Age- and sex-specific reference intervals for superoxide dismutase enzyme and several minerals in a healthy adult cohort

Introduction The aim of this study was to establish RIs for clinically important markers including superoxide dismutase (SOD), serum copper, zinc, calcium, magnesium, and phosphate in a cohort of healthy Iranian adults. Materials A subsample from MASHAD cohort study was used to assess serum SOD, copper, zinc, calcium, magnesium and phosphate. Serum SOD was measured according to its inhibitory potential of pyrogallol oxidation. Micro- and macro-minerals were measured using flame atomic absorption spectrometry and a BT3000 autoanalyzer, respectively. Sex- and age-specific RIs were then calculated based on CLSI Ep28-A3 guidelines. Results Reference value distributions for studied parameters did not demonstrate any age-specific differences that were statistically significant. In addition, sex partitioning was not required for all parameters, apart from serum magnesium, which showed a wider range in females (0.81–1.26 mg/dl) compared with males (0.82–1.23 mg/dl). Conclusion The RIs established in this study can be expected to improve mineral assessment and clinical decision-making in the Iranian adult population

Reference intervals for routine biochemical markers and body mass index: a study based on healthcare center database in northeastern Iran

Age‐ and sex‐specific reference intervals (RIs) for some biochemical tests may be useful for their interpretation, due to the variations in lifestyle and genetic, or ethnic factors. The aim of this study was to obtain RIs for some routine biochemical markers including a serum lipid profile, fasting blood glucose (FBG), aspartate and alanine aminotransferase (AST and ALT), uric acid, and body mass index (BMI) in subjects who attended primary healthcare centers. The large database of primary healthcare centers uses RIs to report results for children, adolescents, and young and old adults. RIs were obtained by using the indirect method, recommended by the CLSI Ep28‐A3 guidelines. RIs for FBG, BMI, and serum lipid profile, including triglyceride, total cholesterol, high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol in people aged 18 to 120 years, were obtained without age/sex segmentation. RIs for serum AST, ALT, and uric acid were obtained without age segmentation, though these RIs were higher in males than females. The RIs for AST, ALT, and uric acid were higher in men, while the RIs for the other variables were similar in both sexes. This is the first study reporting the use of indirect RIs for BMI