Lipocalin-2 is an inflammatory biomarker associated with metabolic abnormalities in Egyptian obese children.

Background: The aim of the study was to explore the relationships of lipocalin-2 with metabolic risk factors in obese prepubertal children. Methods: The aim of the study is to examine relationship between serum lipocalin-2 concentrations and metabolic risk factors in 80 obese children and compared with 80 age and sex matched non-obese children controls. Anthropometric and biochemical parameters were measured by standard procedures. Insulin resistance was determined by Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR). Results: In the present cross –section study serum lipocalin-2, leptin, insulin, HOMA-IR blood pressure, triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein (LDL-c) and cholesterol were significantly higher in obese children than non-obese, whereas high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) was significantly lower. After adjustment of lipocalin-2 levels for BMI, age and gender, the correlation between serum lipocalin-2 with weight, waist circumference, body fat % and metabolic variables such as fasting insulin; glucose and HOMA-IR triglycerides, cholesterol, LDL-C and HDL-C remained significant. The stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that lipocalin-2 levels were independently associated with LDL-c, total cholesterol, triglycerides and HOMA-IR. Conclusions: lipocalin-2 was significantly elevated in prepubertal obese children and was independently associated with adiposity parameters and its related metabolic complications. The present findings suggest that the measurement of this biomarker may be useful for evaluating metabolic syndrome in Egyptian obese children.

Body composition in Egyptian Turner syndrome girls.

OBJECTIVE: This cross-sectional study was undertaken to construct the new body fat % curve and provide body composition reference data for adolescent girls with Turner syndrome (TS). They diagnosed cytogenetically by blood karyotyping and not treated with growth hormone (GH). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 70 TS girls from age 13 years to age 17 years. Body composition was measured by bioelectrical impedance. Smoothed centile charts were derived by using the least mean square (LMS) method. RESULTS: The new body fat curves reflect the increase of body fat mass (FM) from age 13 years to age 17 years. Body FM % of Egyptian TS girls was lower when compared with age-matched American untreated TS girls. CONCLUSION: This study presents the new body fat curves and reference values of body composition for untreated Egyptian TS adolescent girls. The present charts can be used for direct assessment of body FM % for Egyptian TS girls and evaluation for cases on GH treatment or other growth promoting therapy.

The relationship between overjet size and dentoalveolar compensation.

Background : The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of overjet size and the dento-alveolar compensation in subjects with normal class I molar relationship. Materials and Methods: Lateral cephalometric head records of 59 Egyptian children (34 boys and 25 girls) aged 7.5 to 10.5 years with mean age of 8.69±0.73. All had normal class I type of occlusion. The sample was classified into four quartiles according to the overjet size and the cephalometric analysis was based on seven linear and eight angular measurements using a dental tracer programme. Results: showed that, in spite of presence of high significant over jet size differences between the groups; there was no significant differences in all the studied parameters were found. Applying the least significant differences (LSD) test and coefficient correlations between the studied parameters clarifying that there was a significant differences in angular measurements (SN-AB, SN-Occl, I-I, I-ML, I-NB). Conclusion: during transitional dentition there was a sufficient dento-alveolar adaptation to growth changes in the saggittal jaw relation ship to attain normal class I type of occlusion. This compensation is pronounced in angular parameters and clustered in the lower arches particularly in incisal area.