Stroke in crack-cocaine abusers is increasingly recognized. We aimed to identify significant differences in stroke risk factors, characteristics, and outcomes between hospitalized stroke patients with and without crack-cocaine abuse. This was a retrospective study that compared stroke patients with crack-cocaine abuse (cases) to stroke patients without crack-cocaine (controls). We identified ...

Epidemiological evidence for the associations between intake of dairy products, calcium and vitamin D and allergic disorders has been inconsistent. To examine such associations in Japan. This cross-sectional study enrolled 1745 pregnant women. The definitions of wheeze and asthma were based on European Community Respiratory Health Survey criteria, whereas those ...

BACKGROUND:: Vitamin D may help prevent adverse pediatric outcomes, including infectious diseases and growth failure, based on its role in immune and metabolic functions. We examined the association of maternal vitamin D status and pediatric health outcomes in children born to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected women. METHODS:: Vitamin D status ...

Bedouin Arabs in southern Israel are a traditionally semi-nomadic population undergoing the nutrition transition in a context of urbanisation. The effect of these changes on the nutritional status of pregnant women is unknown. The Dietary Exposures and Pregnancy Outcomes in a Society In Transition (DEPOSIT) study evaluated the adequacy of ...

Purpose:  To provide a systematic review of the published studies pertaining to the lifestyle modification, dietary, nutritional and vitamins supplements for preventing occurrence or halting deterioration of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods:  The literature searches from 1990 to December 2010 with following keywords, 'age related macular degeneration', 'nutrition', 'antioxidant', 'diet' ...

Several studies have shown that vitamin D may play a role in many biochemical mechanisms in addition to bone and calcium metabolism. Recently, vitamin D has sparked widespread interest because of its involvement in the homeostasis of the cardiovascular system. Hypovitaminosis D has been associated with obesity, related to trapping ...

Background: Hypovitaminosis D has been cross-sectionally associated with dementia and stroke. The objective of this longitudinal study was to determine whether serum vitamin D deficiency at baseline could predict the onset of non-Alzheimer dementias (NAD) within 7 years among older women. Methods: Forty high-functioning older women (78.4 years, 76.4/82.0; median, ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Over the past 2 years, the number of studies relating vitamin D deficiency and asthma and allergies has increased significantly. The purpose of this review is to update the last review in this journal and examine the evidence of the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and childhood ...

MetS, T2D, and CVD share an inflammatory etiology and are known to be influenced by diet. We investigated associations of hypothesized prooxidative (Fe) and antioxidative (Zn, Mg, β-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E) micronutrients with incident MetS, T2D, and CVD in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Participants, 45-84 y at baseline ...

OBJECTIVE: Deficient 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels are associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) events and mortality. 25(OH)D deficiency and stroke are more prevalent in blacks. We examined whether low 25(OH)D contributes to the excess risk of fatal stroke in blacks compared with whites. METHODS: The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination ...

BACKGROUND: Calcium and vitamin D may be inversely related to breast cancer risk, in part by affecting mammographic density. However, results from previous, mostly cross-sectional studies have been mixed, and there have been few randomized clinical trials of the effect of calcium and vitamin D supplementation on change in mammographic ...

The efficacy of homocysteine (Hcy)-lowering therapy in reducing the risk of CVD among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains controversial. We performed a meta-analysis to determine whether pooling the data from the few small randomised, controlled trials that address this topic would improve the statistical power of the analysis ...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects on anencephaly risk of the interaction between the maternal profile of folate, vitamin B12 and homocysteine and the 677C→T polymorphism in the gene encoding methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR). DESIGN: Case-control study paired (1:1) on maternity clinic, date of birth and state of residence. Cases of anencephaly ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Vitamin D deficiency is a significant problem for a growing proportion of the UK population. Individuals with dark or covered skin are at particularly high risk due to ethno-cultural, environmental and genetic factors. We assessed the level of awareness of vitamin D deficiency among at-risk patients in order ...

Incidence rates of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) increased substantially in the United States and worldwide during the latter part of the 20(th) century, but little is known about the etiology of this condition. Antioxidant nutrients may reduce the risk of NHL by quenching free radicals, which may contribute to carcinogenesis by ...

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a major source of mortality and morbidity in general population. Oxidative modification of low density lipoprotein (LDL) represent the most important determinant factor in the development and progression of atherosclerotic lesions. Oxidative damage and the production of free radicals (FRs) in the endothelium are some ...

Aim: The goal was to analyze the link between blood levels of calcidiol and all-cause, cardiac and infectious diseases, and mortality due to cancer in hemodialysis patients. This study retrospectively evaluated a representative sub-cohort (n=6,518) of German hemodialysis patients from the incidence cohorts 1997-2006. Most (58.8%) were found to be ...

OBJECTIVE: Vitamin D deficiency and mood disorders are both prevalent among the elderly. We evaluated the association between vitamin D intake and mental health-related quality of life (QOL) among elderly women participating in a large population-based study. STUDY DESIGN: This study was a cross-sectional analysis of the Iowa Women's Health ...

Severe deficiency of vitamin D in adults can cause musculoskeletal pain, stiffness, and joint discomfort. Musculoskeletal symptoms similar to those associated with vitamin D deficiency are frequently seen in breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant aromatase inhibitors (AIs). This is presumably due to oestrogen deficiency caused by AIs. However, no data ...

Vitamin D receptor (VDR) is implicated in the regulation of bone mineral density (BMD). In this study, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the association between the VDR BsmI (rs1544410) and ApaI (rs7975232) polymorphisms and BMD in Chinese women. Literature was retrieved from PubMed and other databases. The studies on ...

To determine whether calcium plus vitamin D supplementation (CaD) affects incidence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Participants enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative CaD trial (n = 36,282) were randomized to 1,000 mg calcium carbonate plus 400 IU of vitamin D(3) daily or to placebo. Incident RA cases were identified via self-report and validated rheumatic ...

The association between renal cell cancer (RCC) and intake of fruit, vegetables and nutrients was examined in a population-based case-control study of 323 cases and 1827 controls; dietary intake was obtained using a mailed questionnaire. Cancer risks were estimated by OR and 95 % CI, adjusting for age, sex, smoking, obesity, ...

Abstract Objective: To investigate the frequencies of vitamin B12 and folate deficiencies in pregnant women in low socioeconomic group, the relation between the animal-source foods consumption and maternal vitamin B12-folate statuses, and their impacts on anthropometric measurements of the infants. Methods: A total of 208 pregnant women in the last ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Although Iran is a high-risk region for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), dietary factors that may contribute to this high incidence have not been thoroughly studied. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of macronutrients, vitamins and minerals on the risk of ESCC. METHODS: In ...

Clothing styles that conceal skin from ultraviolet sun radiation contribute to vitamin D deficiency, especially in veiled female minorities in high latitudes. This is the first research into possible effects of ethnic dress on the os calcis and the first study outside North Africa and the Middle East to investigate ...

Objective:  Vitamin D deficiency is recognised as a global public health problem, but the population-based prevalence of deficiency and its determinants in Australian adults is not known. This study evaluated the vitamin D status of Australian adults aged ≥25 years, and risk factors associated with vitamin D deficiency in this ...

The authors investigated diet as a risk factor for the development of venous thromboembolism (VTE) among 129,430 US women and men in the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study. There were 2,892 cases of VTE from 1984 through 2008. Information on participants' dietary intakes was collected every 2-4 ...

Background: Low vitamin D status may increase mortality risk. OBJECTIVE: We used nonparametric ("highest compared with lowest" categories) and parametric (>2 categories) statistical models to evaluate associations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] serum concentrations and mortality in observational studies among general populations. DESIGN: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and ...

Vitamin D appears to have anti-tumor activities in the large bowel. Our aim was to investigate whether -4817 G>A (rs2238136) polymorphism located at 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR) of the human vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene was associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. We conducted a case-control study and VDR genotypes, determined ...

Objective  Pre-eclampsia contributes significantly to maternal, foetal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. The risk factors for pre-eclampsia have not been well documented in Uganda. In this paper, we describe the risk factors for pre-eclampsia in women attending antenatal clinics at Mulago Hospital, Kampala. Methods  This casecontrol study was conducted from ...

CVD is the most common cause of death in people over 65 years. This review considers the latest evidence for a potential protective effect of C1 donors (folate and the metabolically related B-vitamins) in CVD. Such an effect may or may not be mediated via the role of these nutrients ...

Objective  Vitamin C alone or in combination with vitamin E has been proposed to prevent pre-eclampsia. In this study, we assayed the plasma vitamin C in women of reproductive age in Kampala and assessed its association with pre-eclampsia. Methods  Participants in this study were 215 women with pre-eclampsia, 400 women ...

Vitamin D influences innate immunity, which is believed to be involved in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). However, data examining vitamin D status in relation to risk of CD and UC are lacking. We conducted a prospective cohort study of 72,719 women (age, 40-73 y) ...

Osteocalcin (OC) is a vitamin K-dependent protein found in bone and in circulation. High serum γ-carboxylated OC reflects a high, and high uncarboxylated OC (ucOC) reflects a low vitamin K status. A revolutionary hypothesis is that ucOC acts as a hormone improving glucose handling and reducing fat mass. The objective ...

Vitamin D insufficiency is prevalent in osteopenic and osteoporotic postmenopausal women. The persistent increase in circulating parathyroid hormone (PTH) caused by vitamin D insufficiency reduces bone density response to antiresorptive agents in these postmenopausal women. It is not well known whether administration of raloxifene might increase serum PTH secondary to ...

Purpose: To estimate the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency (VAD) and one of its clinical manifestations, xerophthalmia, and examine the predictive value of nyctalopia and ocular signs for serum retinol concentrations among a prison population in Papua New Guinea. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 148 prisoners and 9 guards; all ...

PURPOSE: Serum level of under-carboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC) is considered a sensitive measure of vitamin K status, and ucOC levels are associated with bone mineral density (BMD) and fracture risk in elderly persons. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between ucOC and BMD in early menopausal women. ...

Vitamin D insufficiency during pregnancy has been associated with a number of adverse outcomes for both mother and child. Vitamin D insufficiency has been well described in many populations of both pregnant and non-pregnant women of childbearing age, but there is a lack of data on women living in South-East ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To offer a comprehensive overview of the best available evidence linking vitamin D status, including the effect of vitamin D supplementation, to the risk of cardiovascular events. RECENT FINDINGS: There is an abundance of plausible mechanisms by which vitamin D might have a favorable effect on the ...

Background/Objectives:This study aimed to investigate whether higher homocysteine and lower vitamin B12 concentrations increase the risk of future nursing home (NH) admission and all-cause mortality in independently living older persons.Subjects/Methods:In total, 1117 independently living participants (mean age=75.1, s.d.=6.4) were included in this prospective sub-study of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. ...

BACKGROUND: US black women have higher rates of uterine leiomyomata (UL) and lower intakes of fruit and vegetables than do white women. Whether fruit and vegetable intake is associated with UL in black women has not been studied. OBJECTIVE: We assessed the association of dietary intake of fruit, vegetables, carotenoids, ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine vitamin D status in a subtropical climate among an unselected, referred predialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD) population; assess risks and correlates; and review whether higher 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) concentration can mitigate the decrement in circulating 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25-OHD) normally encountered with advancing CKD. DESIGN: Prospective cross-sectional cohort ...

Arial fibrillation (AF) is the most commonly occurring sustained arrhythmia in the United States and is associated with increased mortality. AF is a risk factor for ischemic stroke, and risk factors for AF include comorbid conditions such as congestive heart failure, diabetes mellitus, older age, hypertension, diabetes, pulmonary disease, and ...

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a common condition among the elderly, is defined as a deterioration of memory, attention, and cognitive function that exceeds what would be expected for the individual's age and level of education, yet does not interfere significantly with the activities of daily living. MCI may be a ...

OBJECTIVE: To signal key issues for harmonising approaches for establishing micronutrient recommendations by explaining observed variation in recommended intakes of folate, vitamin B12, Fe and Zn for adults and elderly people. DESIGN: We explored differences in recommended intakes of folate, vitamin B12, Fe and Zn for adults between nine reports ...

BACKGROUND: Prospective epidemiologic data on the association between vitamin D and all-cause and cause-specific mortality are limited. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine whether 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations were prospectively and independently associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, and all-cause mortality in postmenopausal women. DESIGN: A substudy in 2429 postmenopausal ...

BACKGROUND: The vitamin D receptor (VDR) polymorphisms have been reported to be associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), however, evidence remains conflicting. A meta-analysis was conducted to investigate this association. METHODS: We searched Pubmed, Medline and Embase databases for case-control studies evaluating the association between the VDR Apa-I, Bsm-I, Fok-I, Taq-I ...

Nonvalvular atrial fibrillation is the most common clinically significant cardiac arrhythmia in the United States. It increases both the risk for and the severity of strokes and is associated with substantial morbidity, mortality, decreased quality of life, and related health care costs. Guidelines recommend anticoagulation therapy for the majority of ...

Recent studies have demonstrated an inverse relationship between vitamin D levels and fatigue in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The aims of this study were to evaluate proximal muscle strength, fatigue and vitamin D levels in women with SLE compared with healthy controls and to investigate relationships between these factors in ...

Gerodontology 2011; doi: 10.1111/j.1741-2358.2011.00545.x Nutritional status, dietary intake and oral quality of life in elderly complete denture wearers Background and objective:  The prevalence of malnutrition increases with age because of many factors. Edentulousness leads to the avoidance of many types of foods. The aim of this study was to determine ...