Impact Of Vitamin Research Articles

Impact of vitamin D on spirometry findings and quality of life in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

COPD is an irreversible chronic illness with airflow limitation. The aim of the current study was to assess the role of vitamin D3 on quality of life and pulmonary function in patients with COPD. A randomized, double-blinded clinical trial was conducted in 63 patients with COPD. Patients were placed into intervention and placebo groups. Each individual in the intervention group took 50,000 IU vitamin D3once a week for 8 weeks and then once a month for 4 months. There was no significant difference among FEV1, FEV1/FVC, and number of exacerbations in patients with COPD (P>0.05). In the intervention group, a significant difference was observed in quality of life at 2 months (P<0.001) and 6 months (P<0.001). In addition, qualitative analysis showed that the status of exacerbation had not got worse six months after initiation in the intervention group. The current study shows that consumption of 50,000 IU vitamin D3, as a convenient supplementation in a daily diet, is able to increase quality of life in patients with COPD.

Impact of vitamin D deficiency on cancer incidence and mortality among the elderly population: A systematic review

Abstract Vitamin D plays a vital role in calcium and phosphate balance and bone structure. In recent times vitamin D deficiency has become a well-known epidemic. The current study shows vitamin D deficiency causes various types of cancer along with heart disease. The current diet has removed most of the best sources of vitamin D. Healthy bones and teeth need vitamin D. Most of the low fat diets have removed vitamin D from the diet. Vitamin D has to be consumed with fatty meal. Food items such as dairy products are hardly fortified with vitamin D in India. Subclinical vitamin D deficiency is extremely prevalent in both urban and rural settings. In USA and Canada, in spite of having food fortification techniques still vitamin D deficiency prevails. In this paper various case studies related to vitamin D deficiency in relation to cancer have been reviewed. A proper diet to overcome this problem have been suggested along with some preventive measures

Impact of vitamin D and vitamin D receptor TaqI polymorphism in primary human myoblasts.

The CC genotype of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) polymorphism TaqI rs731236 has previously been associated with a higher risk of developing myopathy compared to TT carriers. However, the mechanistic role of this polymorphism in skeletal muscle is not well defined. The effects of vitamin D on patients genotyped for the VDR polymorphism TaqI rs731236, comparing CC and TT carriers were evaluated. Primary human myoblasts isolated from 4 CC carriers were compared with myoblasts isolated from four TT carriers and treated with vitamin D in vitro. A dose-dependent inhibitory effect on myoblast proliferation and differentiation was observed concurrent with modifications of key myogenic regulatory factors. RNA sequencing revealed a vitamin D dose–response gene signature enriched with a higher number of VDR-responsive elements (VDREs) per gene. Interestingly, the greater the expression of muscle differentiation markers in myoblasts, the more pronounced was the vitamin D-mediated response to suppress genes associated with myogenic fusion and myotube formation. This novel finding provides a mechanistic explanation to the inconsistency regarding previous reports of the role of vitamin D in myoblast differentiation. No effects in myoblast proliferation, differentiation or gene expression were related to CC vs TT carriers. Our findings suggest that the VDR polymorphism TaqI rs731236 comparing CC vs TT carriers did not influence the effects of vitamin D on primary human myoblasts and that vitamin D inhibits myoblast proliferation and differentiation through key regulators of cell cycle progression. Future studies need to employ strategies to identify the primary responses of vitamin D that drive the cellular response towards quiescence.

The Impact of Vitamin D on Cognitive Dysfunction in Mice with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

BackgroundA growing body of evidence suggests that systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may result in reversible cognitive dysfunction. Vitamin D is considered important for neurons. The therapeutic effect of vitamin D was evaluated in a rat model of SLE.Material/MethodsThere were 20 male MRL/lpr mice randomly divided into the SLE model group and the vitamin D group, in addition, 10 male C57BL 6J mice were used as the control (CON) group. Vitamin D was administered intraperitoneally (2 μg/kg) for 4 weeks. After 4 weeks of continuing intervention, we tested the cognitive function using the Morris water maze. The expression of vitamin D receptor (VDR), amyloid-β, caspase-3, and Bcl-2 were detected by western blot analysis.ResultsIn the present study, we observed that vitamin D treatment alleviated neurobehavioral deficits in the mice with SLE. At the molecular levels, administration of vitamin D activated the expression of VDR and reduced the number of dead cells in the CA1 region of the hippocampus as well as regulated caspase-3 and Bcl-2 expression.ConclusionsIn conclusion, our results indicated that vitamin D played a protective role by suppressing inflammatory cytokines, thereby ultimately inhibiting the progression of apoptosis in a mouse model of SLE. Vitamin D may be promising as a protective intervention in SLE with cognitive dysfunction, and more and more experiments are warranted for its clinical testing in the near future.

Impact of Vitamin D repletion on treatment of chronic lower back pain

Background: Chronic lower back pain is precisely a distressing condition not only because of associated physical debilitation but the psychological hassle as well. Along with various etiological factors, low vitamin D levels in the body is also a significant cause of this ailment. This study focuses on monitoring the effect of Vitamin D repletion on intensity of chronic (non-traumatic) lower back pain.&#x0D; Methodology: This longitudinal-prospective analysis was conducted upon a sample of 374 lower back pain patients presenting with vitamin D deficiency from February to October 2018. Inquiries were made regarding basic socio-demographics, history of chronic lower back pain, dietary and medicinal supplement usage, hours of sun exposure and pain levels, assessed using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The vitamin D levels and the VAS pain score were assessed upon baseline visit to the orthopedic out-patient department and followed up after 2 months (1st follow up visit) and 6 months (2nd follow up visit). Data obtained was analyzed using SPSS version 21.0 and Microsoft Excel 2013.&#x0D; Results: Among the 374 respondents, 52.67% were males while 47.33% were females with the mean age of 47.5 years. The mean baseline (pre-intervention) vitamin D levels were found to be 10.3 ng/ml, which raised significantly to 34.3 ng/ml. The mean (pre-intervention) VAS score dropped significantly, from 81.9 at baseline visit to 31.4 at 2nd follow up visit.&#x0D; Conclusion: It is concluded that vitamin D repletion has a marked impact on reducing the intensity of chronic lower back pain. Future studies may confirm further to validate the findings of this research.

Impact of serum vitamin D on the response and the prognosis in breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

e12088 Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is one of the standard therapeutic strategies for operable early breast cancer (BC). A relationship between chemotherapy response and the prognosis has been suggested, especially in HER2+ or triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Recently, the impact of vitamin D (VD) on pathological complete response (pCR) after NAC has been reported, however, there are no data regarding the relationship between VD level and the efficacy of NAC in Japanese BC patients. Methods: This study included 236 patients with BC at clinical stage I-III, who were treated with anthracycline and taxane-based NAC. HER2-directed therapies were used for HER2+ tumors. Serum 25, hydroxyl VD levels were evaluated using by ELISAusing blood samples obtained before NAC. VD deficiency was defined as &lt;20 ng/ml. Results: Pathological complete response (pCR) was obtained in 52 patients (22.0%). The pCR rate was significantly higher in the patients with HER2+ or TNBC compared with hormone receptor (HR)+/HER2-tumors (p&lt;0.0001). Median VD level was 10.7 ng/ml, and only 7 patients (3.0%) had a VD level ≥20 ng/ml. These results show that most Japanese women are deficient for VD. VD levels increase with age, and the VD levels are significantly higher in postmenopausal patients than in the premenopausal patients (p=0.0029). Patients were dichotomized into VD-low and -high groups at the median value (10.7 ng/ml). Serum VD was not associated with pCR in the all cohort, however, pCR rate was higher in VD-high group in premenopausal patients, especially in the patients withHER2+ or TNBC (p=0.0328). High VD was significantly associated with better prognosis in terms of relapse-free survival (p=0.0327) and distant metastasis-free survival (p=0.0051). This association was observed both in pre- and post-menopausal patients, especially in the patients with HER2+ or TNBC. Conclusions: High VD levels were associated with high pCR rate in premenopausal patients with HER2+ or TNBC. High VD levels were also associated with better prognosis operable BC patients treated with NAC, although VD levels of most Japanese BC patients were lower than the cut-off value.

Vitamin D deficiency in patients with newly diagnosed cancer.

e13117 Background: Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is pandemic in modern society. There has been increasing interest in vitamin D and its impact on cancer. A number of studies have been published on a possible link between VDD and cancer. However, because of inconsistent results, controversy remains in various aspects of vitamin D. In this study, we assessed the association of VDD with various cancers. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital network in western Pennsylvania. Electronic health record database was used to extract the data from patients seen in outpatient office with newly diagnosed cancer who had a measured 25-hydroxy vitamin D level at diagnosis between 02/2016 and 02/2018. VDD was defined as level less than 30 ng/dl. Patient demographics, smoking, and vitamin D status were used for multivariate logistic regression analysis in order to determine odds ratio (OR) of certain cancer type in our cohort. We used SPSS version 23 for statistical analysis. Results: A total of 934 patients (59.2% female) with cancer were included. Most patients, 86.4%, were Caucasian, and 10.8% African American (AA). VDD was found in 433 patients (46.4%) and more prevalent in men (n = 203, 53.3%), and AA (n = 65, 64.4%) in our cohort. The most common cancer type was breast cancer (30.9%), followed by prostate cancer (11.3%), lymphoma (11.1%), and lung cancer (7.8%). After adjusting to demographic characteristics and smoking status, VDD was significantly associated with pancreatic cancer (OR = 2.28, p = 0.02), and reversely associated with breast cancer (OR = 0.56, p = 0.001). VDD was also prevalent in colorectal cancer, but not statistically significant, (OR = 1.71, p = 0.064). Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that VDD is prevalent among cancer patients, especially in men and AA patients. There is a strong association between VDD and the malignancies of digestive system, particularly pancreatic cancer. Further studies are needed to assess the effect of VDD on disease-specific risk and cancer mortality as well as the impact of vitamin D supplement.

Combination of statin/vitamin D and metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC): A post-hoc analysis of two randomized clinical trials.

6617 Background: Retrospective database studies have suggested that statins and vitamin D have a positive impact on prostate cancer survival and specifically in mCRPC patients (pt). Methods: We conducted a post-hoc analysis of individual pt data of mCRPC pts treated with abiraterone (AA) and/or Prednisone (P) on two randomized phase III clinical trials COU -AA-301 and COU-AA-302 to analyze the impact of statins and vitamin D in overall survival (OS). Statistical analyses were performed using the Kaplan Meier method and Independent predictors were investigated using Cox regression analysis. This study, carried out under YODA Project #2016-1136, used data obtained from the Yale University Open Data Access Project. Results: These two studies included 2280 patients (1340 treated with AA/P and 640 with P). Use of Statin + vitamin D was associated with a 38% reduction in mortality in the postdocetaxel setting and 32% in the predocetaxel setting in patients treated with abiraterone (Table 1 and 2). No significant reduction in the rate of skeletal-related events was seen in patients treated with vitamin D or statins. Conclusions: To our knowledge this is the first report suggesting the impact of vitamin D+statin in mCPRC treated with abiraterone. The potential benefits of vitamin D do not seem to be secondary to concomitant statin use in this population. Further studies are needed to confirm these results. [Table: see text][Table: see text]

Consumption of Nitrate-Rich Beetroot Juice with or without Vitamin C Supplementation Increases the Excretion of Urinary Nitrate, Nitrite, and N-nitroso Compounds in Humans.

Consumption of nitrate-rich beetroot juice (BRJ) by athletes induces a number of beneficial physiological health effects, which are linked to the formation of nitric oxide (NO) from nitrate. However, following a secondary pathway, NO may also lead to the formation of N-nitroso compounds (NOCs), which are known to be carcinogenic in 39 animal species. The extent of the formation of NOCs is modulated by various other dietary factors, such as vitamin C. The present study investigates the endogenous formation of NOCs after BRJ intake and the impact of vitamin C on urinary NOC excretion. In a randomized, controlled trial, 29 healthy recreationally active volunteers ingested BRJ with or without additional vitamin C supplements for one week. A significant increase of urinary apparent total N-nitroso Compounds (ATNC) was found after one dose (5 to 47 nmol/mmol: p < 0.0001) and a further increase was found after seven consecutive doses of BRJ (104 nmol/mmol: p < 0.0001). Vitamin C supplementation inhibited ATNC increase after one dose (16 compared to 72 nmol/mmol, p < 0.01), but not after seven daily doses. This is the first study that shows that BRJ supplementation leads to an increase in formation of potentially carcinogenic NOCs. In order to protect athlete’s health, it is therefore important to be cautious with chronic use of BRJ to enhance sports performances.

The impact of vitamin D supplementation on HOMA IR and ovulation in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome

Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences in endocrinology ISSN 1470-3947 (print) | ISSN 1479-6848 (online)

The Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation on Glycaemic Control in Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials.

Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent amongst pregnant women and is linked to a range of adverse complications, including gestational diabetes. However, there is no consensus among researchers regarding the impact of vitamin D supplementation in alleviating adverse effects in gestational diabetes. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine whether supplementation of vitamin D given to women with gestational diabetes can promote glycaemic control. EMBASE and PubMed were searched up to November, 2018. The selection criteria included randomised controlled trials of the effect of vitamin D supplementation (1000–4762 IU/day) on pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus. Study data and outcome measures (fasting blood glucose, glycated haemoglobin and serum insulin) were extracted from included studies. Random-effects models were used for meta-analyses. Heterogeneity tests, and analysis of the risk of bias were conducted. Most of the studies were graded as having either low risk or moderate risk of bias although two studies had a high risk of bias in the areas of blinding of participants and personnel, and incomplete outcome data. On the other hand, the heterogeneity statistic (I2) ranged from 0–41% in the studies included. Five randomised controlled trials were selected for this review and meta-analysis (involving a total of 173 participants supplemented with vitamin D and 153 participants as control drawn from the studies). Vitamin D supplementation was associated with a decrease in fasting blood glucose by a mean of 0.46 mmol/L (−0.68, −0.25) (p < 0.001), glycated haemoglobin by a mean of 0.37% (−0.65, −0.08) (p < 0.01) and serum insulin concentration by mean of 4.10 µIU/mL (−5.50, −2.71) (p < 0.001) compared to controls. This review shows evidence that vitamin D supplementation has the potential to promote glycaemic control in women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM). However, due to the limited number of studies in the meta-analysis, the conclusion should be interpreted with caution. Further studies are needed to fully understand the exact mechanism by which vitamin D influences glucose metabolism.

Vitamin D as an immune modulator in multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory and neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system. The disease is characterised by inflammation with extensive immune infiltration, demyelination, axonal loss and damage of oligodendrocytes, presumably auto-immune in nature. The influence of environmental factors on the development and activity of MS has been known for a long time. Vitamin D and sun exposure are among the most important ones. Both serum vitamin D level and sun exposure independent of vitamin D production are correlated with epidemiological and clinical parameters of MS, and the impact of vitamin D on immune parameters has been clearly confirmed in experimental studies. Nevertheless, the impact on clinical aspects is inconclusive, especially when the influence of supplementation is assessed. In this work we review the state of knowledge regarding the effect of vitamin D on immune cells subsets in relation to experimental and clinical studies.

Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3) Reduces Rat Neuropathic Pain by Modulating Opioid Signaling.

The impact of vitamin D on sensory function, including pain processing, has been receiving increasing attention. Indeed, vitamin D deficiency is associated with various chronic pain conditions, and several lines of evidence indicate that vitamin D supplementation may trigger pain relief. However, the underlying mechanisms of action remain poorly understood. We used inflammatory and non-inflammatory rat models of chronic pain to evaluate the benefits of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) on pain symptoms. We found that cholecalciferol supplementation improved mechanical nociceptive thresholds in monoarthritic animals and reduced mechanical hyperalgesia and cold allodynia in a model of mononeuropathy. Transcriptomic analysis of cerebrum, dorsal root ganglia, and spinal cord tissues indicate that cholecalciferol supplementation induces a massive gene dysregulation which, in the cerebrum, is associated with opioid signaling (23 genes), nociception (14), and allodynia (8), and, in the dorsal root ganglia, with axonal guidance (37 genes) and nociception (17). Among the identified cerebral dysregulated nociception-, allodynia-, and opioid-associated genes, 21 can be associated with vitamin D metabolism. However, it appears that their expression is modulated by intermediate regulators such as diverse protein kinases and not, as expected, by the vitamin D receptor. Overall, several genes-Oxt, Pdyn, Penk, Pomc, Pth, Tac1, and Tgfb1-encoding for peptides/hormones stand out as top candidates to explain the therapeutic benefit of vitamin D3 supplementation. Further studies are now warranted to detail the precise mechanisms of action but also the most favorable doses and time windows for pain relief.

Vitamin C supplementation expands the therapeutic window of BETi for triple negative breast cancer.

BackgroundBromodomain and extra-terminal inhibitors (BETi) have shown efficacy for the treatment of aggressive triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, BETi are plagued by a narrow therapeutic window as manifested by severe toxicities at effective doses. Therefore, it is a limitation to their clinical implementation in patient care.MethodsThe impact of vitamin C on the efficacy of small compounds including BETi was assessed by high-throughput screening. Co-treatment of TNBC by BETi especially JQ1 and vitamin C was evaluated in vitro and in vivo.FindingsHigh-throughput screening revealed that vitamin C improves the efficacy of a number of structurally-unrelated BETi including JQ1, I-BET762, I-BET151, and CPI-203 in treating TNBC cells. The synergy between BETi and vitamin C is due to suppressed histone acetylation (H3ac and H4ac), which is in turn caused by upregulated histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) expression upon vitamin C addition. Treatment with JQ1 at lower doses together with vitamin C induces apoptosis and inhibits the clonogenic ability of cultured TNBC cells. Oral vitamin C supplementation renders a sub-therapeutic dose of JQ1 able to inhibit human TNBC xenograft growth and metastasis in mice.InterpretationVitamin C expands the therapeutic window of BETi by sensitizing TNBC to BETi. Using vitamin C as a co-treatment, lower doses of BETi could be used to achieve an increased therapeutic index in patients, which will translate to a reduced side effect profile.FundUniversity of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bankhead Coley Cancer Research program (7BC10), Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute, and NIH R21CA191668 (to GW) and 1R56AG061911 (to CW and CHV).

The association between vitamin D deficiency and the risk of resistant hypertension

ABSTRACTBackground: Previous studies have already shown a link between vitamin D deficiency and hypertension. The impact of vitamin D deficiency in resistant hypertension is currently unknown. This study examined whether an association between the two entities exists.Method: We analysed 2953 known hypertensive subjects surveyed by NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) among the United States population between 2003 and 2006. Subjects were categorized as having either resistant hypertension or hypertension based on the number of anti-hypertensives in use and their overall blood pressure control. Subjects were also categorized as vitamin D deficient if they had 25(OH)D (25-hydroxycholecalciferol) levels less than 20ng/ml.Results: Out of the 2953 subjects, 362 (12%) were found to have resistant hypertension and 2591 (88%) had controlled hypertension. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in resistant hypertension and controlled hypertension groups was 61% and 46% respectively. Following adjustments for other variables such as age, renal function, obesity and ethnicity, the odds ratio (OR) for concomitant presence of resistant hypertension and vitamin D deficiency was 3.49 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.69–7.17; P < 0.009). The OR for having resistant hypertension and chronic kidney disease, older age and obesity were 2.5 (95% CI 1.5–4; P < 0.0003), 1.034 (95% CI 1.02–1.07; P < 0.0001) and 1.048 (95% CI 1.02–1.07; P < 0.0001) respectively.Conclusion: This study found a statistically significant association between vitamin D deficiency and resistant hypertension.Abbreviations: US, United States; NHANES, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; UVB, ultraviolet B; PTH, parathyroid hormone; IRB, Institutional Review Board; NCHS, National Centers for Health Statistics; BMI, body mass index; BP, blood pressure; ACE, angiotensin-converting-enzyme; RIA, Radio Immuno Assay; SAS, Statistical Analysis System; 25(OH)D or 25OHD3, 25-hydroxycholecalciferol or 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 or calcifediol or calcidiol; Vitamin D3, cholecalciferol; OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval.

Serum 25(OH)D and Cognition: A Narrative Review of Current Evidence.

The effect of low serum 25(OH)D on cognitive function is difficult to determine owing to the many factors that can influence these relationships (e.g., measurements, study design, and obesity). The primary purpose of this review was to synthesize the current evidence on the association between serum 25(OH)D and cognition giving special consideration to specific influential factors. A search was conducted in PubMed for studies published between 2010 and 2018 using terms related to serum 25(OH)D and cognition. Only studies that used liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) were included, since this is considered the ‘gold standard method’, to measure serum 25(OH)D. Of the 70 articles evaluated, 13 met all inclusion criteria for this review. The majority of the observational and longitudinal studies demonstrate a significant association between low serum 25(OH)D and compromised cognition. However, two randomized controlled trials showed inconsistent results on the impact of vitamin D supplementation on cognitive function. The varied methodologies for ascertaining cognition and the inclusion or exclusion of confounding variables (e.g., obesity, sunlight exposure) in the statistical analyses make drawing conclusions on the association between serum 25(OH)D and cognitive functioning inherently difficult. Despite the known higher occurrence of serum 25(OH) deficiency among minority populations, the majority of studies were conducted in with White participants. In order to more clearly discern the relationship between serum 25(OH)D and cognitive functioning, future studies should target more diverse study populations and utilize comprehensive measures to reliably capture cognition, as well as important known determinants of serum 25(OH)D.

Impact of vitamin D fortified food on quality of life and emotional difficulties among adolescents – A randomized controlled trial

Background: The action of vitamin D on health related quality of life (HRQoL) and emotional difficulties of individuals has been extensively studied in several epidemiological studies. However, studies focusing on the effect of vitamin D fortification on these aspects among adolescents are limited. Aim: This study aims to explore the influence of vitamin D fortification on the vitamin D status and the HRQoL and emotional difficulties among adolescents. Methods: A total of 71 healthy adolescents consented to be a part of the randomized controlled trial conducted in two schools in Chennai, India. They were allocated and blinded into two groups: experimental (one vitamin D fortified ladduu (a homemade eatable with natural supplements) daily, containing 1000 IU vitamin D3) or the control group (one unfortified ladduu daily) for 12 weeks following random assignment. The vitamin D status, HRQoL and emotional difficulty parameters of anxiety and stress of the participants were evaluated both at baseline and at 12 weeks. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 12. Results: Vitamin D status of the adolescents significantly improved post supplementation (Z=-6.28; P =0.00). However, despite of significant improvement, no significant changes were observed in the other parameters. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that although vitamin D fortification helps in improving the vitamin D status of adolescents, it does not particularly benefit their HRQoL and emotional difficulties of anxiety and stress of adolescents.

Impact of Vitamin D Supplementation on Influenza Vaccine Response and Immune Functions in Deficient Elderly Persons: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Background: Immunosenescence contributes to reduced vaccine response in elderly persons, and is worsened by deficiencies in nutrients such as Vitamin (Vit-D). The immune system is a well-known target of Vit-D, which can both potentiate the innate immune response and inhibit the adaptive system, and so modulate vaccination response.Objective: This randomized placebo-controlled double-blind trial investigated whether Vit-D supplementation in deficient elderly persons could improve influenza seroprotection and immune response.Design: Deficient volunteers (Vit-D serum <30 ng/mL) were assigned (V1) to receive either 100,000 IU/15 days of cholecalciferol (D, n = 19), or a placebo (P, n = 19), over a 3 month period. Influenza vaccination was performed at the end of this period (V2), and the vaccine response was evaluated 28 days later (V3). At each visit, serum cathelicidin, immune response to vaccination, plasma cytokines, lymphocyte phenotyping, and phagocyte ROS production were assessed.Results: Levels of serum 25-(OH)D increased after supplementation (D group, V1 vs. V2: 20.7 ± 5.7 vs. 44.3 ± 8.6 ng/mL, p < 0.001). No difference was observed for serum cathelicidin levels, antibody titers, and ROS production in D vs. P groups at V3. Lower plasma levels of TNFα (p = 0.040) and IL-6 (p = 0.046), and higher ones for TFGβ (p = 0.0028) were observed at V3. The Th1/Th2 ratio was lower in the D group at V2 (D: 0.12 ± 0.05 vs. P: 0.18 ± 0.05, p = 0.039).Conclusions: Vit-D supplementation promotes a higher TGFβ plasma level in response to influenza vaccination without improving antibody production. This supplementation seems to direct the lymphocyte polarization toward a tolerogenic immune response. A deeper characterization of metabolic and molecular pathways of these observations will aid in the understanding of Vit-D's effects on cell-mediated immunity in aging. This clinical trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01893385.

Cholecalciferol Supplementation Did Not Change Interleukin-7 and B cell–Activating Factor Levels and CD95 Expression in B lymphocytes in Patients on Dialysis: A Randomized Pilot-Controlled Trial

End-stage renal disease results in B cell lymphopenia and low levels of vitamin D. Since the link between vitamin D deficiency and B lymphocytes dysfunction are not clear in patients with end-stage renal disease, we suggest that vitamin D adequacy and factors related to the homeostasis of these cells should be investigated. B lymphocytes homeostasis is a process mainly regulated signals of grown and death as interleukin (IL)-7, B cell-activating factor (BAFF)/BAFF-receptor and CD95 expression. As vitamin D serum levels were reduced in patients with end stage renal disease and it is associated with human B homeostasis, we evaluated the effect of cholecalciferol supplementation on dialysis. Randomized, double blind clinical trial in dialysis patients with 25OH Vitamin D deficiency for a period of 12 weeks. In a pilot study, we investigated the effect of cholecalciferol supplementation (100,000 UI once per week or placebo. In vitro, peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated by Ficoll-Hypaque centrifugation from 12 healthy volunteers were incubated with healthy or uremic serum in the presence or absence of 25 (OH)DC with 5% CO. There was an increase in the serum 25(OH)D level in the cholecalciferol group. No differences were found in BAFF and IL7 levels and CD95 and BAFF-R expression in B lymphocytes from patients on dialysis after cholecalciferol supplementation. Uremic serum induced an increase in the IL-7, BAFF, BAFF-R and CD95 expression compared with the control. However, we observed no effect of incubation of 25(OH)D3 and 1,25(OH)2D3 on the expression of IL-7, BAFF, BAFF-R and CD95 when incubated in the presence of normal or uremic serum. Our results suggest that vitamin D is not involved in mechanisms of regulation of differentiation and survival in Blymphocytes. In conclusion, further studies are needed to explore the effects of vitamin D on B lymphocytes to better evaluate the possible impact of vitamin D on humoral response in the CKD population.

Vitamin D, Thyroid Autoimmunity and Cancer: An Interplay of Different Factors.

Background and Aims:In spite of large volume of data linking Vitamin D with cardiovascular morbidity, autoimmunity, cancer, and virtually every organ system, Vitamin D and thyroid is a lesser-known aspect of Vitamin D in clinical practice. This article intends to highlight the current literature on the impact of Vitamin D status and supplementation on thyroid autoimmunity and cancer.Methods:References for this review were identified through searches of PubMed for articles published to from 1950 to August 2019 using the terms “thyroid” [MeSH Terms] AND “Vitamin D” [MeSH Terms] OR “thyroid” [All Fields] AND “Vitamin D” [All Fields].Results:Significant inverse correlation was documented between anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) and serum 25-hydroxy-Vitamin D (25OHD). TPOAb positivity is more prevalent in Vitamin D deficient individuals. A large volume of medical literature is available from observational studies linking Vitamin D with thyroid autoimmunity. Data from interventional studies documenting beneficial effects of Vitamin D on thyroid autoimmunity is also available, but lesser than that from observational studies. Short-term high dose oral Vitamin D supplementation reduces TPOAb titers. Certain Vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphism have been linked to increased occurrence of autoimmune thyroid disorders (AITD). Vitamin D deficiency, decreased circulating calcitriol has been linked to increased thyroid cancer. Certain VDR gene polymorphisms have been linked with increased as well as decreased occurrence of thyroid cancer. Data is scant on use of Vitamin D and its analogues for treating thyroid cancer.Conclusion:In spite of large volume of medical literature from observational studies linking Vitamin D with thyroid autoimmunity and cancer, meaningful concrete clinical data on impact of Vitamin D supplementation on hard clinical end points in these disorders is lacking, and should be the primary area of research in the next decade.