Effects of a Regional Chinese Diet and Its Vitamin Supplementation on Proliferation of Human Esophageal Cancer Cell Lines

Objective To study the effects of a local diet popular in Yanling region （YT diet） on the proliferation of two human cell lines （Eca-109 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma line and HL7702 normal liver epithelial cell line） in rats by a sero-physiological approach. Methods Male SD rats were divided into six groups and fed respectively with a conventional diet and the YT diet （one of the five experimental diets） supplemented with two vitamin mixtures （Mix.1： vitamins A, E, and folic acid; Mix.2：mix.1 plus riboflavin and vitamin C） at two different doses. On the 30th day, sera were collected from the rats and added into a medium for cell culture, with 10% FBS used as a serum control. The effects were assessed by MTT assay, DNA synthesis and flow cytometry assays. Results Compared with the control, the sera from rats fed with the YT diet significantly promoted the proliferation of Eca-109 cells, which was, however, reversed by the supplementation with two vitamin mixtures at high doses. Surprisingly, the same treatment produced contrary effects on HL7702 cells as compared with Eca-109 cells. Conclusion The sera from rats fed with the YT diet could promote the proliferation of human esophageal cancer cell line Eca-109, whereas the sera from those fed with the YT diet supplemented with vitamin mixtures might have inhibitory effects on the proliferation of Eca-109 ceils.

Effect of B vitamin supplementation on plasma homocysteine levels in celiac disease

AIM: To investigate the effect of vitamin supplements on homocysteine levels in patients with celiac disease. METHODS: Vitamin B6, folate, vitamin B12, and fasting plasma homocysteine levels were measured in 51 consecutive adults with celiac disease [median (range) age 56 (18-63) years; 40% men, 26 (51%) had villous atrophy, and 25 (49%) used B-vitamin supplements] and 50 healthy control individuals matched for age and sex. Finally, the C677T polymorphism of 5,10-methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) was evaluated in 46 patients with celiac disease and all control individuals. RESULTS: Patients with celiac disease and using vitamin supplements had higher serum vitamin B6 (P = 0.003),folate (P < 0.001), and vitamin B12 (P = 0.012) levels than patients who did not or healthy controls (P = 0.035, P < 0.001, P = 0.007, for vitamin B6, folate, and vitamin B12, respectively). Lower plasma homocysteine levels were found in patients using vitamin supplements than in patients who did not (P = 0.001) or healthy controls (P = 0.003). However, vitamin B6 and folate, not vitamin B12, were significantly and independently associated with homocysteine levels. Twenty-four (48%) of 50 controls and 23 (50%) of 46 patients with celiac disease carried the MTHFR thermolabile variant T-allele (P = 0.89). CONCLUSION: Homocysteine levels are dependent on Marsh classification and the regular use of B-vitamin supplements is effective in reduction of homocysteine levels in patients with celiac disease and should be considered in disease management.

Scrutinizing the causal relationship between schizophrenia and vitamin supplementation:a Mendelian randomization study

Objective: Observational studies have reported malnutrition and vitamin deficiency in patients with schizophrenia (SZ), which can lead to serious metabolic syndromes and decrease anti-psychiatric drug outcomes. Whereas, vitamin intake along with psychiatric medication can enhance the medication outcomes. However, it is still unknown if SZ induces vitamin deficiency. Herein, we conduct the Mendelian randomization analysis to explore the causal relationship between schizophrenia and vitamins supplementation.Methods: We retrieved the genome-wide summary statistical data for schizophrenia from recent SZ GWAS data (43,175 cases and 65,166 controls) and vitamins supplementation GWAS data from Neale’s GWAS datasets (more than 337,000 samples from the European population) and performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis to determine the causal association of SZ with vitamin supplementation, in addition, we conduct the sensitivity analysis to obtain reliable results and remove confounding bias.Results: SZ have causal relationships with vitamins A, B, C, D, and E (SZ/vitamin A: β = 0.002, se= 0.001, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.001 to 0.004,P= 1.41E-05, heterogeneityP= 0.4486;SZ/vitamin B: β= 0.004, se= 0.001, 95% CI: 0.002-0.005,P= 7.0E-05, heterogeneityP= 0.2217;SZ/vitamin C: β= 0.004, se= 0.001, 95% CI: 0.002-0.007,P= 0.001, heterogeneityP= 0.1349;SZ/vitamin D: β= 0.003, se= 0.001, 95% CI: 0.002-0.005,P= 0.001, heterogeneityP= 0.433;SZ/vitamin E: β= 0.003, se= 0.001, 95% CI: 0.002-0.005,P= 5.0E-05, heterogeneityP= 0.1382).Conclusion: Our findings suggest that vitamin levels and supplementation should be carefully controlled in patients with SZ, which in turn may enhance the therapeutic effects of antipsychotic drug treatments.

Urgent need of vitamin D supplementation among Iranian elderly:a cross-sectional study

Dear Editor：Fortification programs are not established for nutrients like vitamin D among other nutrients in Iran.It is reported that approximately 80%of Iranians do not meet the estimated average requirement for calcium and vitamin D.The Iranian Multicenter Osteoporosis Study（IMOS）has shown that more than 80%of Iranians have vitamin D deficiency.However,currently,there is no data on vitamin D supplementation in elderly adults in Iran.We carried out a secondary analysis of a bigger population-based cross-sectional study,which was conducted among elderly men and women in the 6^th district of Tehran to determine the frequency of sarcopenia.

Effect of Vitamin C Supplementations on Iron Deficiency Anemia in Chinese Children

A total of 65 children with mild iron deficiency anemia (IDA) were divided into 5 groups, and received 0, 25, 50, 100 and 150 mg/day of vitamin C (VC) respectively every day for 8 weeks. Hemoglobin, serum ferritin, free erythrocyte and hematocrit were determined every week. At a daily average intake of about 30 mg of VC and 7.5 mg of Fe, the results of the study indicate that: (1) VC supplement alone could effectively control children's IDA, and a dose-dependant relationship was observed. (2) 50 mg/day of VC is the most efficient dosage and 6 weeks is the shortest time for an effective therapy. (3) With a diet predominately comprised of plant foods, it is suggested that appropriate dose of VC should be supplemented for the children during winter and spring in northeastern areas of China.

Higher vitamin D serum concentration increases health related quality of life in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases

AIM: To investigate the effect of vitamin D (VD) concentrations and VD supplementation on health related quality of life in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients.

Fluorescence sensor based on glutathione capped CdTe QDs for detection of Cr^3+ ions in vitamins

In this work,glutathione capped CdTe QDs(GSH-QDs)were prepared through a one-pot process and found to be quenched by Cr^3+,Ag^+and Cu^2+ions.Cr^3+and chromium(III)picolinate could be quantitatively measured after masking Cu^2+and Ag+ions by sulfide.Under optimal conditions,linear quenching was observed for Cr^3+in the ranges of 0–2.0M and the limit of detection was 3.0 nM.The recoveries for Cr^3+in vitamin supplements obtained were from 92.5%to 106%.The determination results of chromium(III)picolinate in vitamin supplement samples were compared to that obtained using flame atomic absorption spectrometry(FAAS)method,and the result showed good reliability.

Synergistic Effect of Zinc and Vitamin A on T Cell Functions

Objective To determine whether supplementation of zinc and vitamin A may improve the function of T cells in human PBMC. Methods T cells were separated and cultured in vitro, supplemented with either Zn or vitamin A alone, or both Zn and vitamin A （10^-6 mol/L, 10^-5 mol/L, 10^-4 mol/L）. After harvesting, cell proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, expression or function of cell-surface molecules, such as CD^3＋, CD^4＋, and CD^8＋ were detected. Results Higher proliferation level and lower apoptosis level were observed in cells supplemented with both Zn and vitaminA, showing the strongest effect （P〈0.05）. Zn-supplement increased the CD^4＋/CD^3＋ cell percentage, and simultaneously decreased the CD^8＋/CD^3＋ cell population. VA-supplement showed the opposite effect in comparison with Zn-supplement. Conclusion T-cell function can be improved depending on the zinc and/or vitamin A supplemented.

The Role of Vitamin D3 Therapy in Pediatric Bronchiectasis Severity (CF versus non-CF Patients)

Objective: To determine and compare the effect of vitamin D3 supplementation on modifying the disease severity in cystic fibrosis (CF) and non-CF bronchiectasis pediatric patients. Methods: A randomized clinical trial evaluating the role of oral vitamin D3 supplementation for six months, was performed in forty patients with CF and non-CF bronchiectasis under the age of 18 years with vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency. The primary outcome was to reach the sufficient Vitamin D level, the secondary outcome was to reevaluate bronchiectasis severity by following up the frequency, severity of pulmonary exacerbations and lung function after vitamin D3 supplementation. Results: Forty patients completed the trial. The percentage of improvement of vitamin D level after vitamin D3 supplementation for six months was significantly higher in CF (88.3%) than non-CF bronchiectasis patients (59.82%) (P = 0.03). Additionally, moderate to severe pulmonary exacerbations significantly decreased by more than 60%, 45% (P = 0.001, 0.005) and frequent exacerbations decreased by 15%, 10% (P = 0.327, 0.490), while the forced expiratory volume in 1 (FEV1) significantly increased by 17% and 15% in non CF bronchiectasis and CF patients respectively (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Vitamin D3 therapy was effective in decreasing the frequency and severity of pulmonary exacerbations and preserving lung function. Thereby, improving the disease severity even more in non-CF bronchiectasis than CF patients.

The relationships of vitamin D, vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms, and vitamin D supplementation with Parkinson's disease

In recent years,many studies have investigated the correlations between Parkinson's disease(PD)and vitamin D status,but the conclusion remains elusive.The present review focuses on the associations between PD and serum vitamin D levels by reviewing studies on the associations of PD with serum vitamin D levels and vitamin D receptor(VDR)gene polymorphisms from PubMed,Web of Science,Cochrane Library,and Embase databases.We found that PD patients have lower vitamin D levels than healthy controls and that the vitamin D concentrations are negatively correlated with PD risk and severity.Furthermore,higher vitamin D concentrations are linked to better cognitive function and mood in PD patients.Findings on the relationship between VDR gene polymorphisms and the risk of PD are inconsistent,but the Fokl(C/M)polymorphism is significantly linked with PD.The occurrence of Fokl(CT)gene polymorphism may influence the risk,severity,and cognitive ability of PD patients,while also possibly influencing the effect of Vitamin D3 supplementation in PD patients.In view of the neuroprotective effects of vitamin D and the close association between vitamin D and dopaminergic neurotransmission,interventional prospective studies on vitamin D supplementation in PD patients should be conducted in the future.