CAM

Research shows taking vitamin D2 is a poor choice for athletes
Research conducted at Appalachian State University's Human Performance Lab at the N.C. Research Campus in Kannapolis showed that taking vitamin D2 supplements decreased levels of vitamin D3 in the body and resulted in higher muscle damage after intense weight lifting. MedicalXpress

Exogenous L-Arginine Attenuates the Effects of Angiotensin II on Renal Hemodynamics and the Pressure Natriuresis-Diuresis Relationship
These studies indicate that L-Arg blunts AngII-mediated vascular contraction by an endothelial- and NOS-dependent mechanism involving cellular uptake of L-Arg. Das S, Mattson DL. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 2014 Jan 28. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 24472006

Geranium extracts inhibit HIV-1
Extracts of the geranium plant Pelargonium sidoides inactivate human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and prevent the virus from invading human cells. In the current issue of "PLOS ONE”, scientists from the Helmholtz Zentrum München report that these extracts represent a potential new class of anti-HIV-1 agents for the treatment of AIDS. Helmholtz Zentrum München

Low Vitamin D Linked With Worse Lupus (CME/CE)
Those who were in the lowest quartile of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] had significantly higher scores on the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) compared with those in the highest quartile (7 versus 4.7, P<0.001), according to Apinya Lertratanakul, MD, of Northwestern University in Chicago, and colleagues.

In addition, patients in the highest quartile of 25(OH)D were less likely to have hypertension (adjusted OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.31-0.77) or hyperlipidemia (adjusted OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.28-0.87), the researchers reported online in Arthritis Care & Research.  MedPage Today