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Background Increased carotid intima-media thickness is one of the predictors of future cardiovascular diseases. However, it is still unknown which body composition parameter or anthropometric measure is the best predictor for carotid intima-media thickness change among children and young adolescents. Objective To investigate the associations of body composition and anthropometric measures with carotid intima-media thickness among a group of obese and normal bodyweight schoolchildren. Methods A total of 125 schoolchildren (10-15 years) were recruited from four public schools in Amman, Jordan. Of them, 60 (29 boys and 31 girls) were normal bodyweight students and 65 (35 boys and 30 girls) were obese students. Anthropometric measures, fat mass and fat-free mass were determined. Carotid intima-media thickness of the common artery was measured using high-resolution B-mode ultrasound. Results Compared to normal bodyweight students, obese participants exhibited greater carotid intima-media thickness (mm) (0.45 ± 0.10 vs. 0.38 ± 0.08, p = 0.002) and fat-free mass (kg) (48.01 ± 11.39 vs. 32.65 ±7.65, p < 0.001). Pearson's correlation coefficient and linear regression analysis revealed significant associations ( p≤0.05) between mean carotid intima-media thickness and body mass index, waist circumference, hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, fat mass and fat-free mass. Stepwise linear regression analysis revealed that waist circumference was the only measure that was statistically significant ( p ≤ 0.05) with mean carotid intima-media thickness (r = 0.129, p = 0.002). Conclusions Obesity is related to greater carotid intima-media thickness and other cardiovascular risk factors among schoolchildren. Waist circumference is more sensitive in predicting increased carotid intima-media thickness than other body composition or anthropometric measures. Waist circumference measurement in the analysis of future studies assessing the cardiovascular risk among obese children is warranted.

Severely obese schoolchildren having MetS exhibited higher cIMT levels than obese and normal bodyweight counterparts. Biomarkers of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction were higher in obese schoolchildren, but biomarkers were not increased any further by the degree of obesity nor the MetS cluster.

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Reticulocyte hemoglobin (CHr) is a measure of the amount of hemoglobin in reticulocytes and a marker of cell hemoglobinization. In this study, we aimed to find the optimal cut-off point for reticulocyte hemoglobin to diagnose iron deficiency anemia using multiple methods. A total of 309 patients were included. The median age at diagnosis was 54 years. Most were females (71.2%). 68% had iron deficiency anemia. Patients with IDA had significantly lower levels of CHr compared to those who had non-IDA (p < 0.0001). The optimal cut-off value of CHr for detecting IDA, determined using various methods, was 30.15 pg. This cut-off point had a sensitivity of 87.8% and a specificity of 77.7%. CHr showed a significant positive correlation with hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, serum iron, serum ferritin, and transferrin saturation and a significant negative correlation with total iron-binding capacity. CHr levels correlate with most established laboratory tests for IDA. It reliably detects IDA. Our results indicate the importance of CHr in diagnosing IDA, and that CHr should be used more widely in suspected cases of IDA since it is a cheap, fast, and reliable test.