Annotation #1
Buttigliero C, Berruti A. Prognostic role of vitamin D status and efficacy of vitamin D supplementation in cancer patients: a systematic review. Oncologist. 2011; 16(9): 1215-1227.
Summary
The scholars in this article were interested in determining the relevance of hypovitaminosis D and vitamin D supplementation for patients with cancer. According to scholars, there has been a controversy about the actual benefits of vitamin D to patients suffering from cancer. The scholars note that cancer is currently one of the leading causes of death in the world. What is more worrying is the fact that it is not yet clear what actually causes some types of cancer. Researchers all over the world have been working tirelessly to come up with measures that can be used to combat this problem. While others believe that some forms of vitamin D may help in fighting some form of cancer, others have contrary opinions. For instance, the sun is believed to be beneficial for the skin because it helps in the synthesis of vitamin D. however, the sun rays are widely believed to be one of the major causes of skin cancer. This contradiction makes it difficult to come up with conclusive information about the relevance of vitamin D in managing cancer. From their study, it was revealed that Hypovitaminosis D has a worse projection in some of the cancers. On the other hand, vitamin D supplementation did not demonstrate any benefit to patients suffering from prostate cancer. They concluded that there is insufficient evidence to support the use of vitamin D for cancer patients in a clinical practice.
Assessment
In this systematic review, the researchers took an appropriate sample source to gather the relevant information. Their research is convincing because they viewed articles written by both the opponents and proponents of vitamin D in the fight against cancer.
Reflection
The study demonstrates that although vitamin D is an important nutrient to the body, there is a need to conduct further researches in order to validate its relevance in fighting cancer.
Annotation #2
Ganesh A, Apel S, Metz L, Patten S. The case for vitamin D supplementation in multiple sclerosis. Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders. 2013; 2(4): 281-306.
Summary
Vitamin D is known to be very important in immunomodulation. Recent studies reveal that it correlates with the development of MS (Multiple Sclerosis). There is an opinion among the medical experts tat vitamin D may influence activities of disease among the MS patients. In this systematic review paper, the researchers were interested in gathering evidences to determine the actual role of vitamin D in influencing the activities of disease in MS patients in order to make a recommendation on the therapeutic supplementation of this nutrient for MS patients. According to these researchers, there is a long path that needs to be taken in order to come up with comprehensive information about the relationship of vitamin D and disease activity among MS patients. Although they agree that this line of medication has a highly promising future, there is a common belief that a lot more needs to be done in terms of further research in order to come up with a definitive conclusion. Currently, it is still unclear how the dosage of this supplement should be given. They believe that some of the controversies that existed earlier on the use of vitamin D for MS patients have been eliminated. The medical experts will need to come up with clear information about the right dosage for this supplement in order to eliminate the current controversies.
Assessment
The randomized clinical trials that were conducted by the researchers with placebo arms are convincing. The researchers remained objective in their entire study, making their findings appear credible.
Reflection
In the study, the researchers have given their opinion about the relevance of vitamin D in the treatment of MS patients. From their study, it is clear that a further investigative research is necessary.
Annotation #3
Cayir A, Turan M, Ozkan O, Cayir Y. Vitamin D levels in children diagnosed with acute otitis media. J Pak Med Assoc. 2014; 64(11):1274-7.
Summary
Acute otitis media is one of the most common diseases that affect children, especially those who are at the infancy stage of development. The disease is always accompanied by pain in the eardrum. Sometimes purulent material, also known as pus, may ooze out of the year. These researchers were interested in investigating the relationship between acute otitis media and vitamin D. Some doctors are already prescribing vitamin D for children below six years as a measure that can help fight this disease. It was important to investigate the relevance of this form of medication to the patients so as to eliminate any doubts. These researchers conducted an experiment at Ataturk University in their Pediatric Department. They were able to establish that there is a relationship between vitamin D and the ability of the body system to fight acute otitis media. Administering a serum of vitamin D was confirmed to have a positive impact on the ability of a child to fight otitis media infection. Although these scholars did not conclude that vitamin D can be used as a vaccine to this disease, they were able to confirm that regular intake of this vitamin reduces chances of infection to a great level.
Assessment
The randomized case-controlled scientific study conducted by the researchers made use of the mathematical methods. This quantitative research used SPSS to process the raw data and come up with a conclusion. This made the findings very convincing.
Reflection
From this study, it is clear that vitamin D supplement may help minimize or even eliminate chances of a child contracting acute otitis media. This clear finding eliminates the misinformation that existed before in this area of medication.