PURPOSE: Obesity is a significant health problem with medical and psychological consequences for children and adolescents. The purpose of this study was to assess the correlation between body fat percent using bioelectrical impedance(BI) and other variable methods. METHODS: We measured height, weight, body mass index(BMI) and body fat percent by skinfold thickness(ST) and BI in 1,035(496 male; 539 female) children from seven to 18 years of age. The correlation coefficients between BI and each of the other different methods were obtained. The sensitivity and specificity to predict obesity by these several methods were studied. RESULTS: Fat percent estimated by BI analysis and BMI showed a strong correlation(r=0.749). Fat percent estimated by BI analysis and ST showed a very strong correlation(r=0.835). At the 95th percentile cut-off point for BI, ST showed a sensitivity of 57.7%, and a specificity of 97.6% for estimating body fat. At the 95th percentile cut-off point for BI, BMI showed a sensitivity of 84.9%, and a specificity of 99.3% for estimating body fat. CONCLUSION: The fat percent estimated by BI analysis correlated strongly with ST or BMI. BI analysis is an objective and accurate method for estimating body fat in childhood obesity.
Adipose Tissue* ; Adolescent ; Body Mass Index ; Body Weight ; Child ; Electric Impedance* ; Humans ; Male ; Obesity ; Pediatric Obesity ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Skinfold Thickness

PURPOSE:Obesity is a common complication in children who were surgically treated for craniopharyngioma. We analysed body composition, metabolic parameters and evaluated for correlation between adiponectin and metabolic parameters in children who were surgically treated for craniopharyngioma. METHODS:Sixteen patients with craniopharyngioma (9 males, 7 females) were included in this study (patient group). The data of patient group were compared to those of children who visited the clinic for normal short stature with appropriate gestational age (14 males, 4 females) (control group). Height SDS, weight SDS, BMI were calculated. Total body fat, abdominal fat distribution were measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis. Plasma levels of total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, adiponectin, and insulin were measured after overnight fasting. The degree of insulin resistance was calculated by HOMA-IR. RESULTS:Four of 16 patients were obese. and three were overweight. Patient group had higher total body fat percentage (27.5+/-6.8 vs 17.6+/-6.8, P=0.01), triglycerides (207.9+/-241.6 vs 76.7+/-30.8, P=0.001), lower HDL-cholesterol (37.5+/-14.6 vs 61.4+/-15.4, P=0.000) and adiponectin levels (7.1+/-4.2 vs 10.7+/-4.3, P=0.012). Adiponectin levels were correlated negatively with total body fat percentage (r=-0.631, P= 0.009), abdominal fat distribution (r=-0.547, P=0.03), triglycerides (r=-0.518, P=0.04), insulin (r=-0.525, P=0.037) and correlated positively with HDL-cholesterol (r=0.572, P=0.021). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that children who were surgically treated for craniopharyngioma, had tendency to develop obesity, dyslipidemia and Insulin resistance. Therefore, patients who were surgically treated, should be closely monitored to minimize the effect of metabolic syndrome on their health and well being.
Abdominal Fat ; Adiponectin ; Adipose Tissue ; Body Composition ; Child* ; Cholesterol ; Craniopharyngioma* ; Dyslipidemias ; Electric Impedance ; Fasting ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Insulin ; Insulin Resistance ; Male ; Obesity ; Overweight ; Plasma ; Triglycerides

No abstract available.
Fibrosis* ; Hypersplenism*

In the therapeutic or the nutritional aspects, Zn2+ has been used as a supplement in a variety of drugs. Most of divalent or trivalent cations affect ion channels in the cell membranes of various organs. In particular, Zn2+ has been regarded as a potassium (K+) channel blocker in the field of electrophysiology. ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channel, which is a kind of inward rectifier K+ channel, resides in the cell membrane of pancreatic beta cells and plays an important role in glucose-induced insulin secretion. The glucose increases intracellular ATP concentration, and this inhibits KATP channels. The inhibition of KATP channels activity depolarizes the cell, and subsequently, insulin is released by Ca2+ influx through the voltage- gated Ca2+ channels. Here, we demonstrate that KATP channels in the pancreatic beta cells are also the targets of extracellular Zn2+ blockade and its blockade is dependent on intracellular ATP concentration. This may be a compensatory mechanism preventing the oversecretion of insulin from the Pancreatic beta cells triggered by Zn2+ intake in a physiologically fasting condition.
Adenosine Triphosphate* ; Cations ; Cell Membrane ; Electrophysiology ; Fasting ; Glucose ; Insulin ; Insulin-Secreting Cells* ; Ion Channels ; KATP Channels* ; Potassium ; Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying

No abstract available.
Thromboangiitis Obliterans*

No abstract available.
Scleroderma, Localized

No abstract available.
Drug Therapy, Combination* ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin*

BACKGROUND: Vascular endothelial dysfunction (VED) plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and is associated with insulin resistance and with visceral obesity. Therefore, in this study the predicting factor of vascular endothelial dysfunction was investigated in healthy premenopausal obese women by pulse-wave analysis (PWA) combined with provocative pharmacological testing. METHODS: Thirty three obese women (BMI> or =25), aged 20~45 y and 25 age-matched control subjects (BMI; 18.5~22.9) were examined. All women were sedentary (<1 hr/wk of physical activity), non-smoker and were excluded if they had type 2 diabetes melitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, cardiovascular disease, or acute inflammatory disease and were studied in folicullar phase of the cycle, within the first week after cessation of menstrual bleeding. They underwent determination of anthropometric measurements, metabolic variables, adipose tissue regional distribution, and endothelial function by performing pulse-wave analysis (PWA) combined with provocative pharmacological testing. RESULTS: Augmentation Index (AIx) fell significantly after the administration of salbutamol, which causes endothelium-dependent vasodilatation, but response was significantly reduced in obese women compared with controls (10.28 6.72% vs 17.2 6.84%, P=0.0003). The change in after Nitroglycerin, which causes endothelium-independent vasodilatation, did not differ significantly (30.86 9.67% vs 30.6 10.11%, P=0.9172). In our obese subjects, visceral adipose tissue area was independently a significant predictor of vascular endothelial dysfunction (beta= 0.1381, P=0.0038, Adj-R2=0.348). CONCLUSION: Increased abdominal adiposity is a powerful independent predictor of VED in obese healthy women. Future studies of vascular endothelial function should account for the independent effects of abdominal fat.
Abdominal Fat ; Adipose Tissue ; Adiposity ; Albuterol ; Atherosclerosis ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; Hypertension ; Insulin Resistance ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; Nitroglycerin ; Obesity, Abdominal ; Vasodilation

PURPOSE: To introduce a new surgical management for the prolapsed silicone tube into the ocular surface which was inserted for treatment of nasolacrimal duct obstruction. METHODS: Five eyes of 179 eyes treated with silicone tube intubation for nasolacrimal duct obstruction from May to December 2003 had a prolapsed silicone tube during the follow-up period. After local anesthesia, a Ritleng probe was inserted into the nasolacrimal duct. A polypropylene thread was passed into the Ritleng probe, and after removal of the probe, the thread was tied to a prolapsed silicone tube near a punctum and was pulled through the nose. The silicone tube was repositioned in the nasolacrimal duct. RESULTS: All the prolapsed silicone tubes were successfully repositioned without any significant complications. CONCLUSIONS: It is difficult to reposition a prolapsed silicone tube after silicone tube intubation for the treatment of nasolacrimal duct obstruction. We introduced an easy and effective method to reposition the prolapsed silicone tube.
Anesthesia, Local ; Follow-Up Studies ; Intubation ; Nasolacrimal Duct* ; Nose ; Polypropylenes ; Silicon* ; Silicones*