scholarly journals The Role of Vitamin D in Pregnancy and Lactation: Emerging Concepts

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol L Wagner ◽  
Sarah N Taylor ◽  
Donna D Johnson ◽  
Bruce W Hollis
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Bone Metabolism ◽  
Critical Time ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Vitamin D Status ◽  
Pregnancy And Lactation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
In Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a critical time in the lifecycle of a woman where she is responsible not only for her own well-being, but also that of her developing fetus, a process that continues during lactation. Until recently, the impact of vitamin D status during this period had not been fully appreciated. Data regarding the importance of vitamin D in health have emerged to challenge traditional dogma, anD'suggest that vitamin D – through its effect on immune function anD'surveillance – plays a role beyond calcium and bone metabolism on the health status of both the mother and her fetus. Following birth, this process persists; the lactating mother continues to be the main source of vitamin D for her infant. Thus, during both pregnancy and lactation, maternal deficiency predicts fetal and infant deficiency; the significance of this is just beginning to be understood and will be highlighted in this review.

scholarly journals Possible role of vitamin D supplementation in coronavirus disease 2019

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (9) ◽  
pp. 376
Author(s):  
Devi Dayal
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
Vitamin D Supplementation ◽  
Vitamin D Status ◽  
Vitamin D Levels ◽  
Respiratory Viral Infections ◽  
The Impact

<p>Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is presumed to play a role in several infective and non-infective conditions such as acute respiratory infections, tuberculosis, diabetes, hypertension, stroke etc. Most of the respiratory viral infections occur during winter season when the vitamin D levels in most individuals are generally low. The current pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) which began during winter season similar to the previous epidemics due to coronaviruses, has again stirred a debate on the role of VDD in the initiation and spread of the pandemic. The data on vitamin D status in patients with COVID-19 is however lacking. Different vitamin D supplementation strategies have recently been suggested as part of several countermeasures aimed at reducing the impact of COVID-19 pandemic. This brief narrative review discusses the evidence for the link between VDD and COVID-19 and the approaches suggested for vitamin D supplementation.</p>

scholarly journals Total and Free 25-Hydroxy-Vitamin D and Bacterial Vaginosis in Pregnant African American Women

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Anne L. Dunlop ◽  
Sheila L. Jordan ◽  
Erin P. Ferranti ◽  
Cherie C. Hill ◽  
Shiven Patel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
African American ◽  
Black Women ◽  
Bacterial Vaginosis ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Critical Time ◽  
Vitamin D Status ◽  
Microbial Composition ◽  
Nugent Score ◽  
In Pregnancy

Objective.This study sought to investigate associations between serum total and free 25(OH)D and bacterial vaginosis (BV) in early and later pregnancy among US black women to provide insight into the most clinically relevant measure of vitamin D status among pregnant black women with respect to risk for BV as well as insights into critical time points for measuring and/or addressing vitamin D status in pregnancy.Methods.Data and biospecimens were derived from a subsample (N = 137) of women from the Emory University African American Vaginal, Oral, and Gut Microbiome in Pregnancy Cohort, for whom data related to vitamin D status (serum assays for total and free 25(OH)D) and Nugent score of Gram stained vaginal specimens in early (8-14 weeks) and later (24-30 weeks) were available. We compared total and free 25(OH)D concentrations for women according to Nugent score category (normal flora, intermediate flora, and BV) and assessed the odds of BV according to measures of vitamin D status.Results.Thirty-seven (27%) women had adequate vitamin D status at baseline, whereas 70 (51%) had insufficient vitamin D and 30 (22%) were vitamin D deficient; there were not significant differences in the proportion of women with adequate, insufficient, or deficient vitamin D according to Nugent score category. However, the odds of BV later in pregnancy were significantly higher for women who experienced a smaller rise in total 25(OH)D and free 25(OH)D from 8-14 through 24-30 weeks gestation.Conclusion.The change in measures of vitamin D status from early to later pregnancy is associated with the occurrence of BV in pregnancy. Further research is needed to examine the association between the change in vitamin D status over pregnancy and the occurrence of BV and other measures of vaginal microbial composition as well as to identify factors that influence change in vitamin D status over pregnancy.

scholarly journals Vitamin D status is associated with cardiometabolic markers in 8–11-year-old children, independently of body fat and physical activity

2015 ◽  
Vol 114 (10) ◽  
pp. 1647-1655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rikke A. Petersen ◽  
Stine-Mathilde Dalskov ◽  
Louise B. Sørensen ◽  
Mads F. Hjorth ◽  
Rikke Andersen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Vitamin D ◽  
Body Fat ◽  
Fat Mass ◽  
Plasma Lipids ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Vitamin D Status ◽  
Cardiometabolic Markers ◽  
The Impact

AbstractVitamin D status has been associated with cardiometabolic markers even in children, but the associations may be confounded by fat mass and physical activity behaviour. This study investigated associations between vitamin D status and cardiometabolic risk profile, as well as the impact of fat mass and physical activity in Danish 8–11-year-old children, using baseline data from 782 children participating in the Optimal well-being, development and health for Danish children through a healthy New Nordic Diet (OPUS) School Meal Study. We assessed vitamin D status as serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and measured blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, homoeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance, plasma lipids, inflammatory markers, anthropometry and fat mass by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and physical activity by 7 d accelerometry during August–November. Mean serum 25(OH)D was 60·8 (sd18·7) nmol/l. Each 10 mmol/l 25(OH)D increase was associated with lower diastolic blood pressure (−0·3 mmHg, 95 % CI −0·6, −0·0) (P=0·02), total cholesterol (−0·07 mmol/l, 95 % CI −0·10, −0·05), LDL-cholesterol (−0·05 mmol/l, 95 % CI −0·08, −0·03), TAG (−0·02 mmol/l, 95 % CI −0·03, −0·01) (P≤0·001 for all lipids) and lower metabolic syndrome (MetS) score (P=0·01). Adjustment for fat mass index did not change the associations, but the association with blood pressure became borderline significant after adjustment for physical activity (P=0·06). In conclusion, vitamin D status was negatively associated with blood pressure, plasma lipids and a MetS score in Danish school children with low prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, and apart from blood pressure the associations were independent of body fat and physical activity. The potential underlying cause–effect relationship and possible long-term implications should be investigated in randomised controlled trials.

scholarly journals Impact of Vitamin D Deficiency on Survival for Patients Received Haploidentical Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (haplo-HSCT)

Blood ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 138 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 4853-4853
Author(s):  
Nicholas Cox ◽  
Supawee Saengboon ◽  
Amanda L. Olson ◽  
Muzaffar H. Qazilbash ◽  
Elizabeth J. Shpall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Vitamin D Deficiency ◽  
Research Funding ◽  
Conditioning Regimen ◽  
Vitamin D Status ◽  
Vitamin D Levels ◽  
Deficiency Group ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Very High

Abstract Background Beyond its role in bone health, vitamin D is known to have immunomodulatory effects including cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. Delays in immune reconstitution following HSCT increase transplant-related toxicity. Several studies have explored the role of vitamin D deficiency after HSCT with mixed results regarding its impact on survival outcomes. Our aim in this study was to examine the impact of vitamin D deficiency prior to HSCT on transplant outcomes in patients who received a haplo-HSCT. Methods This retrospective study included consecutive patients who underwent haplo-HSCT at our institution between 02/2009 and 01/2021. Primary objectives were to assess progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) by vitamin D status at the time of transplant. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as vitamin D levels &lt; 20 nmol/L within 6 months prior to transplant. Survival estimates were calculated using Kaplan-Meier method. Proportional cox hazards analysis was used to adjust for multivariable analysis (MVA). Results Four-hundred and eighty-four patients out of 508 patients had vitamin D checked at baseline and were included in the final analysis. Table 1 summarizes patient, disease, and transplant characteristics for all study patients, and by vitamin D status. Median age for all study patients was 48 (18-72) years, of which 237 (49%) had vitamin D deficiency and 247 (51%) had normal vitamin D level. Overall, the two groups were comparable, except that patients in the vitamin D deficiency group were younger in age. Furthermore, we adjusted for disease subtype heterogeneity by using the validated disease risk index (DRI). With a median follow-up of 35.4 (range, 1.4-132.8) months, the 3-year PFS and OS for all study patients were 44% and 48%, respectively. The respective 3-year PFS and OS for the vitamin D deficiency group were 42% and 47% compared to 46% and 50% for patients with adequate vitamin D (p=0.773 for PFS; p=0.704 for OS). Furthermore, we found no difference in non-relapse mortality at 3 years (each for 30%; p=0.6682). Univariate analysis (UVA) was performed for the following variables: vitamin D, age, gender, KPS, DRI, HCT-CI, and intensity of conditioning regimen. MVA included only the factors with p value&lt;0.1 in in the UVA (plus vitamin D). In UVA for PFS, age ≥55, KPS &lt;90, high/very-high DRI, HXT-CI &gt;3 and reduced intensity conditioning were associated with inferior outcome. Same factors were significantly associated with inferior OS, but the reduced conditioning regimen. In MVA, age ≥55 (HR 1.627, 95% CI: 1.212-2.212; p=0.0013), high/very-high DRI (HR 1.865, 95% CI: 1.427-2.437; p=&lt;0.0001), and HCT-CI &gt;3 (HR 1.314, 95% CI: 1.001-1.726; p=0.0493) were associated with decreased PFS. Patients in the vitamin D deficiency group had a trend towards decreased PFS (HR 1.292, 95% CI: 0.975-1.712; p=0.0746), but this didn't reach statistical significance. In regard to OS, age ≥55 (HR 1.727, 95% CI: 1.278-2,334; p=0.0004), high/very-high DRI (HR 1.855, 95% CI: 1.396-2.467; p=&lt;0.0001), and HCT-CI &gt;3 (HR 1.411, 95% CI: 1.058-1.882; p=0.0191) were again associated with decreased OS, while vitamin D deficiency patients showed a trend for decreased OS (HR 1.312, 95% CI: 0.973-1.77; p=0.0753). Conclusion Our study demonstrates that serum vitamin D levels prior to haplo-HSCT have no significant impact on either progression-free or overall survival, albeit with a trend for worse outcomes in the vitamin D deficient group. Prospective controlled studies are needed to assess the impact of vitamin D deficiency on transplant outcomes, and on the role of vitamin D supplementation to improve the outcomes. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Qazilbash: Bristol-Myers Squibb: Other: Advisory Board; Oncopeptides: Other: Advisory Board; Angiocrine: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Biolline: Research Funding; NexImmune: Research Funding; Janssen: Research Funding. Shpall: Navan: Consultancy; Novartis: Honoraria; Axio: Consultancy; Magenta: Honoraria; Takeda: Patents & Royalties; Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria; Adaptimmune: Consultancy; Affimed: Patents & Royalties; Magenta: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy.

Vitamin D status and bone metabolism in adult patients with Type 1 diabetes mellitus

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleftheria Barmpa ◽  
Spyros Karamagiolis ◽  
Stelios Tigas ◽  
Georgios N Koukoulis ◽  
Alexandra Bargiota
Keyword(s):  
Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Vitamin D ◽  
Type 1 Diabetes ◽  
Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Bone Metabolism ◽  
Adult Patients ◽  
Vitamin D Status

The link between coronavirus, anxiety, and religious beliefs in the United States and United Kingdom

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Rigoli
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Religious Beliefs ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Christian Faith ◽  
Stressful Event ◽  
Cultural Implications ◽  
The Impact

Research has shown that stress impacts on people’s religious beliefs. However, several aspects of this effect remain poorly understood, for example regarding the role of prior religiosity and stress-induced anxiety. This paper explores these aspects in the context of the recent coronavirus emergency. The latter has impacted dramatically on many people’s well-being; hence it can be considered a highly stressful event. Through online questionnaires administered to UK and USA citizens professing either Christian faith or no religion, this paper examines the impact of the coronavirus crisis upon common people’s religious beliefs. We found that, following the coronavirus emergency, strong believers reported higher confidence in their religious beliefs while non-believers reported increased scepticism towards religion. Moreover, for strong believers, higher anxiety elicited by the coronavirus threat was associated with increased strengthening of religious beliefs. Conversely, for non-believers, higher anxiety elicited by the coronavirus thereat was associated with increased scepticism towards religious beliefs. These observations are consistent with the notion that stress-induced anxiety enhances support for the ideology already embraced before a stressful event occurs. This study sheds light on the psychological and cultural implications of the coronavirus crisis, which represents one of the most serious health emergencies in recent times.

Vitamin D and Sleep Regulation: Is there a Role for Vitamin D?

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (21) ◽  
pp. 2492-2496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiammetta Romano ◽  
Giovanna Muscogiuri ◽  
Elea Di Benedetto ◽  
Volha V. Zhukouskaya ◽  
Luigi Barrea ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Sleep Disorders ◽  
Vitamin D Deficiency ◽  
Sleep Apnea Syndrome ◽  
Regulatory Mechanisms ◽  
Sleep Regulation ◽  
Vitamin D Receptors ◽  
Obstructive Sleep ◽  
The Impact

Background: Vitamin D exerts multiple pleiotropic effects beyond its role in calcium-phosphate metabolism. Growing evidence suggests an association between hypovitaminosis D and sleep disorders, thus increasing the interest in the role of this vitamin in the regulatory mechanisms of the sleep-wake cycle. Objective: The study aimed to explore and summarize the current knowledge about the role of vitamin D in sleep regulation and the impact of vitamin D deficiency on sleep disorders. Methods: The main regulatory mechanisms of vitamin D on sleep are explained in this study. The literature was scanned to identify clinical trials and correlation studies showing an association between vitamin D deficiency and sleep disorders. Results: Vitamin D receptors and the enzymes that control their activation and degradation are expressed in several areas of the brain involved in sleep regulation. Vitamin D is also involved in the pathways of production of Melatonin, the hormone involved in the regulation of human circadian rhythms and sleep. Furthermore, vitamin D can affect sleep indirectly through non-specific pain disorders, correlated with alterations in sleep quality, such as restless legs syndrome and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Conclusions: : Vitamin D has both a direct and an indirect role in the regulation of sleep. Although vitamin D deficiency has been associated to sleep disorders, there is still scant evidence to concretely support the role of vitamin D supplementation in the prevention or treatment of sleep disturbances; indeed, more intervention studies are needed to better clarify these aspects.

scholarly journals Sex disparities in vitamin D status and the impact on systemic inflammation and survival in rectal cancer

BMC Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Abrahamsson ◽  
Sebastian Meltzer ◽  
Vidar Nyløkken Hagen ◽  
Christin Johansen ◽  
Paula A. Bousquet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rectal Cancer ◽  
Vitamin D ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Systemic Inflammation ◽  
Elevated Serum ◽  
Metastatic Progression ◽  
Vitamin D Status ◽  
Cancer Specific Survival ◽  
Link Type ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background We reported previously that rectal cancer patients given curative-intent chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery for non-metastatic disease had enhanced risk of metastatic progression and death if circulating levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH) D] were low. Here we investigated whether the association between the vitamin D status and prognosis pertains to the general, unselected population of rectal cancer patients. Methods Serum 25(OH) D at the time of diagnosis was assessed in 129 patients, enrolled 2013–2017 and representing the entire range of rectal cancer stages, and analyzed with respect to season, sex, systemic inflammation, and survival. Results In the population-based cohort residing at latitude 60°N, 25(OH) D varied according to season in men only, who were overrepresented among the vitamin D-deficient (< 50 nmol/L) patients. Consistent with our previous findings, the individuals presenting with T4 disease had significantly reduced 25(OH) D levels. Low vitamin D was associated with systemic inflammation, albeit with distinct modes of presentation. While men with low vitamin D showed circulating markers typical for the systemic inflammatory response (e.g., elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate), the corresponding female patients had elevated serum levels of interleukin-6 and the chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 7. Despite disparities in vitamin D status and the potential effects on disease attributes, significantly shortened cancer-specific survival was observed in vitamin D-deficient patients irrespective of sex. Conclusion This unselected rectal cancer cohort confirmed the interconnection of low vitamin D, more advanced disease presentation, and poor survival, and further suggested it may be conditional on disparate modes of adverse systemic inflammation in men and women. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.govNCT01816607; registration date: 22 March 2013.

scholarly journals National movement patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand: the unexplored role of neighbourhood deprivation

2021 ◽  
pp. jech-2020-216108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malcolm Campbell ◽  
Lukas Marek ◽  
Jesse Wiki ◽  
Matthew Hobbs ◽  
Clive E Sabel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Policy Debate ◽  
Population Mobility ◽  
Neighbourhood Deprivation ◽  
Movement Data ◽  
Spatial Inequalities ◽  
The Impact

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has asked unprecedented questions of governments around the world. Policy responses have disrupted usual patterns of movement in society, locally and globally, with resultant impacts on national economies and human well-being. These interventions have primarily centred on enforcing lockdowns and introducing social distancing recommendations, leading to questions of trust and competency around the role of institutions and the administrative apparatus of state. This study demonstrates the unequal societal impacts in population movement during a national ‘lockdown’.MethodsWe use nationwide mobile phone movement data to quantify the effect of an enforced lockdown on population mobility by neighbourhood deprivation using an ecological study design. We then derive a mobility index using anonymised aggregated population counts for each neighbourhood (2253 Census Statistical Areas; mean population n=2086) of national hourly mobile phone location data (7.45 million records, 1 March 2020–20 July 2020) for New Zealand (NZ).ResultsCurtailing movement has highlighted and exacerbated underlying social and spatial inequalities. Our analysis reveals the unequal movements during ‘lockdown’ by neighbourhood socioeconomic status in NZ.ConclusionIn understanding inequalities in neighbourhood movements, we are contributing critical new evidence to the policy debate about the impact(s) and efficacy of national, regional or local lockdowns which have sparked such controversy.

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