To examine the association of intestinal barrier function with vitamin A deficiency and whether supplementation of micronutrients improves intestinal function and/or linear growth, height-for-age z-score (HAZ), concentrations of serum retinol and zinc, and intestinal permeability were determined in a cross-sectional sample of 75 children in northeastern Brazil. Effects of vitamin A and suppleme...

CASE REPORT We describe ocular findings due to a vitamin A deficiency in a 50-year-old man. The patient had undergone intestinal bypass surgery two years before. After therapy with oral vitamin A the symptoms improved. DISCUSSION The incidence of morbid obesity is increasing throughout much of the developed world, with intestinal bypass surgery the treatment of choice for most people with the...

The feeding of escessive amounts of vitamin D to animals causes pathological changes in the skeleton and calcification of soft tissues (l-4). Hypervitaminosis A causes bone fragility. Spontaneous fractures occur in growing rats, whereas in the adult rat only rarefaction develops (5-8). Although excesses of each vitamin cause specific pathological changes, the concomitant feeding of toxic amount...

Vitamin A deficiency results in multiple derangements that impair the response to infection. This review focuses on experimental models of specific virus infections and on cytokines and cells with cytolytic activity important to antiviral defenses. Altered specific antibody responses and greater epithelial damage in vitamin A-deficient hosts are consistent findings. The cytolytic activity of na...

β-Carotene-rich orange sweet potato (OSP) has been shown to improve vitamin A status of infants and young children in controlled efficacy trials and in a small-scale effectiveness study with intensive exposure to project inputs. However, the potential of this important food crop to reduce the risk of vitamin A deficiency in deficient populations will depend on the ability to distribute OSP vine...

Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is an essential coenzyme for nucleic acid synthesis. Animal protein is the major dietary source of vitamin B12. Deficiency of vitamin B12 leads to megaloblastic anemia, degeneration of the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and abnormalities of epithelial tissues. Two factors are necessary for the cure of megaloblastic anemia: one in food (extrinsic factor) and one i...

Night vision was tested electroretinographically and psychophysically in a vitamin A deficient patient before and after therapy. Vitamin A deficiency resulted from malabsorption due to a jeujunoileal bypass operation. Before therapy the patient had severely reduced cone and rod function. After the reversal operation, accompanied by 5 injections of a total of 500,000 units of vitamin A, complete...

OBJECTIVES To identify the prevalence of zinc deficiency in a population with high prevalence of vitamin A deficiency; to verify whether zinc deficiency is associated with vitamin A deficiency in the population studied; to verify risk factors for zinc deficiency (sex, age, diarrhea and fever). METHOD Cross-sectional study of 182 healthy children aged > or = 24 months and < 72 months. Peripher...

BACKGROUND Bacterial vaginosis (BV) in pregnancy is linked to preterm birth, but its risk factors are not well understood. Micronutrient deficiencies may be associated with an increased risk of this condition. OBJECTIVE We assessed the effect of weekly vitamin A or β-carotene supplementation during pregnancy until 3 mo postpartum on BV risk in rural northeastern Bangladesh. DESIGN In this c...

OBJECTIVE To quantify vitamin A levels in mature milk of 196 nursing women who were treated at the Maternity School of Rio de Janeiro and to evaluate its correlation with sociodemographic variables and degree of nutrition knowledge. METHODS To quantify retinol concentrations, 10 mL of mature milk were collected by manual expression of one breast, 2 hours after the last feed, in the morning pe...