Moderate maternal vitamin A deficiency alters myogenic regulatory protein expression and perinatal organ growth in the rat

2005 ◽  
Vol 288 (1) ◽  
pp. R73-R79 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Downie ◽  
C. Antipatis ◽  
M. I. Delday ◽  
C. A. Maltin ◽  
A. A. Sneddon
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin A ◽  
Muscle Development ◽  
Vitamin A Deficiency ◽  
Regulatory Protein ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Myogenic Regulatory Factor ◽  
Mortality And Morbidity ◽  
Regulatory Pathways ◽  
Increased Risk

Vitamin A deficiency is one of the most common dietary deficiencies in the developing world and is a major health concern where it is associated with increased risk of fetal and infant mortality and morbidity. Early studies in the rat demonstrated that, in addition to respiratory problems, neonates showed evidence of mobility problems in response to moderate vitamin A deficiency. This study investigated whether moderate deficiency of this vitamin plays a role in regulating key skeletal muscle regulatory pathways during development. Thirty female rats were fed vitamin A-moderate (VAM) or vitamin A-sufficient diets from weaning and throughout pregnancy. Fetal and neonatal hindlimb and muscle samples were collected on days 13.5, 15.5, 17.5, and 19.5 of pregnancy and 1 day following birth. Mothers fed the VAM diet had reduced retinol concentrations at all time points studied ( P < 0.01), and neonates had reduced relative lung weights ( P < 0.01). Fetal weight and survival did not differ between groups but neonatal survival was lower in the VAM group where neonates had increased relative heart weights ( P < 0.05). Analysis of myogenic regulatory factor expression and calcineurin signaling in fetuses and neonates demonstrated decreased protein levels of myf5 [50% at 17.5 dg ( P < 0.05)], myogenin [70% at birth ( P < 0.001)], and myosin heavy chain fast [50% at birth ( P < 0.05)] in response to moderate vitamin A deficiency. Overall, these changes suggest that vitamin A status during pregnancy may have important implications for fetal muscle development and subsequent muscle function in the offspring.

New Issues in Developing Effective Approaches for the Prevention and Control of Vitamin A Deficiency

1998 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin W. Bloem ◽  
Saskia de Pee ◽  
Ian Darnton-Hill
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Vitamin A ◽  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Vitamin A Deficiency ◽  
Life Cycle Approach ◽  
Mortality And Morbidity ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
To Come ◽  
And Control

Even mild to moderate vitamin A deficiency is now recognized as an important factor in child health and survival. This has given increased emphasis to the goal of virtually eliminating vitamin A deficiency and its consequences, including blindness, by the end of the decade. The implications of vitamin A deficiency, however, vary according to the group at risk, and this needs to be addressed when looking at ways to achieve the goal. In pre-school children, vitamin A deficiency can lead to increased risk of mortality and morbidity and to blindness. In pregnant and lactating women, it can lead to night-blindness and appears to have implications for maternal morbidity and mortality. Although the immediate health consequences for schoolchildren and adolescents are not completely known, they are probably less dramatic. Nevertheless, it is clear that there is a cross-generational cycle leading to and perpetuating vitamin A deficiency in affected communities. This also has implications when addressing prevention and control strategies. The existing, somewhat successful approach has been to target children aged six months to six years; it is implicit that this criterion is used to measure progress towards the end-of-decade goals. A broader, complementary, life-cycle approach to vitamin A deficiency is now appropriate in many countries. There is increasing emphasis on such approaches, i.e., fortifying foods with vitamin A and improving the diet, which address the whole population at risk. A mix of interventions will give governments the chance to shift from a subsidized vitamin A capsule programme to more sustainable, non-subsidized, consumer-funded vitamin A interventions, although in an appreciable number of countries, supplementation with vitamin A will be a necessity for some years to come. Guidelines to assist governments in such transitions are a high priority.

scholarly journals Risk Factors for Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI) Among Under-five Children in Bangladesh

2008 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazi Md. Abul Kalam Azad
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Vitamin A ◽  
Adolescent Mothers ◽  
Home Visiting ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Vitamin A Deficiency ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Childhood Mortality ◽  
Acute Respiratory Infections ◽  
Mortality And Morbidity

Acute respiratory infection (ARI) is a major cause of childhood mortality and morbidity in Bangladesh. The aim of this study is to identify the significant risk factors for ARI in children less than five years of age. The data in this study comes from Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2004. In this study, a child was considered as having experienced ARI if she or he had cough in the last two weeks preceding the survey with any one of the three symptoms of short but rapid breathing, difficulty of breathing or labored inspiration. Logistic regression was used on various independent variables to find the risk factors. Results showed that child's age, sex, body weight and Vitamin A deficiency were correlated with prevalence of ARI. Additionally mother's characteristics like age, malnutrition, education level, and family's socio-economic status were found to be associated. Recommendations include more specific knowledge of ARI to adolescent mothers from the lowest wealth quintile. A community service which could include home visiting for health education, supplementation of vitamin A, and advice would be an advantage if provided for poor or teenaged pregnant women. This in turn would reduce low birth weight incidence, and subsequently reduce incidence of ARI among these children.Keywords: Acute respiratory infections (ARI); Risk factors; Infant; Child under 5 years; Bangladesh.© 2009 JSR Publications. ISSN: 2070-0237(Print); 2037-0245 (Online). All rights reserved.DOI: 10.3329/jsr.v1i1.1055

The Ethiopia applied nutrition project

1976 ◽  
Vol 194 (1114) ◽  
pp. 23-48 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Infant Mortality ◽  
Vitamin A ◽  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Vitamin A Deficiency ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Infant Mortality Rate ◽  
Nutritional Deficiencies ◽  
Nutritional Knowledge ◽  
Mortality And Morbidity

The British projects conducted in Ethiopia under the auspices of the I. B. P. have collected a vast amount of information concerning the peoples in Begemedir province, a highland area. This background served well as baseline data to establish the value of an applied nutrition project covering a broad range of activities. In the project township, Debarek, a polyclinic was introduced. Special attention was given to nutrition education for the under-fives by using several approaches. Other activities included nutrition education in the school and polyclinic, investigations into treatment of goitre and vitamin A deficiency, market garden schemes and improvements in poultry keeping. The only input in the control town Adi Arkai was a polyclinic set up by the Ethiopian Ministry of Health. Information about Debarek (the target community) and Adi Arkai (control) was also obtained from government statistics and surveys carried out by the Gondar Public Health College in 1968. The Project carried out censuses in 1970 and again in 1972. The evidence collected in the two communities over this period, while insufficient to establish any long-term trend, showed clearly a similar population structure. The most marked characteristics were the imbalance in the sex-ratio (67 males per 100 females Debarek, 86/100 in Adi Arkai) which reflected mobility, and the employment of about 80 % of the labour force in the tertiary or service sector, which reflected the economic function of the towns. On the other hand, religious groupings appeared to be remarkably stable and were an important aspect of the pattern of authority in the community. The monitoring of births and deaths during the Project gave accurate data for the first time. Crude birth rates in Debarek and Adi Arkai were 42 and 50 per thousand, crude death rates 19 and 35 per thousand, and infant mortality rates 229 and 198 per thousand live births respectively. A number of indicators of nutritional status were employed. Within a stratified sample of families three-day individual food intakes were measured on six occasions during 1969 and again at the conclusion of the Project in 1972. Energy intakes were consistently low, being about 70 % of the 1973 F. A. O./W. H. O. recommendations. Measurements made on these families, and on schoolchildren, of height, mass, skinfold thickness and arm circumference demonstrated that the people are small and underweight, with very little body fat. Clinical examinations revealed few overt signs of nutritional deficiencies, except for vitamin A and goitre. Evaluation was achieved by comparing anthropometric, mortality, and morbidity data from the Project and control towns. The most significant changes observed in the Project town were a 38 % reduction in the infant mortality rate, an improvement in the mass for age data for under-fives, and a reduction in the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency and goitre. Assessment of nutritional knowledge, its application, and effectiveness was attempted on selected groups. The achievements and failures of applied nutrition programmes are discussed in relation to the underlying economic basis of malnutrition, i.e. poverty.

scholarly journals The Epidemiology of Global Micronutrient Deficiencies

2015 ◽  
Vol 66 (Suppl. 2) ◽  
pp. 22-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Regan L. Bailey ◽  
Keith P. West Jr. ◽  
Robert E. Black
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin A ◽  
Immune Function ◽  
Vitamin A Deficiency ◽  
Macrocytic Anemia ◽  
Microcytic Anemia ◽  
Endocrine Function ◽  
Micronutrient Deficiencies ◽  
Perinatal Complications ◽  
Poor Growth ◽  
Increased Risk

Micronutrients are essential to sustain life and for optimal physiological function. Widespread global micronutrient deficiencies (MNDs) exist, with pregnant women and their children under 5 years at the highest risk. Iron, iodine, folate, vitamin A, and zinc deficiencies are the most widespread MNDs, and all these MNDs are common contributors to poor growth, intellectual impairments, perinatal complications, and increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Iron deficiency is the most common MND worldwide and leads to microcytic anemia, decreased capacity for work, as well as impaired immune and endocrine function. Iodine deficiency disorder is also widespread and results in goiter, mental retardation, or reduced cognitive function. Adequate zinc is necessary for optimal immune function, and deficiency is associated with an increased incidence of diarrhea and acute respiratory infections, major causes of death in those <5 years of age. Folic acid taken in early pregnancy can prevent neural tube defects. Folate is essential for DNA synthesis and repair, and deficiency results in macrocytic anemia. Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of blindness worldwide and also impairs immune function and cell differentiation. Single MNDs rarely occur alone; often, multiple MNDs coexist. The long-term consequences of MNDs are not only seen at the individual level but also have deleterious impacts on the economic development and human capital at the country level. Perhaps of greatest concern is the cycle of MNDs that persists over generations and the intergenerational consequences of MNDs that we are only beginning to understand. Prevention of MNDs is critical and traditionally has been accomplished through supplementation, fortification, and food-based approaches including diversification. It is widely accepted that intervention in the first 1,000 days is critical to break the cycle of malnutrition; however, a coordinated, sustainable commitment to scaling up nutrition at the global level is still needed. Understanding the epidemiology of MNDs is critical to understand what intervention strategies will work best under different conditions.

scholarly journals Vitamin A-Deficient Hosts Become Nonsymptomatic Reservoirs of Escherichia coli-Like Enteric Infections

2015 ◽  
Vol 83 (7) ◽  
pp. 2984-2991 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaitlin L. McDaniel ◽  
Katherine H. Restori ◽  
Jeffery W. Dodds ◽  
Mary J. Kennett ◽  
A. Catharine Ross ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Vitamin A ◽  
Vitamin A Deficiency ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Susceptibility To Infection ◽  
Vitamin A Status ◽  
Enteric Infections ◽  
Systemic Cytokine Production ◽  
Susceptible Populations

Vitamin A deficiency (A−) remains a public health concern in developing countries and is associated with increased susceptibility to infection.Citrobacter rodentiumwas used to model humanEscherichia coliinfections. A−mice developed a severe and lethal (40%) infection. Vitamin A-sufficient (A+) mice survived and cleared the infection by day 25. Retinoic acid treatment of A−mice at the peak of the infection eliminatedC. rodentiumwithin 16 days. Inflammation levels were not different between A+and A−mouse colons, although the A−mice were still infected at day 37. Increased mortality of A−mice was not due to systemic cytokine production, an inability to clear systemicC. rodentium, or increased pathogenicity. Instead, A−mice developed a severe gut infection with most of the A−mice surviving and resolving inflammation but not eliminating the infection. Improvements in vitamin A status might decrease susceptibility to enteric pathogens and prevent potential carriers from spreading infection to susceptible populations.

scholarly journals Vitamin A Deficiency Disorders in Children and Women

2003 ◽  
Vol 24 (4_suppl_1) ◽  
pp. S78-S90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith P. West
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin A ◽  
Vitamin A Deficiency ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Large Trial ◽  
Vitamin A Supplementation ◽  
Lactating Women ◽  
Risk Of Mortality ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Resistance To Infection ◽  
Nutrition Problem

Vitamin A deficiency is an endemic nutrition problem throughout much of the developing world, especially affecting the health and survival of infants, young children, and pregnant and lactating women. These age and life-stage groups represent periods when both nutrition stress is high and diet likely to be chronically deficient in vitamin A. Approximately 127 million preschool-aged children and 7 million pregnant women are vitamin A deficient. Health consequences of vitamin A deficiency include mild to severe systemic effects on innate and acquired mechanisms of host resistance to infection and growth, increased burden of infectious morbidity, mild to severe (blinding) stages of xerophthalmia, and increased risk of mortality. These consequences are defined as vitamin A deficiency disorders (VADD). Globally, 4.4 million preschool children have xerophthalmia and 6 million mothers suffer night blindness during pregnancy. Both conditions are associated with increased risk of morbidity and mortality. While reductions of child mortality of 19–54% following vitamin A treatment have been widely reported, more recent work suggests that dosing newborns with vitamin A may, in some settings, lower infant mortality. Among women, one large trial has so far reported a ≥ 40% reduction in mortality related to pregnancy with weekly, low-dose vitamin A supplementation. Epidemiologic data on vitamin A deficiency disorders can be useful in planning, designing, and targeting interventions.

scholarly journals Breast-feeding, dietary intakes and their associations with subclinical vitamin A deficiency in children in Anhui Province, China

2007 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 733-738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yewu Zhang ◽  
Fangbiao Tao ◽  
Huiping Yin ◽  
Xiaoming Zhu ◽  
Guoping Ji ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin A ◽  
Breast Feeding ◽  
Odds Ratio ◽  
Vitamin A Deficiency ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Dietary Factors ◽  
Dietary Intakes ◽  
Odds Ratios ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Subclinical Vitamin

AbstractObjectiveThis study aimed to explore the associations between breast-feeding, dietary intakes and other related factors and subclinical vitamin A deficiency (SVAD) in children aged 0–5 years in an area in China where mild vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is found.MethodsData were from a population-based cross-sectional study with 1052 children aged 0–5 years. SVAD cases were identified by the indicator of serum retinol ≤ 20 μg dl− 1. Breast-feeding status, dietary intakes and other factors were collected through a pre-designed questionnaire.ResultsThe prevalence of SVAD in children aged 0–5 years was 6.9%. Logistic regression analysis showed that the odds ratio of SVAD for breastfeeding was 3.56 (95% confidence limits (95% CL) 2.17–5.82). After adjustment for sex, age in categories, residence, mother's education, mother's occupation, vitamin A preparation supplements, rank in siblings and diarrhoea, the odds ratio for breast-feeding fell to 2.38 (95% CL 1.13–4.95). The odds ratios for breast-feeding within children aged 1 year were 5.46 (95% CL 2.07–15.03) and 4.6 (95% CL 1.72–12.82) before and after adjustment of other confounders, respectively. The odds ratios for breast-feeding did not show statistical significance within children aged 0 or 2 years. The odds ratios decreased, but remained statically significant after further adjustments for individual dietary factor or all dietary factors.ConclusionBreast-feeding was a risk factor of SVAD for children, especially for those aged 1 year. The differences in dietary intakes and other established risk factors could not fully explain the increased risk. This finding implies that prolonged breast-feeding alone may not ensure protection of children from VAD in an area with mild SVAD.

scholarly journals Penyuluhan tentang Imunisasi Dasar, Vitamin A dan Tumbuh Kembang pada Bayi dan Balita di Wilayah Puskesmas Jenggot Kota Pekalongan

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-26
Author(s):  
Putri Andanawarih ◽  
Miftachul Jannah
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Vitamin A ◽  
Vitamin A Deficiency ◽  
The Body ◽  
Infants And Toddlers ◽  
Immunization Programs ◽  
Mortality And Morbidity ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Corneal Damage ◽  
Effective Public Health

Supporting and maintaining surveillance of immunization programs and provision of Vitamin A in Indonesia is one of the efforts in reducing MMR and IMR. Immunization is one of the most effective public health interventions in preventing morbidity and mortality. Vitamin A is one of the important nutrients that is fat soluble and stored in the liver, cannot be produced by the body, so it must be fulfilled from the outside (essential), functioning to vision, growth and increase the body's resistance to disease. Vitamin A is useful for reducing mortality and morbidity, because of that vitamin A can increase the body's resistance to infectious diseases such as measles, diarrhea, and Acute Respiration Infection (ISPA). Other consequences that have a very serious impact from Vitamin A Deficiency (KVA) are night blindness and other manifestations of xeropthalmia including corneal damage and blindness. The team conducted community service under the title "Counseling about Basic Immunization, Vitamin A and Growth in Infants and Toddlers in the Jenggot Public Health Center-Pekalongan ". The methods of counseling basic immunization programs for infants and toddlers, providing vitamin A and monitoring the growth and development of children. The results of the evaluation of activities on the post test results were 35% on knowledge about immunization and 48% on knowledge of vitamin A.

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