.5% FeSO4 represented the most suitable operational range for improving manure compost quality, with 1.5% providing the best integrated performance under the conditions tested.

Trichosporon asahii is a significant pathogen of invasive fungal infections, exhibiting low susceptibility to multiple first-line antifungal drugs, which poses severe challenges in clinical treatment. This study discovered for the first time that ferrous sulfate (FeSO₄) has a potent inhibitory effect against this fungus by inducing a ferroptosis-like cell death. This process ischaracterized by non-apoptotic cell death, iron ion dependence, reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst, lipid peroxide accumulation, and damage to key membrane systems including the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. This process can be partially reversed by the ferroptosis-specific inhibitor Ferrostatin-1, and provided a modest improvement in fungal survival. Transcriptomic analysis further revealed that FeSO₄ treatment causes significant alterations in the expression of genes related to redox processes, glutathione metabolism, and the proteasome pathway. This study, for the first time, elucidates a ferroptosis-like death pathway in Trichosporon asahii triggered by exogenous Fe2+, which depends on iron accumulation and lipid peroxidation, thereby revealing a novel, ferroptosis-based mechanism with potential for future antifungal development.

Iron is a normal component in human milk. Daily oral iron intake from prenatal vitamins or other multimineral supplements does not affect milk iron levels. Higher daily oral iron dosing has a minimal effect on milk iron levels and is not expected to cause harm to the breastfed infant if needed to treat the mother’s anemia, but it is not an adequate substitute for direct infant iron supplementation to prevent or treat infant anemia.

To promote the application of natural dyes in eco-textiles and develop multifunctional silk fabrics, this study optimized the extraction of functional pigments from rhubarb and investigated their dyeing performance and functional properties on silk. The optimal extraction conditions were determined as pH 11, 80 °C, 50 min, with three extraction stages. The optimized direct dyeing parameters for silk fabrics were: dye bath pH value of 7, bath ratio of 1:40, dye solution concentration of 5%, and dyeing at 80 °C for 60 min. Post-dyeing metal ion mordanting significantly regulated the hue and dyeing depth of fabrics, with ferrous sulfate mordanting demonstrating the most ideal effect, enabling fabrics to exhibit deep gray coloration and a substantial increase in K/S value. The dyed silk exhibited significantly enhanced Ultraviolet (UV) protection (UPF 18.72 for direct dyeing, reaching 29.80 after Fe2+ mordanting) and antibacterial activity (inhibition rates of 69.26% and 77.49% against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), respectively, exceeding 95% after Fe2+ treatment). This work demonstrates that rhubarb dyeing can produce functional silk with excellent UV-blocking and antibacterial properties, supporting its potential in ecological textiles.

Dietary iron (Fe) and calcium (Ca) intervention can reduce rice cadmium (Cd) bioavailability, however, the efficacy of various Fe-Ca combinations and impacts on gut health remain poorly understood. By exposing mice to Cd-containing rice alongside with Fe (100 mg Fe L[-][1] in drinking water) and Ca supplementation (4000 mg Ca kg[-1] in diet), we investigated the effects of different forms of Fe-Ca co-intervention on Cd bioavailability, nutrition status, gut microbiota, and gut health. Results showed that Fe-Ca co-intervention reduced mouse liver and kidney Cd concentrations synergistically due to downregulation of both Fe and Ca intestinal transporters, with ferrous gluconate combined with Ca gluconate (Fe-Glu+Ca-Glu) being most efficient. Fe-Ca combination also avoided the nutritional imbalance effects of Fe and Ca alone. However, gut microbiota and gut health analyses, including 16S rRNA sequencing, mRNA expression of intestinal tight junctions and pro-inflammatory cytokines, and ileal tissue section staining, demonstrated that Fe-Glu+Ca-Glu remarkably decreased relative abundance of beneficial bacteria in the gut, damaged intestinal morphology, enhanced intestinal permeability, and elevated intestinal inflammatory responses. Assessment effects of gluconic acid intake in mice confirmed the gut health side effects of Fe-Glu+Ca-Glu were caused by high intake of gluconate ligand. In comparison, the combination of ferrous sulfate (FeSO4) with Ca hydrogen phosphate (CaHPO4) demonstrated limited effects on gut microbiota and gut health while being efficient in reducing rice Cd bioavailability. Collectively, our findings identify inorganic rather than organic Fe-Ca combinations may be safe, efficient, and gut-friendly strategy to address dietary Cd exposure risk and nutrient deficiency.

Iron pill aspiration represents an underrecognized but clinically significant cause of airway injury, particularly in the context of aging populations and increasing polypharmacy. While foreign body aspiration is commonly associated with food particles and small objects, medicinal pills such as ferrous sulfate present a distinct risk due to their corrosive biochemical properties. Oxidative injury resulting from ferrous ion conversion can cause mucosal necrosis, airway inflammation, and long-term complications, including bronchial stenosis and lobar collapse. Diagnosis is often delayed because aspiration events are typically unwitnessed, initial symptoms are nonspecific, and standard imaging modalities lack sensitivity. This editorial reframes iron pill aspiration as a preventable adverse drug event and explores its association with presbyphagia, medication burden, and patient safety. It summarizes current evidence on pathophysiology, diagnostic challenges, and clinical outcomes, with an emphasis on the need for proactive prevention. Recommended strategies include deprescribing medications that impair swallowing, reducing pill burden through alternate-day dosing, and incorporating dysphagia screening into routine prescribing practices. For patients at higher risk, considering liquid preparations may also help reduce harm. As iron supplementation remains central to anemia management worldwide, clinicians must balance therapeutic benefit with airway safety. Iron pill aspiration should no longer be considered rare but a foreseeable complication requiring systematic prevention efforts globally.

Nanoplastics (NPs) have emerged as ubiquitous environmental contaminants, raising increasing concerns over their ecological impacts and potential risks to human health. However, accurate quantification of NPs in aquatic environments remain analytically challenging due to the lack of effective enrichment techniques capable of operating at trace concentrations. Herein, we developed a robust, rapid, and organic-free flocculation-based preconcentration strategy for NP quantification in water samples. Utilizing polymerized ferrous sulfate (PFS) as an flocculant, diverse NPs, including polystyrene (PS), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), polypropylene (PP), and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), were efficiently coprecipitated with ferrihydrite (FeOOH) and subsequently isolated by centrifugation. The enriched NPs were analyzed by pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS), achieving high recoveries (≥92.8%) and low detection limits (0.01-0.02 μg/L). Field application revealed PS NP concentrations ranging from 0.11 to 0.36 μg/L, while recovery experiments in representative natural waters yielded consistent results (81.3-97.3%), confirming the method's accuracy and matrix tolerance. Compared with conventional extraction approaches (e.g., cloud point extraction), this protocol avoids the introduction of organic additives that may interfere with pyrolysis, thereby improving analytical sensitivity and reducing background complexity. Overall, the proposed method provides a reliable and practical platform for monitoring NP pollution in diverse aquatic systems.