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BMJ 2020 06 17;369:m2383. Epub 2020 Jun 17.

Wansford and Kings Cliffe Practice, Wansford PE8 6PL, UK.

BMJ 2020 06 16;369:m2380. Epub 2020 Jun 16.

Harlow CM17 0DX, UK.

Rev Assoc Med Bras (1992) 2020 Mar;66(3):268-274

. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Coletiva, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, São Leopoldo, RS, Brasil.

Objective: To investigate the association between low serum vitamin D levels and peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

Methods: A cross-sectional study with a consecutive sample of 133 individuals from Caxias do Sul, Brasil. We considered PAD patients those with an ankle-brachial index (ABI) ≤ 0. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2020 Jun;99(23):e20621

Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, P.R. China.

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the commonest endocrine disorder in reproductive-aged women. In addition to the reproductive consequences, PCOS is also characterized by a metabolic disorder, which may play a part in the etiology of anovulation and has important implications for long-term health as well. Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in PCOS and there is a close relationship between metabolic dysfunction and vitamin D status in women with PCOS. Read More

N Engl J Med 2020 06;382(23):2249-2255

From the Departments of Medicine (N.Y., A.L.M., J.L.), Pathology (J.L.H.), and Orthopedic Surgery (C.P.C.), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston.

Rev Saude Publica 2020 1;54:53. Epub 2020 Jun 1.

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, School of Biosciences and Medicine, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom.

The study discusses the possible role of adequate vitamin D status in plasma or serum for preventing acute respiratory infections during the Covid-19 pandemic. Our arguments respond to an article, published in Italy, that describes the high prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in older Italian women and raises the possible preventive and therapeutic role of optimal vitamin D levels. Based on literature review, we highlight the findings regarding the protective role of vitamin D for infectious diseases of the respiratory system. Read More

N Engl J Med 2020 May;382(22):e78

JAMA 2020 05;323(20):2100

Lancet 2020 05;395(10237):e97

Department of Rheumatology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, QLD, Australia; Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.

Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2020 07 20;8(7):570. Epub 2020 May 20.

Life Sci 2020 Aug 15;254:117795. Epub 2020 May 15.

Division of Gastroenterology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China. Electronic address:

Aims: The primary focus of this study was to explore the effects of cyclic AMP response element-binding protein H (CREBH) on the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Materials And Methods: CREBH knockout (KO) and wildtype (WT) mice were averagely divided into a methionine and choline-deficient (MCD) or high fat (HF) diet group and respective chow diet (CD) groups. Mice were sacrificed after 4-week treatment for MCD model and 24-week treatment for HF model. Read More

N Engl J Med 2020 May;382(20):e56

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR

Eur J Clin Nutr 2020 Jun 12;74(6):856-859. Epub 2020 May 12.

Division of Gastroenterology & Liver Unit, University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, AB, Canada.

Aging Clin Exp Res 2020 Jul 6;32(7):1195-1198. Epub 2020 May 6.

The Cambridge Centre for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK.

WHO declared SARS-CoV-2 a global pandemic. The present aim was to propose an hypothesis that there is a potential association between mean levels of vitamin D in various countries with cases and mortality caused by COVID-19. The mean levels of vitamin D for 20 European countries and morbidity and mortality caused by COVID-19 were acquired. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2020 May;99(18):e19926

Department of Neurology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, 16 Jiangsu Road, Qingdao, Shandong Province.

Rationale: Nitrous oxide (N2O), commonly known as "laughing gas," is being increasingly abused by young people as a recreational drug; this can subsequently result in myelopathy and peripheral neuropathy, however, in China, few cases of neurologic deterioration by N2O abuse have been reported.

Patient Concerns: Herein, we present 2 patients who developed progressive limb weakness, numbness, and ataxia. Both of them had recreationally inhaled N2O intermittently for a long time. Read More

JAMA 2020 04;323(16):1619

Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina.

JAMA 2020 04;323(16):1618-1619

Blizard Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, England.

Arch Pediatr 2020 05 22;27(4):234. Epub 2020 Apr 22.

Service de néphrologie, rhumatologie et dermatologie pédiatriques, centre de référence des maladies rénales rares, centre de référence des maladies rares du calcium et du phosphore, hôpital Femme-Mère-Enfant, 69500 Bron, France.

BMJ 2020 Apr 24;369:m1319. Epub 2020 Apr 24.

First point Healthcare, Launceston, Australia.

Int J Mol Sci 2020 Apr 22;21(8). Epub 2020 Apr 22.

Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) disease (COVID-19) appears to have a higher mortality rate in presence of comorbidities and in men. The latter suggests the presence of a possible sex-dependent susceptibility. An enzymatic system involved in this different predisposition could be represented by angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Read More

Spec Care Dentist 2020 May 24;40(3):251-259. Epub 2020 Apr 24.

Department of Pediatric Dentistry, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Dentistry, Houston, Texas, USA.

Background: Scurvy, the disease resulting from vitamin C deficiency, is perceived as being rare and occurring predominantly in the past. However, scurvy continues to exist and may be encountered in children with medical/developmental conditions and/or restricted diet. Diagnosis can be challenging given the perceived rarity of the condition and nonspecific symptoms, including gingival disease. Read More

N Engl J Med 2020 04;382(17):1670-1671

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA.

N Engl J Med 2020 04;382(17):1670

Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA.

N Engl J Med 2020 04;382(17):1669-1670

University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.

N Engl J Med 2020 04;382(17):1669

Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ

Rev Med Suisse 2020 Apr;16(691):778-783

Unité des internistes généralistes et pédiatres, Faculté de médecine, Université de Genève, 1211 Genève.

Vitamin D plays a critical role in bone health in adolescence. Is screening and treatment of vitamin D deficiency therefore necessary at this age? Inspired by a clinical case, we try to answer this question by presenting a summary of worldwide recommendations for vitamin D in adolescents. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2020 Apr;99(16):e19799

Department of Nutrition, the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University.

Introduction: Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) is a severe neuropsychiatric disorder, which results from a nutritional deficiency of thiamine. The occurrence of WE is rarely reported in patients with cerebral infarction, who often have complications of malnutrition. Cerebral infarction is a neurological disease, patients with cerebral infarction may show symptoms such as disturbance of consciousness and gait instability, which is difficult to differentiate from WE. Read More

Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2020 06 28;51(12):1434-1437. Epub 2020 Apr 28.

Department of Medical Gerontology, Mercers Institute for Ageing, St James Hospital, Dublin 8, Ireland.

Subcell Biochem 2020 ;95:27-55

Department of Food Science, Rutgers Center for Lipid Research, New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA.

The placenta, a hallmark of mammalian embryogenesis, allows nutrients to be exchanged between the mother and the fetus. Vitamin A (VA), an essential nutrient, cannot be synthesized by the embryo, and must be acquired from the maternal circulation through the placenta. Our understanding of how this transfer is accomplished is still in its infancy. Read More

Subcell Biochem 2020 ;95:1-26

Maine Medical Center Research Institute, 81 Research Drive, Scarborough, Maine, 04074, USA.

Vitamin A deficiency studies have been carried out since the early 1900s. Initially, these studies led to the identification of fat soluble A as a unique and essential component of the diet of rodents, birds, and humans. Continuing work established that vitamin A deficiency produces biochemical and physiological dysfunction in almost every vertebrate organ system from conception to death. Read More

Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi 2020 Apr;100(13):1023-1027

Department of Neurology, First Medical Centre, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China.

To investigate the electrophysiological features of patients with subacute combined degeneration (SCD). The electrophysiological data of 85 hospitalized patients in Department of Neurology, First Medical Centre, Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2014 to September 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Abnormality rate of motor nerve conduction (27. Read More

Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2020 05;51(10):995-996

Department of Endoscopy Center, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China.

JAMA 2020 04;323(14):1411-1412

Division of Preventive Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.

JAMA 2020 04;323(14):1411

Retired, The Dalles, Oregon.

Wiad Lek 2020 ;73(3):561-564

Shei «Uzhhorod National University», Uzhhorod, Ukraine.

Objective: The aim: To investigate discrete laboratory and morphometric features of atherosclerotic lesions in patients with chronic ischemia of the lower extremities (CILE).

Patients And Methods: Materials and methods:The examined contingent consisted of 47 patients (age 56.32 ± 1. Read More

Chem Biol Interact 2020 Jun 10;324:109091. Epub 2020 Apr 10.

Nutrition Research Institute and Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA; Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA. Electronic address:

Folate and alcohol are dietary factors affecting the risk of cancer development in humans. The interaction between folate status and alcohol consumption in carcinogenesis involves multiple mechanisms. Alcoholism is typically associated with folate deficiency due to reduced dietary folate intake. Read More

Arch Pediatr 2020 05 9;27(4):233-234. Epub 2020 Apr 9.

Department of Pediatrics (Endocrinology), Yale University School of Medicine, P.O Box 208064, 06520-8064 New Haven, CT, USA. Electronic address:

Nature 2020 04;580(7804):446-447

Crit Care 2020 04 7;24(1):133. Epub 2020 Apr 7.

Department of Pathology & Biomedical Science, University of Otago, Christchurch, PO Box 4345, Christchurch, 8140, New Zealand.

Nutrients 2020 Apr 2;12(4). Epub 2020 Apr 2.

Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Nagyerdei Blvd 98, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary.

The world is in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health measures that can reduce the risk of infection and death in addition to quarantines are desperately needed. This article reviews the roles of vitamin D in reducing the risk of respiratory tract infections, knowledge about the epidemiology of influenza and COVID-19, and how vitamin D supplementation might be a useful measure to reduce risk. Read More

Nutrients 2020 Apr 2;12(4). Epub 2020 Apr 2.

Division of Epidemiology and Prevention, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore City, MD 21201, USA.

Smell and taste decline with aging, and markedly deteriorate when nutritional deficiencies occur. This study aims to examine the associations between Vitamin D (VD) deficiency and smell and taste impairments among adults. This paper details a cross-sectional study utilizing data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 2013-2014. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2020 Apr;99(14):e19700

Department of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.

Background: To determine the prevalence of subacute combined degeneration (SCD) patients with normal or elevated serum vitamin B12 level and to identify clinical characteristics of these patients.

Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane library, without language restriction up to June 2019 and included studies with SCD patients who were diagnosed with normal or elevated serum vitamin B12 levels. Meta-analysis was performed to estimate the prevalence of SCD in patients with normal or elevated serum vitamin B12 levels and compare the differences of clinical data between patients with low and no-low serum vitamin B12 level. Read More

PLoS One 2020 31;15(3):e0230426. Epub 2020 Mar 31.

Department of Pediatrics, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.

Objective: Postnatal vitamin D supplementation is standard of care in neonates and preterm infants. Despite routine supplementation of vitamin D, a wide range of complications related to vitamin D deficiency has been described in the literature. Since standard vitamin D supplementation might be not sufficient in preterm infants with a genetic predisposition for vitamin D deficiency, we investigated the outcome of preterm infants with regard to their genetic estimated vitamin D levels. Read More

PLoS One 2020 26;15(3):e0230336. Epub 2020 Mar 26.

Servicio de Cirugía General y Digestiva, Hospital Miguel Servet, Zaragoza, Spain.

Introduction: Evidence implicates vitamin D deficiency in poorer outcomes and increased susceptibility to hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). This study examined the association between serum vitamin D levels and HAIs in a population of hepatobiliary surgery patients.

Methods: Participants in this prospective analytical observational study were patients who underwent hepatobiliary surgery in a tertiary hospital in Aragon, Spain, between February 2018 and March 2019. Read More

PLoS One 2020 24;15(3):e0229638. Epub 2020 Mar 24.

Institute of Naval Medicine, Alverstoke, Hampshire, United Kingdom.

Stress fractures are common amongst healthy military recruits and athletes. Reduced vitamin D availability, measured by serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) status, has been associated with stress fracture risk during the 32-week Royal Marines (RM) training programme. A gene-environment interaction study was undertaken to explore this relationship to inform specific injury risk mitigation strategies. Read More

PLoS One 2020 23;15(3):e0230379. Epub 2020 Mar 23.

Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States of America.

Individuals with chronic kidney disease have elevated levels of oxidative stress and are at a significantly higher risk of skeletal fracture. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which accumulate in bone and compromise mechanical properties, are known to be driven in part by oxidative stress. The goal of this study was to study effects of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on reducing oxidative stress and improving various bone parameters, most specifically mechanical properties, in an animal model of progressive CKD. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2020 Mar;99(12):e19467

Qinghai University Affiliated Hospital, Xining, Qinghai Province.

Background: The findings on the association between elevated plasma homocysteine levels and the risk of the trial of org 10172 in acute stroke treatment (TOAST) of ischemic stroke have been inconsistent in Chinese. So far, there is no meta-analysis about the association between Hcy and the TOAST subtypes of ischemic stroke in Chinese. This study; therefore, aimed to evaluate whether elevated homocysteine levels are associated with the TOAST subtypes of ischemic stroke using a meta-analysis. Read More

An Acad Bras Cienc 2020 16;92(1):e20190227. Epub 2020 Mar 16.

Laboratório de Estudos do Treinamento Físico Aplicado ao Desempenho e a Saúde, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Campus I, Cidade Universitária, 58051-900 João Pessoa, PB, Brazil.

Given the scarcity of studies with elderly and the existence of studies investigating the effect of vitamin D supplementation in PEH (post exercise hypotension), this study evaluated the effect of a single megadose of vitamin D on resting blood pressure (RBP) and post-exercise hypotension (PEH) in the elderly. 11 hypertensive elderly women (70.3 ± 1. Read More

Rev Med Chil 2019 Nov;147(11):1415-1422

Servicio de Anestesiología, Clínica Dávila, Santiago, Chile.

Background Sun exposure is the main source of 25-hydroxy-vitamin D. Since anesthesiologists work inside operating rooms, they are identified as a deficiency risk group. As medical activity in general occurs indoors, added to the work excess and sedentary lifestyle, physicians in general have low sun exposure. Read More

J Radiol Case Rep 2019 Sep 30;13(9):1-7. Epub 2019 Sep 30.

Department of Radiology, Changi General Hospital, Singapore.

Metronidazole induced encephalopathy is a rare central nervous system toxicity, which may be completely reversible with prompt cessation of metronidazole usage. We present a case of metronidazole induced encephalopathy in a 59-year-old man with a history of Whipple's procedure for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour. The characteristic magnetic resonance imaging features of metronidazole induced encephalopathy and its main differential diagnosis, Wernicke's encephalopathy, are discussed. Read More