Low grade inflammation in juvenile obesity and type 1 diabetes associated with early signs of atherosclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Subclinical inflammation has been implicated in the initiation and/or progression of atherosclerosis. Diabetes mellitus and obesity are risk factors for atherosclerosis, and asymptomatic low grade inflammation occurs prior to overt vascular lesions in these patients. In contrast to adults, little information exists concerning low grade inflammation in young type 1 diabetes and juvenile obesity. AIM: To investigate low grade inflammation and immune activation in juvenile diabetes mellitus and obesity. METHODS: hs-CRP, soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R), C-peptide, insulin, cortisol, vitamin B12, folic acid, leptin, and homocysteine were determined in 148 patients with juvenile type 1 diabetes, 86 obese children and 142 normal weighted age-matched healthy controls. Intima-media thickness (IMT) and lumen diameter of both common carotid arteries (CCA) was measured by ultrasonography in 52 healthy pediatric controls, 10 diabetics, and 34 obese juveniles. RESULTS: Serum hs-CRP was significantly elevated in patients with type 1 diabetes (p < 0.0001), and obese children (p < 0.0001) as compared to the control group. The obese juveniles (p < 0.0001) and the diabetics (p < 0.0001) showed significantly increased values for IMT of CAAs. Levels of homocysteine, sIL-2R, insulin, cortisol, vitamin B12, and folic acid did not differ from the controls. The elevation of hs-CRP was more pronounced in obesity as compared to type 1 diabetes (p < 0.0001), and the hs-CRP values correlated significantly with body mass index standard deviation score (BMI-SDS) values. Furthermore, the IMT and the luminal diameter of CCAs showed significant correlations with BMI-SDS values. CONCLUSION: A low grade inflammation as determined by serum hs-CRP is significantly increased in children with type 1 diabetes, and even more pronounced in apparently healthy juveniles with obesity. The increased IMT of CCAs strongly argues for an association between this low grade inflammation and early atherosclerotic vessel injury.

[Transcutaneous and laparoscopic laser treatment in extensive retroperitoneal lymphangiomas in childhood]. / Die transkutane und laparoskopische Laseranwendung zur Behandlung ausgedehnter retroperitonealer Lymphangiome im Kindesalter.

Retroperitoneal lymphangiomas are rare congenital vascular malformations. They cannot always be completely excised and are associated with high recurrence, complication and morbidity rates. We therefore utilize an alternative treatment concept in some cases. We excise the cystic types laparoscopically with a Nd: YAG laser (wavelength 1064 nm). Residual tissues are percutaneously managed by interstitial laser therapy under MRI monitoring. The high soft-tissue contrast of the MRI enables exact positioning of the laser fiber. The examination is thermosensitive and provides online and noninvasive demonstration of the interstitial tissue coagulation. We have treated four infants laparoscopically and three other children percutaneously.

[Advantages and limits of primary final correction of congenital abnormalities]. / Vorteile und Grenzen der primären Endversorgung angeborener Fehlbildungen.

Complete correction of malformations in the first hour or days of life has always been the target of pediatric surgeons. The possible halt of palliative operations involving the application of stomata in the trachea, esophagus, stomach, bowels and at the diverting urinary tract is to lighten the situation for parents and neonatologists. Requirements for a definitive primary surgical correction are an accurate diagnosis and careful selection of the child. Criteria include not only age and bodyweight, but also the presence of co-existing malformations, diseases and complications. Thus it is also possible to correct complex malformations primarily in one operation and to withdraw the use of stomata.

[Problems in technical development of laparoscopy and thoracoscopy in infancy]. / Problematik der technischen Entwicklung für die Laparoskopie und Thorakoskopie im Säuglingsalter.

In neonates a new fixation of the trocars must be found since the umbilical ring is large and distensible and the abdominal wall is very thin. The pressure-controlled pneumoperitoneum is maintained by using a special "surgiflator" system which prevents high pressure peaks in the small abdominal cavity of neonates. By using a Nd:YAG laser for transection during coagulation an additional trocar can be dispensed with.

Silymarin retards collagen accumulation in early and advanced biliary fibrosis secondary to complete bile duct obliteration in rats.

Silymarin (SIL), a standardized plant extract containing about 60% polyphenole silibinin, is used as a hepatoprotective agent. Its antifibrotic potential in chronic liver diseases has not been explored. Therefore, we applied SIL to adult Wistar rats that were subjected to complete bile duct occlusion (BDO) by injection of sodium amidotrizoate (Ethibloc). This treatment induces progressive portal fibrosis without significant inflammation. Rats with sham-operation that received SIL at 50 mg/kg/d (n = 10) and rats with BDO alone (n = 20) served as controls, whereas groups of 20 animals were fed SIL at a dose of 25 and 50 mg/kg/d during weeks 1 through 6 or doses of 50 mg/kg/d during weeks 4 through 6 of BDO. Animals were sacrificed after 6 weeks for determination of blood chemistries, total and relative liver collagen (as hydroxyproline [HYP]), and the serum aminoterminal propeptide of procollagen type III (PIIINP). BDO in untreated rats caused an almost ninefold increase in total liver collagen (16.1 +/- 3.1 vs. 1.8 +/- 0.4 mg HYP, P < .001). SIL at 50 mg/kg/d reduced total HYP by 30% to 35%, either when given from week 1 through 6 or from week 4 through 6 after BDO (10.6 +/- 2.7 and 10.2 +/- 3.9 mg HYP, both P < .01 vs. BDO alone), whereas 25 mg/kg/d were ineffective. Because SIL at 50 mg/kg/d also reduced the collagen content per gram of liver tissue, it acted as a true antifibrotic agent. The single value of PIIINP at killing paralleled the antifibrotic activity of SIL with 11.6 +/- 3.8 and 9.9 +/- 3.7 vs. 15.3 +/- 5.2 microg/L in both high-dose groups (P < .05 and P < .01, respectively, vs. rats with BDO alone). Except for a decreased alkaline phosphatase and a lower histological fibrosis score in the groups that received SIL, clinical-chemical parameters were not different among all groups with BDO. We therefore conclude that 1) BDO with Ethibloc is a suitable model to test for pure antifibrotic drugs because it induces progressive rat secondary biliary fibrosis without major inflammation; 2) oral SIL can ameliorate hepatic collagen accumulation even in advanced (biliary) fibrosis; and 3) PIIINP appears to be a suitable serum marker to monitor the inhibition of hepatic fibrogenesis in this model of biliary fibrosis.