The relationship between 25-hydroxyvitamin D and markers of intestinal and systemic inflammation in undernourished and non-undernourished children, 6-59 months.

Background: Elevated inflammation contributes to growth faltering in children. Vitamin D (vitD) suppresses pro-inflammatory and enhances anti-inflammatory molecule production, thus vitamin D deficiency (VDD) has been associated with heightened inflammation. In undernourished children, VDD and inflammation co-exist, however, little is known about their interaction.

Iron status, anemia, and birth outcomes among pregnant women in urban Bloemfontein, South Africa: the NuEMI study.

Background: Despite routine iron supplementation for pregnant women in South Africa, anaemia and iron deficiency (ID) in pregnancy remain a public health concern.

Objective: To determine the associations between iron status and birth outcomes of pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at a regional hospital in Bloemfontein.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study of 427 pregnant women, blood was taken to analyze biomarkers of anaemia (haemoglobin), iron status (ferritin and soluble transferrin receptor) and inflammation (C-reactive protein and α-1-acid glycoprotein).

Micronutrient supplementation practices in relation to the World Health Organisation 2013 guidelines on management of severe acute malnutrition.

In 2013, the World Health Organisation (WHO) updated the recommendations for micronutrient deficiency correction in hospitalised under-5 children with complicated severe acute malnutrition (SAM). This study aimed to describe the micronutrient deficiency correction practices in relation to WHO 2013 recommendations. Data from medical records of under-5 children admitted for SAM management at two hospitals in South Africa and three tertiary hospitals in Ghana were extracted.

High-dose oral vitamin D supplementation for prevention of infections in children aged 0 to 59 months: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Context: Vitamin D plays an important role in immune function, and the deficiency thereof has been associated with several infections, most notably respiratory tract infections. However, data from intervention studies investigating the effect of high-dose vitamin D supplementation on infections have been inconclusive.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of evidence regarding the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation above the standard dose (400 IU) in preventing infections in apparently healthy children < 5 years of age.

The association between serum vitamin D and body composition in South African HIV-infected women.

Background: HIV and antiretroviral therapy (ART) alter vitamin D metabolism, and may be associated with bone loss.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and body composition in postmenopausal South African women living with HIV and on ART.

Method: In this 2-year longitudinal study on 120 women conducted in the North West province of South Africa, serum 25(OH)D concentration, bone mineral density (BMD) at three sites, lean mass and percentage of body fat (%BF) were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).

Evaluation of the treatment guidelines, practices and outcomes of complicated severe acute malnutrition in children aged 0-59 months in sub-Saharan Africa: a study protocol for the SAMAC study.

Introduction: in hospitals across Africa, the case fatality rates of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) have remained consistently high (over 20%), despite the existence of the WHO treatment guideline. This has been attributed to inconsistencies in the implementation of the WHO treatment guidelines in sub-Saharan African countries. In spite of this awareness, the SAM treatment guidelines adopted by various sub-Saharan African countries and hospitals are unknown.

Determinants of undernutrition prevalence in children aged 0-59 months in sub-Saharan Africa between 2000 and 2015. A report from the World Bank database.

Objective: To determine undernutrition prevalence in 0-59-month-old children and its determinants during the period 2000-2015 in sub-Saharan Africa.

Design: Ecological study of time series prevalence of undernutrition in sub-Saharan Africa assessed from 2000 to 2015.

Setting: Underweight and stunting prevalence from the World Bank database (2000-2015) were analysed.

Nutritional status as a central determinant of child mortality in sub-Saharan Africa: A quantitative conceptual framework.

Child mortality is a major public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa and is influenced by nutritional status. A conceptual framework was proposed to explain factors related to undernutrition. Previously proposed conceptual frameworks for undernutrition do not consider child mortality and describe factors related to undernutrition from a qualitative viewpoint only.