Analytical methods
Stored serum aliquots were used to determine the lipid profile and cytokines. TGs, total cholesterol, and HDL-C were measured by the enzymatic colorimetric method (SPIN 120 automatic analyzer, Shenzhen, Mindray) with commercially available kits. TGs levels were considered acceptable <75/<90 mg/dL, borderline 75-99/90-129 mg/dL, and high ≥100/≥130 mg/dL for children aged < 10 and ≥ 10 respectively. HDL-C levels were considered low at <40 mg/dL (Inflammatory markers such as IL-6 and TNF-α were determined in duplicate using high-sensitivity enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits, according to the manufacturer’s instructions (R&D Systems, INC., Minneapolis, MN, USA and DSL UK Ltd., Oxon, UK). All assays were carried out in duplicate; coefficients of variation were 8% for ELISAs.