scholarly journals Vitamin A and Pregnancy: A Narrative Review

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabina Bastos Maia ◽  
Alex Rolland Souza ◽  
Maria Costa Caminha ◽  
Suzana Lins da Silva ◽  
Rachel Callou Cruz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Vitamin A ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Vitamin A Deficiency ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Health Issue ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Vitamin A Supplementation ◽  
Functional Development ◽  
Fetal Organs

Vitamin A is a crucial micronutrient for pregnant women and their fetuses. In addition to being essential for morphological and functional development and for ocular integrity, vitamin A exerts systemic effects on several fetal organs and on the fetal skeleton. Vitamin A requirements during pregnancy are therefore greater. Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) remains the leading cause of preventable blindness in the world. VAD in pregnant women is a public health issue in most developing countries. In contrast, in some developed countries, excessive vitamin A intake during pregnancy can be a concern since, when in excess, this micronutrient may exert teratogenic effects in the first 60 days following conception. Routine prenatal vitamin A supplementation for the prevention of maternal and infant morbidity and mortality is not recommended; however, in regions where VAD is a public health issue, vitamin A supplementation is recommended to prevent night blindness. Given the importance of this topic and the lack of a complete, up-to-date review on vitamin A and pregnancy, an extensive review of the literature was conducted to identify conflicting or incomplete data on the topic as well as any gaps in existing data.

scholarly journals Utilization of vitamin A supplementation services in high priority districts of Bihar

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 667
Author(s):  
Nivedita Sinha ◽  
Rajesh R. Sinha ◽  
Ajay Krishna ◽  
Rashmi Singh
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Vitamin A ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Health Problem ◽  
Vitamin A Deficiency ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Vitamin A Supplementation ◽  
Ultimate Outcome

Background: Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a major preventable public health problem. Prevalence of VAD in preschool children was 5.7% (India), and 4.5% (Bihar). India is implementing biannual Vitamin A Supplementation (VAS) since 2007 along with 80 other countries. VAS was originally proposed as a short term measure, followed by dietary improvement. Since vulnerability to VAD is more in high priority districts (HPDs), it was deemed worthwhile to study the extent to which VAS programme is utilized in the 10 HPDs of Bihar with respect to the processes involved and the ultimate outcome of empowering the community with knowledge and capacity to combat VAD on their own.Methods: Cross sectional observational study conducted in 6 randomly selected blocks and 5 session sites per block of the 10 HPDs. 300 sites sampled for processes and 893 caregivers interviewed for their knowledge.Results: Out of 300 sites, 269 sites found functional, 30.85% sites had due lists and 30.11% had MCP cards; 20.44% had adequate VA. IEC displayed at 52.78% and 71.3% sessions conducted in shade. In 79.55% sites efforts made to determine age of child before administration. Correct use of recommended spoon known to 80.66%, benefits of VA to 76.57% and diseases due to VAD to 81.7% of FLWs. Knowledge regarding VA good in 33.4% of caregivers, average in 35.5%, and poor in 30.9%.Conclusions: Crucial gaps found in necessary inputs and conduct of VAS. Community knowledge found lacking for sustainable programme withdrawal. Better programme management will improve utilization. 

Violence against women: A neglected public health issue in less developed countries

1994 ◽  
Vol 39 (9) ◽  
pp. 1165-1179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lori L. Heise ◽  
Alanagh Raikes ◽  
Charlotte H. Watts ◽  
Anthony B. Zwi
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Health Issue ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Less Developed Countries

scholarly journals Hypovitaminosis D in pregnancy: Is it a public health issue?

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 197-205
Author(s):  
José Rogério de Jesus Linhares de Souza ◽  
Tatyana Santana de Azevedo Silva ◽  
Eduardo Durans Figueredo
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Vitamin D ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Hypovitaminosis D ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Health Issue ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Student’S T ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Objectives: to measure the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in healthy pregnant women and to analyze the association among some variables and the levels of vitamin D. Methods: an analytical cross-sectional study. 174 healthy pregnant women were selected from four basic health units in São Luís, Brazil, from January to February 2017. The participants answered a questionnaire about sociodemographic and obstetric data. A blood sample was collected to evaluate the plasmatic level of vitamin D. The association between independent variables and the outcome was evaluated by using the Student’s t-test and Chisquare test. Results: the mean of vitamin D concentration was 24.9±6.6ng/ml. Forty women (23.0%) presented vitamin D sufficiency, 93 (53.4%) insufficient, and 41 (23.6%) with deficiency. There was a difference in the vitamin D concentration between evangelical (23.1 ng/ml) and non-evangelical (25.5 ng/ml) (p=0.02) and between primigravida (23.8 ng/ml) and non-primigravida (25.7 ng/ml) (p=0.03). There was a difference in the hypovitaminosis D between adolescents (89.7%) and non-adolescents (72.6%) (p=0.02) and between primigravida (85.0%) and non-primigravida (69.2%) (p=0.01). Low monthly income per capita was associated with a higher frequency of vitamin D sufficiency. Conclusions: Due to the impact of inadequate levels of vitamin D in pregnant women and their babies’ health, even in an equatorial city, hypovitaminosis D in pregnant women is an important public health issue.

scholarly journals The Prevalence of Vitamin A Deficiency and Associated Factors in Pregnant Women Receiving Prenatal Care at a Reference Maternity Hospital in Northeastern Brazil

Nutrients ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabina Bastos Maia ◽  
Maria Costa Caminha ◽  
Suzana Lins da Silva ◽  
Alex Rolland Souza ◽  
Camila Carvalho dos Santos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Prenatal Care ◽  
Vitamin A ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Vitamin A Deficiency ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
World Health ◽  
Serum Retinol ◽  
Third Trimester ◽  
The Third

Vitamin A is essential for mother and child; however, vitamin A deficiency (VAD) remains a public health issue in various countries, affecting around 19 million pregnant women. In Brazil, the scarcity and inconsistency of data have prevented the prevalence and epidemiological status of VAD from being established. This study aimed to analyze vitamin A nutritional status in women receiving prenatal care at a reference center in northeastern Brazil. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 676 women. Serum retinol was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. Subclinical infection was detected by measuring C-reactive protein (CRP). The World Health Organization criteria were used in the prevalence analysis, VAD classification level, and CRP effect evaluation. The prevalence of VAD (serum retinol <0.70 μmol/L) was 6.2% (95% confidence interval 4.5–8.3). In the univariate analysis, the variables significantly associated with VAD (p < 0.05) were having <12 years of schooling, being in the third trimester of pregnancy, and anemia. In the final multivariate model, the variables that remained significantly associated (p < 0.05) were being in the third trimester of pregnancy and anemia. VAD constituted a mild public health problem in this sample of pregnant women and was associated with the third trimester of pregnancy and maternal anemia.

scholarly journals Recent trends in gonorrhoea – an emerging public health issue ?

2000 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-2 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Hughes ◽  
K. A. Fenton
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Neisseria Gonorrhoeae ◽  
Inner City ◽  
Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Health Issue ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
Recent Trends ◽  
Disproportionate Burden

Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection remains one of the commonest bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in many developed countries. Its disproportionate burden on deprived, inner city populations and association with infertility have made its contr

scholarly journals Antithrombotic Therapy in Patients with Stroke An observational study

2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 1283-1287
Author(s):  
Dan Iulian Cuciureanu ◽  
Victor Alexandru Constantinescu ◽  
Cristian Statescu ◽  
Radu Andy Sascau ◽  
Diana Nicoleta Hodorog ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Clinical Laboratory ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Health Issue ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Prognostic Information ◽  
Important Public Health ◽  
Important Public Health Issue ◽  
Function Testing

Cerebrovascular disease is the second leading cause of death in developed countries after cardiovascular disease, with a prevalence of 794 percent of hundred thousand of people. Ischemic stroke (IS) remains an important public health issue of great importance in terms of its reality and the morbidity it implies, although the tendency is to reduce epidemiological indicators. In this paper we have updated informations on etiopathogenesis, epidemiology, pathological anatomy, clinical, laboratory and imaging investigations, differential diagnosis, evolution, complications, prophylaxis with antiplatelet treatment of patients with IS. IS remains an important public health issue of great importance in terms of its reality and the morbidity it implies, although the tendency is to reduce epidemiological indicators. Platelet function testing may potentially be useful in monitoring the biological effect of platelet antiaggregant medication. Aggregometry could provide personalized prognostic information and may thus become a useful tool in designing strategies for prevention and management of ischemic stroke.

Quantification of Vitamin A in Fortified Rapeseed, Groundnut and Soya Oils Using a Simple Portable Device: Comparison to High Performance Liquid Chromatography

2013 ◽  
Vol 83 (2) ◽  
pp. 122-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cécile Renaud ◽  
Jacques Berger ◽  
Arnaud Laillou ◽  
Sylvie Avallone
Keyword(s):  
High Performance Liquid Chromatography ◽  
Liquid Chromatography ◽  
Vitamin A ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Vitamin A Deficiency ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Portable Device ◽  
Least Developed Countries ◽  
Control Food ◽  
Assay Precision

Vitamin A deficiency is still one of the major public health problems in least developed countries. Fortification of vegetable oils is a strategy implemented worldwide to prevent this deficiency. For a fortification program to be effective, regular monitoring is necessary to control food quality in the producing units. The reference methods for vitamin A quantification are expensive and time-consuming. A rapid method should be useful for regular assessment of vitamin A in the oil industry. A portable device was compared to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for three plant oils (rapeseed, groundnut, and soya). The device presented a good linearity from 3 to 30 mg retinol equivalents per kg (mg RE.kg- 1). Its limits of detection and quantification were 3 mg RE.kg- 1 for groundnut and rapeseed oils and 4 mg RE.kg- 1 for soya oil. The intra-assay precision ranged from 1.48 % to 3.98 %, considered satisfactory. Accuracy estimated by the root mean squares error ranged from 3.99 to 5.49 and revealed a lower precision than HPLC (0.4 to 2.25). Although it offers less precision than HPLC, the device estimates quickly the vitamin A content of the tested oils from 3 or 4 to 15 mg RE.kg- 1.

Research Recommendations for Applying Vitamin A-Labelled Isotope Dilution Techniques to Improve Human Vitamin A Nutrition

2014 ◽  
Vol 84 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 52-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherry A. Tanumihardjo ◽  
Anura V. Kurpad ◽  
Janet R. Hunt
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Vitamin A ◽  
Vitamin A Deficiency ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
The Body ◽  
Pool Size ◽  
Serum Retinol ◽  
Vitamin A Status ◽  
Status Assessment ◽  
Total Body

The current use of serum retinol concentrations as a measurement of subclinical vitamin A deficiency is unsatisfactory for many reasons. The best technique available for vitamin A status assessment in humans is the measurement of total body pool size. Pool size is measured by the administration of retinol labelled with stable isotopes of carbon or hydrogen that are safe for human subjects, with subsequent measurement of the dilution of the labelled retinol within the body pool. However, the isotope techniques are time-consuming, technically challenging, and relatively expensive. There is also a need to assess different types of tracers and doses, and to establish clear guidelines for the use and interpretation of this method in different populations. Field-friendly improvements are desirable to encourage the application of this technique in developing countries where the need is greatest for monitoring the risk of vitamin A deficiency, the effectiveness of public health interventions, and the potential of hypervitaminosis due to combined supplement and fortification programs. These techniques should be applied to validate other less technical methods of assessing vitamin A deficiency. Another area of public health relevance for this technique is to understand the bioconversion of β-carotene to vitamin A, and its relation to existing vitamin A status, for future dietary diversification programs.

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