Vitamin D Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Vitamin D, including details on sources, melanin, benefits, deficiency, supplements, calcium absorption.

Circulating calcitriol concentrations and total mortality.

Zittermann A, Schleithoff SS, Frisch S, Götting C, Kuhn J, Koertke H, Kleesiek K, Tenderich G, Koerfer R

Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Heart Center North Rhine-Westfalia, Ruhr University Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany. azittermann@hdz-nrw.de

BACKGROUND: Evidence is accumulating that vitamin D supplementation of patients with low 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations is associated with lower cardiovascular morbidity and total mortality during long-term follow-up. Little is known, however, about the effect of low concentrations of the vitamin D hormone calcitriol on total mortality. We therefore evaluated the predictive value of circulating calcitriol for midterm mortality in patients of a specialized heart center. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 510 patients, 67.7% with heart failure (two-thirds in end stage), 64.3% hypertension, 33.7% coronary heart disease, 20.2% diabetes, and 17.3% renal failure. We followed the patients for up to 1 year after blood collection. For data analysis, the study cohort was stratified into quintiles of circulating calcitriol concentrations. RESULTS: Patients in the lowest calcitriol quintile were more likely to have coronary heart disease, heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, and renal failure compared to other patients. They also had low 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations and high concentrations of creatinine, C-reactive protein, and tumor necrosis factor alpha. Eighty-two patients (16.0%) died during follow-up. Probability of 1-year survival was 66.7% in the lowest calcitriol quintile, 82.2% in the second quintile, 86.7% in the intermediate quintile, 88.8% in the fourth quintile, and 96.1% in the highest quintile (P < 0.001). Discrimination between survivors and nonsurvivors was best when a cutoff value of 25 ng/L was applied (area under the ROC curve 0.72; 95% CI 0.66-0.78). CONCLUSIONS: Decreased calcitriol levels are linked to excess midterm mortality in patients of a specialized heart center.

Published 29 May 2009 in Clin Chem, 55(6): 1163-70.
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Articles on Vitamin D published 21 May 2009:

Existing and potentially novel functional markers of vitamin D status: a systematic review.   Am J Clin Nutr, 89(6): 1997S-2008S.

BACKGROUND: Although serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] is the currently accepted vitamin D status marker of choice, use of other biomarkers or functional endpoints have been suggested. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to systematically review the effectiveness of 25(OH)D, parathyroid hormone (PTH), bone turnover markers, bone mineral density (BMD), and calcium absorption as biomarkers of vitamin D status. DESIGN: Methods included a structured search on Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE (Ovid), and Cochrane ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Vitamin D published 18 May 2009:

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 induces Ca2+-mediated apoptosis in adipocytes via activation of calpain and caspase-12.   Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 384(1): 18-21.

Induction of apoptotic cell death is emerging as a promising strategy for prevention and treatment of obesity because removing of adipocytes via apoptosis may result in reducing body fat and a long-lasting maintenance of weight loss. However, the mechanisms controlling adipocyte apoptosis are unknown and even the ability of adipocytes to undergo apoptosis has not been conclusively demonstrated. We have shown previously that the specific Ca(2+) signal, sustained increase in intracellular Ca(2+), ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Vitamin D published 12 May 2009:

Vitamin D in relation to metabolic risk factors, insulin sensitivity and adiponectin in a young Middle-Eastern population.   Eur J Endocrinol, 160(6): 965-71.

OBJECTIVES: Several studies suggest a link between circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and metabolic risk factors. However, this relation has been mainly studied in elderly and/or obese subjects. In addition, the relation between 25(OH)D and adiponectin is unclear. The purpose of this study is to look at these relations in non-obese young individuals. DESIGN: We investigated the relation between serum 25(OH)D and adiposity, blood pressure, glucose metabolism, lipid profile, and ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Vitamin D published 11 May 2009:

Effects of 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB126) on vertebral bone mineralization and on thyroxin and vitamin D levels in Sprague-Dawley rats.   Toxicol Lett, 187(2): 63-8.

The aim of the present study is to use Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques, to make a more detailed description of toxic effects of 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB126) on bone tissue at the microstructural and at the molecular level as a result of an altered bone metabolism. We have analysed potential changes on vitamin D and thyroxin serum levels since these hormones represent endocrine endpoints that are critical for bone ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Vitamin D published 7 May 2009:

Vitamin D inhibits myometrial and leiomyoma cell proliferation in vitro.   Fertil Steril, 91(5): 1919-25.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) and 25(OH)D(3) vitamin D derivates on the growth of leiomyoma and myometrial cells in vitro. DESIGN: In vitro study. SETTING: Cell biology research laboratory. PATIENT(S): Six premenopausal women with uterine leiomyomas undergoing hysterectomy. INTERVENTION(S): Samples of leiomyomas and normal myometrial tissue were obtained, and paired cultures were established. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): A colorimetric crystal violet assay to determine the ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Vitamin D published 5 May 2009:

Expansion of antigen-specific regulatory T cells with the topical vitamin d analog calcipotriol.   J Immunol, 182(10): 6071-8.

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D(3) is immunosuppressive both in vivo and in vitro. Topical vitamin D analogs such as calcipotriol alter keratinocyte function, but their effects on cutaneous immune responses are less well understood. We demonstrate that exposure of the skin to calcipotriol before transcutaneous immunization with OVA protein and CpG adjuvant prevents Ag-specific CD8(+) T cell priming coincident with Langerhans cell depletion in the skin. Immunization through calcipotriol-treated skin ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Vitamin D published 1 May 2009:

Vitamin D-related genes, serum vitamin D concentrations and prostate cancer risk.   Carcinogenesis, 30(5): 769-76.

We systematically investigated the association of 48 SNPS in four vitamin D metabolizing genes [CYP27A1, GC, CYP27B1 and CYP24A1] with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)(2)D] levels and the association of these SNPS and an additional 164 SNPS in eight downstream mediators of vitamin D signaling [VDR, RXRA, RXRB, PPAR, NCOA1, NCOA2, NCOA3 and SMAD3] with prostate cancer risk in the 749 incident prostate cancer cases and 781 controls of the Prostate, Lung, ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

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Results from the majority of studies show little association between circulating concentrations of vitamin D and prostate cancer risk, a finding that has not been demonstrated in a wider European population, however. The authors examined whether vitamin D concentrations were associated with prostate cancer risk in a case-control study nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (1994-2000). Serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D were measured in 652 ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

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