title: Assessment of serum visfatin levels in girls with anorexia nervosa.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Visfatin (VISF) is a recently described peptide regulating the process of adipocyte differentiation. Only one pilot study of VISF expression in the fat tissue and its circulating concentrations in a small group of patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) have been published, yet.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional assessment of VISF serum concentrations in 195 girls aged 11-18·9 years with AN (n = 87), eating disorders not otherwise specified (NOS; n = 17), simple obesity (OB; n = 30), and healthy controls (H; n = 61).
  
  
  METHODS
  Blood samples were collected during the fasting state between 7:00 am-8:30 am. VISF serum concentrations were determined using enzyme immunoassay. Comparisons of VISF levels between groups were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean serum VISF concentrations in girls with AN and NOS were significantly lower than those in the H and OB groups. Serum VISF concentrations were higher in the OB than in the H groups. When were calculated per body mass index (BMI), VISF concentrations were significantly lower in the AN, NOS, and OB groups than in healthy controls. Among participants with a normal BMI, serum VISF concentrations correlated positively with BMI (r = 0·27; P < 0·05). In the OB group, a significant, negative correlation between BMI and VISF levels (r = -0·38; P = 0·04) was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared with healthy girls, serum VISF concentrations are decreased in girls with AN. Conversely, obese girls have elevated VISF levels. When calculated per BMI (VISF/BMI), the results in AN and OB groups were lower than in healthy participants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Zabrze, Poland.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ziora
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oświęcimska
authors.forename: Elżbieta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Swiętochowska
authors.forename: Dariusz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ziora
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stojewska
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suwała
authors.forename: Zofia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ostrowska
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gorczyca
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Klimacka-Nawrot
authors.forename: Witold
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lukas
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Błońska-Fajfrowska
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000097:blood*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D054409:Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase / Q000097:blood*; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D054409:Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase