Vitamin A deficiency may be common during HIV-1 infection, and vitamin A deficiency is associated with decreased circulating CD4 T cells and increased mortality. Vitamin A is an essential micronutrient for normal immune function, and vitamin A deficiency seems to be an important risk factor for disease progression during HIV-1 infection.

Exposure to maternal smoking in utero is prooxidant in newborn infants. Formula also has a prooxidant effect compared to colostrum in newborn infants not exposed to maternal smoking in utero. Further investigations will be necessary to explore the clinical consequences of these observations.

Our data suggest that supplementation with vitamin A in a small group of vitamin A-deficient preterm infants was associated with an antioxidant effect. Although no immediate clinical benefits were associated with supplementation, the data provide the rationale for future investigations of possible antioxidant effects of (larger amounts?) of vitamin A in higher risk premature infants born with subnormal serum retinol concentrations.

No abstract

The aim of this study was to determine if vitamin A supplementation reduces the incidence of bacterial infections among elderly nursing-home residents. One hundred and nine patients were enrolled into a double-masked, placebo-controlled trial at an academically affiliated nursing home. Fifty-six patients received a single capsule containing 1,000 IU of vitamin A (placebo) and 53 received a single capsule containing 200,000 IU of vitamin A. Antibiotic-treated infections were enumerated for 90 days after dosing and infection rates were expressed per 1000 days of follow-up. There were 42 antibiotic-treated infections altogether, 21 in each group. The infection rates in the vitamin A and placebo groups were 4.7 and 4.3 per 1,000 days of follow-up, respectively (relative risk 1.1; 95% CI 0.6, 2.0). The findings of this study do not support a role for vitamin A supplements for the prevention of infections among frail elderly nursing-home patients.