Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is a paracrine regulator of ovarian follicles. Vitamin D (Vit D) regulates AMH production in vitro, but its role as a regulator of ovarian AMH production is contentious. If Vit D influences ovarian AMH production, then an acute rise in Vit D level should lead to an acute rise in circulating AMH levels. This hypothesis was tested with a randomized double-blind design...

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a proven carcinogen, responsible for more than half of all human malignancies. It also compromises skin appearance and function. Since the UV action spectra for DNA damage, skin cancer and Vitamin D(3) (vit D) photosynthesis are identical and vit D is readily available from oral supplements, why has sun protection become controversial, now that some data suggest co...

BACKGROUND Low serum vitamin (vit) D levels are common even in sunny countries. We assessed the prevalence and relationship of low vit D with cardiovascular risk factors in Qatar. METHODS Data were collected retrospectively from January 2008 and November 2009. In patients who had low vi t D (< 30 ng/ml ) , demographic and clinical profiles were analyzed and compared in males and females. RE...

Neutrophil activity is prolonged in newborns, suggesting decreased exposure and/or responses to immunosuppressive modulators, such as 1,25-hydroxyvitamin D(3) (1,25-vit D(3)). We hypothesized that 1,25-vit D(3) suppresses neutrophil activation and that this response is impaired in newborns. Consistent with this, 1,25-vit D(3) decreased LPS-induced expression of macrophage inflammatory protein-1...

OBJECTIVES To assess zinc (Zn) and vitamin D (Vit. D) status in chronic Hepatitis C virus- (HCV) infected patients and their relationship to interleukin- (IL-) 17 and disease severity and then investigate whether Zn and Vit. D3 modulate IL-17 expression in chronic HCV patients. METHODS Seventy patients and fifty healthy subjects were investigated. Serum levels of Zn, Vit. D, and IL-17 were as...

BACKGROUND The ultrarush protocol is an attractive approach in the buildup phase of venom immunotherapy (VIT-UR). However, the degree of risk of VIT-UR in children remains unknown. The objective of this study was to compare the safety of VIT-UR in children and adults. METHODS We performed a study based on prospectively gathered medical records of children and adults with hymenoptera venom all...

BACKGROUND Patients with mastocytosis and wasp venom allergy (WA) may benefit from venom immunotherapy (VIT). However, fatal insect sting reactions have been described in mastocytosis patients despite previous immunotherapy. We investigated the safety and efficacy of (rush) VIT in patients with mastocytosis and WA. OBJECTIVE To investigate the safety and efficacy of (rush) VIT in patients wit...

Results We enrolled 45 children with a mean ((± standart deviation) age of 10.0 ± 3.4 years. VIT with wasp venom was initiated in 39 patients (87%) and with honeybee venom in 6 patients (13%). Seventeen patients (37.8%) had encountered lokal or systemic side effects during VIT. Side effects were present in 41 out of 1448 injections (2.8%). There was no significant difference at sBT levels of ch...

Despite promising reports of the use of omalizumab as add-on therapy in patients with systemic mastocytosis and recurrent anaphylaxis during specific venom immunotherapy (VIT), unpredicted adverse effects may lead to therapy failure. We present the case of a patient with systemic mastocytosis and Hymenoptera venom allergy who was administered omalizumab as add-on therapy to improve VIT tolerabi...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate i) the correlation between vitamin D (vit. D) serum concentrations and metabolic syndrome (MetS); ii) the efficacy of 6 months supplementation therapy with vit. D. METHOD 200 patients were enrolled. Blood analyses and anthropometric measurements were carried out. Patients with hypovitaminosis D received an oral supplement therapy. RESULTS 81% of the sample shows vit. ...