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Objective: In animal models of obesity, adipocyte-derived versican, and macrophage-derived biglycan play a crucial role in mediating adipose tissue inflammation. The aim was to investigate levels of versican and biglycan in obese children and any potential association with body adipose tissue and hepatosteatosis., Methods: Serum levels of versican, biglycan, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) were measured by ELISA. Fat deposition in the liver, spleen, and subcutaneous adipose tissue was calculated using the IDEAL-IQ sequences in magnetic resonance images. Bioimpedance analysis was performed using the Tanita BC 418 MA device., Results: The study included 36 obese and 30 healthy children. The age of obese children was 13.6 (7.5-17.9) years, while the age of normal weight children was 13.0 (7.2-17.9) years (p=0.693). Serum levels of versican, hsCRP, and IL-6 were higher in the obese group (p=0.044, p=0.039, p=0.024, respectively), while no significant difference was found in biglycan levels between the groups. There was a positive correlation between versican, biglycan, hsCRP, and IL-6 (r=0.381 p=0.002, r=0.281 p=0.036, rho=0.426 p=0.001, r=0.424 p=0.001, rho=0.305 p=0.017, rho=0.748 p<0.001, respectively). Magnetic resonance imaging revealed higher segmental and global hepatic steatosis in obese children. There was no relationship between hepatic fat content and versican, biglycan, IL-6, and hsCRP. Versican, biglycan, hsCRP, and IL-6 were not predictive of hepatosteatosis. Body fat percentage >32% provided a predictive sensitivity of 81.8% and a specificity of 70.5% for hepatosteatosis [area under the curve (AUC): 0.819, p<0.001]. Similarly, a body mass index standard deviation score >1.75 yielded a predictive sensitivity of 81.8% and a specificity of 69.8% for predicting hepatosteatosis (AUC: 0.789, p<0.001)., Conclusion: Obese children have higher levels of versican, hsCRP, and IL-6, and more fatty liver than their healthy peers., (©Copyright 2024 by Turkish Society for Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes / The Journal of Clinical Research in Pediatric Endocrinology published by Galenos Publishing House.)

Objectives: We aimed to obtain local normative data on thyroid volume evaluated by ultrasonography and iodine status by measuring urine iodine levels in school-age children living in Aydın province., Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a sample comprising 1,553 cases was meticulously selected from a total cohort of 170,461 children aged 6-17, drawn from 21 distinct educational institutions located within the Aydın region, as participants in the investigation. Those with a known chronic disease or thyroid disease were excluded from the study. The children underwent physical examinations and ultrasonography imaging of the thyroid gland, and urine samples were collected to measure urinary iodine concentration (UIC)., Results: The median UIC was 189.5 (IQR=134.4) μg/L, which was optimal according to WHO criteria. Thyroid volume was found to be 4.6 (IQR=3.5) mL in girls and 4.2 (IQR=4.0) mL in boys (p=0.883). The thyroid volumes in our study were found to be smaller when compared to the WHO. According to WHO age and body surface area criteria, thyroid volume was over 97 % in 0.9 % (n=15) of cases. Thyroid volume was found to have a positive correlation with age, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), and body surface area (BSA) in both genders (p<0.001). However, there was no significant correlation between thyroid volume and UIC., Conclusions: This cross-sectional study provides normative data on thyroid volume and iodine status in school-age children in iodine-sufficient population, revealing a low prevalence of goiter and correlations between thyroid volume and anthropometric measures., (© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.)