Introduction: In Côte d'Ivoire, there is an imbalance between the dietary intake and the nutritional requirements of school-aged children. The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of food diversification, namely sweet potato, soya and cowpea, on vitamin A, D and E profiles among school-aged children in Côte d'Ivoire. Methodology: This study was conducted over eight months (from October 2017 to May 2018). It included 240 school-aged children (6 - 12 years old) who were divided into four groups of 60 pupils. These children consumed food at school canteens in 12 localities of the Nawa region. Four types of meals were proposed: rice with fish (Group 1 control), sweet potato porridge accompanied by green soybean (Group 2), sweet potato porridge accompanied by white cowpea (Group 3), and sweet potato porridge accompanied by cowpea with soya balls (Group 4). Three blood samples were collected: Phase 0 (prior to the consumption of the meals), Phase 1 (sampling taken three months later) and Phase 2 (sampling taken six months later). Blood assay for vitamins A, D and E was performed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results: Before the children consumed food at the canteen (phase 0), a sufficient amount of vitamins A, D and E was observed, except for group 4 where a deficiency of vitamin D (<30 ng/mL) was noted. The levels of vitamins A and D decreased in groups 1, 2 and 3 from phase 0 to phase 2. However, they increased in children of group 4 from 0.5 to 0.8 mg/L and from 22 to 28 ng/mL respectively. The vitamin E level increased in all groups from phase 0 to phase 2. The improvement in vitamin E status was more remarkable in the children of group 2 and group 4 with levels varying from 8.5 to 11.8 mg/L and 8.3 to 10.6 mg/L respectively. Conclusion: Improvements in vitamin A, D, and E status were more pronounced in children who ate sweet potato, soybean, and cowpea meal compared to their mean concentration at the beginning of the study. The sweet potato, soybean, and cowpea-based meal could be chosen as a means of food diversification in school canteens in order to improve the vitamin status of school-aged children.

The present study investigated the preventive effect of Trema guineensis on serum concentrations of vitamins A, D and E during hepatotoxicity in rat. The leaves of Trema guineensis collected from Abobo in the district of Abidjan were used for the preparation of the aqueous extract by decoction and ethanolic extract by maceration. Then, healthy adult Wistar albino rats were used for the experimentation. The animals were pretreated with the extracts at the doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg of body weight by oral route one hour before CCl4 intraperitoneal injection for seven days. The administration of CCl4 resulted in a significant decrease of vitamins A, D and E rates in the serum while the pretreatment by the extracts increased the concentrations of these vitamins. The extracts of Trema guineensis would prevent vitamins A, D and E deficiency in serum due to hepatic injury.

Objective: The treatment management of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a major global public health problem. The development of this form of tuberculosis increases immune deficiency and the production of free radicals in the body. Micronutrients, especially fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and E, play an essential role in the immune system by protecting and renewing cells. The objective of this study is to determine the profiles of vitamins A, D, and E in order to evaluate the performance of the immune defenses of MDR-TB under second-line anti-TB treatment.Methods: The analysis of vitamins A, D and E was carried out using an HPLC chain, in isocratic mode by UV-Visible detection after prior extraction of the lipid fraction from the serum in the hexane protected away from light.Results: MDR-TB showed a significant decrease in the concentration of vitamins A, D, and E (p˂0.05) with high reduction levels of 80%, 40% and 50%, respectively. Conclusion:The persistence of this deficit after six months of TB treatment highlights the need for corrective measures to be taken, such as the supplementation of vitamins A, D, and E.

The objective of this work was to study the impact of food diversification based on sweet potato, soybean, and cowpea on the prognostic inflammatory and nutritional index (PINI) in school-aged children in the Nawa region. This study took place from October 2017 to May 2018 among 240 pupils aged 6 to 12, divided into four groups of 60. Four types of meals were proposed: rice with tomato soup and fish (group 1), sweet potato porridge enriched with green soybeans (group 2), sweet potato porridge enriched with white cowpea (group 3), or sweet potato porridge accompanied by white cowpea with green soybeans (group 4). There were three blood samples: before eating meals (phase 0), the end of the first trimester (phase 1), and the end of the second trimester (phase 2). Blood assay for C-reactive protein (CRP), orosomucoid, albumin, and prealbumin was performed using COBAS c311 analyzer. PINI was calculated. Groups 3 and 4 showed a slight increase in albumin values (42.24 ± 0.95 g/L and 41.51 ± 1.71 g/L, respectively) compared to group 1. CRP decreased from phase 1 for group 1 (2.06 ± 0.26 mg/L) and group 4 (2.38 ± 0.36 mg/L). Orosomucoid increased insignificantly (p > 0.05) in group 3 (0.74 ± 0.04 g/L) and group 4 (0.71 ± 0.04 g/L). PINI was reduced by 0.37 (group 1), 0.36 (group 2), 0.46 (group 3) and 0.44 (group 4). Food diversification based on sweet potato and white cowpea has a positive impact on PINI in more than 80% of pupils.