Publications by authors named "Francesca Olivieri"

Aims: Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) decreases hepatic lipogenesis in animal models, and FGF21 analogues decrease serum triglycerides (TG) in adults in phase-2 trials. On the other hand, serum FGF21 is associated with higher TG in observational studies of people with obesity, raising a sort of paradox. We tested the hypothesis that FGF21 is induced by TG in youth with obesity, as a compensatory mechanism.

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Background: The diagnosis of monogenic obesity is burdened by frequent variants of uncertain significance (VUS). We describe our real-life approach of variant reassessment over time and we assess whether inconclusive variants are decreasing in monogenic obesity.

Methods: We tested for monogenic obesity (genes: LEPR, POMC, ADCY3, PCSK1, CARTPT, SIM1, MRAP2, LEP, NTRK2, BDNF, KSR2, MAGEL2, SH2B1, MC4R, MC3R) in 101 children/adolescents (11.

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This Position Statement updates the different components of the therapy of obesity (lifestyle intervention, drugs, and surgery) in children and adolescents, previously reported in the consensus position statement on pediatric obesity of the Italian Society of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetology and the Italian Society of Pediatrics. Lifestyle intervention is the first step of treatment. In children older than 12 years, pharmacotherapy is the second step, and bariatric surgery is the third one, in selected cases.

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The oral microbiota can be influenced by multiple factors, but only a few studies have focused on the role of glycemic control in determining early alterations of oral microbiota and their association with pathogenesis of both periodontitis and caries. The aim of this study is to evaluate the interplay between bacteria composition, oral hygiene, and glycemic control in a cohort of children with T1D. A total of 89 T1D children were enrolled (62% males, mean age: 12.

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Introduction: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Insulin resistance is an important cardiovascular risk factor (CVRF), also in subjects with T1D, but the influence of the genetic predisposition of insulin resistance on cardiovascular risk is still unknown in T1D. We aimed to determine whether a genetic score composed of six variants, previously associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk, associates with insulin sensitivity and known CVRFs in children and adolescents with T1D.

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Hosts are continually selected to evolve new defenses against an ever-changing array of pathogens. To understand this process, we examined the genetic basis of resistance to the A virus in In a natural population, we identified a polymorphic transposable element (TE) insertion that was associated with an ∼19,000-fold reduction in viral titers, allowing flies to largely escape the harmful effects of infection by this virulent pathogen. The insertion occurs in the protein-coding sequence of the gene which encodes a Tudor domain protein.

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Increased intestinal permeability has an important role in metabolic dysregulation. In this cross-sectional study, we examined whether serum intestinal permeability marker zonulin and related pro-inflammatory molecules were associated with the oral disposition index, a predictor for the development of type 2 diabetes, in a cohort of children and adolescents with overweight and obesity. Ninety-two children and adolescents were recruited [Male: 43; 12.

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Background And Aims: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in individuals with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Cardiovascular risk is higher in women with diabetes than in men. With this study, we wanted to determine whether female children and adolescents with T1DM are more prone to cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) and an atherogenic diet than boys.

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Article Synopsis
  • In March 2020, the Italian Government enforced home confinement due to COVID-19, prompting a study on its impact on children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1D) and their caregivers.
  • The study involved 71 children (ages 7-13) and assessed their psychological well-being, anxiety levels, and medical data before and after the lockdown, revealing significant changes in their health and emotional states.
  • Findings indicated 32.9% of children experienced clinically relevant separation anxiety, linked to factors such as younger age, female gender, newer T1D diagnosis, poorer metabolic control, and increased fear of COVID-19.
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Background And Aims: Birth weight (BW) has been associated with the risk of obesity and metabolic derangements in children and adults. The aims of this study were: i. to evaluate the distribution of BW in a sample of overweight and obese children and adolescents compared with the general reference population; ii.

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Objective: To determine whether children and youths with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) have early alterations of the corneal subbasal nerve plexus detectable with in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) and to investigate the role of longitudinally measured major risk factors for diabetes complications associated with these alterations.

Methods: One hundred and fifty children and youths with T1D and 51 age-matched controls were enrolled and underwent IVCM. Corneal nerve fiber length (CNFL), corneal nerve fiber density (CNFD), corneal nerve branch density (CNBD), corneal fiber total branch density (CTBD), and corneal fiber fractal dimension (CNFrD) were measured.

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Objective: To test the hypothesis that lipid intake is associated with triglycerides to HDL-cholesterol ratio (TG/HDL-cholesterol), a predictor of the development of cardiovascular disease, in obese children and adolescents, independently from the level of overweight, insulin resistance, blood pressure, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Study Design: One hundred and eighty non-diabetic obese children/adolescents (age range 6-16 years) were enrolled. Diet (3-day weighed dietary record), physical and biochemical parameters and liver ultrasonography were measured.

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Aims: To test the hypotheses that exogenous carbohydrate oxidation affects postprandial glycaemic profiles and C/C breath test could be used for estimating insulin resistance (IR) and insulin sensitivity (IS) in youths with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D).

Methods: Non-randomized, cross-sectional study for repeated measures; fifteen youths (11-15 years) with T1D were enrolled. Respiratory exchanges were measured by indirect calorimetry after the ingestion of a mixed meal [13% protein, 29% fat, 58% carbohydrate (CHO; naturally enriched with [C]carbohydrates)].

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Aims: To determine whether early retinal neurodegenerative changes in pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) can be detected by spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and whether such changes are associated with risk factors for T1D complications.

Methods: A total of 147 T1D children/adolescents and 51 healthy controls underwent SD-OCT. Spherical refractive error (SRE), macular total retinal thickness (TRT), ganglion cell layer (GCL), retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), minimum rim width (MRW), and Bruch's membrane opening area (BMOA) were measured.

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Background: Diet plays a key role in the treatment of type 1 diabetes (T1D). Dietary habits changed rapidly in the last decades and few data are available on recent dietary changes in children and adolescents with T1D.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that diet composition changed in a 10-year period in children and adolescents with T1D.

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Objective: Vitamin D may potentially play a central role in glucose homeostasis and β-cell function (BCF), although studies are not consistent. Aim of our study was to test the hypotheses of a direct relationship between vitamin D, insulin sensitivity (IS) and BCF in overweight and obese non-diabetic children.

Design And Methods: Cross-sectional study carried out at the Childhood Obesity Outpatient Clinic, University Hospital of Verona.

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Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the commonest liver disease in children and adolescents in Western countries. Complex traits arise from the interplay between environmental and genetic factors in the pathogenesis of NAFLD.

Aims: We examined the association between NAFLD and eleven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at genetic loci potentially associated with liver damage (GCKR, MBOAT7, GPR120), oxidative stress (SOD2), lipid metabolism (PNPLA3, TM6SF2, LPIN1, ELOVL2, FADS2, MTTP) and fibrogenesis (KLF6) in a paediatric population.

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Objective: To assess whether combining glucose shape and 2-h glucose concentration during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) may help identifying normal glucose tolerant obese children/adolescents with an impaired glucose tolerant (IGT)-like metabolic profile in term of insulin sensitivity (Matsuda index) and β-cell function (disposition index: DI).

Subjects, Methods, And Main Outcome Measure: In total, 654 non-diabetic obese children/adolescents underwent a 2 h OGTT. The whole population was classified according to 2-hour plasma glucose ( < 100, 100-119, 120-139, 140-200 mg/dL) and glucose shape (monophasic or biphasic).

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Background: Kaposiform Hemangioendothelioma (KHE) is a rare vascular tumour of the infancy and the first decade of life. It is locally aggressive and potentially life threatening when associated with consumptive coagulopathy, known as Kasabach-Merritt syndrome (KMS). No consensus or guideline for the therapy has been reached because of the lack of prospective trials, and the different standard care suggestions are based on retrospective case series.

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In order to assess whether flavin-containing monooxygenase-3 (FMO3) might be involved in early cardiovascular risk, we assessed adiposity and traditional metabolic variables in children/adolescents grouped according to their genotypes in two FMO3 exonic polymorphisms, rs2266782 (E158K) and rs2266780 (E308G), which are in linkage disequilibrium and have been associated with decreased FMO3 activity. Among 776 children/adolescents (10.8 ± 2.

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Article Synopsis
  • * A 6-year-old boy with LPI was treated with growth hormone therapy but showed no significant improvement in growth or insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) levels over three years, suggesting complex underlying issues.
  • * The findings indicate that low amino acid levels, inadequate nutrition, and inflammation may hinder the effectiveness of growth hormone therapy, highlighting the need for further research to improve treatment strategies for these patients.
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Introduction: In humans, using adipose tissue to store fat represents the most effective means to 'store' energy. On the whole and over an extended period of time, intake of energy has exceeded energy expenditure and where previously the excess of energy was regularly turned over through physical activity, this crucial circle has now been broken. In this way obesity ascribed to either 'overeating' or 'under-activity'.

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It has been hypothesized that exhaled breath temperature (EBT) is related to the degree of airway inflammation/remodeling in asthma. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the level of airway response to exercise and EBT in a group of controlled or partly controlled asthmatic children. Fifty asthmatic children underwent measurements of EBT before and after a standardized exercise test.

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