vitamin-b-12 and Anorexia

Anorexia in children can cause malnutrition, low immunity, growth retardation, and various secondary infections, resulting in a huge burden on society. In East Asia, Chuna manual therapy has been widely used for the treatment of childhood anorexia. We aimed to comprehensively evaluate the effects of Chuna manual therapy for treating childhood anorexia.. Twelve databases were comprehensively searched from their inception to September 13, 2022. Only randomized controlled trials assessing Chuna manual therapy for the treatment of childhood anorexia were included. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. The quality of evidence for each main outcome was evaluated using the grading of recommendations assessment, development, and evaluation approach. A meta-analysis was performed, and the pooled data were presented as risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for dichotomous outcomes.. Twenty-five RCTs involving 2230 participants were included. The meta-analysis showed that Chuna manual therapy had a higher total effective rate (TER) based on anorexia symptoms than that of lysine inositol and vitamin B12 (RR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.28-1.84), multi-enzyme and multi-vitamin (RR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.11-1.33), and zinc calcium gluconate (RR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.06-1.39). There was no significant difference in total effective rate between Chuna manual therapy and zinc gluconate plus lysine. No adverse events associated with Chuna manual therapy were reported. Overall, the included studies had an unclear risk of bias, and the quality of evidence was generally moderate to low.. Current evidence showed that Chuna manual therapy may be effective and safe for improving anorexia symptoms, especially compared with lysine inositol and vitamin B12, multi-enzyme plus multi-vitamin, and zinc calcium gluconate. However, owing to the low methodological quality of the included studies, more rigorous, high-quality RCTs are required on this topic.

Topics: Anorexia; Calcium Gluconate; Child; Humans; Lysine; Musculoskeletal Manipulations; Vitamin B 12; Vitamins

Functional methionine synthase deficiency due to abnormal methylcobalamin metabolism causes megaloblastic anemia, moderate to severe developmental delay, lethargy, and anorexia in association with homocystinuria. Patients with this disorder of cobalamin metabolism can be classified into two separate groups, cblE or cblG, primarily on the basis of complementation analysis with cultured skin fibroblasts. We describe two unrelated boys, ages 3 and 5 years, with the cblG defect in methylcobalamin synthesis. Both children presented with severe developmental delay, lethargy, anorexia, and megaloblastic anemia. The diagnosis of homocystinuria was delayed in each case due to difficulties with detection of small amounts of homocystine in physiologic samples. The clinical course of cblG disease is favorably altered by treatment with intramuscular hydroxycobalamin. Megaloblastosis in the presence of adequate supplies of cobalamin and folate in the blood must alert the clinician to the possibility of functional methionine synthase deficiency and should prompt a careful search for associated biochemical hallmarks, including homocystinuria/emia.

Topics: 5-Methyltetrahydrofolate-Homocysteine S-Methyltransferase; Anemia, Macrocytic; Anemia, Megaloblastic; Anorexia; Child, Preschool; Developmental Disabilities; Female; Fibroblasts; Genetic Complementation Test; Homocystine; Homocystinuria; Humans; Male; Methionine; Skin; Vitamin B 12

The possible role of folate supplementation in reducing hyperhomocysteinemia in dialysis patients has been reported in several recent papers. However, scant data are available for peritoneal dialysis patients; besides, none of these studies investigated either the role of intraerythrocyte folate concentration or the presence of side effects caused by folate administration. Sixty-six peritoneal dialysis patients with hyperhomocysteinemia (>15 micromol/l) and normal folate status (as assessed by erythrocyte folate level >600 nmol/l) were randomly allocated to receive either oral folate (5 mg/day) or no vitamin supplementation. After 2 months of therapy, patients were requested to answer a questionnaire investigating the occurrence of symptoms possibly related to folate supplementation. Twenty-nine treated patients and 30 untreated controls completed the study. In the treated patients, serum and erythrocyte folate increased significantly (p < 0.0001) (respectively from 10.6 +/- 4.9 to 237 +/- 231 nmol/l and from 1,201 +/- 297 to 2,881 +/- 294 nmol/l) to levels at the uppermost limit of detection by laboratory methods. Serum vitamin B(12) levels did not change. Plasma homocysteine levels decreased from 54 +/- 32 to 23 +/- 14 micromol/l after folate supplementation and remained unchanged in the control group. After 4 months of folate therapy, homocysteine concentration was within the normal range in 5 patients (17%) and below 30 micromol/l in the other 21 (72%). Folate therapy resulted in a decrease in homocysteine of more than 50% in 45% of the patients and decrease of more than 20% in a further 38%. No significant symptoms were reported. Thus, serum and erythrocyte folate increase confirms that normal folate levels are inadequate in dialysis patients, even if serum and erythrocyte levels before folate supplementation cannot predict the effect on homocysteine plasma levels.

Topics: Anorexia; Depression; Down-Regulation; Erythrocytes; Female; Folic Acid; Homocysteine; Humans; Kidney Diseases; Male; Middle Aged; Peritoneal Dialysis; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders; Vitamin B 12

A high frequency of hypogonadism has been reported in male patients with advanced cancer. The current study was performed to evaluate the association between low testosterone levels, symptom burden, and survival in male patients with cancer.. Of 131 consecutive male patients with cancer, 119 (91%) had an endocrine evaluation of total (TT), free (FT), and bioavailable testosterone (BT); high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP); vitamin B12; thyroid-stimulating hormone; 25-hydroxy vitamin D; and cortisol levels when presenting with symptoms of fatigue and/or anorexia-cachexia. Symptoms were evaluated by the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale. The authors examined the correlation using the Spearman test and survival with the log-rank test and Cox regression analysis.. The median age of the patients was 64 years; the majority of patients were white (85 patients; 71%). The median TT level was 209 ng/dL (normal: ≥ 200 ng/dL), the median FT was 4.4 ng/dL (normal: ≥ 9 ng/dL), and the median BT was 22.0 ng/dL (normal: ≥ 61 ng/dL). Low TT, FT, and BT values were all associated with worse fatigue (P ≤ .04), poor Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (P ≤ .05), weight loss (P ≤ .01), and opioid use (P ≤ .005). Low TT and FT were associated with increased anxiety (P ≤ .04), a decreased feeling of well-being (P ≤ .04), and increased dyspnea (P ≤ .05), whereas low BT was only found to be associated with anorexia (P = .05). Decreased TT, FT, and BT values were all found to be significantly associated with elevated CRP and low albumin and hemoglobin. On multivariate analysis, decreased survival was associated with low TT (hazards ratio [HR], 1.66; P = .034), declining Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (HR, 1.55; P = .004), high CRP (HR, 3.28; P < .001), and decreased albumin (HR, 2.52; P < .001).. In male patients with cancer, low testosterone levels were associated with systemic inflammation, weight loss, increased symptom burden, and decreased survival. A high frequency of hypogonadism has been reported in male patients with advanced cancer. In the current study, an increased symptom burden, systemic inflammation, weight loss, opioid use, and poor survival were found to be associated with decreased testosterone levels in male patients with cancer. Cancer 2014;120:1586-1593. © 2014 American Cancer Society.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Analgesics, Opioid; Androgens; Anorexia; Biomarkers; C-Reactive Protein; Cachexia; Cost of Illness; Hemoglobins; Humans; Hydrocortisone; Hypogonadism; Inflammation; Kaplan-Meier Estimate; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasms; Quality of Life; Retrospective Studies; Serum Albumin; Testosterone; Texas; Thyrotropin; Vitamin B 12; Vitamin D; Weight Loss

Although cobalamin (cbl) C deficiency is the most common inherited disorder of vitamin B12 metabolism, the late-onset form of the disease can be difficult to recognize because it has a broad phenotypic spectrum. In this report, we describe an adolescent female exposed to unknown illicit substances and sexual abuse who presented with psychosis, anorexia, seizures, and ataxia. The patient's diagnosis was delayed until a metabolic workup was initiated, revealing hyperhomocysteinemia, low normal plasma methionine, and methylmalonic aciduria. Ultimately, cblC deficiency was confirmed when molecular testing showed compound heterozygosity for mutations (c.271dupA and c.482G>A) in the MMACHC gene. This diagnosis led to appropriate treatment with hydroxocobalamin, betaine, and folate, which resulted in improvement of her clinical symptoms and laboratory values. This patient demonstrates a previously unrecognized presentation of late-onset cblC deficiency. Although neuropsychiatric symptoms are common in late-onset disease, seizures and cerebellar involvement are not. Furthermore, anorexia has not been previously described in these patients. This case emphasizes that inborn errors of metabolism should be part of the differential diagnosis for a teenager presenting with altered mental status, especially when the diagnosis is challenging or neurologic symptoms are unexplained. Correct diagnosis of this condition is important because treatment is available and can result in clinical improvement.(1.)

Topics: Adolescent; Anorexia; Carrier Proteins; Child Abuse, Sexual; Comorbidity; Cooperative Behavior; Diagnosis, Differential; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe; Female; Genetic Carrier Screening; Humans; Illicit Drugs; Interdisciplinary Communication; Oxidoreductases; Psychotic Disorders; Substance-Related Disorders; Vitamin B 12; Vitamin B 12 Deficiency

Topics: Adolescent; Anorexia; Biopsy; Female; Food Preferences; Fruit; Humans; Hyperhomocysteinemia; Kidney Cortex Necrosis; Peritoneal Dialysis; Thrombosis; Treatment Outcome; Vegetables; Vitamin B 12; Vitamin B 12 Deficiency

Vitamin B(12) deficiency is a common but underrecognized problem in older adults. Historically, B(12) deficiency was diagnosed once a severe pernicious anemia developed. Scientific developments have led to a new understanding of a broader spectrum of B(12) deficiency and identification of a milder form of deficiency associated with food/vitamin B(12) malabsorption. Using an individual example, this article describes the functional impact of vitamin B(12) deficiency and highlights modern approaches to diagnosis and treatment.

Topics: Activities of Daily Living; Aged, 80 and over; Anorexia; Fatigue; Female; Geriatric Assessment; Geriatric Nursing; Humans; Nurse Practitioners; Nursing Assessment; Pain; Risk Factors; Vitamin B 12; Vitamin B 12 Deficiency

Many cobalt-deficient sheep develop liver lesions known as ovine "white liver" disease, but the etiology of these changes is controversial. It has been suggested that cofactors are required for development of liver damage in cobalt-deficient sheep. In this study, one group of lambs (n = 5) was fed a diet low in cobalt (4.5 micrograms/kg) while a group of control lambs (n = 4) received the same diet after it had been supplemented with cobalt (1000 micrograms/kg). All cobalt-depleted lambs had reduced growth rate, anorexia, lacrimation, and alopecia, and they eventually became emaciated (mean body weight at end of study: 83% of initial body weight). Plasma concentrations of bilirubin and serum activity of glutamate-oxaloacetate transferase were elevated in these animals, while plasma concentrations of vitamin B12 were reduced (less than 220 pmol/L from day 42). Fatty degeneration of the liver associated with reduced concentrations of vitamin B12 (14.5 pmol/g) was seen in these animals at necropsy at 196 days. Microscopic liver lesions included accumulation of lipid droplets and lipofuscin particles in hepatocytes, dissociation and necrosis of hepatocytes, and sparse infiltration by neutrophils, macrophages, and lymphocytes. Ultrastructural hepatocytic alterations included swelling, condensation and proliferation of mitochondria, hypertrophy of smooth endoplasmic reticulum, vesiculation and loss of arrays of rough endoplasmic reticulum, and accumulation of lipid droplets and lipofuscin granules in cytoplasm of hepatocytes. No liver lesions were seen in control lambs. The results of this study indicate that cofactors are not a prerequisite to development of hepatic damage in cobalt-deficient sheep. Reduced activities of the vitamin B12-dependent enzymes, methylmalonyl CoA mutase and methionine synthase, and lipid peroxidation are of likely pathogenetic importance in the development of the lesions.

Topics: 5-Methyltetrahydrofolate-Homocysteine S-Methyltransferase; Alopecia; Animals; Anorexia; Aspartate Aminotransferases; Bilirubin; Cobalt; Diet; Disease Models, Animal; Endoplasmic Reticulum, Smooth; gamma-Glutamyltransferase; Liver; Liver Diseases; Methylmalonyl-CoA Mutase; Microscopy, Electron; Sheep; Sheep Diseases; Vitamin B 12

The respective roles of reduced dietary intake and malabsorption in the pathogenesis of weight loss in persons with chronic tropical sprue have been evaluated . Dietary intake was found to be significantly (P less than 0.001) less in a group of 45 patients with tropical sprue, all of whom had anorexia due to deficiency of folate and/or vitamin B12, than in a group of 51 healthy Puerto Ricans. Weight loss was equally prominent in those patients with tropical sprue who had normal absorption of fat and protein as in those who had excessive fecal loss and reduced absorption of these nutrients. Treatment of five sprue patients with folic acid or vitamin B12 for 2 weeks resulted in improved appetite and increased in dietary intake with weight gain in the absence of significant improvement in intestinal absorption. Treatment with oral tetracycline for a similar period of time in five other patients was not associated with vitamin repletion, return of appetite or weight gain. These observations indicate that reduced dietary intake resulting from anorexia caused by vitamin deficiency is a significant, and sometimes the most important, factor in the pathogenesis of weight loss in persons with chronic tropical sprue.

Topics: Anorexia; Body Weight; Diet; Dietary Fats; Folic Acid; Humans; Intestinal Absorption; Lipid Metabolism; Nitrogen; Sprue, Tropical; Tetracycline; Vitamin B 12

Topics: Anorexia; Corrinoids; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Gastric Juice; Hematinics; Humans; Neurosurgery; Reserpine; Thiamine; Vitamin B 12

Topics: Anorexia; Anorexia Nervosa; Corrinoids; Gastric Juice; Hematinics; Humans; Intrinsic Factor; Reserpine; Thiamine; Vitamin B 12; Vitamins

Topics: Anorexia; Child; Corrinoids; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Hematinics; Humans; Infant; Magnesium; Molybdenum; Vitamin B 12; Yeasts