Vitamin D3 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in pork and their relationship to vitamin D status in pigs

The content of vitamin D in pork produced in conventional systems depends on the vitamin D concentration in the pig feed. Both vitamin D(3) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D(3) (25(OH)D(3)) are essential sources of dietary vitamin D; however, bioavailability assessed by serum 25(OH)D(3) concentration is reported to be different between the two sources. Furthermore, the relationship between serum 25(OH)D(3) level and the tissue content of vitamin D(3) and 25(OH)D(3) is unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of increasing the content of vitamin D in different pig tissues by increasing the levels of vitamin D(3) and 25(OH)D(3) in the pig feed for 49 d before slaughter. Concurrently, the 25(OH)D(3) level in serum was investigated as a biomarker to assess the content of vitamin D(3) and 25(OH)D(3) in pig tissues. Adipose tissue, white and red muscle, the liver and serum were sampled from pigs fed feed containing either vitamin D(3) or 25(OH)D(3) at 5, 20, 35 or 50 µg/kg feed for 7 weeks before slaughter. The tissue 25(OH)D(3) level was significantly higher in the pigs fed 25(OH)D(3) compared with those fed vitamin D(3), while the tissue vitamin D(3) level was higher in the pigs fed vitamin D(3) compared with those fed 25(OH)D(3). The content of 25(OH)D(3) in the different tissues fully correlated with the serum 25(OH)D(3) level, whereas the correlation between the tissue content of vitamin D(3) and serum 25(OH)D(3) was dependent on the source of the ingested vitamin D(3)

Vaccination against pandemic A/H1N1 2009 influenza in pregnancy and risk of fetal death: cohort study in Denmark

Objective To investigate whether an adjuvanted pandemic A/H1N1 2009 influenza vaccine in pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of fetal death

The intensity of physical activity influences bone mineral accrual in childhood:the childhood health, activity and motor performance school (the CHAMPS) study, Denmark

BACKGROUND: Studies indicate genetic and lifestyle factors can contribute to optimal bone development. In particular, the intensity level of physical activity may have an impact on bone health. This study aims to assess the relationship between physical activity at different intensities and Bone Mineral Content (BMC), Bone Mineral Density (BMD) and Bone Area (BA) accretion. METHODS: This longitudinal study is a part of The CHAMPS study-DK. Whole-body DXA scans were performed at baseline and after two years follows up. BMC, BMD, and BA were measured. The total body less head (TBLH) values were used. Physical activity (PA) was recorded by accelerometers (ActiGraph, model GT3X). Percentages of different PA intensity levels were calculated and log odds of two intensity levels of activity relative to the third level were calculated. Multilevel regression analyses were used to assess the relationship between the categories of physical activity and bone traits. RESULTS: Of 800 invited children, 742 (93%) accepted to participate. Of these, 682/742 (92%) participated at follow up. Complete datasets were obtained in 602/742 (81%) children. Mean (range) of age was 11.5 years (9.7-13.9). PA at different intensity levels was for boys and girls respectively, sedentary 62% and 64%, low 29% for both genders and moderate to high 9% and 7% of the total time. Mean (range) BMC, BMD, and BA was 1179 g (563–2326), 0.84 g/cm(2) (0.64-1.15) and 1393 cm(2) (851–2164), respectively. Valid accelerometer data were obtained for a mean of 6.1 days, 13 hours per day. CONCLUSIONS: There 7was a positive relationship between the log odds of moderate to high-level PA versus low level activity and BMC, BMD and BA. Children with an increased proportion of time in moderate to high-level activity as opposed to sedentary and low-level activity achieved positive effects on BMC, BMD and BA