Effect of vitamin D supplementation on vitamin D status and bone turnover markers in young adults.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the vitamin D status of healthy young people living in Northern Ireland and the effect of vitamin D supplementation on vitamin D status and bone turnover. DESIGN: Double-blinded randomised controlled intervention study. SETTING: University of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland. SUBJECTS: In total, 30 apparently healthy students (15 male and 15 female subjects), aged 18-27 years, were recruited from the university, with 27 completing the intervention. INTERVENTIONS: Subjects were randomly assigned, to receive either 15 microg (600 IU) vitamin D(3) and 1,500 mg calcium/day (vitamin D group), or 1,500 mg calcium/day (control group) for 8 weeks between January and March. Vitamin D status, bone turnover markers, serum calcium and parathyroid hormone concentrations were measured at baseline and post intervention. RESULTS: At baseline, vitamin D status was low in both the vitamin D group (47.9 (s.d. 16.0)) and the control group (55.5 (s.d. 18.6) nmol/l 25(OH)D). Post intervention vitamin D status was significantly higher in the vitamin D-treated group (86.5 (s.d. 24.5)) compared to the control group (48.3 (s.d. 16.8) nmol/l) (P<0.0001). There was no significant effect of supplementation on bone turnover markers or PTH concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that young adults in Northern Ireland do not consume an adequate daily dietary intake of vitamin D to maintain plasma vitamin D concentrations in the wintertime. A daily supplement of 15 microg vitamin D(3) significantly increased vitamin D status in these individuals to levels of sufficiency. Achievement of an optimum vitamin D status among young adults may have future positive health implications.

The application of photobleaching to sequential staining of antigen-antibody precipitates in gels for prostatic acid phosphatase and protein.

A modified procedure is described for the sequential staining of agar precipitates of seminal plasma and antiseminal plasma serum for acid phosphatase and total protein. The procedure employs Gomori's glycerophosphate-lead sulphide method for acid phosphatase, ultraviolet light for photobleaching and amidoschwartz for total protein staining. In a single agar diffusion plate, a minimum of 7 protein bands was observed, 3 of which contained acid phosphatase activity.

An in-vitro comparison of controlled release aminophylline tablets: Phyllocontin Continus and Pecram.

It has been suggested that two controlled release preparations containing aminophylline, Phyllocontin Continus and Pecram, are clinically equivalent and are therefore interchangeable. In this study, an in-vitro evaluation of the two preparations was completed using the British Pharmacopoeia dissolution apparatus, initially using water and then an acid/buffer medium to provide a similar pH environment to that within the gastrointestinal tract. Similar release profiles were found when water was used as the dissolution medium, with very little variation between tablets within each group. Good fits were obtained for dissolution-controlled release and diffusion-controlled release models. When the acid/buffer solution was used as the dissolution medium a reduction in the rate of release was observed with Phyllocontin. It was predicted that if this was repeated in-vivo then differences in the peak plasma levels between the two formulations would be seen, although these may be masked by the other variables encountered.

Assessment of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 concentrations in male and female multiple sclerosis patients and control volunteers.

Populations with insufficient ultraviolet exposure and who consume diets low in vitamin D have low vitamin D status (plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations) and a reported higher incidence of multiple sclerosis (MS). The active form of vitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3), is an effective anti-inflammatory molecule. No research to date has assessed 1,25(OH)2D3 concentrations in individuals with MS. In this study, plasma concentrations of 25(OH)D, 1,25(OH)2D3 and parathyroid hormone (PTH) were measured in 29 individuals with MS and 22 age- and sex-matched control volunteers. There were no significant differences in plasma PTH, 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D3 concentrations between individuals with MS and control volunteers. Women with MS had significantly higher 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D3 concentrations than men with MS (79.1+/-45.4 versus 50.2+/-15.3 nmol/L, P=0.019 and 103.8+/-36.8 versus 70.4+/-28.7 pmol/L, P=0.019, respectively). There was a significant positive correlation between 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D3 concentrations in all subjects (r=0.564, P=0.000), but secondary analysis revealed that the correlation was driven by women with MS (r=0.677, P=0.001). Significant sex differences in vitamin D metabolism were observed and were most marked in individuals with MS, suggesting that vitamin D requirements may differ between the sexes, as well as by underlying disease state.

The autoimmune response to male reproductive tissues of rabbits. IV. Induction of autosensitization to central accessory tissue by the intraabdominal release of endogenous secretions.

A study is described in which tissue- and secretion-specific autosensitization was induced in adult male rabbits through intraabdominal cannulation of one or more of their central accessory glands. Both primary and secondary humoral antibodies were elicited by this procedure, as determined by tanned cell hemagglutination and passive hemolysis, i.e., complement fixation. The secondary antibody responses were elicited by (i) cannulation of animals which had been previously stimulated by cryosurgery or combined cryosurgery and injection of pooled accessory tissue extract, and (ii) isoinjection of previously cannulated animals with accessory tissue extract. Primary antibody responses were less in animals castrated at the time of cannulation compared to those in noncastrated animals; but, paradoxically, subsequent challenges with tissue extract induced higher secondary antibody titers in castrated animals. These observations may be explained in castrates by (i) reduced uptake of antibodies--a result of the sparing effect on circulating antibodies in castrated animals because of accessory tissue atrophy, or (ii) increased production of antibodies through postcastration immune enhancement. In noncastrates secondary antibody depression may be related to (i) increased absorption of antibodies by an accessory gland complex which is much larger than that found in castrates, or (ii) tolerance, due to exposure of the antibody-producing system to excess accessory tissue antigen.

PIP: Tissue- and secretion-specific autosensitization was produced in adult male rabbits by intraabdominal cannulation of 1 or more of the accessory sex glands. Tanned cell hemagglutination and passive hemolysis confirmed the presence of both primary and secondary humoral antibodies. The secondary antibody responses resulted from cannulation of animals which had been stimulated by cryosurgery alone or in combination with injection of pooled accessory extract tissue, and isoinjection of cannulated rabbits with accessory tissue extract. The primary antibody response elicited in rabbits castrated at the time of cannulation was less than that in noncastrated animals. However, the introduction of tissue extract produced higher titers of secondary antibodies in castrates than in noncastrated animals. In castrated animals, this may be due to either a reduced uptake of antibodies caused by atrophy of the accessory glands, or an increased production of antibodies which enhances the immune effect. In the case of noncastrated rabbits, this result may be explained by an increased absorption of antibodies by the accessory sex glands, or tolerance resulting from exposure of the antibody-producing system to excess antigens in accessory gland tissue.

Tissue antigens in seminal secretions. I. Precipitin reactions of rabbit antiserum to human seminal plasma.

Precipitating antibodies prepared in rabbits with human seminal plasma (HSP) have been used in a preliminary study to define the antigenicity of HSP by use of gel precipitin methods. Also, a method for evaluating and preserving liquid precipitates of acid phosphatase in polyacrylamide is described. Some ten or eleven antigens were demonstrated by Ouchterlony agar immunodiffusion (ID). Eight of these appeared to be HSP-specific and two or three were also found in normal human serum (NHS). Five of the HSP-specific antigens were shown by agar immunoelectrophoresis (IEP) and by ID to be acid phosphatase. Four of these constituted the basic isoenzyme pattern and were shown by IEP and ID to be shared by prostatic fluid (HPF). Titration of HPF by ID yielded antigen titres of 46, 33, 17 and 3 for the four isoenzymes. IEP patterns obtained with HSP and HPF showed two isoenzymes migrating to the alpha-globulin zone. The third isoenzyme migrated to the alpha-2-fast beta area, while a fourth was seen as a slow beta precipitin arc formed consistently by HPF, and variably by HSP. HSP contained a fifth isoenzyme which also migrated to the slow beta area. Human prostate extract (HPE) showed only two, sometimes three, of these components, one of the slower components being frequently faint in appearance or absent. In HSP and HPF isoenzyme migrating to the alpha-2-fast beta zone exhibited two distinct characteristics: biphasic migration and limited diffusion, suggesting a heterogeneous high molecular weight isoenzyme or an isoenzyme complex. However, observed differences between HSP, HPF and HPE in migration rate, relative concentrations of subfractions, lateral diffusion, etc. leave open the question of the nature of the heterogeneity.