The relationship between serum lipid levels, high blood pressure and obesity in children

Objective: Oxidative stress in obese children may lead in adulthood serious conditions such as coronary heart diseases or type 2 diabetes mellitus. In childhood oxidative stress is associated with insulin resistance or extreme obesity. In this study, we aimed to evaluate oxidative stress status in moderately obese children without insulin resistance. Methods: A total of 38 obese children (21 male, 17 female) without insulin resistance, mean aged 9.4±3.8 years) and 51 normal weight children (25 male, 26 female) as the control group, mean aged 9.3±3.9 years) were enrolled to the study. Total oxidative status (TOS), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were measured and oxidative stress index (OSI) was calculated. Results: The results reveal that obese children had lower TAC than normal weight children (2,27±0,28 vs. 2.76±0.35 mmol Trolox Eq./L; p<0,001). There was no statistical difference between obese and control groups regarding TOS (6,08±3,63 vs 5.25±4.16 μmol H2O2 Eq./L; p=0.333). OSI was higher in obese group (2.65±1.52 vs 1.92±1.56; p=0.029) Conclusion: Balance between oxidant and antioxidant system is disrupted due to the reduced TAC even in moderately obese children without insulin resistance. Further studies should also be performed to evaluate the beneficial effects of dietary intake of antioxidants in these children

The relationship between serum lipid levels, high blood pressure and obesity in children

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine serum lipid, cholesterol and obesity levels in healthy children, and then to explore the relationships between these factors. Methods: The sample group consisted of 103 students at Gelik Elementary School in Zonguldak, Turkey who was willing to participate in the study, had not been medically diagnosed with a chronic ailment, and were not taking regular medications. Results: When the students' mean BMI (Body Mass Index )measurements were considered, it was found that mean BMI at 13 years of age (21.03 ± 0.23) was higher than at 14 years (20.05 ± 0.20) and that this difference was strongly significant (p=0.002). When the relationships between the students' height, weight, BMI, blood pressure, FBS (Fasting Blood Sugar), cholesterol, LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein), HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) measurements were considered, it was seen that there was a positive significant relationship between height-weight (r=0.472; p<0.001), height-blood pressure (r=0.432; p<0.001), and height-FBS (r=0.332; p=0.001). Conclusions: The conclusion drawn was that monitoring blood pressure, cholesterol, LDL and HDL levels in childhood medical examinations is not only important in terms of identifying obesity, but also in identifying nutritional mistakes and deficiencies at an early stage

USE OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS FOR WEIGHT LOSS IN OBESE PATIENTS IN ZONGULDAK, TURKEY

Background: Obesity is a prevalent and worldwide health problem . The most common weight loss method preferred by obese individuals is dietary supplements. This study was performed in order to determine the dietary supplements used by obese individuals for weight loss and to examine the barriers to informing health personnel on supplement use. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was performed in the Endocrinology and Diabetes Polyclinic at the Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases Department of the Health Application and Research Center of the Bulent Ecevit University. The sample consisted of 151 patients randomly selected from among the 755 people using the simple randomization method. Results: In the study, 33.6% of the obese individuals were found to use dietary supplements for weight loss. Women, people with no chronic diseases, people who exercised regularly, and people who underwent regular health check-ups were found to prefer dietary supplements at a greater rate (

The use of complementary and alternative therapies in childhood cancer: A questionnaire based on a descriptive survey from the western black sea region of Turkey

Background: The objective of this study was to determine what complementary and alternative therapies are used in cases of childhood cancer, the frequency of their use and the factors that affect the tendency to resort to these therapies. Materials and Methods: The study, of cross-sectional design, was conducted with the parents of 101 children diagnosed with cancer, using a questionnaire and the technique of face-to-face interviews. Mean scores, percentages, chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used in the statistical analysis. During the study, interviews were held with 42.6% of the children's mothers and with the fathers of 44.6%. Results: The mean age of the children was 8.66 +/- 4.52 years. A group of 33.7% of the parents was making use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for their children. Of the parents, 76.5% stated that CAM had been instrumental in reducing a tumor, 53.8% said that their child's general condition had improved and 15.4% expressed an increase in morale. Another 41.2% concealed their use of CAM from their doctors and nurses. The parents that were interviewed: the age of the mother, the age of the father and the family's economic status were determining factors in the parents' use of CAM. The prevalence of the use of CAM among parents with children with cancer is not negligible. Conclusion: It is the researchers' belief that health professionals must be informed about the use of CAM and its methods and that the patients should be evaluated with an impartial approach and given information about the use of CAM, together with conventional treatment.Background: The objective of this study was to determine what complementary and alternative therapies are used in cases of childhood cancer, the frequency of their use and the factors that affect the tendency to resort to these therapies.Materials and Methods: The study, of cross-sectional design, was conducted with the parents of 101 children diagnosed with cancer, using a questionnaire and the technique of face-to-face interviews. Mean scores, percentages, chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used in the statistical analysis. During the study, interviews were held with 42.6% of the children's mothers and with the fathers of 44.6%.Results: The mean age of the children was 8.66 +/- 4.52 years. A group of 33.7% of the parents was making use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for their children. Of the parents, 76.5% stated that CAM had been instrumental in reducing a tumor, 53.8% said that their child's general condition had improved and 15.4% expressed an increase in morale. Another 41.2% concealed their use of CAM from their doctors and nurses. The parents that were interviewed: the age of the mother, the age of the father and the family's economic status were determining factors in the parents' use of CAM. The prevalence of the use of CAM among parents with children with cancer is not negligible.Conclusion: It is the researchers' belief that health professionals must be informed about the use of CAM and its methods and that the patients should be evaluated with an impartial approach and given information about the use of CAM, together with conventional treatment

THE USE OF COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES IN CHILDHOOD CANCER: A QUESTIONNAIRE BASED ON A DESCRIPTIVE SURVEY FROM THE WESTERN BLACK SEA REGION OF TURKEY

The objective of this sBackground: The objective of this study was to determine what complementary and alternative therapies are used in cases of childhood cancer, the frequency of their use and the factors that affect the tendency to resort to these therapies. Materials and Methods: The study, of cross-sectional design, was conducted with the parents of 101 children diagnosed with cancer, using a questionnaire and the technique of face-to-face interviews. Mean scores, percentages, chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used in the statistical analysis. During the study, interviews were held with 42.6% of the children's mothers and with the fathers of 44.6%. Results: The mean age of the children was 8.66±4.52 years. A group of 33.7% of the parents was making use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for their children. Of the parents, 76.5% stated that CAM had been instrumental in reducing a tumor, 53.8% said that their child's general condition had improved and 15.4% expressed an increase in morale. Another 41.2% concealed their use of CAM from their doctors and nurses. The parents that were interviewed: the age of the mother, the age of the father and the family's economic status were determining factors in the parents' use of CAM. The prevalence of the use of CAM among parents with children with cancer is not negligible. Conclusion: It is the researchers' belief that health professionals must be informed about the use of CAM and its methods and that the patients should be evaluated with an impartial approach and given information about the use of CAM, together with conventional treatment.tudy was to determine what complementary and alternative therapies are used in cases of childhood cancer, the frequency of their use and the factors that affect the tendency to resort to these therapies. The study, of cross-sectional design, was conducted with the parents of 101 children diagnosed with cancer, using a questionnaire and the technique of face-to-face interviews. Mean scores, percentages, chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used in the statistical analysis. During the study, interviews were held with 42.6% of the children's mothers and with the fathers of 44.6%. The mean age of the children was 8.66±4.52 years. A group of 33.7% of the parents were making use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for their children. Of the parents, 76.5% stated that CAM had been instrumental in reducing a tumor, 53.8% said that their child's general condition had improved and 15.4% expressed an increase in morale. Another 41.2% concealed their use of CAM from their doctors and nurses. The parent that was interviewed, the age of the mother, the age of the father and the family's economic status were determining factors in the parents' use of CAM. The prevalence of the use of CAM among parents with children with cancer is not negligible. It is the researchers' belief that health professionals must be informed about the use of CAM and its methods and that patients should be evaluated with an impartial approach and given information about the use of CAM, together with conventional treatment

Mitochondrial carrier homolog 1 (Mtch1) antibodies in neuro-Behçet's disease

Cataloged from PDF version of article.Efforts for the identification of diagnostic autoantibodies for neuro-Behcet's disease (NBD) have failed. Screening of NBD patients' sera with protein macroarray identified mitochondrial carrier homolog 1 (Mtch1), an apoptosis-related protein, as a potential autoantigen. ELISA studies showed serum Mtch1 antibodies in 68 of 144 BD patients with or without neurological involvement and in 4 of 168 controls corresponding to a sensitivity of 47.2% and specificity of 97.6%. Mtch1 antibody positive NBD patients had more attacks, increased disability and lower serum nucleosome levels. Mtch1 antibody might be involved in pathogenic mechanisms of NBD rather than being a coincidental byproduct of autoinflammation. © 2013 Elsevier B.V

Knockout of 5-Lipoxygenase Results in Age-Dependent Anxiety-Like Behavior in Female Mice

The enzyme 5-lipoxygenase (5LO) has been implicated in a variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders including anxiety. Knockout of 5LO has previously been shown to alter anxiety-like behavior in mice at a young age but the effect of 5LO knockout on older animals has not been characterized.Here we used the elevated plus maze behavioral paradigm to measure anxiety-like behavior in female mice lacking 5LO (5LO-KO) at three different ages. Adolescent 5LO-KO animals did not significantly differ from wild-type (WT) animals in anxiety-like behavior. However, adult and older mice exhibited increased anxiety-like behavior compared to WT controls.These results indicate that 5LO plays a role in the development of the anxiety-like phenotype in an age-dependent manner in female mice. Future work should further investigate this interaction as 5LO may prove to be an important molecular target for the development of novel anxiolytic therapies

Diurnal rhythms in neural activation in the mesolimbic reward system: critical role of the medial prefrontal cortex

Previous evidence suggests a circadian modulation of drug‐seeking behavior and responsiveness to drugs of abuse. To identify potential mechanisms for rhythmicity in reward, a marker of neural activation (c F os) was examined across the day in the mesolimbic reward system. Rats were perfused at six times during the day [zeitgeber times ( ZT s): 2, 6, 10, 14, 18, and 22], and brains were analysed for c F os and tyrosine hydroxylase ( TH )‐immunoreactive ( IR ) cells. Rhythmic expression of c F os was observed in the nucleus accumbens ( NA c) core and shell, in the medial prefrontal cortex (m PFC ), and in TH ‐ IR and non‐ TH ‐ IR cells in the ventral tegmental area ( VTA ), with peak expression during the late night and nadirs during the late day. No significant rhythmicity was observed in the basolateral amgydala or the dentate gyrus. As the m PFC provides excitatory input to both the NA c and VTA , this region was hypothesised to be a key mediator of rhythmic neural activation in the mesolimbic system. Hence, the effects of excitotoxic m PFC lesions on diurnal rhythms in c F os immunoreactivity at previously observed peak ( ZT 18) and nadir ( ZT 10) times were examined in the NA c and VTA . m PFC lesions encompassing the prelimbic and infralimbic subregions attenuated peak c F os immunoreactivity in the NA c, eliminating the diurnal rhythm, but had no effect on VTA rhythms. These results suggest that rhythmic neural activation in the mesolimbic system may contribute to diurnal rhythms in reward‐related behaviors, and indicate that the m PFC plays a critical role in mediating rhythmic neural activation in the NA c. Previous evidence suggests a circadian modulation of drug‐seeking behavior and responsiveness to drugs of abuse. To identify potential mechanisms for rhythmicity in reward, a maker of neural activation (c F os) was examined across the day in the mesolimbic reward system.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/99016/1/ejn12224.pd