Role of vitamin D in acquired immune and autoimmune diseases.

Vitamin D has been attributed roles in the pathogenesis and prevention of several diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, autism and autoimmune diseases. The concomitant expression of the 25-hydroxyvitamin D3-1α-hydroxylase and of the vitamin D3 receptor in animal and human tissues and organs other than bone supports this paradigm. Translated into the clinical field, meta-analyses and systematic reviews have also revealed an association between vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency and non-osseous diseases.

[Neonatal medicine, past and present].

This review deals with early neonatal medicine and its rapid development as a medical specialty, starting with the birth of neonatology in the early 19th century. Shaffer first used the term neonatology in 1963 to cover neonatal disorders and their treatment. Between the early 19th century and the 1950s, neonatal care was ensured by obstetricians, whose main goal was to reduce neonatal mortality.

[Infant nutrition].

Nutritional quality during the first weeks of life can influence health during both infancy and adulthood. Exclusive long-term breast feeding is strongly recommended, particularly for infants at risk of allergy. It protects against gastrointestinal and respiratory infections, and has been shown to enhance cognitive and intellectual development.

[Newborn and infant nutrition in France in 2007].

Newborns and infants are mainly fed with maternal and/or formula milk. In France, breast-feeding is abandoned about 8 weeks after delivery on average, even though it is well known that it is best for growth and sensory development. Several formulas are claimed to mimic maternal milk, but their large number is a source of confusion.

Enteral calcium, phosphate and vitamin D requirements and bone mineralization in preterm infants.

Unlabelled: With major advances in life-support measures, nutrition has become one of the most debated issues in the care of very low birth-weight (VLBW) infants. Current nutritional recommendations are based on healthy premature infants and designed to provide postnatal nutrient retention during the 'stable-growing' period equivalent to the intrauterine gain of a normal foetus. However, this reference is still a matter of discussion, especially in the field of the mineral requirements.

[Mortality and morbidity of low-birth-weight infants. Current prognosis and future perspectives].

In a retrospective epidemiologic study conducted from January 1996 to December 2002, 2555 low-birth-weight infants (less than 2500 g) were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of E Herriot Hospital in Lyon, France. Very low birth weight (795 infants) was defined as a birth weight below 1500 g. The total mortality rate among these latter infants was 8%.

Oral vitamin A, E and D supplementation of pre-term newborns either breast-fed or formula-fed: a 3-month longitudinal study.

Background: In contrast to the studies of vitamin A and E status in children, adolescents and adults, information on preterm infants is scarce. In the present investigation we examined the vitamin A, D and E status of pre-term infants at birth, and verified whether, at 1 and 3 months, breast or formula feeding affected the plasma concentration of those vitamins while being supplemented with Uvesterol ADEC.

Patients And Methods: In this prospective study, 2 groups of consecutively recruited preterm newborns fed either breast milk or formula received 3000 IU of vitamin A, 5 IU of vitamin E and 1000 IU of vitamin D daily.

Bone mineralization and growth are enhanced in preterm infants fed an isocaloric, nutrient-enriched preterm formula through term.

Background: Because recent data on the effects of mineral concentrations in preterm infant formula on bone mineralization are lacking, recommendations for the mineral content of preterm infant formula differ greatly between committees.

Objective: The goal of the study was to assess the effects of an isocaloric, nutrient-enriched preterm formula, which was fed from the age when full enteral feedings were tolerated through expected term, on bone mineralization in preterm infants.

Design: We conducted a prospective, randomized, double-blind study in healthy, preterm infants (gestational age of 28-32 wk) who were fed either a control preterm formula (n=20) or an isocaloric, nutrient-enriched preterm formula (n=21) until 3 mo of age (ie, approximate expected term).

Nitrogen utilization and bone mineralization in very low birth weight infants fed partially hydrolyzed preterm formula.

Partialy hydrolyzed formulas have been proposed for term and preterm infants, but decreased nitrogen and calcium intestinal absorption rates, together with plasma amino acid imbalances have been reported in preterm infants. We evaluated a new formula with modified nitrogen and calcium sources (glycerophosphate). During their second week of life, 16 preterm infants were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups: 9 were fed the new partially hydrolyzed formula and 7 a conventional formula.

Influence of dietary cholesterol on vitamin d metabolism in formula-fed preterm neonates.

Objectives: Supplementation of preterm formulas with cholesterol could help to mimic the fat composition of human milk. However, this could possibly influence vitamin D 25-hydroxylation because this reaction is catalyzed in part by the mitochondrial cytochrome P-450, the enzyme responsible for the 27-hydroxylation of cholesterol. The purpose of this study was to verify whether the addition of cholesterol to preterm formulas could interfere with vitamin D metabolism in preterm neonates.

Urinary excretion of cross-linked N-telopeptides of type 1 collagen to assess bone resorption in infants from birth to 1 year of age.

Objectives: To evaluate noninvasively bone resorption in infants and more specifically, to assess the accuracy of urinary collagen type 1 cross-linked N-telopeptide (NTX) excretion normalized to creatinine (NTX/Cr) in a spot urine sample as a reflection of daily NTX production in infants and to compute normative values for NTX excretion from birth to 1 year of age.

Methods: NTX/Cr values obtained from a single spot urine sample were compared with daily urinary NTX excretion and NTX/Cr obtained in 24-hour urine collected from 8 hospitalized infants. Normative values for NTX excretion were collated with a cross-sectional study in 70 healthy French infants (42 boys, 28 girls) aged 0 to 374 days (weight: 2700-11 340 g; length: 46-76.