New Zealand children, particularly those of Māori and Pacific ethnicity, may be at risk for low vitamin D status because of low vitamin D intakes, the country's latitude (35-46 degrees S), and skin color. The aim of this study was to determine 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations and their determinants in a national sample of New Zealand children aged 5-14 y. The 2002 National Children's Nutrition Survey was designed to survey New Zealand children, including oversampling of Māori and Pacific children to allow ethnic-specific analyses. A 2-stage recruitment process occurred using a random selection of schools, and children within each school. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration [mean (99% CI) nmol/L] in Māori children (n = 456) was 43 (38,49), in Pacific (n = 646) 36 (31,42), and in New Zealand European and Others (NZEO) (n = 483) 53 (47,59). Among Māori, Pacific, and NZEO, the prevalence (%, 99% CI) of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency (<17.5 nmol/L) was 5 (2,12), 8 (5,14), and 3 (1,7), respectively. The prevalence of insufficiency (<37.5 nmol/L) was 41 (29,53), 59 (42,75), and 25 (15,35), respectively. Multiple regression analysis found that 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations were lower in winter than summer [adjusted mean difference (99% CI) nmol/L; 15 (8,22)], lower in girls than boys [5 (1,10)], and lower in obese children than in those of "normal" weight [6 (1,11)]. Relative to NZEO, 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations were lower in Māori [9 (3,15)] and Pacific children [16 (10,22)]. Ethnicity and season are major determinants of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D. There is a high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in New Zealand children, which may or may not contribute to increased risk of osteoporosis and other chronic disease. There is a pressing need for more convincing evidence concerning the health risks associated with the low vitamin D status in New Zealand children.

Regulatory T-cells (Tregs) play a critical role in maintain-

No abstract

The high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in New Zealanders, particularly in older women, may warrant strategies to improve vitamin D status.

Objective: To describe the vitamin D status of women living in two Asian cities, -Jakarta (61S) and , to examine the association between plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D and parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentrations, and to determine a threshold for plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D above which there is no further suppression of PTH. Also, to determine whether dietary calcium intake influences the relationship between PTH and 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Jakarta, Indonesia and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Participants: A convenience sample of 504 non-pregnant women 18-40 years. Main measures: Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D and PTH. Results: The mean 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration was 48 nmol/l. Less than 1% of women had a 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration indicative of vitamin D deficiency (o17.5 nmol/l); whereas, over 60% of women had a 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration indicative of insufficiency (o50 nmol/l). We estimate that 52 nmol/l was the threshold concentration for plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D above which no further suppression of PTH occurred. Below and above this concentration the slopes of the regression lines were À0.18 (different from 0; P ¼ 0.003) and À0.01 (P ¼ 0.775), respectively. The relation between vitamin D status and parathyroid hormone concentration did not differ between women with low, medium or high calcium intakes (P ¼ 0.611); however, even in the highest tertile of calcium intake, mean calcium intake was only 657 mg/d. Conclusion: On the basis of maximal suppression of PTH we estimate an optimal 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration of B 50 nmol/l. Many women had a 25-hydroxyvitamin D below this concentration and may benefit from improved vitamin D status.

Tanning but not natural skin color was an important determinant of 25OHD. Further study is needed in a population with a higher proportion of darker skin people.

Recently we demonstrated that zinc transporter 8 (ZnT8) is a major target of autoantibodies in human type 1 diabetes (T1D). Since the molecules recognized by T1D autoantibodies are typically also targets of autoreactive T cells, we reasoned that this would likely be the case for ZnT8. To test this hypothesis IFN-γ producing T cells specific for ZnT8 in the peripheral blood of 35 patients with T1D (< 6mo post-onset at blood draw) and 41 age-matched controls were assayed by ELISPOT using a library of 23 overlapping di-peptide pools covering the entire 369aa primary sequence. Consistent with our hypothesis, patients showed significantly higher T cell reactivity than the matched controls, manifest both in terms of the breadth of the overall response, and the magnitude of responses to individual pools. Thus, the median number of pools giving positive responses (stimulation index ≥ 3) in the control group was 1.0 (range 0 – 7) compared to 6.0 (range 1 – 20; p < 0.0001) for the patients. Similarly, the median SI of positive responses in controls was 3.1 versus 5.0 in the patients (p < 0.0001). Individually 7/23 pools showed significant disease-association (p < 0.001), with several of the component peptides binding the disease associated HLA-DR3 (0301) and -DR4 (0401) molecules in vitro. We conclude that ZnT8 is also a major target of disease-associated autoreactive T cells in human T1D, and suggest that reagents that target ZnT8-specific T cells may have therapeutic potential in preventing or arresting the progression of this disease.

We aimed to describe the vitamin D status of young women living in two Chinese cities in the spring -Beijing in the north (latitude 398 north) and Hong Kong (latitude 228 north) in the south. We also examined the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentrations to determine a threshold for serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D above which there is no further suppression of PTH. Finally, we examined whether dietary Ca intake influences this relationship. Non-pregnant women aged 18-40 years (n 441) were recruited between February and June. Over 60 % of women in a recent survey in Hong Kong (n 547) indicated that they did not like going in the sun 10 .Vitamin D insufficiency increases blood parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentration. Chronically elevated PTH (secondary hyperparathyroidism) accelerates bone turnover and is thought to be the key mechanism of cortical bone loss related to vitamin D insufficiency 11 . PTH concentrations