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Br J Nutr 2021 Jun 3:1-33. Epub 2021 Jun 3.

Translational Research Unit, Biomarker R&D Department, Shionogi Co., Ltd., Toyonaka, Japan.

Niacin deficiency causes pellagra, the symptoms of which include dermatitis, diarrhoea and dementia. Investigating the mechanism underlying these phenotypes has been challenging due to the lack of an appropriate animal model. Here, we report a mouse model of pellagra-related nausea induced by feeding mice a low-niacin diet and administering isoniazid (INH), which is thought to induce pellagra. Read More

Cureus 2021 Apr 25;13(4):e14682. Epub 2021 Apr 25.

Internal Medicine, Tâmega e Sousa Hospital Center, Penafiel, PRT.

Pellagra is a deadly nutritional disease caused by niacin deficiency. Although practically eradicated in developed countries, it still affects vulnerable populations. The diagnosis is based on the presence of characteristic dermatitis in sun-exposed areas, diarrhea, and dementia. Read More

Int J Dermatol 2021 May 24. Epub 2021 May 24.

Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences, Ballari, India.

Wien Klin Wochenschr 2021 Apr 21;133(Suppl 1):1-21. Epub 2021 Apr 21.

, Martinstraße 7, 3400, Klosterneuburg, Österreich.

Pellagra is characterized by "dermatitis - diarrhea - dementia - death". Various causes were discussed over the course of two centuries. The initial presumption was that the sun caused changes in exposed areas of the body. Read More

Am J Trop Med Hyg 2021 Apr 12. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

4Departamento de Vigilância, Instituto Nacional de Saúde, Maputo, Mozambique.

In mid-June 2019, 3 months after cyclone Idai landfall in Mozambique, health authorities of Nhamatanda district reported an outbreak of Pellagra. Applying a mixed-method protocol, we carried out an investigation to characterize cases of pellagra, identify the associated factors for the outbreak using a case-control study, and explore the perceived impact on food security (availability, access, and usage) before and after Idai. We collected data from 121 cases and 121 controls and conducted in-depth interviews with 69 heads of households. Read More

Public Health Nutr 2021 Jun 26;24(8):2062-2076. Epub 2021 Mar 26.

Faculty Research Office, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.

Objective: Pellagra is a nutritional deficiency disease associated with niacin (vitamin B3) deficiency. The history of pellagra is well documented for Europe and the USA, but less is known about the prevalence in sub-Saharan African countries. This study documents the history of pellagra in South Africa, as diagnosed based on dermatological symptoms. Read More

JAMA 2021 Mar;325(11):1103-1104

Okinawa Chubu Hospital, Uruma, Japan.

Nutr Hosp 2021 Jun;38(3):667-670

Departamento de Dermatología. Hospital de Clínicas Dr. Manuel Quintela. Universidad de la República.

Introduction: Introduction: pellagra is a systemic disease due to deficiency of vitamin B3 or tryptophan, its precursor. Vitamin B3 is needed for several metabolic processes, cell signaling, and DNA repair. It is characterized by a classic tetrad of dermatitis, diarrhea, dementia, and death. Read More

Int J Cosmet Sci 2021 Jun 31;43(3):302-310. Epub 2021 Mar 31.

Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.

Objective: Nicotinamide, also known as niacinamide, is a water-soluble vitamin that is used to prevent and treat acne and pellagra. It is often found in water-based skin care cosmetics because of its high water solubility. Nicotinamide is a small molecule with a molar mass of 122. Read More

J Clin Med 2021 Jan 19;10(2). Epub 2021 Jan 19.

Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, "L.Sacco" Hospital, 20157 Milano, Italy.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) may be associated with extra-intestinal manifestations. Among these, mucocutaneous manifestations are relatively frequent, often difficult to diagnose and treat, and may complicate the course of the underlying disease. In the present review, a summary of the most relevant literature on the dermatologic manifestations occurring in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases has been reviewed. Read More

Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed 2021 Mar 2;37(2):99-104. Epub 2021 Feb 2.

Dermatology Department, College of Medicine, University of Malawi, Blantyre, Malawi.

Pellagra is a clinical syndrome caused by a deficiency of niacin (nicotinic acid) and/or its precursor tryptophan. The cardinal manifestations are 4 D's: dermatitis, diarrhoea, dementia and in worst case death. Increased use of isoniazid prophylaxis along with antiretroviral therapy in countries where latent tuberculosis is common has been associated with increased presentations with pellagra. Read More

Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets 2020 Dec 22. Epub 2020 Dec 22.

Department of Biomedical Science and Human Oncology, Section of Internal Medicine and Clinical Oncology University of Bari Medical School, Bari. Italy.

Vitamins are essential substances for normal cell functions, growth, and development. However, they cannot be produced by the human organism, so intake must be through the diet. Vitamin deficiency causes the onset of different diseases, ranging from pellagra to pernicious anemia, which can be corrected by reintroducing the missing vitamin form. Read More

Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf 2019 Nov 11;18(6):1968-1984. Epub 2019 Sep 11.

Dept. of Nutritional Sciences, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, U.S.A.

The prevalence of undernutrition due to insufficient energy intake has been reduced by nearly 50% since 1990. This reduction is largely attributed to improved yields of staple crops, such as wheat, rice, and maize; however, these improvements did little for micronutrient deficiencies that affect an estimated two billion people worldwide. Starchy staple crops are energy dense but are often lacking in one or more B vitamins, making resource-constrained people who consume monotonous diets comprised predominantly of these staples at risk for developing deficiency. Read More

Front Public Health 2020 26;8:551308. Epub 2020 Nov 26.

Division of Global HIV and Tuberculosis, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States.

Pellagra is caused by niacin (vitamin B3) deficiency and manifested by a distinctive dermatitis. Isoniazid is critical for treating tuberculosis globally and is a component of most regimens to prevent tuberculosis. Isoniazid may contribute to pellagra by disrupting intracellular niacin synthesis. Read More

Rev Esp Geriatr Gerontol 2021 Mar-Apr;56(2):117-118. Epub 2020 Dec 7.

Geriatrics and Palliative Care Department, Hospital General de L'Hospitalet de Llobregat-Consorci Sanitari Integral, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.

J AOAC Int 2020 Nov;103(6):1660-1666

Pharmaceutical Analytical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beni-Suef University, Alshaheed Shehata Ahmad Hegazy St., 62514, Beni-Suef, Egypt.

Background: Niacin (NIA) is a water-soluble vitamin and the primary treatment of pellagra. No analytical method was found to assess NIA in complex mixtures with its official impurities.

Objective: Two validated, accurate, and selective chemometric models were developed to assay NIA in the presence of its four official impurities, including pyridine, a nephrotoxic and hepatotoxic substance. Read More

Clin Sci (Lond) 2020 11;134(21):2823-2833

Institute of Physiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

ACE2 is a type I membrane protein with extracellular carboxypeptidase activity displaying a broad tissue distribution with highest expression levels at the brush border membrane (BBM) of small intestine enterocytes and a lower expression in stomach and colon. In small intestinal mucosa, ACE2 mRNA expression appears to increase with age and to display higher levels in patients taking ACE-inhibitors (ACE-I). There, ACE2 protein heterodimerizes with the neutral amino acid transporter Broad neutral Amino acid Transporter 1 (B0AT1) (SLC6A19) or the imino acid transporter Sodium-dependent Imino Transporter 1 (SIT1) (SLC6A20), associations that are required for the surface expression of these transport proteins. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2020 Oct 30;13(10). Epub 2020 Oct 30.

Internal Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India.

Gastroenterology 2021 Feb 8;160(3):669-670. Epub 2020 Oct 8.

School of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan. Electronic address:

Clin Dermatol 2020 Jul - Aug;38(4):497-501. Epub 2019 Jul 19.

School of Anthropology, Central University of Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela.

José Maria Vargas, (1786-1854), who was born on March 10, 1796, graduated with a Doctor of Medicine degree from the Central University of Venezuela in 1808. He was subsequently imprisoned in 1813 by the Spanish authorities for his independence activities. When finally freed, he traveled to Edinburgh for postgraduate medical training and became the first Venezuelan to earn a Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Read More

Pan Afr Med J 2020;36:219. Epub 2020 Jul 27.

Nepal Police Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Saudi J Kidney Dis Transpl 2020 Jul-Aug;31(4):874-876

Department of Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation, La Rabta Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia.

Pellagra usually results from niacin deficiency and presents with the classic triad of dermatitis, diarrhea, and dementia. It is most commonly associated with malnutrition and poverty. We report a case of pellagra in a hemodialysis (HD) patient with breast neoplasia, aged 68-years, female, on HD unit for seven years. Read More

Cells 2020 07 9;9(7). Epub 2020 Jul 9.

Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA.

Tuberculosis is a global health threat that affects millions of people every year, and treatment-limiting toxicity remains a considerable source of treatment failure. Recent reports have characterized the nature of -mediated hepatotoxicity and the systemic toxicity of antitubercular drugs. The antitubercular drug isoniazid plays a role in such pathologic states as acute intermittent porphyria, anemia, hepatotoxicity, hypercoagulable states (deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, or ischemic stroke), pellagra (vitamin B deficiency), peripheral neuropathy, and vitamin B deficiency. Read More

J Investig Med High Impact Case Rep 2020 Jan-Dec;8:2324709620941305

Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.

The triad of diarrhea, dementia, and dermatitis constitutes the clinical diagnosis of pellagra. However, most reported cases of pellagra have occurred without all components of the triad. Pellagra was declared eradicated in the United States after an outbreak in the 1920s, and is now considered to be an exceedingly rare diagnosis in developed countries. Read More

Clin Case Rep 2020 May 19;8(5):815-818. Epub 2020 Feb 19.

Gastroenterology B Department La Rabta Hospital Tunis Tunisia.

Isoniazid preventive therapy in malnourished patients with Crohn's disease has a potential of inducing pellagra but still a very rare situation. No cases of isoniazid-induced pellagra in patients with Crohn's disease were reported in the literature. Pellagra can be easily treated if timely diagnosed. Read More

JAMA 2020 05;323(20):2100

IDCases 2020 29;20:e00750. Epub 2020 Mar 29.

Infectious Diseases Institute, Kampala, Uganda.