The Impact of Adiposity and Puberty on Thyroid Function in Children and Adolescents.

In the context of a worldwide increase in childhood obesity, euthyroid hyperthyrotropinemia has been consistently reported and raises questions about its etiology, its potential metabolic complications, and its management. In this study we analyze the thyroid function with respect to BMI, pubertal status, and sex in children with obesity and discuss our results on an integrative context with the existent data from the literature. In this case-control study, we compared 389 children and adolescents with obesity to 158 controls.

Elevated circulating levels of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 in obese children.

Background: Obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD) often co-exist, but the pathophysiologic mechanisms that link the two are not fully understood. Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) is involved in the modification of lipids within atheromatous plaques. Recently, circulating Lp-PLA2 was found to be predictive of thromboembolic episodes in adults, independently of a variety of other potential risk factors, including markers of inflammation, renal function, and hemodynamic stress.

The combined effect of MC4R and FTO risk alleles on childhood obesity in Greece.

Objective: Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) risk alleles of obesogenic genes, such as the fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO) and the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) gene, have been described in both paediatrics and adult populations. The aim of this study was to investigate the combined effect of FTO and MC4R risk alleles on the obese phenotype and metabolic profile of young children and adolescents of Greek origin.

Design: One hundred and fifty-three overweight and obese Greek children (mean age 11.

Association between polymorphisms in MTHFR and APOA5 and metabolic syndrome in the Greek population.

Impaired energy homeostasis and low-grade inflammation have been related to components of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) such as dyslipidemia, obesity, and insulin resistance. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the genes encoding for IL-6 (g.-634G>C; c.