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Ann Palliat Med 2021 May;10(5):5580-5589

Department of Endocrinology, Hainan General Hospital, Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, China.

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is considered to be a global health problem. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and analyze its related factors among adult residents in Hainan, a tropical island province of southern China.

Methods: A total of 1,700 healthy adults, aged 18-86 years (617 men and 1,073 women), were enrolled in our cross-sectional descriptive study. Read More

Endocrinol Diabetes Nutr 2021 Feb 21;68(2):123-129. Epub 2020 Oct 21.

Servicio de Endocrinología y Nutrición, Hospital Universitario Gregorio Marañón. Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, España.

Obesity is a chronic disease that leads to an increased risk of mortality and morbidity, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic may create a new health challenge. There is clear evidence showing that some biological and social factors associated with obesity involve an increased risk of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and greater severity compared to people with normal weight. Undoubtedly, obesity involves a low-grade proinflammatory state that produces a dysregulation of the immune system that compromises its ability to respond to respiratory infection by COVID-19 and so produces a worsening of the disease. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2021 Jun 3;14(6). Epub 2021 Jun 3.

Medical Genetics, Kasturba Medical College Manipal, Manipal, Karnataka, India

Disorders of intracellular cobalamin metabolism are a group of metabolic disorders that lead to varied clinical presentation from intrauterine life to adulthood. We report a male infant with developmental regression, macrocytic anaemia and hyperpigmentation. Exome sequencing identified a homozygous pathogenic variant in the gene, known to cause homocystinuria, cblD type (MIM #277410). Read More

Contemp Clin Trials 2021 06 29;105:106418. Epub 2021 May 29.

Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Division of Preventive Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.

Nutrients 2021 May 19;13(5). Epub 2021 May 19.

Department of Health Sciences, College of Natural and Health Sciences, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi 144534, United Arab Emirates.

Insufficient blood levels of the neurohormone vitamin D are associated with increased risk of COVID-19 severity and mortality. Despite the global rollout of vaccinations and promising preliminary results, the focus remains on additional preventive measures to manage COVID-19. Results conflict on vitamin D's plausible role in preventing and treating COVID-19. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2021 May 13;22(10). Epub 2021 May 13.

Department of Medical Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", Via P. Maroncelli 40, 47014 Meldola, Italy.

Testicular cancer (TC) is the most frequent tumor in young males. In the vast majority of cases, it is a curable disease; therefore, very often patients experience a long survival, also due to their young age at diagnosis. In the last decades, the role of the vitamin D deficiency related to orchiectomy has become an increasingly debated topic. Read More

Sensors (Basel) 2021 May 12;21(10). Epub 2021 May 12.

Department of Chemical Sciences and Technologies, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy.

Folic acid (FA) is the synthetic surrogate of the essential B vitamin folate, alternatively named folacin, pteroylglutamic acid or vitamin B. FA is an electroactive compound that helps our body to create and keep our cells healthy: it acts as the main character in a variety of synthetic biological reactions such as the synthesis of purines, pyrimidine (thus being indirectly implied in DNA synthesis), fixing and methylation of DNA. Therefore, physiological folate deficiency may be responsible for severe degenerative conditions, including neural tube defects in developing embryos and megaloblastic anaemia at any age. Read More

PLoS Med 2021 06 1;18(6):e1003605. Epub 2021 Jun 1.

Lady Davis Institute, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada.

Background: Increased vitamin D levels, as reflected by 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25OHD) measurements, have been proposed to protect against COVID-19 based on in vitro, observational, and ecological studies. However, vitamin D levels are associated with many confounding variables, and thus associations described to date may not be causal. Vitamin D Mendelian randomization (MR) studies have provided results that are concordant with large-scale vitamin D randomized trials. Read More

Infez Med 2021 Jun;29(2):224-228

Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Patras, Greece.

Vitamin D deficiency has been associated to respiratory tract infections. We aimed to investigate vitamin D plasma levels in patients with chest infection with and without COVID-19 in a hospitalized population during the second pandemic wave. A prospective study was conducted in a Mediterranean tertiary center referring to 80 patients suffering from chest infection, who were divided into two groups according to a positive test for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Read More

J Int Med Res 2021 May;49(5):3000605211016815

Department of Neurology and Neuroscience Centre, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, China.

A 58-year-old male vegetarian presented with progressive numbness and weakness in the lower extremities. Laboratory examinations showed reduced vitamin B12 level with megaloblastic anaemia. Spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed hyperintensity within the posterior and lateral columns on T2-weighted imaging. Read More

Pan Afr Med J 2021 4;38:237. Epub 2021 Mar 4.

Department of Pediatrics, Military Teaching Hospital Mohammed V, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco.

Vitamin B12 deficiency in early childhood is an important cause of neurodevelopmental delay and regression. Most of these cases occur in exclusively breast-fed infants of deficient mothers. Symptoms and signs of vitamin B12 deficiency appear between the ages of 2 to 12 months and include vomiting, lethargy, failure to thrive, hypotonia, and arrest or regression of developmental skills. Read More

Arch Endocrinol Metab 2021 May;64(5):498-506

Disciplina de Endocrinologia, Departamento de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (Unifesp), São Paulo, SP, Brasil.

The effects of vitamin D on the musculoskeletal system are well established. Its deficiency causes osteomalacia, secondary hyperparathyroidism, and an increased risk for fractures and falls. However, clinical and experimental evidence points to extra-skeletal actions of vitamin D, including on immune and respiratory systems. Read More

Arch Endocrinol Metab 2021 May;64(6):726-734

Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) in exclusively breastfed infants at the Aga Khan University Hospital Nairobi, Kenya (AKUHN). The relationships between 25-hydroxyvitamin D; 25OHD, parathyroid hormone (PTH), maternal vitamin D supplementation, and sunlight exposure were also determined.

Methods: Blood from 98 infants was assayed for 25OHD, calcium, phosphate, and PTH. Read More

Arch Endocrinol Metab 2021 May;64(6):695-703

Programa de Pós-Graduação em Nutrição, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brasil.

Objective: To evaluate the association between MetS, its components and insulin resistance (IR) with 25(OH)D and hsCRP. The moderator role of 25(OH)D in the association of MetS, its diagnostic components and IR with hsCRP were also explored.

Methods: A cross-sectional study (2014/2015) with a population-based cohort in Southern Brazil (n = 605). Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2021 May 24;14(5). Epub 2021 May 24.

GPR-ICARE, LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.

We report a rare presentation of xerophthalmia due to partial pancreatic exocrine insufficiency following Frey's surgery (pancreatic resection) in a 12-year-old girl. The child had undergone this surgery for chronic calcific pancreatitis 3 years before and presented with ocular irritation and decreased vision of 3 months duration. Ocular examination showed severe conjunctival and corneal xerosis. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2021 May 24;14(5). Epub 2021 May 24.

General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) is an antiretroviral drug widely used as a first-line treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and HIV. Increasing evidence has emerged associating its use with the development of Fanconi syndrome, renal insufficiency and bone disease. We report a case of a 61-year-old woman with a remote history of liver transplant for cirrhosis due to HBV. Read More

Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2021 05 24;5:CD015043. Epub 2021 May 24.

Cochrane Haematology, Department I of Internal Medicine, Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.

Background: The role of vitamin D supplementation as a treatment for COVID-19 has been a subject of considerable discussion. A thorough understanding of the current evidence regarding the effectiveness and safety of vitamin D supplementation for COVID-19 based on randomised controlled trials is required.

Objectives: To assess whether vitamin D supplementation is effective and safe for the treatment of COVID-19 in comparison to an active comparator, placebo, or standard of care alone, and to maintain the currency of the evidence, using a living systematic review approach. Read More

BMC Pediatr 2021 05 22;21(1):248. Epub 2021 May 22.

Bone and mineral Clinic, Sainte-Justine Hospital Center, Department of Pediatrics, 3175 Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montreal, QC, Canada.

Introduction: Rickets is not an unusual diagnosis for pediatricians even currently in developed countries. Children typically present with leg bowing, enlargement of wrists, rachitic rosary (swelling of costochondral junctions) and/or waddling gait. But not every child with growth delay and enlarged metaphyses is diagnosed with rickets. Read More

J Int Med Res 2021 May;49(5):3000605211012231

Department of Nephrology, Affiliated Baiyun Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guizhou, China.

Objective: In the present study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between serum vitamin D3 concentration and anaemia in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in China, to assist understanding of the effects of vitamin D treatment in such patients.

Methods: A total of 225 patients with CKD were enrolled and a range of laboratory parameters were measured. The participants were allocated to three groups, according to their serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 concentration: a severe deficiency group, a deficiency group, and a sufficiency group. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2021 May 19;14(5). Epub 2021 May 19.

Pediatrics, Section of Nephrology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, North Carolina, USA.

A 7-year-old girl without a significant previous medical history was diagnosed with X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets (XLHR) due to a rare, most likely pathogenic, gene variant after a 4-year delayed diagnosis due to mild clinical presentation. At 2 years of age, her intoeing and femoral bowing were attributed to physiologic bowing and borderline vitamin D sufficiency, despite phosphorus not being measured. Hypophosphatemia was eventually detected after incomplete improvement of bowing and leg length discrepancy with suboptimal linear growth. Read More

BMC Res Notes 2021 May 19;14(1):193. Epub 2021 May 19.

Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box: 14155-6117, Tehran, Iran.

Objective: Equivocal association the contribution of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and the well-accepted role of vitamin D-binding protein (VDBP) on bioavailability of 25(OH)D or its independent roles, has led to possible association of the VDBP in glucose metabolism. This study was conducted to evaluate the relationships among 25(OH)D, VDBP, glucose/insulin metabolism and homeostatic model assessment (HOMA-IR). Blood samples were collected from 236 obese and overweight women. Read More

Swiss Med Wkly 2021 05 19;151:w20522. Epub 2021 May 19.

University of Basel, Switzerland.

JAMA Netw Open 2021 05 3;4(5):e2111634. Epub 2021 May 3.

Quest Diagnostics, San Juan Capistrano, California.

Importance: Low vitamin D levels have been reported to be associated with increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Independent, well-powered studies could further our understanding of this association.

Objective: To examine whether low levels of vitamin D are associated with SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity, an indicator of previous infection. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2021 May 18;21(1):450. Epub 2021 May 18.

Antimicrobial Resistance Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.

Background: A protective effect of vitamin D against COVID-19 infection is under investigation. We aimed to analyze the effect of vitamin D sufficiency on the clinical outcomes of patients infected with COVID-19.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study we analyzed the vitamin D levels of COVID-19 patients who were admitted to Razi Hospital (an infectious disease referral center in Mazandaran province in northern Iran) from February to March 2020. Read More

Biomed Res Int 2021 26;2021:6650181. Epub 2021 Apr 26.

School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming 650504, China.

Moderate folic acid (FA) intake is an effective strategy that slows colorectal cancer (CRC) progression. However, high consumption of FA may trigger the transition of precancerous tissue towards malignancy. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are considered to be potential biomarkers of CRC. Read More

Int Heart J 2021 May 15;62(3):627-635. Epub 2021 May 15.

Department of Cardiology, Shandong Qianfoshan Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University.

To evaluate whether lowering plasma homocysteine (Hcy) levels at different doses of folic acid (FA) could reduce cardiac fibrosis and diastolic dysfunction in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) with hyperhomocysteinemia (Hhcy) and investigate the possible mechanism of action.We randomly divided 32 male SHRs into control, Hhcy, Hhcy + low-dose FA (LFA), and Hhcy + high-dose FA (HFA) groups. Echocardiography and Masson staining of cardiac tissue were used to assess diastolic function and cardiac fibrosis. Read More

Curr Opin Nephrol Hypertens 2021 07;30(4):387-396

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons.

Purpose Of Review: The purpose of this review is to summarize the emerging studies analyzing the association between vitamin D and risk of COVID-19 infection and severity, as well as the early interventional studies investigating the protective effect of vitamin D supplementation against COVID-19.

Recent Findings: Studies investigating the association between vitamin D levels and risk of COVID-19 infection and risk of severe disease and mortality among those infected have yielded mixed results. Thus far, the majority of studies investigating the association between vitamin D and COVID-19 have been observational and rely on vitamin D levels obtained at the time of admission, limiting causal inference. Read More

Front Public Health 2021 27;9:650823. Epub 2021 Apr 27.

Chongqing Key Laboratory of Child Nutrition and Health, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Children's Nutrition Research Center, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorder, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.

This study aimed to explore the changes in infant vitamin A (VA) status and the effect of early VA supplementation on VA level throughout the first 6 months of life. A prospective cohort study was conducted in Chongqing, China. A total of 1,016 healthy infants were enrolled at birth. Read More

Nat Commun 2021 05 13;12(1):2789. Epub 2021 May 13.

Epidemiology Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, US.

Evolutionary theory suggests that some animal species may experience shifts in their offspring sex ratio in response to maternal health and environmental conditions, and in some unfavorable conditions, females may be less likely to bear sons. Experimental data in both animals and humans indicate that maternal inflammation may disproportionately impact the viability of male conceptuses; however, it is unknown whether other factors associated with both pregnancy and inflammation, such as vitamin D status, are associated with the offspring sex ratio. Here, we show that among 1,228 women attempting pregnancy, preconception 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations are positively associated with the live birth of a male infant, with notably stronger associations among women with elevated high sensitivity C-reactive protein, a marker of systemic low-grade inflammation. Read More

Wei Sheng Yan Jiu 2021 Mar;50(2):186-191

National Institute for Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention; Key Laboratory of Trace Element Nutrition, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Beijing 100050, China.

Objective: To analyze the level of vitamin A and its influencing factors of Chinese rural elderly.

Methods: The serum samples of the rural elderly were selected by random sampling method from the biological sample bank of Chinese Adults Nutrition and Chronic Diseases Surveillance in 2015(CANCDS2015). The basic information of the subjects was collected by questionnaire survey. Read More