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Abstract Background Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is known to be a major public health problem among women of reproductive age in South East Asia and Africa. In Ethiopia, there are no studies conducted on serum vitamin A status of HIV-infected pregnant women. Therefore, the present study was aimed at determining the level of serum vitamin A and VAD among pregnant women with and without HIV infection in tropical settings of Northwest Ethiopia. Methods In this cross-sectional study, blood samples were collected from 423 pregnant women and from 55 healthy volunteers who visited the University of Gondar Hospital. Serum concentration of vitamin A was measured by high performance liquid chromatography. Results After controlling for total serum protein, albumin and demographic variables, the mean ± SD serum vitamin A in HIV seropositive pregnant women (0.96 ± 0.42 μmol/L) was significantly lower than that in pregnant women without HIV infection (1.10 ± 0.45 μmol/L, P < 0.05). Likewise, the level of serum vitamin A in HIV seropositive non-pregnant women (0.74 ± 0.39) was significantly lower than that in HIV negative non-pregnant women (1.18 ± 0.59 μmol/L, P < 0.004). VAD (serum retinol < 0.7 μmol/L) was observed in 18.4% and 17.7% of HIV infected and uninfected pregnant women, respectively. Forty six percent of non-pregnant women with HIV infection had VAD while only 28% controls were deficient for vitamin A (P = 0.002). Conclusion The present study shows that VAD is a major public health problem among pregnant women in the tropical settings of Northwest Ethiopia. Considering the possible implications of VAD during pregnancy, we recommend multivitamin (which has a lower level of vitamin A) supplementation in the care and management of pregnant women with or without HIV infection.

Background: Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is known to be a major public health problem among women of reproductive age in South East Asia and Africa. In Ethiopia, there are no studies conducted on serum vitamin A status of HIV-infected pregnant women. Therefore, the present study was aimed at determining the level of serum vitamin A and VAD among pregnant women with and without HIV infection in tropical settings of Northwest Ethiopia. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, blood samples were collected from 423 pregnant women and from 55 healthy volunteers who visited the University of Gondar Hospital. Serum concentration of vitamin A was measured by high performance liquid chromatography. Results: After controlling for total serum protein, albumin and demographic variables, the mean ± SD serum vitamin A in HIV seropositive pregnant women (0.96 ± 0.42 μmol/L) was significantly lower than that in pregnant women without HIV infection (1.10 ± 0.45 μmol/L, P < 0.05). Likewise, the level of serum vitamin A in HIV seropositive non-pregnant women (0.74 ± 0.39) was significantly lower than that in HIV negative non-pregnant women (1.18 ± 0.59 μmol/L, P < 0.004). VAD (serum retinol < 0.7 μmol/L) was observed in 18.4% and 17.7% of HIV infected and uninfected pregnant women, respectively. Forty six percent of non-pregnant women with HIV infection had VAD while only 28% controls were deficient for vitamin A (P = 0.002). Conclusion: The present study shows that VAD is a major public health problem among pregnant women in the tropical settings of Northwest Ethiopia. Considering the possible implications of VAD during pregnancy, we recommend multivitamin (which has a lower level of vitamin A) supplementation in the care and management of pregnant women with or without HIV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the effect of community-based nutrition education intervention on calcium intake and bone mass in Vietnamese postmenopausal women. Design: A controlled trial was conducted in two groups as intervention and control. The intervention group was given nutrition education during 18 months to improve calcium intake, while the control subjects had the usual diet. Calcium intake and bone mass were evaluated every 6 months. Bone mass was assessed by speed of sound (SOS) at calcaneus, referred to as quantitative ultrasound measurement. Anthropometric indices and serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) were determined at baseline and at the end of intervention. Setting: Two rural communes of Hai Duong province located in the Red River Delta in Vietnam. Subjects: A total of 140 women aged 55-65 years, who were more than 5 years postmenopausal and with low calcium intake (<400 mg/d), were recruited. After 18 months of intervention, 108 women completed the study. Results: Calcium intake in the intervention group had increased significantly (P<0∙01) while it had no significant changes in controls. SOS values were not changed significantly in the intervention subjects while it decreased significantly by 0∙5% in the controls (P<0∙01). The intervention led to a decrease in serum PTH by 12% (P<0∙01). In the controls, there was an increase in serum PTH by 32% (P<0∙001). Conclusion: Nutrition education intervention was effective in improving calcium intake and retarding bone loss in the studied subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate serum levels of vitamin A in patients with active tuberculosis (TB) at the time of diagnosis and after completion of an intensive phase of anti-TB chemotherapy in comparison with the levels in controls. In a prospective semilongitudinal study, sera were collected from 222 patients with TB at baseline and from 57 of them 2 months after initiation of the anti-TB treatment in Gondar, Ethiopia. Healthy controls (n = 92) and asymptomatic HIV-infected blood donors (n = 30) were also included. Serum vitamin A levels were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. At baseline, the mean serum vitamin A levels in the patients with TB with (n = 115) or without (n = 107) HIV coinfection and in the asymptomatic HIV-infected blood donors were significantly lower than those in the controls (P < .001). Vitamin A deficiency (serum retinol of < 0.70 μmol/L) was observed in 62.6% and 56.1% of the patients with and without HIV coinfection, respectively. Thirteen percent of the controls and 33.3% of the asymptomatic HIV-infected blood donors were deficient in vitamin A. The serum levels of vitamin A increased significantly after anti-TB chemotherapy both in patients with (n = 34) and without (n = 23) HIV coinfection (P < .05). The results demonstrate that vitamin A deficiency is a severe public health problem in Gondar, Ethiopia. In addition, the low vitamin A levels observed in the sera of the patients during diagnosis of TB returned to normal levels at the end of the intensive phase of anti-TB therapy without supplementation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]