Supplementary Material for: Novel Iron-Whey Protein Microspheres Protect Gut Epithelial Cells from Iron-Related Oxidative Stress and Damage and Improve Iron Absorption in Fasting Adults

<p><b><i>Background:</i></b> Iron food fortification and oral iron formulations are frequently limited by poor absorption, resulting in the widespread use of high-dose oral iron, which is poorly tolerated. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We evaluated novel iron-denatured whey protein (Iron-WP) microspheres on reactive oxygen species (ROS) and viability in gut epithelial (HT29) cells. We compared iron absorption from Iron-WP versus equimolar-dose (25 mg elemental iron) ferrous sulphate (FeSO₄) in a prospective, randomised, cross-over study in fasting volunteers (<i>n</i> = 21 per group) dependent on relative iron depletion (a ferritin level ≤/>30 ng/mL). <b><i>Results:</i></b> Iron-WP caused less ROS generation and better HT29 cell viability than equimolar FeSO₄. Iron-WP also showed better absorption with a maximal 149 ± 39% increase in serum iron compared to 65 ± 14% for FeSO₄ (<i>p</i> = 0.01). The response to both treatments was dependent on relative iron depletion, and multi-variable analysis showed that better absorption with Iron-WP was independent of baseline serum iron, ferritin, transferrin saturation, and haemoglobin in the overall group and in the sub-cohort with relative iron depletion at baseline (<i>p</i> < 0.01). <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> Novel Iron-WP microspheres may protect gut epithelial cells and improve the absorption of iron versus FeSO₄. Further evaluation of this approach to food fortification and supplementation with iron is warranted.</p

CELLDEX2018

Data and code associated with the manuscript: SD Tiegs, DM Costello, MW Isken, G Woodward, PB McIntyre, MO Gessner, E Chauvet, NA Griffiths, AS Flecker, et al. Global patterns and drivers of ecosystem functioning in rivers and riparian zones

Front-end process modeling in silicon

Front-end processing mostly deals with technologies associated to junction formation in semiconductor devices. Ion implantation and thermal anneal models are key to predict active dopant placement and activation. We review the main models involved in process simulation, including ion implantation, evolution of point and extended defects, amorphization and regrowth mechanisms, and dopant-defect interactions. Hierarchical simulation schemes, going from fundamental calculations to simplified models, are emphasized in this Colloquium. Although continuum modeling is the mainstream in the semiconductor industry, atomistic techniques are starting to play an important role in process simulation for devices with nanometer size features. We illustrate in some examples the use of atomistic modeling techniques to gain insight and provide clues for process optimization