Assay for lipid peroxides in animal tissues by thiobarbituric acid reaction

admission. This proportion could already be greater in some parts of the country and may increase if referrals of cases of self-poisoning increase faster than the facilities for their assessment and management. The provision of social work and psychiatric expertise in casualty departments may be one means of preventing unnecessary medical admissions without risk to the patients. Dr Blake's and Dr Bramble's figures do not demonstrate, however, that any advantage would attach to medical teams taking over assessment from psychiatrists except that, by implication, assessments would be completed sooner by staff working on the ward full time. What the figures actually suggest is that if assessment of overdoses were left to house doctors there would be an increase in admissions to psychiatric units (by 19°U), outpatients (by 5O°'), and referrals to social services (by 140o). So for house doctors to assess overdoses would provide no economy for the psychiatric or social services. The study does not tell us what the consequences would have been for the six patients who the psychiatrists would have admitted but to whom the house doctors would have offered outpatient appointments. E J SALTER

Vitamin D deficiency.

In recent years, there have been reports suggesting a high prevalence of low vitamin D intakes and vitamin D deficiency or inadequate vitamin D status in Europe. Coupled with growing concern about the health risks associated with low vitamin D status, this has resulted in increased interest in the topic of vitamin D from healthcare professionals, the media and the public. Adequate vitamin D status has a key role in skeletal health. Prevention of the well-described vitamin D deficiency disorders of rickets and osteomalacia are clearly important, but there may also be an implication of low vitamin D status in bone loss, muscle weakness and falls and fragility fractures in older people, and these are highly significant public health issues in terms of morbidity, quality of life and costs to health services in Europe.

Although there is no agreement on optimal plasma levels of vitamin D, it is apparent that blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels are often below recommended ranges for the general population and are particularly low in some subgroups of the population, such as those in institutions or who are housebound and non-Western immigrants. Reported estimates of vitamin D status within different European countries show large variation. However, comparison of studies across Europe is limited by their use of different methodologies. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency [often defined as plasma 25(OH)D <25 nmol/l] may be more common in populations with a higher proportion of at-risk groups, and/or that have low consumption of foods rich in vitamin D (naturally rich or fortified) and low use of vitamin D supplements.

The definition of an adequate or optimal vitamin D status is key in determining recommendations for a vitamin D intake that will enable satisfactory status to be maintained all year round, including the winter months. In most European countries, there seems to be a shortfall in achieving current vitamin D recommendations. An exception is Finland, where dietary survey data indicate that recent national policies that include fortification and supplementation, coupled with a high habitual intake of oil-rich fish, have resulted in an increase in vitamin D intakes, but this may not be a suitable strategy for all European populations. The ongoing standardisation of measurements in vitamin D research will facilitate a stronger evidence base on which policies can be determined. These policies may include promotion of dietary recommendations, food fortification, vitamin D supplementation and judicious sun exposure, but should take into account national, cultural and dietary habits. For European nations with supplementation policies, it is important that relevant parties ensure satisfactory uptake of these particularly in the most vulnerable groups of the population.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/nbu.12108

Vitamin D: An overview of vitamin D status and intake in Europe

Multiple micronutrients in pregnancy and lactation: an overview

Vitamin D deficiency (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) 10% of Europeans. The European Calcified Tissue Society (ECTS) advises that the measurement of serum 25(OH)D be standardized, for example, by the Vitamin D Standardization Program. Risk groups include young children, adolescents, pregnant women, older people (especially the institutionalized) and non-Western immigrants. Consequences of vitamin D deficiency include mineralization defects and lower bone mineral density causing fractures. Extra-skeletal consequences may be muscle weakness, falls and acute respiratory infection, and are the subject of large ongoing clinical trials. The ECTS advises to improve vitamin D status by food fortification and the use of vitamin D supplements in risk groups. Fortification of foods by adding vitamin D to dairy products, bread and cereals can improve the vitamin D status of the whole population, but quality assurance monitoring is needed to prevent intoxication. Specific risk groups such as infants and children up to 3 years, pregnant women, older persons and non-Western immigrants should routinely receive vitamin D supplements. Future research should include genetic studies to better define individual vulnerability for vitamin D deficiency, and Mendelian randomization studies to address the effect of vitamin D deficiency on long-term non-skeletal outcomes such as cancer.

/pdf/current-vitamin-d-status-in-european-and-middle-east-2hi3ruk9h6.pdf

Current vitamin D status in European and Middle East countries and strategies to prevent vitamin D deficiency: a position statement of the European Calcified Tissue Society

Background
Vitamin D is a lipid-soluble hormone found in certain foods and synthesized from precursors in the skin when exposed to ultraviolet light. Vitamin D plays a critical role in bone metabolism and many cellular and immunological processes and low levels have been associated with several chronic and infectious diseases. Vitamin D status is assessed by measuring the concentration of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D]. Vitamin D deficiency is reported to be common worldwide, but little has been reported about the vitamin D status of adults in Turkey. In this cross-sectional study, we determined the prevalence of 25(OH)D deficiency in adults residing in a city in the Aegean region of Turkey.

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186%2F1471-2458-10-782.pdf

Vitamin D status among adults in the Aegean region of Turkey

Endothelial dysfunction underlies the pathogenesis of preeclampsia, but its mechanism has not yet been completely understood. Elevated oxygen free radicals may partially explain the endothelial cell d

Endothelial dysfunction in preeclampsia. Increased homocysteine and decreased nitric oxide levels.

Background The pathogenesis of asthma involves both airway inflammation and an oxidant/antioxidant imbalance. It is demonstrated in asthmatic adults that exercise programmes improve lung function, a mechanism yet to be elucidated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible beneficial effects of physical exercise on antioxidant status in asthmatic children which may lead to ameliorated lung function. Methods The study enrolled thirteen control and thirty asthmatic children. The asthmatic group was subdivided into two: the first group receiving only pharmacological treatment (n = 15) and the second receiving pharmacological treatment with exercise programme (n = 15) for 8 weeks. Blood samples were drawn from the subjects before and after treatment periods. As oxidant stress markers blood levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and total nitric oxide (NO), and as antioxidant status, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme activities were assessed. Results Before any treatment was initiated, MDA and NO levels in the asthmatic group were significantly higher than the controls (3.40 ± 0.96 nmol/ml vs 2.46 ± 0.58 nmol/ml, and 12.53 ± 2.10 vs 9.40 ± 1.39 micromol/L, respectively). Both SOD (p = 0.0001) and GSH-Px (p = 0.023) activities were significantly lower in the asthmatic group. Pharmacological treatment and exercise programme together significantly improved lung performance and decreased the levels of oxidant stress markers, in concordance with a significantly increase in antioxidant enzyme activity measures when compared to the pharmacological treatment. Conclusion Structured exercise programme in asthmatic children resulted in better lung function, which may be attributed to its effect on antioxidant status.

The beneficial effects of physical exercise on antioxidant status in asthmatic children

ObjectiveTo determine serum chemerin, vaspin and omentin-1 in overweight and normal weight patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and investigate the possible relationship between these adi...

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0300060516645421

Yesim Guvenc

Papers

Vitamin D status among adults in the Aegean region of Turkey

Vitamin D status among adults in the Aegean region of Turkey

Endothelial dysfunction in preeclampsia. Increased homocysteine and decreased nitric oxide levels.

The beneficial effects of physical exercise on antioxidant status in asthmatic children

Assessment of serum chemerin, vaspin and omentin-1 levels in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome