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(Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2006;26:e40.)
© 2006 American Heart Association, Inc.

Letters to the Editor

Platelet-Activating Factor Acetylhydrolase Concentration in Children With Abdominal Obesity

Tomoo Okada; Michio Miyashita; Yuki Kuromori; Fujihiko Iwata; Kensuke Harada

Department of Pediatrics, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

Hiroaki Hattori

Department of Advanced Medical Technology and Development, BMI, Inc, Saitama, Japan

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

To the Editor:

In human obesity, increased oxidant stress is an important factor in the development of atherosclerosis.¹ Oxidation of the lipid components of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is causative, because oxidized LDL contributes to many of the stages of progression of atherosclerosis. In particular, small dense LDL particle, which is frequently associated with abdominal obesity,² is susceptible to oxidative modulation. Even in obese children, oxidative stress including oxidized LDL formation is increased.^3,4

Platelet activating factor acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH) is a Ca²⁺-independent phospholipase A₂ that catalyzes the conversion of platelet activating factor (PAF) to lyso-PAF. Another physiological function of plasma PAF-AH is to degrade oxidized phospholipids, which are formed during the oxidative modification of lipoproteins. Therefore, PAF-AH may play a significant role in atherogenesis as an antioxidant. We measured PAF-AH concentration in children with abdominal obesity and investigated its relationship with anthropometric and metabolic parameters.

The subjects were 17 obese children (10 male, 7 female) aged 11.9±0.7 years (mean±SE) who presented to our outpatient clinic with obesity. Obesity was defined as a relative body weight >120%, which was calculated according to the standard weight obtained for sex, age, and height on the basis of data from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Culture.⁵ Skinfolds were measured at triceps and subscapular regions using a skinfold caliper. Waist circumference was measured at the umbilical level. Blood samples were collected in the morning after a 12-hour fast. Serum total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC), and triglyceride (TG) levels were determined by standard . . . [Full Text of this Article]