Birth weight and its relationship with endothelial function and pattern of endothelium-derived microparticles during childhood: New insight about early vascular damage.

AIMS: To investigate whether a specific endothelium-derived microparticles (EMPs) phenotype could be associated with birth weight and microvascular endothelial function in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 95 children aged 6-14 years were recruited. Anthropometric measurements, blood pressure measurement, microvascular endothelial function testing, and biochemical profile analyses were performed. Standardized flow cytometry methods were used to identify and quantify the circulating CD144+, CD31+/annexin V+, and CD62E+ EMPs. KEY FINDINGS: The circulating number of CD31+/annexin V+ EMPs and CD144+ EMP levels were correlated with birth weight, systolic blood pressure, microvascular endothelial function, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level. In the multivariable logistic regression models, we identified strong evidence of a higher risk of microvascular endothelial dysfunction among children with low birth weight (LBW) and increased levels of both CD31+/annexin V+ EMPs and LDL-C; LBW and elevated LDL-C levels were independent predictors of high circulating numbers of CD31+/annexin V+ and CD144+ > 75th percentile EMPs. SIGNIFICANCE: Our data provide evidence that children with LBW values showed greater numbers of circulating CD31+/annexin V+ and CD144+ EMPs. In addition, LBW and high levels of CD31+/annexin V+ and LDL-C were significant risk factors for the presence of microvascular endothelial dysfunction.

High circulating levels of CD62E+ and CD31+/Annexin V+ endothelium-derived microparticles in children with overweight/obesity: Evidence of early vascular damage.

BACKGROUND: Obesity perturbs endothelium integrity, leading to endothelial activation, which predisposes the release of endothelium-derived microparticles (EMP). We measured the CD31+/annexin V+ and CD62E+ EMP levels to improve our understanding of their contribution to endothelial damage in children with overweight/obesity. SUBJECT AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 107 children with normal weight and 35 children with overweight/obesity were evaluated. Anthropometric measurement, blood pressure, biochemical profile was performed. Standardized flow cytometry methods were used to identify and quantify circulating CD31+/annexin V+ and CD62E+ EMP. RESULTS: Children with overweight/obesity had significantly higher circulating levels of CD31+/annexin V+ (750 [600]) and CD62E+ (1400 [700]) EMP than those with normal weight (P < 0.001 for both). We found that EMP levels were positively correlated with body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, blood pressure, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc), and triglycerides. The multivariable logistic regression model revealed that the risks of having high EMP levels (> 75th percentile) were high in children with both large waist circumference and elevated LDLc level. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves demonstrated that the LDLc levels showed significantly greater discrimination than waist circumference for both CD31+/annexin V+ (P = 0.031) as CD62E+ EMPs (P = 0.041). CONCLUSIONS: Children with overweight/obesity have high circulating CD31+/annexin V+ and CD62E+ EMP levels, which may be an early sign of endothelial apoptosis and inflammatory activation in response to injury. These EMP levels were positively associated with several cardiometabolic risk factors. Our data underscore the negative influence of high-risk metabolic profiles on endothelial integrity in the early stages of childhood obesity.

Low birth weight and its relation to physical fitness parameters in children: Its negative effect on muscle strength and cardiorespiratory endurance.

BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence that low birth weight has a negative effect on physical fitness, muscle strength, and cardiorespiratory endurance, although the findings are inconsistent. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate whether birth weight acts as a prenatal determinant of physical fitness parameters and to determine the role of environmental or biological variables on this effect. METHODS: One hundred and sixty-seven children aged 6-14 years were included in this study. The anthropometric data, physical activity index, standing long jump, flexibility, handgrip strength, and cardiorespiratory fitness were evaluated. RESULTS: A positive correlation was found between birth weight and cardiorespiratory fitness (r = .349; p < .001), right handgrip strength (r = .337; p < .001), and left handgrip strength (r = .320; p < .001), suggesting that children with low birth weight had the worst performance in both cardiorespiratory endurance and grip strength tests. These findings remained significant after adjustment for prematurity, sex, age, physical activity index, and body mass index (BMI). Stepwise multiple regression analyses revealed a significant interaction of high birth weight, older age, and low BMI in predicting better cardiorespiratory endurance (R2  = .308). When handgrip strength was tested as the dependent variable, we found that high birth weight, male sex, and older age emerged as important determinants for both sides. CONCLUSION: Children aged 6-14 years born with a birth weight < 2.5 kg have low handgrip strength and cardiorespiratory fitness, which seems to be mediated partially by influences of both prenatal environment (e.g., birth weight) and biological variables (e.g., age, sex, BMI).

Emerging evidence for the opposite role of circulating irisin levels and brown adipose tissue activity measured by infrared thermography in anthropometric and metabolic profile during childhood.

Irisin is an adipomyokine that increases browning of adipose tissue and thermogenesis, thereby protecting against obesity and insulin resistance. However, the correlation between irisin, brown adipose tissue (BAT), and childhood obesity, as well as its association with an increased risk of developing metabolic diseases, has not been completely elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the association between irisin levels and BAT activity measured by infrared thermography among children and verify their correlation with anthropometric and metabolic parameters. This study included 42 children with normal weight and 18 overweight/obese children. Anthropometric data, irisin levels, lipid and glucose profile were evaluated. The percentage of the thermally active portion of the supraclavicular area (%AreaSCR) before and after a cold stimulus was measured by infrared thermography, and the differences between the percentages of thermally active (Δ%AreaSCR) was calculated as an index of BAT activation. The results were correlated with anthropometric and metabolic parameters. Circulating irisin levels was positive correlated with age (rho=0.327, P= 0.011), body mass index (BMI) (rho=0.707, P<0.001), waist circumference (rho=0.624, P<0.001), total cholesterol (rho=0.361, P=0.044), triglycerides (rho=0.419, P=0.001), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc) (rho=0.381, P= 0.003). Active BAT was negatively correlated with BMI, waist circumference, triglycerides, LDLc and irisin levels. We observed that normal weight children increased significantly the Δ% AreaSCR as compared to overweight/obese children. In conclusion, circulating irisin levels and BAT activity appear to have opposing roles, since normal weight children had greater BAT activity and lower circulating levels of irisin.

Implication of galanin gene rs948854 polymorphism in depressive symptoms in adolescents.

Genetic, social, and environmental conditions contribute to the development of depression, but the pathophysiological mechanisms are still unclear. Data accumulated in recent years provide significant evidence for a direct role of galanin (GAL). This study aimed to investigate the relation between SNPs in the galaninergic system and depressive symptoms in adolescents. A total of112 adolescents aged 10-18years participated in this study. The Children Depression Inventory (CDI) was used to evaluate depressive symptoms. The effects of rs948854 and rs4432027 SNPs, both located within the promoter region of the GAL gene, rs11665337 in the GALR1 receptor, and rs8836 in the GALR2 receptor on depressive symptoms were examined. The results indicated that 30.4% of the participants had depression. We found that girls were significantly more likely to be depressive than boys. Furthermore, rs948854 minor (G) allele was associated with depressive symptoms. Adolescents carrying the GG and AG genotype for the A/G (rs948854) SNP showed higher CDI scores than those carrying homozygous AA. The binomial logistic regression analysis revealed that adolescents carrying the GG genotype at SNP rs948854 had a higher likelihood of being depressive than adolescents carrying the AA or AG genotypes (P=0.033). Moreover, individuals whose mothers had a positive history for depression and who were sedentary were more likely to display depressive symptoms (P=0.013 and P=0.032, respectively). In conclusion, the SNP rs948854 in the GAL gene seems to be involved in the modulation of depressive state, especially in individuals with GG genotype.

Serum Endocan Levels Associated with Hypertension and Loss of Renal Function in Pediatric Patients after Two Years from Renal Transplant.

Endocan is an important biomarker of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction that increases in association with several chronic diseases. Few published data have described the role of endocan in pediatric renal transplant (RT) patients. We evaluated the endocan concentrations in 62 children who underwent renal transplantation and assessed their relationships with the patients' blood pressure and loss of renal function. The endocan levels were significantly elevated in the pediatric RT patients who had hypertension and a loss of renal function. We determined positive correlations between the endocan concentrations and the hemodynamic variables (systolic blood pressure: r = 0.416; P = 0.001; pulse pressure: r = 0.412; P = 0.003). The endocan levels were inversely correlated with the estimated glomerular filtration rate (r = -0.388; P = 0.003). An endocan cutoff concentration of 7.0 ng/mL identified pediatric RT patients who had hypertension and a loss of renal function with 100% sensitivity and 75% specificity. In conclusion, the endocan concentrations were significantly elevated in pediatric RT patients who had both hypertension and a loss of renal function. The correlations between the endocan levels and the hemodynamic variables and the markers of renal function strengthen the hypothesis that it is an important marker of cardiorenal risk.