Vitamin D and ischemic stroke - Association, mechanisms, and therapeutics.

Confronting the rising tide of ischemic stroke and its associated mortality and morbidity with ageing, prevention and acute management of ischemic stroke is of paramount importance. Mounting observational studies have established a non-linear association of vitamin D status with cardiovascular diseases, including ischemic stroke. Paradoxically, current clinical trials fail to demonstrate the cardiovascular benefits of vitamin D supplementation. We aim to update recent clinical and experimental findings on the role of vitamin D in the disease course of ischemic stroke, from its onset, progression, recovery, to recurrence, and the established and alternative possible pathophysiological mechanisms. This review justifies the necessities to address stroke etiological subtypes and focus on vitamin D-deficient subjects for investigating the potential of vitamin D supplementation as a preventive and therapeutic approach for ischemic stroke. Well-powered clinical trials are warranted to determine the efficacy, safety, timing, target individuals, optimal dosages, and target 25OHD concentrations of vitamin D supplementation in the prevention and treatment of ischemic stroke.

Serum Calcium Levels and Parkinson's Disease: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

BACKGROUND: Though increasing epidemiological studies have evaluated the correlation between serum calcium contents and Parkinson's disease (PD), the results are inconsistent. At present, whether there is a causal association between serum calcium content and PD remains undetermined. OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: This study was designed to explore the relationship between increased serum calcium contents and PD risk. In this present study, a Mendelian randomization trial was carried out using a large-scale serum calcium genome-wide association study (GWAS) dataset (N = 61,079, Europeans) and a large-scale PD GWAS dataset (N = 8,477, Europeans including 4,238 PD patients and 4,239 controls). Here, a total of four Mendelian randomization methods comprising weighted median, inverse-variance weighted meta-analysis (IVW), MR-Egger, and MR-PRESSO were used. RESULTS: Our data concluded that genetically higher serum calcium contents were not significantly related to PD. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, we provided genetic evidence that there was no direct causal relationship between serum calcium contents and PD. Hence, calcium supplementation may not result in reduced PD risk.