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.