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1.
Effect of age and body mass index on vitamin D level in children with asthma in Riyadh.
Bindayel, IA
Scientific reports. 2021;(1):11522
Abstract
Vitamin D deficiency prevalence in children has been rising. Low 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25(OH)D3) levels contribute to poor asthma control in children. This study assessed 25(OH)D3 levels in children with asthma from Riyadh with respect to anthropometrics, dietary, and lifestyle variables. Children with asthma (n, 60; 2-17 years) were assessed for serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 (25(OH)D3) level and body anthropometrics (weight, height, and body mass index [BMI]). Vitamin D dietary intake, sun exposure, and sociodemographic data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Thirty-one children (52%) had a 25(OH)D3 level < 50 nmol/L, 15 of whom (25%) had a level < 30 nmol/L. 25(OH)D3 level was significantly negatively correlated with age (P < 0.05), weight (P < 0.02), and height (P < 0.05). Children with a 25(OH)D3 level < 30 nmol/L had a significantly higher BMI than children with insufficient and sufficient vitamin D levels (P < 0.01). There was no significant effect of sex on 25(OH)D3 level. Higher 25(OH)D3 level was associated with a greater body area exposure to the sun. This study found that > 50% of the children with asthma had below sufficiency vitamin D levels. The vitamin D screening and supplementation of older and overweight children with asthma is recommended.
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2.
Calcifediol Treatment and Hospital Mortality Due to COVID-19: A Cohort Study.
Alcala-Diaz, JF, Limia-Perez, L, Gomez-Huelgas, R, Martin-Escalante, MD, Cortes-Rodriguez, B, Zambrana-Garcia, JL, Entrenas-Castillo, M, Perez-Caballero, AI, López-Carmona, MD, Garcia-Alegria, J, et al
Nutrients. 2021;(6)
Abstract
CONTEXT Calcifediol has been proposed as a potential treatment for COVID-19 patients. OBJECTIVE To compare the administration or not of oral calcifediol on mortality risk of patients hospitalized because of COVID-19. DESIGN Retrospective, multicenter, open, non-randomized cohort study. SETTINGS Hospitalized care. PATIENTS Patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 between 5 February and 5 May 2020 in five hospitals in the South of Spain. INTERVENTION Patients received calcifediol (25-hydroxyvitamin D3) treatment (0.266 mg/capsule, 2 capsules on entry and then one capsule on day 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28) or not. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE In-hospital mortality during the first 30 days after admission. RESULTS A total of 537 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19 (317 males (59%), median age, 70 years), and 79 (14.7%) received calcifediol treatment. Overall, in-hospital mortality during the first 30 days was 17.5%. The OR of death for patients receiving calcifediol (mortality rate of 5%) was 0.22 (95% CI, 0.08 to 0.61) compared to patients not receiving such treatment (mortality rate of 20%; p < 0.01). Patients who received calcifediol after admission were more likely than those not receiving treatment to have comorbidity and a lower rate of CURB-65 score for pneumonia severity ≥ 3 (one point for each of confusion, urea > 7 mmol/L, respiratory rate ≥ 30/min, systolic blood pressure < 90 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure ≤ 60 mm Hg, and age ≥ 65 years), acute respiratory distress syndrome (moderate or severe), c-reactive protein, chronic kidney disease, and blood urea nitrogen. In a multivariable logistic regression model, adjusting for confounders, there were significant differences in mortality for patients receiving calcifediol compared with patients not receiving it (OR = 0.16 (95% CI 0.03 to 0.80). CONCLUSION Among patients hospitalized with COVID-19, treatment with calcifediol, compared with those not receiving calcifediol, was significantly associated with lower in-hospital mortality during the first 30 days. The observational design and sample size may limit the interpretation of these findings.
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Vitamin D status and associated factors among HIV-infected children and adolescents on antiretroviral therapy in Kampala, Uganda.
Piloya, TW, Bakeera-Kitaka, S, Kisitu, GP, Idro, R, Cusick, SE
PloS one. 2021;(6):e0253689
Abstract
BACKGROUND A high prevalence of suboptimal serum vitamin D has been reported among HIV infected children even in countries with high sunshine abundance throughout the year. Vitamin D is a potent immune modulator of innate and adaptive immune responses. Vitamin D regulates immune responses through the vitamin D receptor on CD4 cells. We aimed to determine the vitamin D status of HIV infected children and factors associated with suboptimal vitamin D. METHODS This was a cross sectional study. We enrolled children aged between 6 months and 12 years attending an outpatient paediatric HIV clinic. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) was measured using the electrochemoluminisence method. Suboptimal vitamin D was defined as 25(OH)D <30 ng/ml, vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency were 21-29 ng/ml and <20 ng/ml respectively. Anthropometry, physical exam and medical history were documented. Logistic regression was performed. RESULTS We enrolled 376 children with mean age (sd) 8.05 years (3.03), a median (IQR) duration of ART of 5.9 years (3.2-8.4). Majority of the children (64%) had been exposed to non nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). A third were severely immunosuppressed (CD4% ≤15%) at ART initiation. At the time of the study, the majority (89%) were virologically suppressed (VL <1000 copies/ml). Prevalence of 25(OH)D <30 ng/ml was 49 (13%) of 375 participants and 11 (3%) had 25(OH)D <20 ng/ml. Lopinavir/ritonavir regimen was independently associated with 25(OH)D <30 ng/ml; OR 0.27 CI (0.13-0.57), p value-0.002. Serum 25(OH)D <20 ng/ml was associated with CD4 count ≤15% at ART initiation OR 6.55(1.30-32.9), p value-0.023 and use of NNRTIs; OR 10.9(1.22-96.2), p value-0.03. CONCLUSION We found a low prevalence of suboptimal vitamin D compared to earlier reports. Severe immunosuppression at ART initiation and use of NNRTIs increases odds of deficiency. Vitamin D supplementation should be considered in severely immunosuppressed children initiating ART.
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Clinical Laboratory Manifestation and Molecular Diagnosis of β-Thalassemia Patients in Iraq.
AlMosawi, RHN, Al-Rashedi, NAM, Ayoub, NI
Journal of pediatric hematology/oncology. 2020;(1):27-31
Abstract
Many studies determined the demographic and ethnic border of patients with beta (β)-thalassemia mutations and their migration. The effective way to health care policy of β-thalassemia is to prevent homozygote births and reduce the severity of the disease. The objectives of this study contributed to investigating the molecular and serologic characteristics of β-thalassemia patients in Iraq. Peripheral blood samples were collected from 97 β-thalassemia patients and 32 healthy control subjects. Quantitative sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to measure serum ferritin, 25-hydroxy vitamin D, and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels. Further, the β-globin mutation detection assay involving an extensive screening of β-globin mutations by direct Sanger DNA sequencing and gap-PCR was performed to detect the Δ619 deletion mutation. The results revealed that compared with the control subjects, the β-thalassemia patients showed significantly decreased vitamin D levels and significantly increased serum ferritin and 8-OHdG levels (all, P<0.001). Molecular analysis detected 9 types of mutations in the β-thalassemia patients, only 2 of which, namely IVS II-1 G>A and IVS 1-5 G>C, have been previously reported in Iraqi studies, whereas the remaining 7, namely IVS-II-666 C>T, CD2 CAT>CAC, IVS-II-850 G>A, IVS-II-16 GT, have never been reported in the Iraqi population. This study showed that the serum ferritin and 8-OHdG levels were significantly higher, and the serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels were significantly lower in the β-thalassemia patients than in the control subjects. Moreover, the results revealed seven newly identified mutations among Iraqi β-thalassemia patients and 2 previously reported mutations.
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Relationship between Serum Vitamin D and Calcium Levels and Vitamin D Receptor Gene Polymorphisms in Colorectal Cancer.
Al-Ghafari, AB, Balamash, KS, Al Doghaither, HA
BioMed research international. 2019;:8571541
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many epidemiological studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency is associated with various types of human cancers. The biological action of vitamin D and its metabolites is mediated by the transcription factor vitamin D receptor (VDR). The VDR gene is highly expressed in the colon and is involved in many biological functions. The aim of the current study was to assess the relationship between serum vitamin D metabolite and calcium levels with VDR polymorphisms in normal and colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. METHODS Fifty Saudi CRC patients and fifty controls were enrolled in the study. The levels of total vitamin D, 25(OH)D3, and calcium were measured in serum. RESULTS The homozygous genotype (aa) of the ApaI VDR polymorphism (rs7975232) was found to correlate with total serum vitamin D levels of CRC patients, while the heterozygous (Tt) TaqI VDR polymorphism (rs731236) was associated with serum calcium levels. In contrast, the BsmI and FokI VDR polymorphisms (rs1544410 and rs2228570, resp.) did not affect the serum levels of total vitamin D, 25-hydroxyvitamin D3, and calcium. CONCLUSION Appropriate vitamin D levels were shown to be important in preventing the onset of CRC.
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6.
Serum 25(OH)D levels after oral vitamin D3 supplementation and UVB exposure correlate.
Datta, P, Philipsen, PA, Olsen, P, Andersen, JD, Morling, N, Wulf, HC
Photodermatology, photoimmunology & photomedicine. 2019;(5):344-353
Abstract
BACKGROUND The inter-individual variation in 25(OH)D3 increase (Δ25(OH)D3 ) after vitamin D3 supplementation was determined and compared with the UVB irradiation response. METHODS Nineteen Danish participants received 85 μg vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) daily for nine weeks with regular serum 25(OH)D3 measurements. These participants had three years earlier taken part in a 9-week controlled UVB study. The Δ25(OH)D3 was not confounded by ambient UVB, BMI or ethnicity. RESULTS Δ25(OH)D3 was 53 nmol L-1 and almost identical to Δ25(OH)D3 (52 nmol L-1 ) after UVB. Δ25(OH)D3 ranged from 17 to 91 nmol L-1 (span 74 nmol L-1 ) and was about half of that observed after UVB irradiation (span 136 nmol L-1 ). The interquartile ranges for vitamin D3 supplementation (38.8-71.4 nmol L-1 , span: 32.6 nmol L-1 ) and UVB irradiation (35.7-65.4 nmol L-1 , span: 29.7 nmol L-1 ) were similar indicating a comparable response of the two interventions. As the 25(OH)D3 start levels (R2 = 0.398, P = 3.8 × 10-3 ), 25(OH)D3 end levels (R2 = 0.457, P = 1.5 × 10-3 ) and Δ25(OH)D3 (R2 = 0.253, P = 0.028) between both interventions were correlated, this suggested a possible common individual background for the variation. Four pigment SNPs influenced the variation in the vitamin D3 -induced and UVB-induced Δ25(OH)D3 . A combined model including the influence of these four SNPs and the 25(OH)D3 start level explained 86.8% (P = 1.6 × 10-35 ) of the individual variation after vitamin D3 supplementation. CONCLUSION The inter-individual variation in the two interventions was comparable and had no common demographic but a partly common genetic background.
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7.
Influence of genetic variation in the vitamin D pathway on plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels and survival among patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.
Yuan, C, Renfro, L, Ambadwar, PB, Ou, FS, McLeod, HL, Innocenti, F, Meyerhardt, JA, Wolpin, BM, Goldberg, RM, Grothey, A, et al
Cancer causes & control : CCC. 2019;(7):757-765
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Abstract
PURPOSE The relationships of genetic variation in the vitamin D pathway with circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D] levels and survival remain largely unknown for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). METHODS Among 535 patients participating in a randomized trial of chemotherapy for mCRC, we prospectively measured baseline plasma 25(OH)D and examined 124 tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within seven genes in the vitamin D pathway, including five SNPs associated with circulating 25(OH)D levels in previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS). We evaluated whether these SNPs were associated with plasma 25(OH)D levels and patient outcome (overall survival, time to progression, and tumor response), using linear, logistic, and Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS We observed a significant association between 25(OH)D levels and an additive genetic risk score determined by the five GWAS-identified SNPs (p = 0.0009). We did not observe any direct association between 25(OH)D-associated SNPs, individually or as a genetic risk score, and patient outcome. However, we found a significant interaction between 25(OH)D levels and rs12785878 genotype in DHCR7 on overall survival (pinteraction = 0.02). CONCLUSION Germline genetic variation in the vitamin D pathway informs baseline 25(OH)D levels among patients with mCRC. The association between 25(OH)D levels and overall survival may vary by DHCR7 genotype. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00003594 ( https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00003594 ).
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25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 exert distinct effects on human skeletal muscle function and gene expression.
Hassan-Smith, ZK, Jenkinson, C, Smith, DJ, Hernandez, I, Morgan, SA, Crabtree, NJ, Gittoes, NJ, Keevil, BG, Stewart, PM, Hewison, M
PloS one. 2017;(2):e0170665
Abstract
Age-associated decline in muscle function represents a significant public health burden. Vitamin D-deficiency is also prevalent in aging subjects, and has been linked to loss of muscle mass and strength (sarcopenia), but the precise role of specific vitamin D metabolites in determining muscle phenotype and function is still unclear. To address this we quantified serum concentrations of multiple vitamin D metabolites, and assessed the impact of these metabolites on body composition/muscle function parameters, and muscle biopsy gene expression in a retrospective study of a cohort of healthy volunteers. Active serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1α,25(OH)2D3), but not inactive 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25OHD3), correlated positively with measures of lower limb strength including power (rho = 0.42, p = 0.02), velocity (Vmax, rho = 0.40, p = 0.02) and jump height (rho = 0.36, p = 0.04). Lean mass correlated positively with 1α,25(OH)2D3 (rho = 0.47, p = 0.02), in women. Serum 25OHD3 and inactive 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (24,25(OH)2D3) had an inverse relationship with body fat (rho = -0.30, p = 0.02 and rho = -0.33, p = 0.01, respectively). Serum 25OHD3 and 24,25(OH)2D3 were also correlated with urinary steroid metabolites, suggesting a link with glucocorticoid metabolism. PCR array analysis of 92 muscle genes identified vitamin D receptor (VDR) mRNA in all muscle biopsies, with this expression being negatively correlated with serum 25OHD3, and Vmax, and positively correlated with fat mass. Of the other 91 muscle genes analysed by PCR array, 24 were positively correlated with 25OHD3, but only 4 were correlated with active 1α,25(OH)2D3. These data show that although 25OHD3 has potent actions on muscle gene expression, the circulating concentrations of this metabolite are more closely linked to body fat mass, suggesting that 25OHD3 can influence muscle function via indirect effects on adipose tissue. By contrast, serum 1α,25(OH)2D3 has limited effects on muscle gene expression, but is associated with increased muscle strength and lean mass in women. These pleiotropic effects of the vitamin D 'metabolome' on muscle function indicate that future supplementation studies should not be restricted to conventional analysis of the major circulating form of vitamin D, 25OHD3.
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Vitamin D levels and atopic eczema in infancy and early childhood in Norway: a cohort study.
Berents, TL, Lødrup Carlsen, KC, Mowinckel, P, Sandvik, L, Skjerven, HO, Rolfsjord, LB, Kvenshagen, B, Hunderi, JO, Bradley, M, Lieden, A, et al
The British journal of dermatology. 2016;(1):95-101
Abstract
BACKGROUND Epidemiological data and the effect of sun exposure on atopic eczema (AE) suggest that vitamin D (vitD) may be involved in the pathogenesis. OBJECTIVES To investigate if vitD levels were associated with the presence or severity of AE in the first 2 years of life in children living in south-east Norway. METHODS Infants, recruited to a clinical trial on acute bronchiolitis (n = 404) and from the general population (n = 240), were examined at 1-13 months (first visit) and at 2 years of age (second visit). Caregivers were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. AE was diagnosed clinically, based on well-established criteria. Disease severity was assessed using the SCORing Atopic Dermatitis index. Blood samples were taken for vitD measurements, using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and for common filaggrin mutation analyses. Complete data on AE and vitD were available in 596 and 449 children at the first and second visit, respectively. RESULTS Atopic eczema was diagnosed in 67 children (11%) at the first visit and in 103 children (23%) at the second. Mean vitD levels were 58·2 nmol L(-1) at the first visit and 66·9 nmol L(-1) at the second. Using vitD level tertiles in multivariate regression analysis, there was no association between vitD levels and AE at either visit, regardless of filaggrin mutation. In children without AE at the first visit, vitD levels did not predict AE at the second. CONCLUSIONS In this cohort of young children in Norway, we found no association between vitD levels and the presence or severity of AE.
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Vitamin D (25-0H D3) status and pathological response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in stage II/III breast cancer: Data from the NEOZOTAC trial (BOOG 10-01).
Charehbili, A, Hamdy, NA, Smit, VT, Kessels, L, van Bochove, A, van Laarhoven, HW, Putter, H, Meershoek-Klein Kranenbarg, E, van Leeuwen-Stok, AE, van der Hoeven, JJ, et al
Breast (Edinburgh, Scotland). 2016;:69-74
Abstract
BACKGROUND Serum levels of 25-OH vitamin D3 (vitamin D) have been shown to be prognostic for disease-free survival in patients with breast cancer. We investigated the predictive value of these levels for pathological response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer taking part in the NEOZOTAC phase-III trial. Additionally, the effect of chemotherapy on vitamin D levels was studied. MATERIALS AND METHODS Serum vitamin D was measured at baseline and before the last cycle of chemotherapy. The relationship between these measurements and clinical outcome, as defined by pathological complete response in breast and lymph nodes (pCR) was examined. RESULTS Baseline and end of treatment vitamin D data were available in 169 and 91 patients, respectively. Median baseline vitamin D values were 58.0 nmol/L. In patients treated with chemotherapy only, serum vitamin D levels decreased during neoadjuvant chemotherapy (median decrease of 16 nmol/L, P = 0.003). The prevalence of vitamin D levels < 50 nmol/L increased from 38.3% at baseline to 55.9% after chemotherapy. In the total population, baseline and end of therapy vitamin D levels were not related to pathological response. No associations were found between pCR and vitamin D level changes. CONCLUSION The significant decrease in vitamin D post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy suggests that vitamin D levels should be monitored and in case of decrease of vitamin D levels, correction may be beneficial for skeletal health and possibly breast cancer outcome.