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The World Allergy Organization Journal May 2024Real-world data on the range and impact of comorbid health conditions that affect pediatric asthma are scant, especially from developing countries. Lack of data hinders... (Review)
Review
Real-world data on the range and impact of comorbid health conditions that affect pediatric asthma are scant, especially from developing countries. Lack of data hinders effective diagnosis, treatment, and overall management of these complex cases. We, hereby, describe the common pediatric asthma comorbid conditions in terms of evidence for association, potential mechanisms of impact on asthma control, and treatment benefit. Obesity, upper airway allergies, dysfunctional breathing, multiple sensitizations, depressive disorders, food allergy, and gastro-esophageal reflux are common associations with difficult-to-treat asthma. On the other hand, asthma symptoms and/or management may negatively impact the well-being of children through drug adverse effects, worsening of anaphylaxis symptoms, and disturbing mental health. Awareness of these ailments may be crucial for designing the optimum care for each asthmatic child individually and may ultimately improve the quality of life of patients and their families. A multidisciplinary team of physicians is required to identify and manage such comorbidities aiming to mitigate the over-use of asthma pharmacotherapy. Asthma research should target relevant real-world difficulties encountered at clinical practice and focus on interventions that would mitigate the impact of such comorbidities. Finally, policymakers and global healthcare organizations are urged to recognize pediatric asthma control as a healthcare priority and allocate resources for research and clinical interventions. In other words, global asthma control needs support by compassionate scientific partnership.
PubMed: 38827329
DOI: 10.1016/j.waojou.2024.100909 -
Frontiers in Genetics 2024Gene variants in the gene are strongly associated with circulating bilirubin levels in several populations, as well as other variants of modest effect across the...
Gene variants in the gene are strongly associated with circulating bilirubin levels in several populations, as well as other variants of modest effect across the genome. However, the effects of such variants are unknown regarding the Native American ancestry of the admixed Latino population. Our objective was to assess the Native American genetic determinants of serum bilirubin in Chilean admixed adolescents using the local ancestry deconvolution approach. We measured total serum bilirubin levels in 707 adolescents of the Chilean Growth and Obesity Cohort Study (GOCS) and performed high-density genotyping using the Illumina-MEGA array (>1.7 million genotypes). We constructed a local ancestry reference panel with participants from the 1000 Genomes Project, the Human Genome Diversity Project, and our GOCS cohort. Then, we inferred and isolated haplotype tracts of Native American, European, or African origin to perform genome-wide association studies. In the whole cohort, the rs887829 variant and others near were the unique signals achieving genome-wide statistical significance (b = 0.30; = 3.34 × 10). After applying deconvolution methods, we found that significance is also maintained in Native American (b = 0.35; = 3.29 × 10) and European (b = 0.28; = 1.14 × 10) ancestry components. The rs887829 variant explained a higher percentage of the variance of bilirubin in the Native American (37.6%) compared to European ancestry (28.4%). In Native American ancestry, carriers of the TT genotype of this variant averaged 4-fold higher bilirubinemia compared to the CC genotype ( = 2.82 × 10). We showed for the first time that variants are the primary determinant of bilirubin levels in Native American ancestry, confirming its pan-ethnic relevance. Our study illustrates the general value of the local ancestry deconvolution approach to assessing isolated ancestry effects in admixed populations.
PubMed: 38826804
DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2024.1382103 -
Scientific Reports May 2024Sociodemographic and lifestyle factors (sleep, physical activity, and sedentary behavior) may predict obesity risk in early adolescence; a critical period during the...
Sociodemographic and lifestyle factors (sleep, physical activity, and sedentary behavior) may predict obesity risk in early adolescence; a critical period during the life course. Analyzing data from 2971 participants (M = 11.94, SD = 0.64 years) wearing Fitbit Charge HR 2 devices in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, glass box machine learning models identified obesity predictors from Fitbit-derived measures of sleep, cardiovascular fitness, and sociodemographic status. Key predictors of obesity include identifying as Non-White race, low household income, later bedtime, short sleep duration, variable sleep timing, low daily step counts, and high heart rates (AUC = 0.726). Findings highlight the importance of inadequate sleep, physical inactivity, and socioeconomic disparities, for obesity risk. Results also show the clinical applicability of wearables for continuous monitoring of sleep and cardiovascular fitness in adolescents. Identifying the tipping points in the predictors of obesity risk can inform interventions and treatment strategies to reduce obesity rates in adolescents.
Topics: Humans; Machine Learning; Adolescent; Female; Male; Pediatric Obesity; Child; Sleep; Exercise; Risk Factors; Sedentary Behavior; Cardiorespiratory Fitness
PubMed: 38821981
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-60811-2 -
Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice Jun 2024This review aims to identify and report epidemiological associations between modifiable lifestyle risk factors for overweight or obesity in children and adolescents with... (Review)
Review
This review aims to identify and report epidemiological associations between modifiable lifestyle risk factors for overweight or obesity in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D). A systematic literature search of medical databases from 1990 to 2023 was undertaken. Inclusion criteria were observational studies reporting on associations between dietary factors, disordered eating, physical activity, sedentary and sleep behaviours and measures of adiposity in children and adolescents (<18 years) with T1D. Thirty-seven studies met inclusion criteria. Studies were mostly cross-sectional (89 %), and 13 studies included adolescents up to 19 years which were included in this analysis. In adolescents with T1D, higher adiposity was positively associated with disordered eating behaviours (DEB) and a higher than recommended total fat and lower carbohydrate intake. A small amount of evidence suggested a positive association with skipping meals, and negative associations with diet quality and sleep stage. There were no published associations between overweight and physical activity, sedentary behaviours and eating disorders. Overall, the findings infer relationships between DEB, fat and carbohydrate intake and adiposity outcomes in people with T1D. Prospective studies are needed to determine causal relationships and to investigate sleep stages. High quality studies objectively measuring physical activity and include body composition outcomes are needed.
Topics: Humans; Adolescent; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1; Child; Risk Factors; Life Style; Exercise; Pediatric Obesity; Overweight; Feeding Behavior; Sedentary Behavior; Female
PubMed: 38821415
DOI: 10.1016/j.diabres.2024.111724 -
JMIR Public Health and Surveillance May 2024Childhood obesity is a significant public health problem representing the most severe challenge in the world. Antibiotic exposure in early life has been identified as a...
BACKGROUND
Childhood obesity is a significant public health problem representing the most severe challenge in the world. Antibiotic exposure in early life has been identified as a potential factor that can disrupt the development of the gut microbiome, which may have implications for obesity.
OBJECTIVE
This study aims to evaluate the risk of developing obesity among children exposed to antibiotics early in life.
METHODS
An Italian retrospective pediatric population-based cohort study of children born between 2004 and 2018 was adopted using the Pedianet database. Children were required to be born at term, with normal weight, and without genetic diseases or congenital anomalies. We assessed the timing of the first antibiotic prescription from birth to 6, 12, and 24 months of life and the dose-response relationship via the number of antibiotic prescriptions recorded in the first year of life (none, 1, 2, and ≥3 prescriptions). Obesity was defined as a BMI z score >3 for children aged ≤5 years and >2 for children aged >5 years, using the World Health Organization growth references. The obese incidence rate (IR) × 100 person-years and the relative 95% CI were computed using infant sex, area of residence, preschool and school age, and area deprivation index, which are the covariates of interest. A mixed-effect Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the hazard ratio and 95% CI for the association between antibiotic exposure in early life and child obesity between 24 months and 14 years of age, considering the family pediatricians as a random factor. Several subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the robustness of our results.
RESULTS
Among 121,540 children identified, 54,698 were prescribed at least an antibiotic within the first year of life and 26,990 were classified as obese during follow-up with an incidence rate of 4.05 cases (95% CI 4.01-4.10) × 100 person-year. The risk of obesity remained consistent across different timings of antibiotic prescriptions at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years (fully adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.07, 95% CI 1.04-1.10; aHR 1.06, 95% CI 1.03-1.09; and aHR 1.07, 95% CI 1.04-1.10, respectively). Increasing the number of antibiotic exposures increases the risk of obesity significantly (P trend<.001). The individual-specific age analysis showed that starting antibiotic therapy very early (between 0 and 5 months) had the greatest impact (aHR 1.12, 95% CI 1.08-1.17) on childhood obesity with respect to what was observed among those who were first prescribed antibiotics after the fifth month of life. These results were consistent across subgroup and sensitivity analyses.
CONCLUSIONS
The results from this large population-based study support the association between early exposure to antibiotics and an increased risk of childhood obesity. This association becomes progressively stronger with both increasing numbers of antibiotic prescriptions and younger age at the time of the first prescription.
Topics: Humans; Italy; Pediatric Obesity; Female; Male; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Child, Preschool; Infant; Retrospective Studies; Child; Infant, Newborn; Cohort Studies; Risk Factors
PubMed: 38820573
DOI: 10.2196/51734 -
PloS One 2024Childhood and adolescent obesity are major, preventable public health concerns. Studies to date are inconclusive regarding an association between caesarean section (CS)...
BACKGROUND
Childhood and adolescent obesity are major, preventable public health concerns. Studies to date are inconclusive regarding an association between caesarean section (CS) delivery and offspring obesity, with fewer studies conducted in late adolescence. This study examined the association between CS delivery, with a specific focus on planned CS, and induction of labour and adolescent body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage (BF%) at age 17 years.
METHODS
Data on 8,880 mother-child pairs from the United Kingdom Millennium Cohort Study were analysed. The exposures were mode of delivery (normal vaginal delivery (VD) (reference), assisted VD, planned CS and emergency CS) and mode of delivery by induction of labour status. Crude and adjusted binary logistic regression and linear regression models were fitted examining BMI and BF% at age 17 years respectively, adjusting for several potential confounders.
RESULTS
Adolescents born by CS did not have an elevated BMI or BF% compared to those born by normal VD. The fully adjusted results for overweight and obesity in children born by planned CS, compared to VD, were 1.05 (95% CI: 0.86-1.28) and 0.94 (95% CI: 0.72-1.23), respectively. The results were similar for the associations between CS and BF%, and between induction of labour and BMI.
CONCLUSION
Overall, this large longitudinal study did not support an association between CS or induction of labour and overweight, obesity or BF%. It is possible that previously reported associations are due to residual or unmeasured confounding and/or underlying indications for CS delivery.
Topics: Humans; Cesarean Section; Female; United Kingdom; Adolescent; Longitudinal Studies; Body Mass Index; Male; Pregnancy; Obesity; Pediatric Obesity; Adult; Labor, Induced
PubMed: 38820521
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301684 -
Journal of Sports Sciences Apr 2024We assessed whether changes in children's body mass index (BMI), physical fitness and health-related quality of life observed post-2020 United Kingdom COVID-19 lockdown...
We assessed whether changes in children's body mass index (BMI), physical fitness and health-related quality of life observed post-2020 United Kingdom COVID-19 lockdown remained 12 and 18 months later. Twenty-metre shuttle run test (20mSRT), handgrip strength, standing broad jump, sit-and-reach, height, body mass, and health-related quality of life (Kidscreen27 questionnaire) were measured in 90 children (8-9 years) during October 2019 ("T0"), November 2020 ("T1"), November 2021 ("T2") and June 2022 ("T3"). Mixed-effects models showed age- and sex-normalised BMI increased from T0 (mean: 0.71) to T1 (0.97), remaining elevated at T2 (0.95) and T3 (0.89). Decreases in 20mSRT performance were observed from T0 (22.0) to T1 (19.3), then increased at T2 (23.5) and T3 (28.3). Standing broad jump and handgrip strength increased over time. The proportion of children with overweight/obesity increased from T0 (32%) to T3 (48%). Health-related quality of life decreased for "Physical Wellbeing" yet increased for "Autonomy & Parents". Our findings highlight that lockdowns may have had lasting implications for children's health, and the urgent need to reduce overweight and obesity in North East England. Improving health and fitness behaviours to maximise long-term health outcomes and build resilience to future emergencies and disruptions to health behaviours is also paramount.
Topics: Humans; Child; COVID-19; Quality of Life; Male; Female; Body Mass Index; Physical Fitness; England; Hand Strength; SARS-CoV-2; Pediatric Obesity; Pandemics
PubMed: 38819118
DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2024.2359259 -
Frontiers in Endocrinology 2024Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is often associated with metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). MAFLD has been associated with altered hepatic function,... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
INTRODUCTION
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is often associated with metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). MAFLD has been associated with altered hepatic function, systemic dysmetabolism, and abnormal circulating levels of signaling molecules called organokines. Here, we assessed the effects of two randomized treatments on a set of organokines in adolescent girls with PCOS and without obesity, and report the associations with circulating biomarkers of liver damage, which were assessed longitudinally in the aforementioned studies as safety markers.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Liver enzymes [aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT)] were assessed as safety markers in previous randomized pilot studies comparing the effects of an oral contraceptive (OC) with those of a low-dose combination of spironolactone-pioglitazone-metformin (spiomet) for 1 year. As a endpoint, the organokines fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF21), diazepam-binding protein-1 (DBI), and meteorin-like protein (METRNL) were assessed by ELISA after 6 months of OC (N = 26) or spiomet (N = 28). Auxological, endocrine-metabolic, body composition (using DXA), and abdominal fat partitioning (using MRI) were also evaluated. Healthy, age-matched adolescent girls (N = 17) served as controls.
RESULTS
Circulating ALT and GGT levels increased during OC treatment and returned to baseline concentrations in the post-treatment phase; in contrast, spiomet treatment elicited no detectable changes in ALT and GGT concentrations. In relation to organokines after 6 months of treatment, (1) FGF21 levels were significantly higher in PCOS adolescents than in control girls; (2) DBI levels were lower in OC-treated girls than in controls and spiomet-treated girls; and (3) no differences were observed in METRNL concentrations between PCOS girls and controls. Serum ALT and GGT levels were directly correlated with circulating METRNL levels only in OC-treated girls (R = 0.449, P = 0.036 and R = 0.552, P = 0.004, respectively).
CONCLUSION
The on-treatment increase in ALT and GGT levels occurring only in OC-treated girls is associated with circulating METRNL levels, suggesting enhanced METRNL synthesis as a reaction to the hepatic changes elicited by OC treatment.
CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION
https://doi.org, identifiers 10.1186/ISRCTN29234515, 10.1186/ISRCTN11062950.
Topics: Humans; Female; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome; Adolescent; Metformin; Fibroblast Growth Factors; Liver; Alanine Transaminase; Pioglitazone; Biomarkers; Spironolactone; Aspartate Aminotransferases; gamma-Glutamyltransferase; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Contraceptives, Oral; Hypoglycemic Agents
PubMed: 38818508
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1325230 -
Frontiers in Endocrinology 2024X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) is caused by an inactivating mutation in the phosphate-regulating endopeptidase X-linked () gene whose defective product fails to control... (Observational Study)
Observational Study
INTRODUCTION
X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) is caused by an inactivating mutation in the phosphate-regulating endopeptidase X-linked () gene whose defective product fails to control phosphatonin fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) serum levels. Although elevated FGF23 levels have been linked with detrimental cardiac effects, the cardiologic outcomes in XLH patients have been subject to debate. Our study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and severity of cardiovascular morbidity in pediatric XLH patients before, during, and after a 2-year treatment period with burosumab, a recombinant anti-FGF23 antibody.
METHODS
This prospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary medical center, and included 13 individuals with XLH (age range 0.6-16.2 years) who received burosumab every 2 weeks. Clinical assessment at treatment initiation and after .5, 1, and 2 years of uninterrupted treatment included anthropometric measurements and cardiologic evaluations (blood pressure [BP], electrocardiogram, conventional echocardiography, and myocardial strain imaging).
RESULTS
The linear growth of all patients improved significantly (mean height z-score: from -1.70 ± 0.80 to -0.96 ± 1.08, =0.03). Other favorable effects were decline in overweight/obesity rates (from 46.2% to 23.1%) and decreased rates of elevated BP (systolic BP from 38.5% to 15.4%; diastolic BP from 38.5% to 23.1%). Electrocardiograms revealed no significant abnormality throughout the study period. Cardiac dimensions and myocardial strain parameters were within the normative range for age at baseline and remained unchanged during the study period.
CONCLUSION
Cardiologic evaluations provided reassurance that 2 years of burosumab therapy did not cause cardiac morbidity. The beneficial effect of this treatment was a reduction in cardiovascular risk factors, as evidenced by the lower prevalence of both overweight/obesity and elevated BP.
Topics: Humans; Child; Adolescent; Male; Familial Hypophosphatemic Rickets; Fibroblast Growth Factor-23; Child, Preschool; Prospective Studies; Infant; Female; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; Cardiovascular Diseases; Follow-Up Studies; Fibroblast Growth Factors
PubMed: 38818505
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1400273 -
Journal of Obesity 2024Weight loss and lifestyle interventions are the mainstay of treatment in pediatric NAFLD. There are gaps in the literature on the objective improvement in BMI to...
BACKGROUND
Weight loss and lifestyle interventions are the mainstay of treatment in pediatric NAFLD. There are gaps in the literature on the objective improvement in BMI to meaningfully impact NAFLD in children.
AIM
To determine the decrease in BMI associated with a significant decline in ALT and other metabolic parameters.
METHODS
Retrospective chart review of pediatric patients with the diagnosis of NAFLD. Data were collected at the baseline and 6 and 12 months. A linear regression model was used to assess the percent change in BMI predictive of change in ALT and other metabolic parameters.
RESULTS
281 charts were included. 71% of patients who had up to a 2.5% loss in BMI at 6 months had a decrease in ALT of up to 10 U/L compared to 43% patients who did not have a decrease in BMI up to 2.5% loss at the same time period (=0.01). The linear regression model showed that 6-month and 12-month percent changes in BMI are predictive of 6-month and 12-month ALT changes (=0.01 and 0.02), respectively. ALT normalization was achieved on 12% of patients with a ≥2.5% decrease in BMI at 6 months compared to 1% of patients that had no decrease of ≥2.5% decrease in BMI at 6 months (=0.01). The mean BMI -score decline was 0.18 (=0.001) in the group with a ≥2.5% decrease in BMI at 6 months.
CONCLUSIONS
BMI loss of up to 2.5% and the mean BMI Z-score 0.18 are associated with a significant decrease in ALT of up to 10 U/L. BMI percent change at 6 months and 12 months is predictive of changes in ALT. These results should help guide providers in clinical practice set objective goals for the management of children with NAFLD resulting from obesity.
Topics: Humans; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Male; Female; Body Mass Index; Retrospective Studies; Child; Weight Loss; Adolescent; Alanine Transaminase; Pediatric Obesity
PubMed: 38817395
DOI: 10.1155/2024/6997280