Background: With the increase in pediatric obesity, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is rising worldwide. Early identification of children with obesity who are prone to developing MetS is important. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the value of the Systemic Immune–Inflammation Index (SII) and the Systemic Inflammatory Response Index (SIRI) in predicting MetS in obese children and adolescents. Methods: This prospective single-center cross-sectional study involved 99 children and adolescents with obesity. The patients were assigned to two groups, MetS+ (n = 42) and MetS- (n = 57), based on the presence of MetS. Complete blood count results from the first visit were evaluated. Results: The white blood cell (WBC), platelet, and neutrophil counts were higher in the MetS+ group (P = 0.003, P = 0.022, and P < 0.001, respectively), while no significant difference was observed in lymphocyte (P = 0.865) and monocyte counts (P = 0.488) between the two groups. When inflammatory parameters were compared, SII (P < 0.001), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) (P = 0.024), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (P = 0.002), and SIRI (P = 0.012) were significantly elevated in the MetS+ group compared to the MetS- group. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that SII and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were statistically significant risk factors for the presence of MetS (P = 0.003, P = 0.012, respectively). Additionally, a significant positive correlation was found between SII and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (P = 0.024), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (P = 0.019), and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (P = 0.048), as well as between SIRI and HDL-C (P = 0.044) and FPG (P < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis of the SII and SIRI ability to predict MetS in adolescents and children with obesity showed that the SII was more discriminative than the SIRI, with a specificity of 0.82, sensitivity of 0.57, and an area under the curve of 0.708. Conclusions: The SII and SIRI can be used for the early diagnosis of MetS in pediatric obesity patients.

Comparison of effects of quercetin and ascorbic acid on inflammatory cytokines and antioxidant biomarkers in infant rats using an experimental sepsis model

Cihan Yücel, Mete Gürsoy, Serkan Ketenciler, Aslıhan Tenekeciğil, Feryaz Kızıltan, and Nihan Kayalar. Vasc Specialist Int 2021;37:. https://doi.org/10.5758/vsi.210011

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young individuals. Lumican, is an indicator of fibrosis. We aimed to evaluate the relation between serum Lumican levels and presence and extent of myocardial fibrosis in HCM. The patients diagnosed with HCM between June 2022 and March 2023 were enrolled consecutively in this prospective study. Age and gender-matched healthy individuals formed control group. Two groups were generated according to extent of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in HCM patients. A total of 114 patients were enrolled. Serum Lumican, NT-proBNP levels and maximum wall thickness were revealed as independent risk factors associated with LGE. A cut-off value of 9.06 for Lumican was associated with 67.8% sensitivity and 65.5% specificity in prediction of LGE. Myocardial fibrosis is one of the important mechanisms in HCM pathophysiology. LGE on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging allows comprehensive evaluation of myocardial fibrosis, the support of diagnosis with a biomarker would be beneficial in clinical practice. Our study revealed that serum Lumican level is an independent predictor of severe LGE in HCM patients. Further studies with larger patient numbers may clarify the importance of Lumican in HCM pathophysiology.

Objective Zinc and selenium levels are being investigated with increasing frequency in adult patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, levels of zinc and selenium in children with COVID-19 have not been adequately studied to date. Methods This prospective, observational study was conducted on 146 pediatric patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and 49 healthy controls between 2020 and 2021. Normal serum zinc reference values were 0.60 to 1.20 µg/mL for children 0 to 10 years old and 0.66 to 1.10 µg/mL for children ≥11 years old. The normal range for serum selenium concentration was considered between 70 and 150 µg/L. Deficiencies were defined for values below the reference range. Results Zinc and selenium levels were significantly lower in the COVID-19 (+) group compared with the controls (zinc: 0.7 ± 0.2 vs 0.9 ± 0.2 µg/mL, p < 0.001; selenium: 57.1 ± 9.1 vs 66.5 ± 11.4 µg/L, p < 0.01, respectively). Also, zinc and selenium levels were found to be statistically significantly lower in the hospitalized group compared with the outpatient group (zinc: 0.6 ± 0.2 vs 0.8 ± 0.2 µg/mL, p < 0.001; selenium: 52.1 ± 9.6 vs 58.8 ± 8.3 µg/L, p < 0.001). In the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, selenium levels with a cutoff value of 55.50 µg/L, with 75% sensitivity and 70% specificity, and zinc levels with a cutoff value of 0.7 µg/mL, with 56% sensitivity and 53% specificity, predicted hospitalization. Conclusion Our data showed that serum zinc and selenium levels were significantly lower in patients with COVID-19 compared with healthy control group. Also, zinc and selenium levels were found to be lower in the hospitalized group compared with the outpatient COVID-19 group.