Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels Do Not Correlate With Asthma Severity In A Case-Controlled Study Of Children And Adolescents, Jennifer Menon, Louise Maranda, Benjamin U. Nwosu

Benjamin U. Nwosu

Background: There is no consensus on the association between vitamin D and asthma.

Objective: To determine the relationship between 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels and asthma symptom severity in children and adolescents.

Methods: A retrospective, case-control study of 263 subjects of ages 2–19 years with asthma who were compared to 284 non-asthmatic controls of similar ages. Subjects were excluded if they had diseases of calcium or vitamin D metabolism or were receiving calcium or vitamin D supplementation. Serum 25(OH)D was measured in all subjects. Asthma symptom severity, usually stratified into 6 steps, was stratified into five steps [1–5] based on the …

Is Vitamin D Deficiency A Feature Of Pediatric Celiac Disease?, Jeffrey Villanueva, Louise Maranda, Benjamin U. Nwosu

Benjamin U. Nwosu

Background: Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune enteropathy characterized by villus atrophy and malabsorption of essential nutrients. Vitamin D deficiency has been described in autoimmune diseases, but its status in prepubertal children with CD has not been adequately studied.

Objective: To determine the vitamin D status of prepubertal children with CD.

Study design: A retrospective study of prepubertal children aged 3–12 years with CD (n=24) who were compared to prepubertal, non-CD children of the same age (n=50). Children were included in the study if they had a diagnosis of CD by intestinal biopsy, and were not on a gluten-free diet …

Does Hepatic Dysfunction Worsen Glucose Homeostasis By Impairing Vitamin D Metabolism?, Benjamin U. Nwosu

Benjamin U. Nwosu

The Management of diabetes mellitus (DM) remains an enigma even though the symptoms of the disease had been described more than 3000 years ago. This is because the central therapeutic goal of DM therapy, euglycemia, is influenced by complex physiologic and pathologic processes, some of which are clearly understood, while others are less clear. Suboptimal glycemic control is a recognized risk factor for acute and chronic complications of diabetes including microvascular and macrovascular diseases. The central question for this editorial is whether mild hepatic dysfunction could impair vitamin D metabolism and secondarily lead to sub-optimal glycemic control.

Multifetal Pregnancy May Increase The Risk For Severe Maternal And Neonatal Vitamin D Deficiency, Benjamin U. Nwosu, Leslie A. Soyka, Amanda Angelescu, Olga T. Hardy, Mary M. Lee

Benjamin U. Nwosu

Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in pregnant women. This deficiency could be exaggerated in multifetal pregnancies by the increased demand on maternal stores of vitamin D. We present 2 cases in which hypocalcemia and secondary hyperparathyroidism occurred in 2 sets of twins from mothers with vitamin D deficiency. The first mother had gastric bypass surgery and Crohn disease. The second mother had no apparent cause of vitamin D deficiency. Both women had iron deficiency anemia and lived in Northeastern United States. We speculate that in twins, the demand for 25-hydroxyvitamin D by 2 fetuses could deplete the 25-hydroxyvitamin D stores …

A Potential Role For Adjunctive Vitamin D Therapy In The Management Of Weight Gain And Metabolic Side Effects Of Second-Generation Antipsychotics, Benjamin U. Nwosu, Bruce Meltzer, Louise Maranda, Carol A. Ciccarelli, Daniel Reynolds, Laura A. Curtis, Jean A. King, Jean A. Frazier, Mary M. Lee

Benjamin U. Nwosu

Second-generation antipsychotic (SGA) medications introduced about 20 years ago are increasingly used to treat psychiatric illnesses in children and adolescents. There has been a five-fold increase in the use of these medications in U.S. children and adolescents in the past decade. However, there has also been a parallel rise in the incidence of side effects associated with these medications, such as obesity, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and diabetes mellitus. Despite the severity of these complications and their financial impact on the national healthcare budget, there is neither a clear understanding of the mechanisms contributing to these side effects nor the best …

Pediatrics For Parents Podcast Show 107: Short Stature (Audio File), Benjamin U. Nwosu

Benjamin U. Nwosu

Interview (mp3 audio file, 13 MB, 29 minutes) by Benjamin Nwosu, MD with Rich Sagall, MD, editor and host of the "Pediatrics for Parents Podcast", October 24, 2010. Dr. Nwosu was interviewed about an article that he and Mary Lee, MD, wrote on the diagnosis and treatment of short and tall stature in children.

Pseudohypoparathyroidism In Children, Benjamin U. Nwosu

Benjamin U. Nwosu

Summary: Albright hereditary osteodystrophy (AHO) is a genetic syndrome characterized by a distinctive set of developmental and skeletal defects that may easily be misdiagnosed as exogenous obesity in children. There are very few publications detailing the comprehensive management of children and adolescents with this disorder. This chapter provides a comprehensive discussion of the various aspects of this disorder. At the end, the reader should be able to: (1) List the clinical features of Albright hereditary osteodystrophy, (2) Identify the genetic and molecular abnormalities of AHO, (3) List the clinical features of pseudohypoparathyroidism type 1a (PHP 1a), (4) Describe the management …

A Novel Activating Mutation In Transmembrane Helix 6 Of The Thyrotropin Receptor As Cause Of Hereditary Nonautoimmune Hyperthyroidism, Benjamin U. Nwosu, Loukas Gourgiotis, Marvin C. Gershengorn, Susanne Neumann

Benjamin U. Nwosu

Constitutively-activating germline mutations of the thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) gene are very rare and are considered the cause of hereditary nonautoimmune hyperthyroidism. We describe four affected individuals from a Caucasian family: a mother and her three children, and an unaffected father. The mother and her first two children presented in a similar manner: lifelong histories of heat intolerance, hyperactivity, fast heart rate, reduced energy, increased appetite, and scrawny build. They all developed goiter in childhood and showed a suppressed TSH and elevated thyroxine (T(4)). The last child, a 12-year-old female, presented with no clinical symptoms or palpable neck mass, but with …