Search

Background Insulin resistance is considered one of the major risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus ( T2DM). Thus, early identification, preferably by using simple and inexpensive diagnostic tools, is essential for preventing T2DM. Triglyceride ( TG) to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( HDL-C) ratio ( TG/ HDL-C) has been proposed as an inexpensive tool to identify individuals at high risk of T2DM. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between insulin resistance and TG/ HDL-C in indigenous Argentinean children. Methods A cross-sectional study of 501 (243 boys) indigenous school children aged 10.0 ± 2.4 yr were assessed for anthropometry, lipids, glucose, and insulin levels from November 2011 to November 2013. Insulin resistance was defined as the upper third quartile of homeostasis model assessment ( HOMA-IR). Results The prevalence of overweight/obesity was 11.4% per Centers for Disease Control. Mean levels of various characteristics were: body mass index ( BMI) 17.2 ± 2.6, HDL-C 39 ± 9 mg/ dL, TGs 121 ± 58 mg/ dL, TG/ HDL-C 2.9 ± 1.8, glucose 77 ± 8 mg/ dL, HOMA-IR 1.0 ± 0.8, and insulin 44 ± 9 mUI/L. Children in the higher quartiles of TG/ HDL-C had significantly higher HOMA-IR values than children in the lower quartiles. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that TG/ HDL-C was significantly associated with HOMA-IR ( r2 = 0.19) adjusted for age, gender, and BMI. Furthermore, for a 1-unit increase in log TG/ HDL-C, the odds of being insulin resistant ( HOMA-IR> III quartile) increased by 2.58 times [odds ratio ( OR), 2.58 (1.63-4.05); p < 0.01], adjusted for age, gender, and BMI. Conclusion This study suggests that TG/ HDL-C may be a good marker to identify insulin resistant indigenous Argentinean children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We determined the association between schoolchildren's OW/OB with age, sex, lifestyle behaviors, and cardiometabolic markers., Methods: Age, sex, anthropometric measures, and BP (blood pressure) were recorded in 1249 (554 M) schoolchildren. OW/OB was defined as BMI > 85%ile and BMI > 95%ile respectively. A validated questionnaire for lifestyle behaviors was performed. We offered free laboratory testing to a subgroup of 168 children., Results: Schoolchildren aged 8.8 ± 2.1 y from 9 elementary schools in 4 areas of Argentina were examined between April and September 2019. 265 (21.2%) of the children were OW, 265 (21.2%) were OB, and 425 (35%) had central OB. OW/OB was associated with low milk intake (OR = 1.92; 95% CI, 1.1-3.3), skipping breakfast (OR = 2.00; 95% CI, 1.2-3.4), a family history of hypertension (OR = 1.74; 95% CI, 1.1-2.9), and systolic BP (OR = 1.03; 95% CI, 1.01-1.05); adjusted for confounding variables. The subgroup analysis showed that OW/OB children had lower iron (83 vs. 94 ug/dl, respectively) and HDL-C (43 vs. 47 mg/dl) levels, but higher non-HDL-C (107 vs. 99 mg/dl) levels than normal-weight children. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that OW/OB was inversely associated with iron (OR = 0.99; 95% CI, 0.98-0.998) and HDL-C (OR = 0.94; 95% CI, 0.91-0.97) levels; adjusted for confounding variables., Conclusion: Adiposity in schoolchildren was associated with unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, higher atherogenic risk, and lower iron concentrations, suggesting that OW/OB children are at increased risk for anemia and cardiometabolic disease., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To describe the non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) as mean and percentiles by age and sex in Argentinean indigenous schoolchildren living at 3750 m, contrasting these estimates with those reported in the 2011-2012 National Center for Health Statistics reference population (NHANES)., Methods: Non-HDL-C was calculated as total cholesterol-HDL-C. Analyses incorporated sampling weights for age and sex to obtain unbiased estimates. Sex- and age-specific smoothed percentile curves were performed with Cole's LMS method., Results: A total of 236 (49% males) children from San Antonio de los Cobres (SAC) were evaluated twice and compared with 1409 NHANES children. Non-HDL-C values were 4 mg/dL higher in SAC than in NHANES (109 vs 105 mg/dL, respectively). Trends in non-HDL-C 50th percentile in females differed between ages 6 to 7 and 8 years; in SAC non-HDL-C decreased from 111 to 104 mg/dL, NHANES levels remained stable from103 to 104 mg/dL. Among children aged 9 to10 years, non-HDL-C increased from 114 mg/dL to 117 mg/dL in SAC, but decreased from 113 to 107 mg/dL in NHANES. Between ages 12 and 13 years, non-HDL-C increased from 108 to 120 mg/dL in SAC, and remained steady from105 to 106 mg/dL in NHANES. The 50th percentile of non-HDL-C in males showed similar trends except for ages 6 to 7 to age 8 when non-HDL-C remained stable from 106 to 107 mg/dL in SAC, and increased from 98 mg/dL to 104 mg/dL in NHANES., Conclusions: Non-HDL-C levels in children vary with age, sex, ethnicity, and altitude. Different patterns in non-HDL-C were observed for girls in SAC compared with NHANES. However, more stable patterns were observed in boys in both groups., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

The objective was to compare blood pressure (BP) levels in 2 groups of Indigenous Argentine school children from similar ethnic backgrounds but living at different altitudes. One hundred and fifty-two (46.3%) children (age, 4-14 years) from San Antonio de los Cobres (SAC), at 3750 m above sea level, and 176 children (53.7%) from Chicoana (CH), at 1400 m above sea level, participated in this cross-sectional study. Data for children's anthropometry, BP, glucose, lipids, vitamin D, and insulin, as well as mothers' height and weight were assessed. Hypertension was defined as BP ≥ 95th percentile. The prevalence of overweight/obesity among children was significantly lower in SAC ( n = 17, 11.2%) than in CH ( n = 74, 42%) (body mass index (BMI) > 85th percentile per US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention norms). However, the prevalence of hypertension was significantly higher among children in SAC ( n = 15, 9.9%) than among those in CH ( n = 2, 1.1%). Children were divided into 4 groups by mean arterial BP quartiles for comparison by ANOVA. As mean arterial BP increased, age, BMI, glucose, triglycerides, triglycerides/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and insulin levels increased significantly. Multiple linear regression analyses showed that children's mean arterial BP was significantly associated with altitude adjusted for confounding variables ( R 2 = 0.42). Furthermore, when mean arterial BP was replaced by systolic BP ( R 2 = 0.51) or diastolic BP ( R 2 = 0.33), similar results were obtained. Our results suggest that Indigenous children who live permanently at high altitude have higher levels of BP, adjusted for confounding variables. Routine BP measurements conducted in the SAC community could be essential for the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Background: High altitude is associated with hypobaric hypoxia, and metabolic modifications. In particular, alterations to lipoprotein-associated enzymes have been reported under hypoxia., Objective: To determine the association between paraoxonase 1 (PON-1) and Cholesteryl-ester transfer protein (CETP) activities and altitude in two groups of Argentinean Indigenous schoolchildren living at different altitudes., Methods: A cross-sectional study compared 151 schoolchildren from San Antonio de los Cobres (SAC), 3,750 m, with 175 schoolchildren from Chicoana (CH), 1,400 m. Anthropometric data, lipids, apolipoprotein (apo) A-I, apo B, plus PON-1 and CETP activities were determined., Results: The prevalence of overweight/obesity was significantly lower in SAC than in CH. Z- BMI (0.3 vs 0.7), Apo A-I/Apo B (1.67 vs. 1.85) and PON-1 (170 vs. 243 nmol/mL.min) were significantly lower in SAC than in CH, respectively. Total cholesterol (156 vs 144 mg/dL), triglycerides (TG) (119 vs. 94 mg/dL), apo A-I (133 vs. 128 mg/dL), apo B (84 vs. 73 mg/dL), hematocrit (48 vs. 41%), transferrin (295 vs. 260 mg/dL) and CETP (181 vs. 150%/mL.h) were significantly higher in SAC than in CH. There was a significant univariate association between altitude and transferrin (r0.38), hematocrit (r0.75), TG (r0.24), apo B (r0.29), PON-1 (r-0.40), and CETP (r0.37). Multiple linear regression analyses showed that altitude was significantly associated with children's TG (β = 0.28, R 2  = 0.14), HDL-C (β = ‒0.27; R 2  = 0.23), apo B (β = 0.32; R 2  = 0.14), CETP (β = 0.38; R 2  = 0.15) and PON-1 (β = ‒0.36; R 2  = 0.16), adjusted for age, gender and BMI., Conclusion: SAC children presented a more atherogenic lipid profile, plus lower PON1 and higher CETP activities, than CH children., (Copyright © 2019 IMSS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Exposure to hypoxia at high altitude is increasingly being recognized as a risk factor for hypertension., Objective: To compare the prevalence of hypertension in Indigenous Argentinean children living at high altitude with that reported in the 2011-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) of US children., Methods: A cross-sectional study of 811 (400 females) Argentinean Indigenous school children (8-14 years) from San Antonio de los Cobres (SAC) was performed between 2011-2014. SAC is located in the Andean foothills 3,750 m above sea level. 98% of its population is Indigenous. Anthropometric, BP, and biochemical data were obtained from SAC and compared with those of 1279 (625 females) US children. Pre-hypertension and hypertension were defined by BP≥90th to <95th percentile or ≥95th percentile, respectively., Results: The prevalence of obesity was significantly lower in SAC (22; 2.7%) than in the US (310; 24.3%). However, the prevalence of hypertension was significantly higher in SAC (129; 15.9%) than in US children (35; 2.9%). Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that SAC children had four times the odds of having pre-hypertension compared with US children (OR 4.47; 95% CI 3.29-6.08), and eight times the odds of presenting hypertension (OR 8.36; 95% CI 5.36-13.05), adjusted for age, gender, and BMI., Conclusions: This study shows a higher prevalence of hypertension in Indigenous Argentinean children living at high altitude compared with US children. Various factors such as high hemoglobin levels, lifestyle behavior, and genetics may have an influence on BP in high altitude Indigenous SAC children., Abbreviations: BP: Blood pressure; SAC: San Antonio de los Cobres; CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; NHANES: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Objective: To compare the prevalence of misperception between 2 groups of mothers towards their children's weight status from an indigenous population in San Antonio de los Cobres (SAC) and a Buenos Aires (BA) mixed population., Methods: Questionnaires regarding mothers' perceptions about their children's shape were performed during 2014., Results: Overall, 152 SAC children (80 males) aged 9.0+2.1 years and 119 BA children (59 males) aged 8.1+1.7 years were evaluated. There was a significant difference in the prevalence of maternal misperception of normal weight vs overweight children in both ethnicities: SAC (38.8% vs 66.7%) and BA (33.3% vs 62.9%)., Conclusion: These results suggest that maternal misperception of children's overweight was poor in both communities despite having different socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds.

Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and its association with non-traditional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors such as Apo B in South American Indian school children., Methods: A cross-sectional study of 355 children (166 Males) aged 9.6±2.3 y was performed. Anthropometric measures, glucose, lipids, insulin, Apo B, Apo A, and vitamin D concentrations were measured., Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 10.7% (38) per CDC. One child (0.3%) had optimal vitamin D concentrations [25(OH)D[>30 ng/ml. Univariate analysis showed significant associations between vitamin D and HDL-C (r=0.12 p<0.05), age (r=-0.11 p<0.05) BMI (r=-0.22 p<0.05), LDL-C (r=-0.22 p<0.01), triglycerides (r=-0.16 p<0.01), non HDL-C (r=-0.21 p<0.01), Apo B (r=-0.23 p<0.01), Apo B/Apo A (r=-0.21 p<0.01), insulin (r=-0.17 p<0.05), and HOMA-IR (r=-0.16 p<0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that female gender and Apo B were significantly associated with vitamin D adjusted for confounding factors (R(2) 0.12)., Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency was associated with increased Apo B among Indian children, suggesting that it could be used as a risk marker of CVD., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To determine whether vitamin D supplementation of indigenous school children living at high altitude who are vitamin D insufficient improves lipid profile., Methods: A prospective two-year study evaluated 60 children (29 males) from Hogar School who received 100,000 units of vitamin D and 36 children (16 males) from Sosa School who received 50,000 units. Anthropometric measures, Triglycerides (TG), HDL-C, TG/HDL-C, and vitamin D levels were measured in November 2011 and in November 2013., Results: Children aged 8.8 ± 2 years with mean z-BMI (-0.43) were evaluated. After vitamin D supplementation, mean vitamin D levels increased from 14.7 to 32.1 ng/mL (p < 0.01) in Hogar and from 14.6 to 25.1 ng/mL (p < 0.01) in Sosa School. Furthermore, mean HDL-C increased significantly in Hogar (39.8 to 43.9 mg/dL); while no significant changes were found in Sosa School (44.4 to 45.1 mg/dL). Though no significant changes were found in median TG (117 to 111 mg/dL) and TG/HDL (3.0 to 2.7 mg/dL) in Hogar; TG (95 to 111 mg/dL) and TG/HDL-C (2.2 to 2.4 mg/dL) increased significantly in Sosa School. Several multiple linear regression analyses showed that children from Hogar School decreased TG/HDL-C by 1.3 mg/dL (R(2): 0.14), HDL-c by 3.6 mg/dL (R(2): 0.13), and TG by 31 mg/dL (R(2): 0.11), adjusted for confounding factors., Conclusions: Indigenous children who received 100,000 U of vitamin D significantly improved vitamin D and lipid levels compared to children who received 50,000 U, suggesting that optimal vitamin D levels are associated with a healthier lipid profile.

Background: Hypovitaminosis D is an international problem; however, there is little information about its prevalence in apparently healthy Indian children living at high altitudes., Objectives: To determine (i) the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D and (ii) the association of serum vitamin D with the risk factors for diabetes among Indian Koya children., Methods: A cross-sectional study of 290 (129 males) school children aged 10.7 ± 2.9 yr was performed. Anthropometric measures, blood pressure (BP), Tanner stages and serum levels of glucose, lipids, and insulin were measured. 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] was measured by radioimmunoassay (Dia Sorin)., Results: The prevalence of obesity was 3.4% (10), overweight 3.4% (10), normal weight 79.0% (229), and underweight 14.1 % (41) per CDC reference standards. Concentrations of [25(OH)D] were median 10 (range 8-13 ng/mL); 10 (3.4%) had insufficient vitamin D levels (20 to <30 ng/mL), 136 (46.9%) had deficient levels (10 to <20 ng/mL), 144 (49.7%) had severe deficiency (<10 ng/mL) and none had optimal levels (≥30 ng/mL). There was an inverse significant correlation between [25(OH)D] and age (r = 0.14), body mass index (BMI) (r = 0.16), waist circumference (r = 0.15), systolic BP (r = 0.19), hemoglobin (r = 0.19), glucose (r = 0.22), insulin (r = 0.13), and homeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance (r = 0.16). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that 25(OH)D concentrations were significantly and inversely associated with glucose concentrations (β = -0.28; p = 0.02) adjusted for age, BMI, systolic BP, hemoglobin, and insulin., Conclusions: This study demonstrated a high prevalence of both 25(OH)D deficiency and insufficiency and an inverse association between 25(OH)D and glucose concentration in apparently healthy Koya Indian children. Further research is needed to confirm these findings., (© 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S.)

Background/aims: Low vitamin D levels correlate with dyslipidemia, but limited data exist on indigenous children. The objective was to determine whether vitamin D supplementation improves high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels among Koya children., Methods: A prospective 1-year study evaluated a treated cohort of 70 (38 males) children aged 10.3 ± 2.1 years who received 5,000 U of vitamin D weekly during 8 weeks, and a control group of 20 (8 males) children aged 9.2 ± 1.1 years who did not receive vitamin D., Results/conclusions: At baseline, 18 (20%) had severe vitamin D deficiency (<10 ng/ml), 66 (73.3%) had deficiency (10 to <20 ng/ml), and 6 (6.6%) had insufficiency (20 to <30 ng/ml). At baseline, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D between groups. After 1 year, the prevalence of severe vitamin D deficiency decreased from 20 to 0%, and that of insufficiency increased from 6 to 19% (p < 0.001) only in the treated group. The prevalence of low HDL-C also decreased in the treated group only (35.7-5.7%; p < 0.01). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that treated children improved HDL-C levels by 4 mg/dl (R(2): 0.13) adjusted for confounding factors, suggesting that vitamin D supplementation among Indian children improved HDL-C levels.

Objectives: To compare the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors in Indian children from San Antonio de los Cobres (SAC) and children from Buenos Aires (BA), and to examine body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and WC/height as predictors of dyslipidemia in both groups., Study Design: Data were collected cross-sectionally from BMI, WC, blood pressure, Tanner scale, glucose, lipids, and insulin. Dyslipidemia was defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program and American Heart Association., Results: The mean ages were 10.6 ± 3.0 and 9.5 ± 2.0 years in SAC vs BA children. Of the 330 SAC children, 15 (4.5%) were overweight and 12 (3.6%) obese, and of the 603 BA, 97 (16.1%) were overweight and 82 (13.6%) obese per Centers for Disease Control. There was a significantly higher prevalence of high triglycerides (28.8% vs 3.5%) and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (30.0% vs 5.5%) in SAC vs BA children. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve in predicting high triglycerides were BMI = 0.55 (95% CI, 0.48-0.62; P = .15) in SAC and BMI = 0.65 (95% CI, 0.52-0.77; P = .02) in BA children. Similar results from the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve were obtained when low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was used, indicating that BMI was not a significant predictor for dyslipidemia in SAC children. When BMI was replaced by WC and WC/height, results were similar., Conclusions: Anthropometric markers were not an acceptable predictor for National Cholesterol Education Program cutoffs for dyslipidemia in SAC children. Longitudinal studies should determine if SAC children are at high risk for cardiovascular diseases because of genetic background., (Copyright © 2012 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Different studies in adults have shown that obesity is an independent risk factor for end-stage renal disease., Objective: It was to (i) determine the association between albuminuria and age, gender, BMI, waist circumference (WC), and blood pressure (ii) relate albuminuria to gender and age in healthy school children., Methods: Over 1564 students (806 males) aged 9.35 +/- 2.00 yr from 9 elementary schools in Buenos Aires, were examined between April and September 2005. BMI, WC, blood pressure, urinary albumin excretion and albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) were determined., Results: Over 220 (14.1%) children were obese (OB), and 300 (19.2%) overweight (OW) using centers for disease control (CDC) norms. Median ACR and urinary albumin levels were higher in normal weight children than in OW/OB children (p < 0.01). Median values for ACR were higher in girls than in boys (p < 0.001). OW/OB proved to be a protective factor against ACR [OR, 0.77 (95% CI 0.64-0.92)], whereas female gender [OR, 2.72 (95% CI 2.13-3.47)] was associated with a higher ACR adjusted for age systolic and diastolic blood pressure in the multiple logistic regression analysis. Therefore, children with OW/OB had 23% lower odds of having ACR >or= III quartile and girls had more than two and half times the risk of having high ACR., Conclusions: Our results suggest that OW/OB is inversely associated with childhood albuminuria while female gender is positively associated. Whether the results can be explained by the increased physical activity in lean children should be the subject of future investigations. These results suggest that micro-albuminuria in children may not be a useful tool in the early identification of children at risk for future renal and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Objectives: Anthropometric indices have been associated with insulin resistance in children. This study (1) determined the association between insulin resistance and anthropometric indices, including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), WC/height, weight/(sitting height)(2), and WC/sitting height, and (2) compared the abilities of these five indices to identify children with insulin resistance., Methods: Data were collected from six elementary schools in Argentina between April and August 2007. Anthropometric data and Tanner staging were obtained. Fasting serum concentrations of glucose, lipids, and insulin were measured., Results: Six hundred twenty-five children (318 boys) between 6 and 14 years old were examined. The mean age of the children was 9.6 +/- 2.0 years. Ninety-six (15.4%) of the children were obese, 91 (14.6%) were overweight, and 438 (70.1%) were normal weight using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention norms. Sixty percent, 23.0%, 14.0%, and 3.0% were Tanner stage I, II, III, and IV, respectively. The areas under the receiver operator characteristic curves were as follows: WC = 0.78 +/- 0.021 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.74-0.82), BMI = 0.77 +/- 0.022 (95% CI 0.73-0.82), weight/(sitting height)(2) = 0.76 +/- 0.022 (95% CI 0.72-0.81), WC/height = 0.67 +/- 0.027 (95% CI 0.62-0.72), and WC/sitting height = 0.67 +/- 0.27 (95% CI 0.62-0.72), indicating that BMI, WC, and weight/(sitting height)(2) were acceptable predictors for insulin resistance, whereas WC/height and WC/sitting height were fair predictors as the areas under the curve were <0.7., Conclusions: This study suggests that WC and BMI are (and remain) the best correlates for insulin resistance. In contrast, the indices of the ratio between WC and height were fair predictors for insulin resistance. Additional longitudinal studies should be done to further confirm these findings.

Story events are a psychological cause of emotional reactions, which in turn, motivate subsequent actions. This study addresses the degree of specificity of readers' inferences about fictional characters' emotions. In Experiment 1 (off-line), participants read short stories and selected the emotional term that was more consistent with the protagonist's emotion. Results indicated that participants tended to favor the specific emotional word. In Experiment 2 (on-line), reading times were longer when a target sentence described the protagonist in an emotional state that differed in family from the adequate emotional state, but belonged to the same class and valence of emotions, but no differences were found between emotions belonging to the same family. Overall, these results indicate that emotional inferences are more specific than valence and class, but not specific enough to differentiate subtleties within a family of emotions.