Rapid improvement in vitamin D status with dietary 25-hydroxycholecalciferol in vitamin D insufficient dogs

Factors influencing nutrition literacy in patients of colorectal cancer: a cross-sectional study

Background

Colorectal cancer (CRC) patients often experience varying degrees of malnutrition both pre-and post-treatment, highlighting the importance of their nutritional knowledge. However, studies on nutrition literacy (NL) in this population remain scarce. This study aims to evaluate the level of NL in colorectal cancer patients and identify key factors influencing NL.

Methods

A total of 245 colorectal cancer patients participated in this study. The questionnaire included five sections: sociodemographic information, the Chinese Version of the Nutrition Literacy Assessment Instrument (CHI-NLit), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Both univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to examine sociodemographic determinants of NL. We used Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients to assess relationships between NL, MoCA and HADS.

Results

The overall NL level among CRC patients was moderately low, with an average score of 19.224 ± 4.391-significantly below the normative neutrophil score of 21.5. Among the assessed dimensions, food groups received the lowest scores while food label calculation achieved the highest. Significant predictors influencing NL levels included age, years of education, family annual income, in review duration of illness, number of hospitalizations, memory and attention abilities and anxiety and depress symptoms.

Conclusion

This study provides a comprehensive examination of NL in CRC patients. The findings indicate a relatively low level of NL within this group. Younger age, higher income levels, and urban residency correlated positively with elevated NL. Factors such as illness duration, number of hospitalizations, cognitive function measured by relevant scales are also emerged as significant determinants impacting NL. To enrich the research on NL, it is essential to conduct further data collection. From a clinical perspective, this evidence-based framework enables the development of stratified nutritional intervention protocols, specifically targeting vulnerable subgroups (e.g., elderly patients, rural dwellers, and those with extended illness duration). Such precision approaches hold significant potential to optimize dietary adherence, mitigate treatment-related complications, and ultimately enhance long-term quality of life in cancer survivorship care.

Assessing the relationship between nutrition literacy and eating behaviors among nursing students: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Eating behavior is an essential aspect of life that can have long-term effects on health outcomes. Nutrition literacy is crucial for better health and well-being. It empowers individuals to make informed decisions about their nutrition and take control of their eating habits.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to assess the relationship between nutritional literacy and eating behavior among nursing students at the nursing faculties of Ardabil University of medical sciences.

METHODS

A cross-sectional correlational study was conducted in Ardabil province, northwest Iran. The study collected data through simple random sampling at nursing schools in Ardabil province, with 224 nursing students participating. The study collected data from a demographic information form, the nutritional literacy self-assessment questionnaire for students (NL-SF12), and the adult eating behavior questionnaire (AEBQ). The data were analyzed using SPSS version 14.0 software.

RESULTS

Based on the results, nutritional literacy explains 44% of the variance in eating behavior and shows significant explanatory power in two sub-scales of eating behavior. The adjusted R2 values for food approach and food avoidance scales were 0.33 and 0.27, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Given the significant relationship between nutritional literacy and eating behaviors among nursing students, nursing faculty managers and health policymakers should develop new public health strategies to increase nutritional literacy among nursing students.

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and C-reactive protein and plasma von Willebrand concentrations in 23 dogs with chronic hepatopathies

BACKGROUND

Serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)VD) and C-reactive protein (CRP) and von Willebrand's factor (vWF) concentration correlate with histopathologic disease grade and stage in chronic inflammatory and fibrotic hepatopathies (CH) in humans.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate serum 25(OH)VD and serum CRP concentrations and plasma vWF concentration and determine if they correlate with histopathologic and biochemical variables in dog with CH.

ANIMALS

Twenty-three client-owned dogs with a histopathologic diagnosis of CH were prospectively enrolled.

METHODS

Blood samples were collected before liver biopsy. Correlations between biomarkers and clinical pathological and histopathologic variables were evaluated using Pearson's or Spearman's test.

RESULTS

Serum 25(OH)VD concentration (median, 213 nmol/L; range, 42-527 nmol/L) was negatively correlated with serum aspartate aminotransferase activity (AST; rho = -0.59, P < .01), polymorphonuclear neutrophil count (PMN; r = -0.46, P < .05), and positively correlated with serum albumin concentration (r = 0.69, P < .001). Serum CRP concentration (median, 7.4 μg/L; range, 1-44.9 μg/L) was positively correlated with overall histopathologic necroinflammatory activity (r = 0.78, P < .001) and fibrosis score (rho = 0.49, P < .05). Plasma vWF concentration (median, 73.3%; range, 15-141%) was positively correlated with fibrosis score (r = 0.53, P < .05) and prothrombin time (rho = 0.67, P < .01), and negatively correlated with serum albumin concentration (r = -0.73, P < .001).

CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE

In dogs with CH, serum 25(OH)VD concentration was negatively correlated with disease activity, whereas serum CRP concentration and plasma vWF concentration were positively correlated with histopathologic grade and stage. Our results provide preliminary evidence that these biomarkers may be useful to assess grade and stage of CH in dogs in the absence of liver biopsy.

Dietary management of chronic enteropathy in dogs

Chronic idiopathic enteropathy is a clinical condition defined by the exclusion of infectious, metabolic or neoplastic causes of gastrointestinal signs and is categorised by a response to treatment including management with diet change, immunosuppressant medication or interventions that directly target the microbiome (e.g. antibiotics, faecal transplantation or probiotics). Animals that fail these therapies are categorised as non-responsive or refractory chronic idiopathic enteropathy. This specific categorisation implies that nutritional intervention is only needed for a subset of patients with enteropathy. However, often dogs with chronic idiopathic enteropathy are malnourished, have nutrient malabsorption or have gastrointestinal inflammation that occurs as a result of a breakdown in tolerance to luminal antigens including microorganism or dietary components. Thus, all dogs with chronic idiopathic enteropathy benefit from a nutritional assessment and targeted nutritional intervention. Among dogs presenting for chronic idiopathic enteropathy, the response rate to diet alone is roughly 50% in the referral population giving the impression that the overall response could be even higher especially when more than one nutritional intervention is attempted and strict adherence is maintained. The objectives of this review article are to outline the nutritional approach to a dog with chronic idiopathic enteropathy, including the nutritional assessment, and to highlight areas for nutritional intervention.

Investigation of the effects of dietary supplementation with 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and vitamin D3 on indicators of vitamin D status in healthy dogs

OBJECTIVE

To compare the effects of short-term dietary supplementation with vitamin D₃ and 25-hydroxyvitamin D₃ (25[OH]D₃) on indicators of vitamin D status in healthy dogs.

ANIMALS

13 purpose-bred adult dogs.

PROCEDURES

20 extruded commercial dog foods were assayed for 25(OH)D₃ content. Six dogs received a custom diet containing low vitamin D concentrations and consumed a treat with vitamin D₂ (0.33 μg/kg^0.75) plus 1 of 3 doses of 25(OH)D₃ (0, 0.23, or 0.46 μg/kg^0.75) once daily for 8 weeks followed by the alternate treatments in a crossover-design trial. In another crossover-design trial, 7 dogs received a custom diet supplemented with vitamin D₃ or 25(OH)D₃ (targeted content, 3,250 U/kg [equivalent to 81.3 μg/kg] and 16 μg/kg, respectively, as fed) for 10 weeks followed by the alternate treatment. In washout periods before each trial and between dietary treatments in the second trial, dogs received the trial diet without D-vitamer supplements. Dietary intake was monitored. Serum or plasma concentrations of vitamin D metabolites and biochemical variables were analyzed at predetermined times.

RESULTS

25(OH)D₃ concentrations were low or undetected in evaluated commercial diets. In the first trial, vitamin D₂ intake resulted in quantifiable circulating concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D₂ but not 24R,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₂. Circulating 25(OH)D₃ concentration appeared to increase linearly with 25(OH)D₃ dose. In the second trial, circulating 25(OH)D₃ concentration increased with both D vitamer-supplemented diets and did not differ significantly between treatments. No evidence of vitamin D excess was detected in either trial.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Potency of the dietary 25(OH)D₃ supplement estimated on the basis of targeted content was 5 times that of vitamin D₃ to increase indicators of vitamin D status in the study sample. No adverse effects attributed to treatment were observed in short-term feeding trials.