CLINICAL UPDATES
from SpectraCell Laboratories, Inc.

Volume 2008, Issue 05 - May 2008

In This Issue….

• Vitamin D boosts mood in older adults
• Study advocates treating micronutrient deficiencies
• Mechanism for calcium and vitamin D’s benefits against cancer explained
• Chronic pain may stem from vitamin D deficiency
• Lipoprotein(a) is associated with hypertension
• Gastric bypass patients need nutritional follow-up
• L-Carnitine is effective in treating peripheral neuropathy

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CLINICAL UPDATE – Vitamin D boosts mood in older adults
Low levels of the vitamin and higher blood levels of parathyroid hormone were associated with higher rates of depression among 1282 residents aged between 65 and 95
(Archives of General Psychiatry, May 2008)
(Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, April 2008)
LINK to NEWS STORY
LINK to ABSTRACT Depression is associated with decreased 25-hydroxyvitamin D and increased parathyroid hormone levels in older adults
LINK to ABSTRACT Is there convincing biological or behavioral evidence linking vitamin D deficiency to brain dysfunction?

CLINICAL UPDATE – Study advocates treating micronutrient deficiencies
Micronutrient deficiencies should be integrated into large-scale health care treatments for malnourished children
(Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care, May 2008)
LINK to ABSTRACT Micronutrient needs of malnourished children.

CLINICAL UPDATE – Mechanism for calcium and vitamin D’s benefits against cancer explained
Epidemiological studies supporting vitamin D and calcium for protection against colorectal cancer may be biochemically and biologically plausible, suggests new research
(American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting, April 2008)
LINK to NEWS STORY
LINK to ABSTRACT Effect of vitamin D and calcium supplementation on markers of apoptosis in normal colon mucosa: Results from a randomized clinical trial
LINK to ABSTRACT Associations of calcium and vitamin D with E-cadherin and ß-catenin expression in normal-appearing rectal tissue; markers of adenomatous polyps II (MAP II) case-control study

CLINICAL UPDATE – Chronic pain may stem from Vitamin D deficiency
Pilot study asserts that unrecognized vitamin D deficiencies may be the source of impaired neuromuscular function
(Pain Medicine, March 2008)
LINK to ABSTRACT Prevalence and clinical correlates of vitamin D inadequacy among patients with chronic pain

CLINICAL UPDATE – Lipoprotein(a) is associated with hypertension
The atherogenic potential of lipoprotein(a) is independent of other cardiovascular risk factors
(Saudi Journal of Kidney Diseases and Transplantation, May 2008)
LINK to ABSTRACT Association of serum lipoprotein(a) with hypertension in diabetic patients
LINK to FULL PAPER

CLINICAL UPDATE –Gastric bypass patients need nutritional follow-up
Study shows 98% of patients have micronutrient deficiencies after roux-en-Y gastric bypass after 2 years
(American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, May 2008)
LINK to ABSTRACT Nutritional deficiencies after roux-en-Y gastric bypass for morbid obesity often cannot be prevented by standard multivitamin supplementation

CLINICAL UPDATE – L-Carnitine is effective in treating peripheral neuropathy
Study looks into the mechanism behind L-carnitine’s therapeutic effects on chemotherapy-induced neuropathy
(Experimental Neurology, March 2008)
(Pain, April 2008)
LINK to ABSTRACT Prevention of paclitaxel-evoked painful peripheral neuropathy by acetyl-L-carnitine: effects on axonal mitochondria, sensory nerve fiber terminal arbors, and cutaneous Langerhans cells
LINK to ABSTRACT Chemotherapy-evoked neuropathic pain: Abnormal spontaneous discharge in A-fiber and C-fiber primary afferent neurons and its suppression by acetyl-L-carnitine