Vitamins & Minerals

Background: A female neonate was born at 40 weeks and 5 days gestation via spontaneous vaginal delivery with no complications. At 6 hours of life she was noted to have respiratory distress and bloody emesis. Following a non-traumatic intubation on the first attempt, bright red blood was suctioned from the endotracheal tube and a pulmonary hemorrhage was diagnosed. Initial labs revealed a prolonged PTT and INR. The infant did not receive vitamin K prior to development of respiratory distress and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit due to parental refusal. Purpose: Vitamin K Deficiency bleeding in the neonatal period is a growing concern in the medical community as increasing numbers of parents are refusing vitamin K prophylaxis at birth. We herein report a complication of vitamin K deficiency that may be underreported in the literature. Case findings/Results: After initial decompensation including suspected gastrointestinal bleeding, respiratory distress requiring intubation, and pulmonary hemorrhage, the infant improved clinically, the PT corrected, and the hemorrhage subsided following vitamin K administration. Implications for practice: Pulmonary hemorrhage is not a commonly reported complication of early vitamin K deficiency bleeding, but health professionals should be aware of this as a potential complication of vitamin K prophylaxis refusal. Implications for research: More research is necessary to describe the incidence of pulmonary hemorrhage attributable to vitamin K Deficiency.

In this study, flowers of Persian musk rose (Rosa moschata Hermm.) were harvested on May 11, May 21, June 1 and September 10 to evaluate the effect of harvest date on total phenols, ascorbic acid (AA), carotenoids, and mineral elements in the petals. The highest Total phenol and vitamin C content were observed in June 1 (25.67 mg GAE/100 ml and 54.5 mg/100 ml). Mineral compositions of petals were shown significantly different in harvest times, e.g., P, K was highest in June 1, Mg in May 21, Ca, Fe and Mn in September harvest time. Carotenoid content was decreased from the first to the third harvest and varied between 0.1951 and 0.1373 mg g-1 but was not significantly different in harvest dates.

Medicinal plants are an important source of bioactive compounds which can be used for the treatment of various diseases. The aim of the present study was to explore the phytochemical content and biological evaluation of Carum copticum essential oil and crude extracts. Antimicrobial activity of Carum copticum against six gram negative bacteria, three gram positive bacteria and one fungal strain were estimated. Furthermore, metallic content (Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, Mg Zn, Cu and Ca), nutrient content and identification of the biologically active constituents were also evaluated. GC-MS characterization showed that p-cyme-3-ol (38.00%), o-cymene (37.44%), gamma-terpines (21.07%) and beta-pinene (1.42%) were present as major constituents. Antimicrobial activity of essentials oil was significant as compared with crude extract and exhibited maximum activity against B. atrophaeus (43 mm). The phytochemical screening confirmed the presence of terpenoids, steroids, flavonoids, alkaloids glycosides and reducing sugar. Metallic screening displayed the highest Ca (191.67 mg/l) concentration followed by Mg (52.275 mg/l), Fe (1.610 mg/l) and Mn (0.941 mg/l). The results obtained exposed that Carum copticum may be a significant source with interesting antimicrobial action and health protective potential.

Objective: There has been a huge increase in numbers of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) measurements in spite of uncertainty concerning the benefits of vitamin D supplementation, there is a sufficient serum 25OHD level and to interpret serum 25OHD measurements. Methods: 255 subjects who participated in a 5-years intervention study with vitamin D for the prevention of type 2 diabetes and who were allocated to placebo were included. Serum 25OHD levels were measured annually, and questionnaires on sunny vacations and vitamin D supplementation filled in. Results: The serum 25OHD levels were ~ 20 nmol/L higher in the summer than the winter months; those taking vitamin D supplements had ~ 5 nmol/L higher 25OHD levels than those not taking supplements; a recent sunny vacation increased the serum 25OHD levels 8-16 nmol/L; and there was a high degree of tracking of serum 25OHD with correlation coefficient (r) between baseline and the following annual measurements between 0.67 and 0.75. Conclusions: If considering a serum 25OHD level of 50 nmol/L as sufficient and that this level should be attained year-round, and taking season, vitamin D supplementation status and recent sunny vacation into account, a single measurement will in most situations be reliable and sufficient for making clinical decisions without need for numerous repeat measurements.