OBJECTIVE: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are more likely to be confirmed with vitamin D deficiency. However, the association between inflammation and vitamin D remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between inflammation and vitamin D in hospitalized patients with IBD.
METHODS: All the participants were recruited from one teaching hospital from June 2018 to October 2022. Inflammation was evaluated by serum concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP), using an immunoturbidimetric method at admission. We further divided the participants into five groups based on serum CRP levels: <5, 5-9.9, 10-19.9, 20-39.9, and >40mg/L. Serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25-(OH)-D) was assessed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Addi-tional information, including age, sex, body mass index (BMI), IBD (ulcerative colitis vs. Crohn\'s disease) subtype, was abstracted from medical records.
RESULTS: This study included 1,989 patients with IBD (average age was 39.4 years, 33.8% of them were women, 1,365 CD and 624 UC patients). The median CRP was 5.49 mg/L (range of quartiles: 1.64~19.5 mg/L) and the prevalence of 25-(OH)-D deficiency was 69.8%. CRP was significantly associated with serum level of 25-(OH)-D. The difference in 25-(OH)-D was -4.28 ng/ml (-5.27 ng/ml, -3.31 ng/ml) between two extremist CRP groups after adjustment of potential covariates (age, sex, BMI, type of IBD, dietary type, season, and lymphocyte count). Subgroup analysis in sex, type of IBD, and age, were similar to the main analysis results.
CONCLUSIONS: There was a negative association between CRP levels and vitamin D in hospitalized patients with IBD.

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress-induced retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cell damage is a major factor in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Vitamin D3 (VD3) is a powerful antioxidant and it has been suggested to have anti-aging properties and potential for treating AMD. This study aimed to investigate the effect of VD3 on RPE cell oxidative apoptosis of RPE cells in order to provide experimental evidence for the treatment of AMD.
METHODS: Human retinal pigment epithelial cell 19 (ARPE-19) cells were divided into four groups: blank group (untreated), model group (incubated in medium with 400 μmol/L H2O2 for 1 h), VD3 group (incubated in medium with 100 μmol/L VD3 for 24 h), and treatment group (incubated in medium with 400 μmol/L H2O2 for 1 h and 100 μmol/L VD3 for 24 h). Cell viability, cell senescence, ROS content, expression levels of vitamin D specific receptors, Akt, Sirt1, NAMPT, and JNK mRNA expression levels, SOD activity, and MDA, GSH, and GPX levels were measured.
RESULTS: We first established an ARPE-19 cell stress model with H2O2. Our control experiment showed that VD3 treatment had no significant effect on ARPE-19 cell viability within 6-48 h. Treating the stressed ARPE-19 cells with VD3 showed mixed results; caspase-3 expression was decreased, Bcl-2 expression was increased, MDA level of ARPE-19 cells was decreased, GSH-PX, GPX and SOD levels were increased, the relative mRNA expression levels of Akt, Sirt1, NAMPT were increased (P < 0.05), and the relative mRNA expression level of JNK was decreased (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: VD3 can potentially slow the development of AMD.

BACKGROUND: The relationships between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and calcium and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are unclear.
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the causal role of 25(OH)D concentrations, calcium concentrations, and dietary supplements use of vitamin D and calcium on the risk of AMD and its subtypes.
METHODS: Independent genetic variants associated with 25(OH)D and calcium concentrations were used as instrumental variables in published genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of European ancestry. The bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were performed using summary-level data from the UK Biobank and FinnGen datasets. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to ensure the robustness of the MR results. The meta-analyses were conducted using both fixed-effect and random-effect models to provide comprehensive and reliable estimates.
RESULTS: A standard deviation increase in calcium concentrations was linked to a 14%, 17%, and 13% reduction in the likelihood of developing AMD (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.77, 0.97), wet AMD (95% CI = 0.73, 0.95), and dry AMD (95% CI = 0.75, 1.00), respectively. No significant causal relationships were detected between genetically predicted 25(OH)D concentrations and AMD and its subtypes (all P > 0.05). The combined analyses showed that higher calcium concentrations were associated with a reduced risk of overall AMD, with an OR of 0.89 (95% CI = 0.81, 0.98).
CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence supporting the causal relationship between calcium concentrations and the risk of AMD and its subtypes, which may have important implications for the prevention, monitoring, and treatment of AMD.

Ovarian cancer (OC) is a fatal gynecological malignancy with a poor prognosis in which mitochondria-related genes are involved deeply. In this study, we aim to screen mitochondria-related genes that play a role in OC prognosis and investigate its effects. Through single-cell sequencing technology and bioinformatics analysis, including TCGA ovarian cancer data analysis, gene expression signature analysis (GES), immune infiltration analysis, Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), and Principal Component Analysis (PCA), our findings revealed that CYP24A1 regulated macrophage polarization through vitamin D (VD) degradation and served as a target gene for the second malignant subtype of OC through bioinformatics analyses. For further validation, the expression and function of CYP24A1 in OC cells was investigated. And the expression of CYP24A1 was much higher in carcinoma than in paracancerous tissue, whereas the VD content decreased in the OC cell lines with CYP24A1 overexpression. Moreover, macrophages were polarized towards M1 after the intervention of VD-treated OC cell lines and inhibited the malignant phenotypes of OC. However, the effect could be reversed by overexpressing CYP24A1, resulting in the polarization of M2 macrophages, thereby promoting tumor progression, as verified by constructing xenograft models in vitro. In conclusion, our findings suggested that CYP24A1 induced M2 macrophage polarization through interaction with VD, thus promoting the malignant progression of OC.

UNASSIGNED: Cumulative evidence has suggested that vitamin D deficiency is related with an increased susceptibility to various types of cancers. However, the association between vitamin D and thyroid cancer (TC) has remained to be unknown. Thus, there has been an urgent need for a meta-analysis to summarize existing evidence on vitamin D levels and the risk of TC.
UNASSIGNED: This meta-analysis aimed to figure out the association between vitamin D level and the risk of TC.
UNASSIGNED: A systematic search was performed for eligible articles on the association between vitamin D and TC based on PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane, and ClinicalTrials.gov. Outcomes were the vitamin D level of cases with TC and the incidence of vitamin D deficiency in cases with TC comparing with the controls. The effect measures included standardized mean difference (SMD), ratio of means (RoM), and odds ratio (OR). A dose-response meta-analysis was performed to assess the correlation between vitamin D level and the risk of TC. Subgroup analyses and meta-regressions were conducted to explore the source of heterogeneity. And publication bias was evaluated through Begg\'s and Egger\'s tests.
UNASSIGNED: Results of the meta-analysis revealed lower levels of vitamin D in TC cases comparing with those in control [SMD = -0.25, 95% CI: (-0.38, -0.12); RoM = 0.87, 95% CI: (0.81, 0.94)] and the levels of 1,25 (OH)D in cases with TC were also lower than controls [SMD = -0.49, 95% CI: (-0.80, -0.19); RoM = 0.90, 95% CI: (0.85, 0.96)]. And vitamin D deficiency was associated with the increased risk of TC [OR = 1.49, 95% CI: (1.23, 1.80)]. Additionally, results from the dose-response meta-analysis showed that there is a 6% increase in the risk of TC for each 10 ng/ml decrease in 25 (OH)D levels [OR = 0.94; 95% CI: (0.89, 0.99)].
UNASSIGNED: Individuals with TC had lower levels of vitamin D compared to controls, and vitamin D deficiency was correlated with an increase risk of TC.
UNASSIGNED: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=504417, identifier: CRD42024504417.

Leg disorders have become increasingly common in broilers, leading to lower meat quality and major economic losses. This study evaluated the effects of dietary supplementation with Clostridium butyricum (C. butyricum) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25-OH-D3) on bone development by comparing growth performance, tibial parameters, Ca and P contents of tibial ash, bone development-related indicators\' level, and cecal short-chain fatty acids in Cobb broilers. All birds were divided into four treatment groups, which birds fed either a basal diet (Con), basal diet + 75 mg chlortetracycline/kg (Anti), basal diet + C. butyricum at 109 CFU/kg (Cb), basal diet + C. butyricum at 109 CFU/kg and 25-OH-D3 at 25 μg/kg (CbD), or basal diet + 25-OH-D3 at 25 μg/kg (CD). Our results suggest that the dietary supplementation in Cb, CbD, and CD significantly increased the body weight (BW) and average daily gain (ADG), and reduced the feed-to-weight ratio (F/G) at different stages of growth (P < 0.05). Dietary supplementation in Cb, CbD, and CD prolonged (P < 0.05) the behavioral responses latency-to-lie (LTL) time, reduced (P < 0.05) the levels of osteocalcin (BGP) and peptide tyrosine (PYY), and increased (P < 0.05) serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine (DA). Treatment with Cb increased (P < 0.05) the levels of acetic acid, isobutyric acid, butyric acid, and isovaleric acid compared with those in Con group. The cecal metagenome showed that Alistipes spp. were significantly more abundant in Cb, CbD, and CD groups (P < 0.05). A total of 12 metabolic pathways were significantly affected by supplementation, including the signaling pathways of glucagon, insulin, and PI3K-AKT; primary and secondary bile acid biosynthesis; and P-type Ca 2+ transporters (P < 0.05). Hence, the CbD supplementation modulates bone metabolism by regulating the mediators of gut-brain axis, which may inform strategies to prevent leg diseases and improve meat quality in broilers.

UNASSIGNED: Vitamin D deficiency (VDD, 25-hydroxyvitamin D < 20 ng/mL) has been reported associated with exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) but sometimes controversial. Research on severe vitamin D deficiency (SVDD, 25-hydroxyvitamin D < 10 ng/mL) in exacerbation of COPD is limited.
UNASSIGNED: We performed a retrospective observational study in 134 hospitalized exacerbated COPD patients. 25-hydroxyvitamin D was modeled as a continuous or dichotomized (cutoff value: 10 or 20 ng/mL) variable to evaluate the association of SVDD with hospitalization in the previous year. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to find the optimal cut-off value of 25-hydroxyvitamin D.
UNASSIGNED: In total 23% of the patients had SVDD. SVDD was more prevalent in women, and SVDD group tended to have lower blood eosinophils counts. 25-hydroxyvitamin D level was significantly lower in patients who were hospitalized in the previous year (13.6 vs 16.7 ng/mL, P = 0.044), and the prevalence of SVDD was higher (38.0% vs 14.3%, P = 0.002). SVDD was independently associated with hospitalization in the previous year [odds ratio (OR) 4.34, 95% CI 1.61-11.72, P = 0.004] in hospitalized exacerbated COPD patients, whereas continuous 25-hydroxyvitamin D and VDD were not (P = 0.1, P = 0.9, separately). The ROC curve yielded an area under the curve of 0.60 (95% CI 0.50-0.71) with an optimal 25-hydroxyvitamin D cutoff of 10.4 ng/mL.
UNASSIGNED: SVDD probably showed a more stable association with hospitalization in the previous year in hospitalized exacerbated COPD patients. Reasons for lower eosinophil counts in SVDD group needed further exploration.

UNASSIGNED: To quantitatively assess all dosage forms of three active vitamin D and its analogs, namely, calcitriol, alfacalcidol, and eldecalcitol, to provide a basis for the selection of active vitamin D and its analogs in hospitals.
UNASSIGNED: In this study, three active vitamin D and its analogs were evaluated by quantitative scoring in five dimensions, including pharmaceutical properties (28 points), efficacy (27 points), safety (25 points), economy (10 points), and other attributes (10 points).
UNASSIGNED: The final scores of quantitative assessment for the selection of alfacalcidol soft capsules, calcitriol soft capsules I, calcitriol soft capsules II, alfacalcidol tablets, alfacalcidol capsules, alfacalcidol oral drops, calcitriol injection, and eldecalcitol soft capsules were 73.17, 72.06, 71.52, 71.29, 69.62, 68.86, 65.60, 64.05 points.
UNASSIGNED: Based on the scoring results, alfacalcidol soft capsules, calcitriol soft capsules I, calcitriol soft capsules II, alfacalcidol tablets can be entered into the medication list of medical institutions as strongly recommended drugs. This study offers guidance on selecting and using active vitamin D and its analogs in hospitals, with consideration for the patient\'s needs.

UNASSIGNED: Obesity is often accompanied by insulin resistance (IR) and diabetes. We explored the association between vitamin D levels and IR in non-diabetic obesity.
UNASSIGNED: We conducted a cross-sectional study based on the data of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2001 to 2018. Non-diabetic individuals (aged ≥20 years) with obesity (BMI ≥ 30kg/m2) were included in the study. And HOMA-IR ≥ 2.5 was defined as IR. The multivariable linear regression models were constructed to evaluate the associations between levels of 25(OH)D and HOMA-IR. We calculated the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidential intervals (CIs) for associations between 25(OH)D deficiency and IR in obesity using multivariable logistic regression models.
UNASSIGNED: Overall, a total of 3887 individuals were included in this study. Serum vitamin D level was significant lower in obesity participants with IR than that of non-IRs. The linear regression models showed that vitamin D level was inversely associated with HOMA-IR in obesity after adjusting for covariables (β=-0.15, 95%CI (-0.28, -0.02), p = 0.028). And the multivariable logistic regression models indicated an association between vitamin D deficiency and IR in obesity ((OR= 1.38, 95%CI (1.09-1.73), p = 0.007)). The further stratified regression analyses among different BMI demonstrated that vitamin D deficiency (OR = 1.4, 95%CI (1.05,1.86), p = 0.022) only contributed to developing IR in class I obesity.
UNASSIGNED: This study suggested an association of vitamin D levels with IR in obesity. And vitamin D deficiency contributed to IR in class I obesity.

BACKGROUND: The etiology of Hashimoto\'s thyroiditis (HT) involves genetic and environmental factors. There is a lack of clarity regarding the relationship between Vitamin D and HT. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Vitamin D and gene polymorphisms on thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) positivity.
METHODS: A total of 9,966 participants were included from a survey conducted in East China from 2014 to 2016. We measured the levels of 25(OH)D, thyroid hormones and autoimmune antibodies. rs11675434, rs9277555, and rs301799 were genotyped. Based on these 3 SNPs, a weighted genetic risk score was calculated for TPOAb.
RESULTS: The proportion of females in the TPOAb-positive group was greater than that in the TPOAb-negative group (74.2% vs. 57.2%, P<0.001). Vitamin D levels were lower in the TPOAb-positive group than in the TPOAb-negative group (40.07±11.87 vs. 40.80±12.84, P=0.01). The GG genotype of rs9277555 and the TT genotype of rs11675434 were correlated with the risk of TPOAb positivity (OR=1.34, 95% CI 1.13-1.59, P=0.001; OR=1.29, 95% CI 1.06-1.58, P=0.01). TPOAb-GRS was associated with TPOAb positivity (OR=3.17, 95% CI 1.72-5.84; P<0.001). When stratified by Vitamin D group, the association between TPOAb-GRS and TPOAb positivity existed only in the Vitamin D deficiency group (OR=3.41, 95% CI 1.73-6.70 P<0.001) but not in the control group (OR=2.45, 95% CI 0.59-10.19, P=0.22).
CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that TPOAb-GRS was associated with TPOAb positivity in the Han Chinese population, mainly due to rs9277555 and rs11675434. The hereditary effect of TPOAb positivity differed depending on Vitamin D status.