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Folic Acid Deficiency (folic + acid_deficiency)
Selected AbstractsExtremely high prevalence of neural tube defects in a 4-county area in Shanxi Province, ChinaBIRTH DEFECTS RESEARCH, Issue 4 2006Zhiwen Li Abstract BACKGROUND In the past, northern China's Shanxi Province has reported the highest incidence of neural tube defects (NTDs) in the world. However, little is known about the epidemiology of NTDs in this area in recent years. METHODS Data were collected from a population-based birth defects surveillance system in 4 counties that captures information on all live births, stillbirths of at least 20 weeks' gestation, and pregnancy terminations at any gestational age resulting from prenatal diagnosis of a birth defect. We also surveyed mothers of NTD case patients to determine their use of folic acid before and during early pregnancy. RESULTS During 2003, 160 NTD cases were identified among 11,534 births (NTD birth prevalence = 138.7/10,000 births). The rates of anencephaly, spina bifida and encephalocele were 65.9, 58.1, and 14.7 per 10,000, respectively, and a female predominance was observed among anencephaly cases (male-to-female relative risk [RR], 0.49; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.30,0.79), but not among spina bifida (RR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.55,1.45) and encephalocele (RR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.40,2.69) cases. The percentages of pregnancy termination following prenatal diagnosis of anencephaly, spina bifida, and encephalocele were 50%, 41.8%, and 35.3%, respectively. NTD birth prevalence tended to be higher among mothers aged <20 or ,30 years (P = .06) and was markedly associated with lower levels of maternal education (P < .001). Among 143 NTD mothers, only 6 (4.2%) used folic acid supplements during the periconceptional period. CONCLUSIONS The NTD birth prevalence rate in the study area is among the highest worldwide. Folic acid deficiency may be one important risk factor. Birth Defects Research (Part A), 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Serum iron, ferritin, folic acid, and vitamin B12 levels in recurrent aphthous stomatitisJOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY & VENEREOLOGY, Issue 1 2002S Piskin Abstract Background The exact aetiology of recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is still unknown, but different predisposing factors, including iron, vitamin B12 and folic acid deficiencies, have been proposed. Material and methods Serum iron, ferritin, folic acid and vitamin B12 levels were investigated in 35 patients with RAS and in 26 healthy controls. Results Vitamin B12 levels were found significantly lower in subjects with RAS than in controls. No significant differences were found in other parameters. Conclusion We concluded that vitamin B12 deficiency may be an aetiological factor in recurrent aphthous stomatitis. [source] Plasma folate status and dietary folate intake among Chinese women of childbearing ageMATERNAL & CHILD NUTRITION, Issue 2 2009Yaling Zhao Abstract Maternal folic acid deficiency is an underlying risk for neural tube defects (NTDs). China has one of the highest prevalences of NTDs, and the prevalence rates of NTDs vary by region. We characterized plasma folate level and dietary folate intake among Chinese women of childbearing age by region (North and South, East and West, urban and rural) to provide evidence for establishing policy to prevent NTDs. A total of 1003 women of childbearing age from five provinces in China were interviewed. Fasting blood samples were collected. Plasma folate concentrations were determined by a microbiological assay. Dietary intake data were collected using a 24-h recall. Both the plasma folate concentrations and dietary folate intake of women in the South (25.9 nmol L,1 and 211.0 µg day,1) were higher than those of women in the North (13.3 nmol L,1 and 189.2 µg day,1). In the North, plasma folate concentrations and dietary folate intake of women in rural areas were lower than those of women in urban areas, whereas, in the South, an opposite pattern was observed. No difference was found between women in the East and West, in either the North or South regions. Plasma folate and dietary folate intake among Chinese women of childbearing age were suboptimal and varied by region. Different folic acid supplementation approaches and dosage should be undertaken to improve folate status of women in different areas. Particular attention should be paid to women in the North, especially in northern rural areas. [source] G1793A polymorphisms in the methyl- enetetrahydrofolate gene: Effect of folic acid on homocysteine levelsMOLECULAR NUTRITION & FOOD RESEARCH (FORMERLY NAHRUNG/FOOD), Issue 8 2006Sandra Soares Melo Abstract Mutations or polymorphisms in the gene of the enzyme methylenetetrahydrofolate (MTHFR) are associated with hyperhomocysteinemia and possibly with an elevated risk for vascular diseases. A study was conducted on 83 individuals with type 2 diabetes in order to determine the allelic and genotypic frequencies of the G1793A mutation and to assess the effect of folic acid supplementation on plasma homocysteine concentrations. The patients were attended by the Diabetes and Hypertension Program , Balneario Camboriu/SC and received daily supplements containing 1 mg of folic acid for 3 months. DNA was previously extracted from leukocytes and the G1793A mutation was detected by PCR-RFLP. Blood samples were collected during the basal period and after supplementation for the determination of homocysteine by HPLC, and of folic acid and vitamin B12 by RIA. The allele frequency for the G1793A mutation was 3.01% and no homozygous individuals with mutant alleles were detected. Hyperhomocysteinemia was diagnosed in 27.71% of the patients, folic acid deficiency in 15.66%, and vitamin B12 deficiency in 7.23%. Plasma homocysteine concentrations were inversely correlated with folic acid (r = ,0.27, p = 0.01) and vitamin B12 (r = ,0.21; p = 0.05) concentrations. The individuals with a heterozygous genotype for the G1793A mutation showed borderlines or deficient values in folic acid and vitamin B12 concentrations compared to individuals with a normal genotype. Hyperhomocysteinemia and the vitamin deficiencies presented by type 2 diabetic individuals, included with a heterozygous genotype for the G1793A mutation in the MTHFR gene, reached normal values by daily folic acid supplementation. [source] | |||||||||||||