The relationship between vitamin D and the severity of COVID-19.

AIM: Vitamin D, which has immunomodulatory effect, can reduce risk of infections and concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the levels of vitamin D and severity of COVID-19. METHODS: A total of 204 patients with COVID-19 disease were enrolled in the study. All patients had viral pneumonia, which was confirmed with chest computer tomography. All cases were divided in two groups- mild (outpatients); and serious (inpatients)- according to their clinical and laboratory data. Serum vitamin D levels were measured by chemiluminescence method. RESULTS: Vitamin D deficiency was found in 41.7 % (n = 85) of cases and insufficiency was found in 46.0 % (n = 94), while in 12.3 % (n = 25) of cases normal vitamin D levels were found. The odds of having a serious clinical outcome were increased for vitamin D insufficiency patients 5.604 times (%95 CI:0.633-49.584) and for vitamin D deficiency patients 38.095 times (%95 CI:2.965-489.50) for each standard deviation decrease in serum 25(OH)D. CONCLUSION: Adequate levels of vitamin D could suppress inflammation and reduce the severity of COVID-19. Vitamin D supplementation may have an important role in decreasing the impact of the pandemic (Tab. 5, Fig. 2, Ref. 27).

25-hydroxyvitamin D levels are low but not associated with disease activity in chronic spontaneous urticaria and depression.

AIM: To evaluate vitamin D levels in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), depression and both of them, thus to find out whether vitamin D may be a common causative factor of CSU and depression. METHODS: Thirty patients with CSU, 30 patients with depression, 30 patients with both CSU and depression and 30 healthy volunteers as control group were involved in the study. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels of these groups were measured and compared. Correlations between 25(OH)D levels and the activity of CSU and depression were analyzed. RESULTS: Healthy controls' 25(OH)D levels (17.2±8.8 ng/mL) were higher than patients with CSU (9.1±5.1 ng/mL), depression (8.9±6.1 ng/mL) and CSU with depression (7.7±4.7 ng/mL) (p<0.001, p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). There were no differences in 25(OH)D levels between CSU patients with and without depression, between depression patients and CSU patients with and without depression (p=0.43, p=0.82 and p=0.92, respectively). There were no correlations between 25(OH)D levels and the activity of CSU or depression (p=0.99 and p=0.76, respectively). CONCLUSION: Lower 25(OH)D levels in CSU and/or depression may appear as a secondary phenomenon, which means being result of these diseases rather than the cause (Tab. 1, Fig. 2, Ref. 41). Text in PDFwww.elis.sk Keywords: vitamin D, vitamin D deficiency, chronic urticaria, depression.

Evaluation of serum ischaemia-modified albumin levels in patients with Bell's palsy.

OBJECTIVE: This prospective study aimed to evaluate the relationship between serum ischaemia-modified albumin levels and Bell's palsy severity. METHODS: The study included 30 patients diagnosed with Bell's palsy and 30 healthy individuals. The patients were separated into three disease severity groups (grades 2, 3 and 4) according to House-Brackmann classification. Blood samples were collected from all participants and the results compared between groups. RESULTS: Significant differences in serum ischaemia-modified albumin were found between the study and control groups (p < 0.001); values were significantly higher in the study group than in the control group. CONCLUSION: The significantly higher levels of serum ischaemia-modified albumin in the study group suggest that Bell's palsy pathogenesis is associated with oxidative stress.

Evaluation of matrix metalloproteinase, myeloperoxidase, and oxidative damage in mesenteric ischemia-reperfusion injury.

BACKGROUND: In this study, we investigated the alterations of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs), acute inflammation, and oxidative damage in the circulatory system and the intestine in response to mesenteric ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). METHODS: Twenty-one rats were divided randomly into the following three groups (n = 7 in each group): a sham group (CG), an ischemic group (IG), and an I/R group (I/RG). MMP-9, TIMP-1, and myeloperoxidase (MPO) were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method, and lipid peroxidation (quantified as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) content), ischemia-modified albumin, the prooxidant-antioxidant balance (PAB), and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) were measured spectrophotometrically. The degree of intestinal injury was evaluated according to the Chiu scoring system. RESULTS: A significant difference between the mean serum TIMP-1 and MMP-9 levels and the alanine transaminase activity was found among the groups. Compared with the I/RG group a significant difference in the mean tissue MMP-9, MPO, and TBARS levels in addition to the PAB and FRAP was found between the CG and IG groups. The level of MMP-9 also demonstrated a strong, positive, and valid correlation with the TBA-RS levels. A significant morphological change was observed in both the IG and the I/RG groups. The degree of intestinal injury was more severe in the I/R group and was characterized by either villous denudation or villous loss. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that MMP-9, TIMP-1, MPO, and oxidative stress may be important in the intestinal injury development that is induced by acute mesenteric I/R in a rat model. MMP-9 overexpression may increase the extent of intestinal villous loss, particularly when MMP-9 is upregulated by the TBARS present in the intestinal injury.

Effects of peritoneal-and hemodialysis on levels of plasma protein and lipid oxidation markers in diabetic patients.

AIM: The aim of this paper was to evaluate the effects of dialysis procedures on oxidative stress in diabetic patients. METHODS: The study was performed on 15 non-diabetic hemodialysis (HD) patients, 30 non-diabetic perinoteal dialysis (PD) patients, 18 diabetic HD patients (DHD), 15 diabetic PD patients (DPD), and 20 healthy controls. Plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), protein carbonyl (PCO), and oxidized LDL (oxLDL) were determined as oxidative stress markers. Plasma thiol (P-SH), erythrocyte glutathione (GSH) levels, and serum paraoxonase (PON1) activities were measured as antioxidants. RESULTS: HD patients have significantly higher oxLDL, TBARS and PCO levels and significantly lower P-SH levels than PD patients. DHD patients have significantly higher PCO levels and PON1 activities and significantly lower GSH levels than non-diabetic HD patients. There was no any difference in oxidative stress parameters between DPD and non-diabetic PD patients. CONCLUSION: Oxidative stress is exacerbated by HD in diabetic patients. Treatment strategy with antioxidants in dialysis patients may be associated with a worsened survival.