{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,19]],"date-time":"2026-05-19T14:13:44Z","timestamp":1779200024424,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,14]],"date-time":"2026-05-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1778716800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["CIMB"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Survivors of childhood leukemia are at increased risk of long-term skeletal complications, including reduced bone mineral density (BMD). Vitamin D deficiency and genetic variations in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene are important factors influencing bone health, yet their combined effects remain insufficiently studied, particularly in North African populations. This case-control study included 130 survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in remission (age range: 5\u201326 years) and 110 age- and sex-matched healthy controls recruited from Beni Messous Hospital. BMD was assessed at the lumbar spine and femoral neck using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and expressed as z-scores. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were measured, and VDR polymorphisms (FokI, ApaI, and BsmI) were analyzed using PCR-RFLP. Hypovitaminosis D was observed in 43.85% of patients at diagnosis and 23.07% after remission. Survivors had significantly lower BMD compared with controls at both the lumbar spine (z-score: \u22124.26 \u00b1 0.75 vs. 0 \u00b1 1, p &lt; 0.001) and femoral neck (\u22123.78 \u00b1 0.45 vs. 0 \u00b1 1, p &lt; 0.001). Reduced BMD for age was identified in 30% of patients. Variant genotypes TT (FokI), AA (BsmI), and CC (ApaI) were more frequent in patients and were associated with lower BMD (p &lt; 0.0001). These findings suggest that hypovitaminosis D and VDR polymorphisms may be associated with bone health in survivors of childhood leukemia. The coexistence of these factors may contribute to interindividual variability in BMD.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/cimb48050506","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,19]],"date-time":"2026-05-19T13:11:31Z","timestamp":1779196291000},"page":"506","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Association of Vitamin D Receptor Gene Polymorphisms and Hypovitaminosis D with Reduced Bone Mineral Density in Survivors of Childhood Leukemia: A Study in Algerian Patients"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"48","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4991-0120","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Wafa","family":"Khelaifia","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Cytokines and Nitric Oxide Synthases Team, Cellular and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Houari Boumediene University of Sciences and Technology, Algiers 16111, Algeria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ines","family":"Gouaref","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Bioenergetics and Intermediary Metabolism Team, Department of Biology and Organism Physiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Houari Boumediene University of Sciences and Technology, Algiers 16111, Algeria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Fatma Zohra","family":"Djaballah-Ider","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cytokines and Nitric Oxide Synthases Team, Cellular and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Houari Boumediene University of Sciences and Technology, Algiers 16111, Algeria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nabila","family":"Bouterfas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Department, Beni Messous University Hospital, Algiers 16206, Algeria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Chafia","family":"Touil-Boukoffa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cytokines and Nitric Oxide Synthases Team, Cellular and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Houari Boumediene University of Sciences and Technology, Algiers 16111, Algeria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Assia","family":"Galleze","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cytokines and Nitric Oxide Synthases Team, Cellular and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Houari Boumediene University of Sciences and Technology, Algiers 16111, Algeria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"1234","article-title":"Acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children: Current perspectives","volume":"12","author":"Malard","year":"2020","journal-title":"Cancers"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Pasha, F., Urban\u010di\u010d, D., Maxhuni, R., Krasniqi, S., Uka, V.G., and Mlinari\u010d-Ra\u0161\u010dan, I. 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