BACKGROUND Studies conducted in Guatemala, Mexico, and Venezuela have found high prevalences of low plasma cobalamin (vitamin B-12) concentrations in infants and children. It is not known whether these low cobalamin concentrations are accompanied by altered metabolic functions. OBJECTIVE We sought to assess the prevalence of cobalamin deficiency in Guatemalan children by using sensitive and s...

Vitamin B12 deficiency may be an independent risk factor for neural tube defects (NTD). We determined the prevalence of biochemical B12 deficiency (<125 pmol/l) among 10 622 Ontarian women aged 15-46 years who underwent concomitant testing of serum bhCG and B12 9 years after the implementation of Canadian folic acid flour fortification. The overall prevalence of biochemical B12 deficiency was 7...

OBJECTIVE Potential vitamin B(12) deficiency is a common clinical diagnostic problem, and many providers have a low threshold for initiating therapy. The goal of this study was to systematically evaluate current practice patterns regarding the laboratory evaluation of suspected vitamin B(12) deficiency. METHODS This retrospective study reviewed the electronic medical records of 192 patients i...

Bile from the toad, Bufo vulgaris formosus, was found to contain a number of minor bile acids along with two major bile acids, 3 alpha, 7 alpha, 12 alpha-trihydroxy-5 beta-cholest-22-ene-24-carboxylic acid and 3 alpha, 7 alpha, 12 alpha-trihydroxy-5 beta-cholest-23-en-26-oic acid. The following minor bile acids were identified by combined gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry: cholic acid...

Methylmalonic acid (MMA) concentrations are increased in cobalamin (vitamin B12) deficiency, but the relative diagnostic usefulness of determination of MMA in serum vs urine has not yet been assessed. We obtained urine collections and matched serum samples from 28 healthy volunteers and from 20 consecutive patients admitted for clinical and hematological evaluation because of low cobalamin conc...

BACKGROUND Detection of cobalamin deficiency is increasingly important, and methylmalonic acid (MMA) appears to be a useful marker. Information on interlaboratory variation and on methodological differences for MMA in serum and plasma is limited. METHODS Using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, 13 laboratories participated in a 2-day analysis of 8 serum and 11 EDTA-plasma specimens. Result...

The use of proton pump inhibitors in the elderly population may increase the risk of vitamin B12 deficiency, as gastric acid is needed for vitamin B12 absorption. It is unclear whether the same risk is present for non-elderly adults reporting chronic use of proton pump inhibitors. The aim of this study was to determine whether chronic use of proton pump inhibitors results in increased urinary m...

Live Lactobacillus paracasi 33 (LP33) may effectively improve the quality of life for patients with perennial allergic rhinitis. It has been demonstrated that heat-killed lactic acid bacteria (LAB) suppress specific immunoglobulin E synthesis and stimulate interleukin-12 production in animals. The aim of this study was, therefore, to evaluate the efficacy of heat-killed LP33 in the treatment of...

OBJECTIVES to examine the prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency and folate deficiency in later life in representative samples of the elderly population in the United Kingdom. DESIGN a population-based cross-sectional analysis of 3,511 people aged 65 years or older from three studies was used to estimate the age-specific prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency and of folate deficiency. Vitamin B12...

II ECOGNITION of the fully-developed megaloblast in deficiency of vitamm B12 or folic acid is not difficult. In the case of the “intermediate megaloblast” or “megaloblastoid” cell, however, identification of megaloblastic changes often becomes more difficult, and more subjective.1 The present study attempts to reduce this subjectivity by demonstrating a unique clockface chromatin pattern along ...