Bioelectrical impedance analysis seems to be a reasonable method for daily clinical use, but attention should be paid to the interpretation of %fat values in underweight and overweight children.

The present study aims at investigating the frequency and characteristics of hyperuricemia in both obese and sick children. First, we established our own reference values for serum uric acid (UA), since UA values are highly dependent upon age. In the analysis of 328 samples consisting of six different age groups: <1, 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12, and 13-15 years, the mean values for UA were found to increase significantly with an increase of age. A significant sex difference was observed only in the age group of 13-15 years. Hyperuricemia was defined as the values over the mean value plus 2 standard deviations for each age group. Next, we examined the frequency of hyperuricemia in 1,687 obese children aged 6-15 years and its relation to metabolic syndrome (MetS). A total of 328 children (19.4%) were found to have hyperuricemia. Among them, 98 children (29.9%) had MetS, whereas 197 (14.5%) out of 1,359 children without hyperuricemia had MetS. Finally, the frequency of hyperuricemia in sick patients was investigated using 13,675 samples from 9,405 patients. Hyperuricemia was seen in 348 (3.7%) patients after excluding redundant samples. The number of patients with hyperuricemia was higher in males than in females. The most common disorder causing hyperuricemia was gastroenteritis, followed by respiratory tract infection and cardiac diseases. This first comprehensive study of childhood hyperuricemia is useful for considering its relationship with hyperuricemia and life-style-related disorders occurring in adulthood.

The prevalence of hyperuricemia in obese children and adolescents and its association with metabolic syndrome are largely unknown. The objective of our study was to characterize hyperuricemia in relation to metabolic syndrome in Japanese children and adolescents with obesity. Between 2005 and 2008, we performed a cross-sectional study of 1,027 obese children and adolescents aged 6–14 years. Based on the reference value of serum uric acid we had established previously, hyperuricemia was defined as one standard deviation over the mean value at each age. The diagnosis of metabolic syndrome was made based on the Japanese criteria for children. A total of 213 children and adolescents (20.7%) was found to have hyperuricemia. The prevalence of hyperuricemia was significantly higher in the male gender and older age group. Sixty-five out of 213 subjects with hyperuricemia (30.5%) had metabolic syndrome, whereas 111 out of 814 subjects without hyperuricemia (13.6%) had metabolic syndrome. The most common abnormal component of metabolic syndrome was triglyceride, followed by diastolic blood pressure, systolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, and HDL-cholesterol. Such a tendency was almost identical between the two groups. We concluded that considering the association between hyperuricemia and metabolic syndrome in obese Japanese children and adolescents, the role of hyperuricemia in metabolic syndrome should receive more attention, beginning in early childhood.

The Japanese Study Group of Insulin Therapy for Childhood and Adolescent Diabetes (JSGIT) was established in July 1994 with the chief aim to improve the quality of therapy for type 1 diabetes in children, an entity far less common in Japan than in Europe. We proposed four initial research topics: (i) to determine the current status of medical care and glycemic control in Japanese children with type 1 diabetes mellitus; (ii) to standardize the measurement of hemoglobin A1c; (iii) to establish a registry of a large cohort of patients in order to enable prospective studies to improve the quality of therapy for children with type 1 diabetes in Japan; and (iv) to enable participants of the JSGIT to hold a workshop twice annually. We registered a total of 736 patients from 45 hospitals throughout Japan. Intervention via insulin treatment was instituted after 2 yr for those patients whose hemoglobin A1c level was more than 8.1%. The proportion of patients receiving multiple insulin injections increased after intervention; however, average hemoglobin A1c in females remained significantly higher than in males. We identified two forms of diabetes in Japanese children: a rapidly progressive form and a more slowly progressive form. There was a significantly higher prevalence of a family history of diabetes in first-degree relatives in the slowly progressive form. These preliminary findings are the result of the first collaborative study of childhood diabetes in Japan.

Plasma ƒÀ-carotene, ƒ¿-tocopherol and retinol were measured * p<0 .01 compared to control.

No abstract

<b><i>Background:</i></b> About twice as many boys as girls undergo growth hormone (GH) therapy in GH deficiency (GHD). However, this sex difference may not correctly reflect a real incidence. <b><i>Objectives:</i></b> We analyzed the evidence of a selection bias whereby more boys seek treatment at short stature clinics. <b><i>Subjects and Methods:</i></b> The present study included 3,902 children who visited 17 short stature clinics with a height SD score of −2 SD or less. The percentage of children who underwent the GH stimulation test was compared between boys and girls, as was the percentage of children ultimately diagnosed with GHD. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The children comprised 2,390 boys (61.3%) and 1,512 girls (38.7%), with a boy:girl ratio of 1.58:1. The percentage of children who underwent the GH stimulation test did not differ between boys (45.7%) and girls (49.8%). Among the children who underwent the GH stimulation test, the percentage diagnosed with GHD did not differ significantly between boys (22.0%) and girls (20.1%). The boy:girl ratio of children diagnosed with GHD was 1.59:1. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> The boy:girl ratio of children with short stature (1.58:1) did not differ significantly from that of children diagnosed with GHD (1.59:1). These results indicate that the predominance of boys in GHD does not reflect a real incidence, but rather a selection bias whereby a higher proportion of boys with short stature seek treatment at clinics. This difference arises because parents are more concerned about boys’ height, and because boys reach adult height at an older age.

Summary1. Vitamin E content in the adipose tissue was examined in rats with and without vitamin E deficiency. With the progression of vitamin E depletion, the more rapid decrease in tocopherol concentration was observed in brown adipose tissue (BAT) than in white adipose tissue (WAT), and the rate of decrease of tocopherol was approximately three times faster in BAT than in WAT. After the intramuscular administra tion of 10mg/kg of all-rac-tocopheryl acetate twice a week for two weeks to vitamin E-deficient rats, a similar pattern of increase was observed in the tocopherol concentrations of BAT and WAT, although the rate of increase was slower in WAT than in BAT. 2. Changes of tocopherol concentration in BAT and WAT were investigated in normo-nourished rats with hyperlipemia produced by the intramuscular injection of Triton WR-1339 for 7 days. A marked increase in tocopherol concentration was observed in both BAT and WAT in the late period of hyperlipemia, with the increase being greater in WAT. 3. The fatty acid composition of adipose tissue was compared between rats with and without vitamin E deficiency. No significant differences were observed in BAT and WAT between the two groups. 4. The glucose uptake of WAT was not altered in vitamin E-deficient rats when compared with control rats.