No abstract available.
Folic Acid Deficiency* ; Folic Acid* ; Polyneuropathies*

Objective: To analyze the folate status among women of childbearing age worldwide from 2000 to 2020, and explore the impact of socioeconomic factors on folate status, so as to provide support for the formulation of relevant supplementary policies in China in the future. Methods: The "folate" "folic acid" "deficiency" "status" "women" "childbearing" and "reproductive" were used as Chinese and English keywords to systematically search CNKI and PubMed database. Global Health Data Exchange database (GDHx), Biomarkers Reflecting Inflammation and Nutritional Determinants of Anemia datasets (BRINDA) and Ground Work publications were systematically searched with "micronutrients" and "nutrition" as keywords. The retrieval time was from January 1, 2000 to August 31, 2020, and the language was restricted to English and Chinese. After title, abstract and full-text screening, a total of 45 literatures were included. The folate status of women of childbearing age in the eligible literature was analyzed, and the income and folate status were tested by Kruskal Wallis H test and Nemenyi test. Results: The M (Q₁, Q₃) of serum folate deficiency rate and erythrocyte folate insufficiency rate in women of childbearing age were 15.0% (3.5%, 37.0%) and 49.0% (22.0%, 83.0%). There were great differences in serum folate status and serum folate deficiency rate among women of childbearing age in different income countries. The serum folate deficiency rate of women of childbearing age in low-income countries was significantly higher than that in middle and high-income countries. Conclusion: The folate status of women of childbearing age in most countries has not reached the ideal state from 2000 to 2020. More studies on folate supplementation programs should be carried out.
Anemia ; Erythrocytes ; Female ; Folic Acid ; Folic Acid Deficiency/epidemiology* ; Humans ; Nutritional Status

Subacute combined degeneration is the clinical syndrome associated with vitamin B12 deficiency and characterized by usually symmetrical weakness and progressively worsening of, and abnormal sensations of the legs, arms, trunk, or other area, mental abnormalities, and vision difficulties. Subacute combined degeneration primarily affects the spinal cord, but it also includes damage to the brain, the nerves of the eye, and the peripheral (body) nerves. In this study, we report two patients with subacute combined degeneration of the cord in association with folate deficiency. Subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord and optic atrophy occurred only in the patients with vitamin B12 deficiency. However, diet-induced folic acid deficiency and subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord which improved significantly after treatment with folic acid has been recorded.
Arm ; Brain ; Folic Acid Deficiency ; Folic Acid* ; Humans ; Leg ; Optic Atrophy ; Sensation ; Spinal Cord ; Subacute Combined Degeneration* ; Vitamin B 12 Deficiency

BACKGROUND: Neutrophil hypersegmentation (NH) in peripheral blood is known to be usually associated with deficiency of vitamin B12 or folate. Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is another suggested cause of NH based on a limited number of studies, but the mechanism is uncertain. There was no such study in Korea. METHODS: The study groups were 41 patients with IDA (four males, 37 females ; mean age, 43.63+/-15.71) and 39 hematologically normal patients (five males, 34 females ; mean age, 46.64+/-19.12). We counted the number of nuclear lobes for 100 neutrophils on Wright-stained peripheral blood smear. Two lobes were regarded as separate only if there was a clear filament or the isthmus between them contained no nuclear material. The neutrophils with uncertainty in nuclear lobe count were classified as 'folded'. RESULTS: NH was observed in 14.6% (6/41) of patients with IDA and 7.6% (3/39) of normal controls. Mean neutrophil lobe counts were 2.48+/-0.28 and 2.43+/-0.27, respectively. There was no statistical significance in these differences. CONCLUSION: We could not find significant relation between NH and IDA in Korean, which is different from studies performed in other countries. This result may suggest the possibility of racial differences in the mechanism connecting IDA and NH, if there is any.
Anemia, Iron-Deficiency* ; Female ; Folic Acid ; Humans ; Iron* ; Korea ; Male ; Neutrophils* ; Uncertainty ; Vitamin B 12

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the possible effects of folate on cervical carcinogenesis and the interaction of folate and human papillomaviruses 16 (HPV16).

METHODSA hospital-based case-control study was conducted. 111 hospitalized cases who were pathologically diagnosed of having cervical cancer and 111 controls identified with hysteromyoma that frequency-matched to cases on age, birth place and residential area. A 60-item food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) were administered to estimate the consumption of dietary folate. HPV16 DNA in exfoliated cervical cell and serum folate were detected by special PCR and radioimmunoassay respectively.

RESULTSHPV16 infection rate in cases (61.26%) was significantly higher than that in controls (28.83%), with adjusted OR of 4.95(95% CI:2.49-9.83).The levels of dietary folate in cases (5.00 microg/kcal +/- 0.41 microg/kcal) were significantly lower than that in controls (5.14 microg/kcal +/- 0.35 microg/kcal), but the adjusted OR showing no statistical significance. However, serum folate in cases (1.79 ng/ml +/- 1.42 ng/ml) was significantly lower than that in controls(2.59 ng/ml +/- 2.81 ng/ml),and there were significantly increasing trend in the risk of cervical cancer with reducing level of serum folate (chi-squared trend test of P = 0.000). Meanwhile, low-level of serum folate and HPV16-infection showed significant interaction in the development of cervical cancer, with likelihood ratio test of G = 5.56, P = 0.02.

CONCLUSIONResults indicated that low levels of folate might increase the risk of cervical cancer, and potential synergistic action might exist between low level of serum folate and HPV16 in the development of cervical cancer.

Case-Control Studies ; Diet ; Female ; Folic Acid ; blood ; Folic Acid Deficiency ; complications ; Human papillomavirus 16 ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Humans ; Papillomavirus Infections ; complications ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; blood ; etiology ; virology

OBJECTIVETo describe the distribution of plasma folate concentrations and prevalence of folate deficiency in adults aged 35 to 64 years in some areas and different seasons in China.

METHODSStudy subjects were sampled from the representative rural and urban areas in the south and north of China aged 35 to 64 years totaling 2 545, and their plasma folate concentrations were determined and analyzed.

RESULTSPlasma concentrations of folate in the southern population were significantly higher (16.9 nmol/L) than those in the north (8.3 nmol/L), and the prevalence of folate deficiency in the south (5.8%) was significantly lower than that in the north (37.1%). Plasma folate concentration varied with season either in the south or north. Plasma concentrations of folate were lower during the summer and the fall (15.0 nmol/L) than those during the winter and the spring (18.8 nmol/L) in the south, but without significant changes in the prevalence of folate deficiency in different seasons. However, the plasma folate concentrations were significantly higher during the summer and the fall (9.7 nmol/L) than those during the winter and the spring (7.1 nmol/L) in the north. And the prevalence of folate deficiency in the north was significantly higher in winter and spring (48.0%) than that in summer and fall (26.2%).

CONCLUSIONSThere existed significant difference in plasma folate concentrations in adults between varied geographic areas in China, which differed from their seasonal changes.

Adult ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Folic Acid ; blood ; Folic Acid Deficiency ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Rural Health ; statistics & numerical data ; Seasons ; Urban Health ; statistics & numerical data

Folic acid belongs to the group of water-soluble B vitamins and naturally exists in multiple forms in a wide variety of foods such as legumes, vegetables, liver, and milk (Iyer and Tomar, 2009; Lyon et al., 2020). It is involved in many biochemical reactions critical for cell division, such as purine and pyrimidine biosynthesis, DNA/RNA biosynthesis, and amino acid metabolism (Iyer and Tomar, 2009). Mammals cannot synthesize folic acid and thus they must acquire it from food. Although folic acid is ubiquitous in foods, folic acid deficiency still often occurs due to various causes such as unhealthy diet (Hildebrand et al., 2021; Iimura et al., 2022), disease-related malabsorption (Arcot and Shrestha, 2005), medication-related depletion (Arcot and Shrestha, 2005), or vitamin B12 deficiency (Fishman et al., 2000). Folic acid deficiency has been associated with several health problems, such as anemia (Carmel, 2005; Bailey and Caudill, 2012), cancer (Duthie, 1999), cardiovascular diseases (Wald et al., 2002), neural tube defects in newborns (van der Put et al., 2001), neuropsychiatric dysfunction (Shea et al., 2002), depression (Falade et al., 2021), inflammatory diseases (Suzuki and Kunisawa, 2015; Jones et al., 2019), and eye diseases (Sijilmassi, 2019). To prevent folic acid deficiency, its daily intake (400 μg/d) has been recommended for adults in the European Union, and its increased intake (600 μg/d) is advised for women before and during pregnancy (FAO/WHO, 2002; IOM, 2004). The New Zealand government mandated the fortification of non-organic wheat flour with folic acid in July 2021, and the UK government mandated the fortification of non-wholemeal wheat flour with folic acid in September 2021 (Haggarty, 2021).
Adult ; Animals ; Female ; Flour ; Folic Acid/metabolism* ; Folic Acid Deficiency/prevention & control* ; Food, Fortified ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Mammals/metabolism* ; Pregnancy ; Triticum/metabolism*

PURPOSE: We have preoperatively and postoperatively investigated the characteristics of anemia in patients with gastric cancer in order to provide optimal medical care for the patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Preoperative hemoglobin, serum iron, serum ferritin, serum vitamin B12, and serum folic acid were measured for 321 patients with gastric cancer. These were measured again for 287 patients 6 months postoperatively. RESULTS: Ninety-four patients (29.3%) had preoperative anemia. Preoperative hemoglobin, serum iron, and serum vitamin B12 levels were higher in the patients with early gastric cancer than in patients with advanced gastric cancer. Preoperative hemoglobin, serum iron, and serum ferritin levels were higher in male patients than in female patients. The patients who had preoperative anemia showed a high probability of having postoperative anemia (P<0.001), and the patients who had low serum ferritin levels preoperatively showed a high probability of having low serum ferritin levels and iron deficiency anemia postoperatively (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Preoperative ferritin deficiency should be improved by iron supplement, even though the patient may not be anemic at that time. Periodic postoperative measurements of the hemoglobin, serum iron, serum ferritin, serum vitamin B12, and serum folic acid levels are highly recommended because postgastrectomy anemia is not rare. Finally, if any low hemoglobin, serum iron, serum ferritin, serum vitamin B12, or serum folic acid levels are found, they should be treated in an appropriate way.
Anemia* ; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency ; Female ; Ferritins ; Folic Acid ; Gastrectomy ; Humans ; Iron ; Male ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Vitamin B 12

Adult ; Aged ; Alcohol Drinking ; epidemiology ; China ; epidemiology ; Cities ; epidemiology ; Female ; Folic Acid Deficiency ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Hyperhomocysteinemia ; epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Smoking ; epidemiology ; Vitamin B 12 Deficiency ; epidemiology

Myelin basic protein (MBP ), a major structural protein of the myelin, is thought to be important for the maintenance of myelin in the central nervous system (CNS ). We investigated the effect of maternal folic acid nutritional status on the folate level and the synthesis of MBP in the offspring. In order to test this hypothesis, female Sprague-Dawley rats were fed either folic acid sufficient (8 mg/kg diet )or deficient (0 mg/kg diet )diet from 2 wks prior to the mating throughout the entire pregnancy, lactation and weaning period. We examined plasma folate level by the radioimmunoassay and homo-cysteine level by HPLC, respectively. The MBP expression was measured by the western blot analysis. The maternal folic acid deficiency decreased plasma folate level with a concomitant increase in plasma homocysteine level in their offspring. The maternal folic acid deficiency decreased hepatic levels of SAM and SAM/SAH ratio with a concomitant increase in hepatic levels of SAH and the MBP expression of spinal cord in their offspring at 7 wks of age. These results suggest that maternal folic acid nutritional status affect plasma folate and homocysteine level in their offspring. Moreover, the maternal folic acid deficiency might inhibit the MBP expression of the spinal cord and disrupt many other vital CNS reac-tions in their offspring.
Blotting, Western ; Central Nervous System ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Diet ; Female ; Folic Acid Deficiency ; Folic Acid* ; Homocysteine ; Humans ; Lactation ; Myelin Basic Protein* ; Myelin Sheath* ; Nutritional Status* ; Plasma ; Pregnancy ; Radioimmunoassay ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spinal Cord ; Weaning