Background: Catestatin is a chromogranin A-derived peptide with a wide spectrum of biological activities, such as inhibiting catecholamine release, decreasing blood pressure, stimulating histamine release, reducing beta-adrenergic stimulation, and regulating oxidative stress.Objectives: The aims of our study were to determine serum catestatin concentrations in obese children and adolescents in regard to presence or absence of metabolic syndrome (MS) and to evaluate the possible relations between catestatin levels and other cardiovascular risk factors.Subjects: Ninety-two obese subjects with a body mass index z score > 2, aged 10 to 18 years, and 39 healthy, normal weight controls were enrolled in the study.Methods: Serum catestatin concentrations were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results: Significantly lower serum catestatin concentrations were recorded in the group of obese subjects compared with a control group (10.03 ± 5.05 vs 13.13 ± 6.25 ng/mL, P = 0.004). Further analyses revealed significantly lower catestatin concentrations in the subgroup of obese patients with MS (9.02 ± 4.3 vs 10.54 ± 5.36 vs 13.13 ± 6.25, P = 0.008).Serum catestatin concentrations were significantly negatively correlated with diastolic blood pressure (r = −0.253, P = 0.014), homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (r = −0.215, P = 0.037) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (r = −0.208, P = 0.044). Conclusions:To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to report catestatin concentrations in obese children and adolescents and their possible relations with MS and cardiovascular risk factors in a pediatric population. Obese subjects with MS have lower serum catestatin concentrations than obese subjects without MS and controls. K E Y W O R D Sadolescents, catestatin, children, metabolic syndrome, obesity

Cataract is a rare manifestation of ocular complication at an early phase of T1DM in the pediatric population. The pathophysiological mechanism of early diabetic cataract has not been fully understood; however, there are many theories about the possible etiology including osmotic damage, polyol pathway, and oxidative stress. The prevalence of early diabetic cataract in the population varies between 0.7 and 3.4% of children and adolescents with T1DM. The occurrence of diabetic cataract in most pediatric patients is the first sign of T1DM or occurs within 6 months of diagnosis of T1DM. Today, there are many experimental therapies for the treatment of diabetic cataract, but cataract surgery continues to be a gold standard in the treatment of diabetic cataract. Since the cataract is the leading cause of visual impairment in patients with T1DM, diabetic cataract requires an initial screening as well as continuous surveillance as a measure of prevention and this should be included in the guidelines of pediatric diabetes societies.

As the seventh most common human malignancy, bladder cancer represents a global health problem. In addition to well-recognized risk factors such as smoking and exposure to chemicals, various infectious agents have been implicated as cofactors in the pathogenesis of urothelial malignancies. The aim of the present study was to assess the possible association of viral infection and bladder cancer in Croatian patients. Biopsy specimens were collected from a total of 55 patients diagnosed with different stages of bladder cancer. Initial screening of DNA extracts for the presence of viruses on Lawrence Livermore Microbial Detection Array revealed Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) in each of three randomly chosen biopsy specimens. The prevalence of infection with KSHV among study population was then examined by KSHV-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunoblotting. By nested PCR, KSHV DNA was detected in 55% of patients. KSHV, also known as human herpesvirus 8, is an infectious agent known to cause cancer. Its oncogenic potential is primarily recognized from its role in Kaposi’s sarcoma, but it has also been involved in pathogenesis of two lymphoproliferative disorders. A high prevalence of KSHV infection in our study indicates that KSHV may play a role in tumorigenesis of bladder cancer and warrants further studies.

NF-κB and STAT3 signaling pathways, as main inflammatory mediators, are found to be activated in urothelial bladder carcinoma indicating that chronic inflammatory processes are accompanying development of this tumor type. Future studies will have to determine possible causative role of inflammatory processes in development of urothelial bladder carcinomas.

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