Airway to Lung Volume Ratio on CT is Associated with Pulmonary Function Transition from Obstructive to Restrictive Pattern in Obesity

Background: Obesity is associated with excessive airway collapse and reduced lung volume; it is unknown whether it affects airway-lung interactions. We sought to compare the airway tree to lung volume ratio, assessed by CT, in obese individuals with and without ventilation disorders.Methods: Participants underwent inspiratory chest CT and pulmonary function. The percentage ratio of the whole airway tree to lung volume, automatically segmented via deep learning, was defined as CT airway volume percent (AWV%). Total airway count (TAC), airway wall area percent (WA%), and other CT indexes were also measured. Results: We evaluated 88 participants including adolescents(age: 14-18, n= 12) and adults (age: 19-25, n= 17; age: 26-35, n= 39; age> 35, n= 20). Obese adolescents had higher forced vital capacity (FVC) (P = 0.001) and lower AWV% (P = 0.008) than obese adults (age >35). Among obese adults, participants with restrictive disorders had larger AWV% (P < 0.001) and those with obstructive disorders showed smaller AWV% (P < 0.001) compared to participants with normal ventilation. AWV% was positively correlated with age and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)/FVC and adversely related to FVC (P< 0.05 for all), and in multivariate models, AWV% independently predicted FEV1/FVC (R2 = 0.49, P < 0.001) and FVC (R2 = 0.60, P < 0.001).Conclusion: Transitions in lung function patterns between obese adolescents and adults are associated with airway to lung ratios. The obesity-induced disproportion between the airway tree and lung volume may adversely affect and complicate lung ventilation.

Identification of biomarkers related to metabolically unhealthy obesity in Korean obese adolescents: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundObesity is classified as metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO) and metabolically healthy obesity (MHO). The current study aimed to screen for relationships and different potential metabolic biomarkers involved between MHO and MUO in adolescents.MethodsThe study included 148 obese adolescents aged between 14 and 16. The study participants were divided into MUO and MHO groups based on the age-specific adolescent metabolic syndrome (MetS) criteria of the International Diabetes Federation. The current study was conducted to investigate the clinical and metabolic differences (AbsoluteIDQ™ p180 kit) between adolescents in the MHO group and those in the MUO group. Multivariate analyses were conducted to investigate the metabolites as independent predictors for the odds ratio and the presence of the MetS in adolescents.ResultsThere were significant differences in the 3 acylcarnitines, 5 amino acids, glutamine/glutamate ratio, 3 biogenic amines, and 2 glycerophospholipids between the obese adolescents in the MUO group and those in the MHO group. Moreover, several metabolites were associated with the prevalence of MUO in adolescents. Additionally, several metabolites were inversely correlated with MHO in adolescents of the MUO group.ConclusionsWe observed that histidine, lysine, PCaaC34:1, and several clinical factors in adolescents of the MUO group were reverse correlated with the results in adolescents of the MHO group. In addition, the triglyceride-glucose index was related to MUO in adolescents, compared with the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance. Thus, the biomarkers found in this study have a potential to reflect the clinical outcomes of MUO in adolescents. These biomarkers will lead to a better understanding of MetS in obese adolescents.

Associations of clinical features of functional bowel disorders with gut microbiota characteristics in adolescents: A pilot study

Background. Obesity is a multifactorial disease that is one of the important public health problems in the 21st century. Functional bowel disorders in obese children and adolescents are one of the most common pathologies of the digestive tract. The aim: to characterize the bacteriological composition of the colon microbiota in obese adolescents and identify its associations with the clinical manifestations of functional bowel disorders.Materials and methods. The study included 20 adolescents aged 11–17 years. Stool consistency was assessed using the Bristol Stool Scale. The study of biological material was carried out using standard bacteriological methods. To assess the strength of the relationship between the nominal variables, Cramer’s V test was used.Results. It has been shown that in adolescents with obesity and functional bowel disorders, there is a decrease in the number of representatives of bifidoflora, an increase in the microbial density of Escherichia coli with altered enzymatic properties and an excessive growth of potentially pathogenic enterobacteria. In obese adolescents with functional bowel disorders, abdominal pain associated with the act of defecation is associated with the presence of enterobacteria and E. coli with altered enzymatic properties. Rare bowel movements are associated with an increased abundance of Enterococcus spp. and the presence of opportunistic Enterobacteriaceae microorganisms. Frequent bowel movements are associated with the presence of E. coli with altered enzymatic properties and Clostridium spp. In the presence of loose stool, Clostridium spp. is present; unstable stool (alternation of hard and liquid stools in one patient) is associated with a decrease in the number of lactobacilli and E. coli with normal enzymatic properties, the appearance of E. coli with altered enzymatic properties, opportunistic microorganisms of Enterobacteriaceae family and Clostridium spp. Conclusion. The relationship between the clinical symptoms of functional bowel disorders and changes in the composition of the gut microbiota in obese adolescents may be a justification for conducting in-depth studies aimed at finding early predictors of functional bowel diseases associated with obesity in the adult cohort.

Assessment of Serum Spexin Levels In Obese Adolescents with Metabolic Syndrome Antecedents: Preliminary Results

Objective: Spexin (SPX) is a novel peptide implicated in food intake and satiety. Spexin levels are reduced in obese patients. Aim: To compare serum SPX levels in obese adolescents versus healthy controls and to assess the associations of metabolic syndrome (metS) antecedents with serum SPX levels. Methods: Eighty consecutive obese adolescents aged 10-18 years and 80 healthy peers were enrolled. Anthropometric measurements, pubertal examinations and clinical blood pressure measurements were performed. Fasting blood samples were drawn for glucose, insulin, lipids, uric acid, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and SPX. Metabolic syndrome (metS) was diagnosed using International Diabetes Federation criteria. Associations of serum SPX with clinical and laboratory variables were assessed. Results: Obese adolescents had lower serum SPX levels than healthy peers (50 pg/mL [25%-75% IQR: 25-98 pg/mL] and 67.0 pg/mL [25%-75% IQR:32.5-126.0 pg/mL; respectively], p =0.035). Twenty (25 %) obese adolescents were diagnosed as having metS. Obese adolescents with metS had lower SPX than those without metS (24.5 pg/mL [25%-75% IQR: 15.3-49.5 pg/mL] and 69.0 pg/mL [25%-75% IQR: 42.0-142.0 pg/mL]; respectively p<0.0001). The frequencies of hyperuricemia, IR and elevated ALT were similar in obese adolescents with metS and those without metS (p > 0.05 for all). Serum uric acid levels were correlated significantly with serum SPX after correcting for BMI and HOMA-IR (r =-0.41, p<0.05). A serum SPX level at a cut -off level of 49.5 pg/mL predicted the presence of metS in obese adolecents with 75 % sensitivity and 71 % specifity. Conclusions: Obese adolescents have reduced SPX levels, and this reduction is more pronounced in those with metS. Further research is needed to verify the utility of SPX as a biomarker in the diagnosis of metS in obese adolescents.

The Effects of Different Exercise Modalities in the Treatment of Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Obese Adolescents with Sedentary Behavior—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Purpose: Obesity has become increasingly prevalent in adolescents due to unhealthy diet habits, sedentary behavior and a lack of physical activities. This study aims to assess the effects of different exercise modalities in the treatment of cardiometabolic risk factors (CRF) in obese adolescents with sedentary behavior. Methods: A systematic search was conducted using databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library, Web of Science, CNKI and VIP database) from the earliest available date to August 2021. Nineteen randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 704 participants were included. The included studies were evaluated for methodological quality by the Cochrane bias risk assessment tool, and a statistical analysis was performed by the Review Manage 5.3 and Stata 15.1 software. Results: The results of the meta-analysis showed that exercise could significantly improve obese adolescents’ body mass index (BMI) (MD = −1.99, 95% CI: −2.81 to −1.17, p < 0.00001), low density liptein cholesterol (LDL-C) (SMD = −0.98, 95% CI: −1.58 to −0.37, p = 0.002), triglyceride (TG) (SMD = −0.93, 95% CI: −1.72 to −0.14, p = 0.02), total cholesterol (TC) (SMD = −1.00, 95% CI: −1.73 to −0.26, p = 0.008), peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) (MD = 3.27, 95% CI: 1.52 to 5.02, p = 0.0003) and homeostatic model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (SMD = −2.07, 95% CI: −3.3 to −0.84, p = 0.001). However, there was no statistically significant difference in high-density liptein cholesterol (HDL-C) (SMD = 0.40, 95% CI: −0.28 to 1.08, p = 0.25). Conclusion: Exercise can effectively improve cardiometabolic risk factors in obese adolescents with sedentary behavior. For obese adolescents who want to lose weight and improve cardiorespiratory fitness, combined aerobic and resistance training and high-intensity interval training are optimal choices. For obese adolescents with high blood lipids, aerobic training can be regarded as a primary exercise modality to reduce the high risk of cardiovascular diseases; For obese adolescents with insulin resistance, combined aerobic and resistance training can be considered to reduce the high risk of diabetes. It is hoped that more high-quality studies will further expand the meta-analysis results and demonstrate the optimal exercise frequency and treatment intensity of cardiometabolic risk factors in obese adolescents with sedentary behavior in the future.