Search

Introduction: Hudda-Index is a prediction model for fat mass (FM) based on simple anthropometric measures. FM is a crucial factor in the development of comorbidities, i.e., type 2 diabetes. Hence, Hudda-Index is a promising tool to facilitate the identification of children at risk for metabolic comorbidities. It has been validated against deuterium dilution assessments; however, independent validation against the gold standard for body composition analysis, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), is lacking. The aim of this study was to validate FM calculated by Hudda-Index against FM measured by MRI. The secondary aim was to compare Hudda-Index to other anthropometric measures including body mass index (BMI), BMI-standard deviation score (BMI-SDS), waist/hip-ratio, waist circumference (WC), and skinfold thickness., Methods: The study cohort consists of 115 individuals between the age of 9 and 15 years, recruited at Paracelsus Medical University Hospital in Salzburg (Austria) and Uppsala University Children's Hospital (Sweden). Anthropometry, blood samples, and oral glucose tolerance tests followed standard procedures. MRI examinations were performed to determine visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue., Results: BMI and WC showed slightly stronger associations with the reference standard VAT (r = 0.72 and 0.70, p < 0.01, respectively) than Hudda-Index (r = 0.67, p < 0.01). There is an almost perfect linear association between BMI and Hudda-Index. Accordingly, BMI and Hudda-Index both showed an acceptable association with cardiometabolic parameters. VAT was strongly associated with markers of liver status (LFF r = 0.59, p < 0.01) and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR r = 0.71, p < 0.01) and predicted metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease., Conclusion: BMI, although an imperfect measure, remains the most reliable tool and estimates cardiometabolic risk more reliably than other anthropometry-based measures., (© 2024 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Introduction: Health systems are confronted with not only the growing worldwide childhood obesity epidemic but also associated comorbidities. These subsequently cause variations in distinct metabolic pathways, leading to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). The aim of this evidence map is to systematically evaluate the evidence and to identify research gaps on glucagon-induced amino acid (AA) turnover and its metabolic interaction with MASLD., Methodology: A systematic literature search was conducted up to April 2023 in three electronic databases. Studies were required to include at least two of the main research areas, glucagon, AA metabolism and MASLD. Two independent reviewers screened titles and abstracts according to prespecified eligibility criteria, as well as full-text articles. Results are summarized in tables stratified by human and animal studies and study population age., Results: Thirty-four references were ultimately included. The publication years dated back to 1965 showed a great increase from 2012 to 2023. In total, there were 19 animal studies and 15 human studies. Among the human studies, except for two studies in adolescents, all the studies were conducted in adults. In human studies, the methods used to evaluate metabolic changes differed among hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp and oral glucose tolerance tests. Thirteen studies focused on the metabolic effects of MASLD, while only two studies explored the interaction between MASLD, glucagon and AA metabolism in humans. The other 19 studies focused on metabolomics, beta cell function or just one topic of a research area and not on interactions between one another., Conclusion: Research on the interaction between MASLD, glucagon and AA metabolism in humans is sparse and complete lacking in pediatrics. Furthermore, longitudinal studies with a focus on hyperglucagonemia independent of diabetes but related to MASLD present an unambiguous research gap.

Background: Paediatric obesity is a global public health concern. While in most countries the incidence keeps rising, the need for effective and long-term management for children and adolescents living with this chronic, relapsing disease is pressing. Health behaviour and lifestyle treatment (HBLT) is recommended as first-line treatment., Methods: Narrative review., Results: A new generation of recently approved anti-obesity medications (AOM) now has the potential to fill the gap between limited effects on body mass index (BMI) by HBLT alone and large effects by metabolic and bariatric surgery in adolescents with obesity aged 12 years and older. While, for semaglutide and phentermine/topiramate, effectiveness is substantial with relevant, but mostly mild to moderate adverse events, there is a gap in evidence regarding long-term effects and safety, effects on outcomes beyond BMI reduction and data for certain groups of patients, such as children < 12 years and minority groups. When integrating AOM treatment into national healthcare systems it should be offered as part of a comprehensive patient-centred approach., Conclusion: This article summarizes recent AOM developments, integration into paediatric obesity management, and identifies research gaps., (© 2024 The Author(s). Clinical Endocrinology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Introduction: As part of the development of an agreed minimum set of outcomes or Core Outcome Set (COS) for future nutritional intervention trials in older adults with malnutrition or at risk of malnutrition, this work reports on the Delphi surveys and final consensus., Methods: Outcomes from a scoping review were incorporated into a two-round Delphi survey. Researchers and healthcare professionals experienced in malnutrition in older adults were invited to take part in an online survey to rate 38 selected outcomes on a nine-point Likert scale ranging from 'not important' to 'critical' for their setting (community, hospital, or long-term care). Consensus for inclusion was reached when ≥75% (or ≥60% if a patient-reported outcome) of the participants scored the outcome as 'critical' and <15% as 'not important'. Resulting outcomes were voted for inclusion or exclusion in the COS in a final online consensus meeting., Results: Ninety-three and 72 participants from diverse professional backgrounds and countries participated in the 1st and 2nd Delphi round, respectively. After both rounds eleven outcomes met the inclusion criteria, largely irrespective of setting. Fifteen participants, representing academia, health care, health policy, industry, and PPI, voted in a final online consensus meeting resulting in ten outcomes: malnutrition status, dietary intake, appetite, body weight or BMI, muscle strength, muscle mass, functional performance, functional limitations, quality of life, and acceptability of the intervention., Conclusions: Ten outcomes will form the COS which is intended to be used by the scientific community in all future nutritional intervention studies for older adults with malnutrition or at risk of malnutrition. The subsequent phase will establish the appropriate methods to measure these outcomes., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background and Purpose: Residual symptoms after treatment of Lyme disease, sometimes called post-treatment Lyme disease symptoms (PTLDs), are a matter of ongoing controversy. To guide treatment recommendations, a systematic review was performed of the available literature on specific treatment for PTLDs., Methods: A systematic literature search of MEDLINE and CENTRAL was performed. No restrictions on case definitions, study types or specific interventions were applied to enable a comprehensive overview of the available literature. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tools for randomized controlled trials. Certainty of the evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. Outcomes of interest were quality of life, fatigue, depression and cognition as well as adverse events., Results: After screening 1274 records, eight eligible randomized controlled trials were included. Heterogeneity was observed regarding inclusion criteria, intervention, length of treatment and outcome measures. For efficacy outcomes, results are presented narratively due to heterogeneity. Eligible studies show no statistically significant difference between antibiotics and placebo regarding quality of life, cognition and depression. Results for fatigue were inconsistent whilst studies with low risk of bias showed no statistically significant difference between antibiotics and placebo. Meta-analysis of safety outcomes showed statistically significantly more adverse events for antibiotics compared to placebo., Conclusions: Available literature on treatment of PTLDs is heterogeneous, but overall shows evidence of no effect of antibiotics regarding quality of life, depression, cognition and fatigue whilst showing more adverse events. Patients with suspected PTLDs should not be treated with antibiotics., (© 2024 The Authors. European Journal of Neurology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Academy of Neurology.)

Importance: The effectiveness of anti-obesity medications for children and adolescents is unclear., Objective: To update the evidence on the benefits and harms of anti-obesity medication., Data Sources: Cochrane CENTRAL, MEDLINE, ClinicalTrials.gov and WHO ICTRP (1/1/16-17/3/23)., Study Selection: Randomized controlled trials ≥6 months in people <19 years living with obesity., Data Extraction and Synthesis: Screening, data extraction and quality assessment conducted in duplicate, independently., Main Outcomes and Measures: Body mass index (BMI): 95th percentile BMI, adverse events and quality of life., Results: Thirty-five trials (N = 4331), follow-up: 6-24 months; age: 8.8-16.3 years; BMI: 26.2-41.7 kg/m 2 . Moderate certainty evidence demonstrated a -1.71 (95% confidence interval [CI]: -2.27 to -1.14)-unit BMI reduction, ranging from -0.8 to -5.9 units between individual drugs with semaglutide producing the largest reduction of -5.88 kg/m 2 (95% CI: -6.99 to -4.77, N = 201). Drug type explained ~44% of heterogeneity. Low certainty evidence demonstrated reduction in 95th percentile BMI: -11.88 percentage points (95% CI: -18.43 to -5.30, N = 668). Serious adverse events and study discontinuation due to adverse events did not differ between medications and comparators, but medication dose adjustments were higher compared to comparator (10.6% vs 1.7%; RR = 3.74 [95% CI: 1.51 to 9.26], I 2  = 15%), regardless of approval status. There was a trend towards improved quality of life. Evidence gaps exist for children, psychosocial outcomes, comorbidities and weight loss maintenance., Conclusions and Relevance: Anti-obesity medications in addition to behaviour change improve BMI but may require dose adjustment, with 1 in 100 adolescents experiencing a serious adverse event., (© 2024 The Authors. Pediatric Obesity published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of World Obesity Federation.)

Introduction: BMI or BMI-standardized deviation score (SDS) in children and adolescents is still the standard for weight classification. [BMJ. 2019;366:4293] developed a formula to calculate body fat percentage (%BF) based on age, sex, height, weight, and ethnicity. Using data from the German/Austrian APV registry, we investigated whether the calculated %BF is superior to BMI-SDS in predicting arterial hypertension, dyslipidaemia, and impaired glucose metabolism., Methods: 94,586 children and adolescents were included (12.5 years, 48.3% male). Parental birth country (BC) was used to depict ethnicity (15.8% migration background); 95.67% were assigned to the ethnicity "white." %BF was calculated based on the Hudda formula. The relationship between BMI-SDS or %BF quartiles and outcome variables was investigated by logistic regression models, adjusted for age, sex, and migration background. Vuong test was applied to analyse predictive power., Results: 58.4% had arterial hypertension, 33.5% had dyslipidaemia, and 11.6% had impaired glucose metabolism. Boys were significantly more often affected, although girls had higher calculated %BF (each p &lt; 0.05). After adjustment, both models revealed significant differences between the quartiles (all p &lt; 0.001). The predictive power of BMI-SDS was superior to %BF for all three comorbidities (all p &lt; 0.05)., Discussion: The prediction of cardiometabolic comorbidities by calculated %BF was not superior to BMI-SDS. This formula developed in a British population may not be suitable for a central European population, which is applicable to this possibly less heterogeneous collective. Additional parameters, especially puberty status, should be taken into account. However, objective determinations such as bioimpedance analysis may possibly be superior to assess fat mass and cardiometabolic risk than calculated %BF., (© 2023 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Introduction: There is no international consensus on how to treat thoracolumbar burst fractures (TLBFs) without neurological deficits. The planned systematic review with network meta-analyses (NMA) aims to compare the effects on treatment outcomes, focusing on midterm health-related quality of life (HRQoL)., Methods and Analysis: We will conduct a comprehensive and systematic literature search, identifying studies comparing two or more treatment modalities. We will search MEDLINE, EMBASE, Google Scholar, Scopus and Web of Science from January 2000 until July 2023 for publications. We will include (randomised and non-randomised) controlled clinical trials assessing surgical and non-surgical treatment methods for adults with TLBF. Screening of references, data extraction and risk of bias (RoB) assessment will be done independently by two reviewers. We will extract relevant studies, participants and intervention characteristics. The RoB will be assessed using the revised Cochrane RoB V.2.0 tool for randomised trials and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for controlled trials. The OR for dichotomous data and standardised mean differences for continuous data will be presented with their respective 95% CIs. We will conduct a random-effects NMA to assess the treatments and determine the superiority of the therapeutic approaches. Our primary outcomes will be midterm (6 months to 2 years after injury) overall HRQoL and pain. Secondary outcomes will include radiological or clinical findings. We will present network graphs, forest plots and relative rankings on plotted rankograms corresponding to the treatment rank probabilities. The ranking results will be represented by the area under the cumulative ranking curve. Analyses will be performed in Stata V.16.1 and R. The quality of the evidence will be evaluated according to the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations framework., Ethics and Dissemination: Ethical approval is not required. The research will be published in a peer-reviewed journal., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Multimorbidity, the coexistence of multiple chronic diseases in an individual, is highly prevalent and challenging for healthcare systems. However, its risk factors remain poorly understood., Objective: To systematically review studies reporting multimorbidity risk factors., Methods: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review was conducted, searching electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, Scopus). Inclusion criteria were studies addressing multimorbidity transitions, trajectories, continuous disease counts, and specific patterns. Non-human studies and participants under 18 were excluded. Associations between risk factors and multimorbidity onset were reported., Results: Of 20,806 identified studies, 68 were included, with participants aged 18-105 from 23 countries. Nine risk factor categories were identified, including demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral factors. Older age, low education, obesity, hypertension, depression, low pysical function were generally positively associated with multimorbidity. Results for factors like smoking, alcohol consumption, and dietary patterns were inconsistent. Study quality was moderate, with 16.2% having low risk of bias., Conclusions: Several risk factors seem to be consistently associated with an increased risk of accumulating chronic diseases over time. However, heterogeneity in settings, exposure and outcome, and baseline health of participants hampers robust conclusions., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest All authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Breastfeeding has long been associated with numerous benefits for both mothers and infants. While some observational studies have explored the relationship between breastfeeding and mental health outcomes in mothers and children, a systematic review of the available evidence is lacking. The purpose of this study is to systematically evaluate the association between breastfeeding and mental health disorders in mothers and children., Methods: We systematically searched MEDLINE and EMBASE from inception to June 2, 2023. The inclusion criteria consisted of all studies evaluating links between breastfeeding and development of mental health disorders in children and mothers. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) while grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) was used to assess the certainty of evidence. A random-effects meta-analysis was used if possible, to estimate the odds ratio for the association between breastfeeding and mental health outcomes. The Mantel-Haenszel method was utilised for pooling ORs across studies. Study heterogeneity was assessed using the I 2 statistic., Results: Our review identified twenty-one original study. Of these, 18 focused on the association between breastfeeding and child health, assessing depressive disorders, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, eating disorders and borderline personality disorder. Three studies evaluated the associations between breastfeeding and maternal mental health disorders. Three studies looking at outcomes in children showed no significant association between breastfeeding and occurrence of schizophrenia later in life (OR 0.98; 95% CI 0.57-1.71; I 2  = 29%). For depressive disorders (5 studies) and anxiety disorders (3 studies), we found conflicting evidence with some studies showing a small protective effect while others found no effect. The GRADE certainty for all these findings was very low due to multiple limitations. Three studies looking at association between breastfeeding and maternal mental health, were too heterogeneous to draw any firm conclusions., Conclusions: We found limited evidence to support a protective association between breastfeeding and the development of mental health disorders in children later in life. The data regarding the association between breastfeeding and maternal mental health beyond the postnatal period is also limited. The methodological limitations of the published literature prevent definitive conclusions, and further research is needed to better understand the relationship between breastfeeding and mental health in mothers and children., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Malnutrition (i.e., protein-energy malnutrition) in older adults has severe negative clinical consequences, emphasizing the need for effective treatments. Many, often small, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) testing the effectiveness of nutritional interventions for the treatment of malnutrition showed mixed results and a need for meta-analyses and data pooling has been expressed. However, evidence synthesis is hampered by the wide variety of outcomes and their method of assessment in previous RCTs. This paper describes the protocol for developing a Core Outcome Set (COS) for nutritional intervention studies in older adults with malnutrition and those at risk., Methods: The project consists of five phases. The first phase consists of a scoping review to identify frequently used outcomes in published RCTs and select additional patient-reported outcomes. The second phase includes a modified Delphi Survey involving experienced researchers and health care professionals working in the field of malnutrition in older adults, followed by the third phase consisting of a consensus meeting to discuss and agree what critical outcomes need to be included in the COS. The fourth phase will determine how each COS outcome should be measured based on a systematic literature review and a second consensus meeting. This will be followed by a dissemination and implementation phase. Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) representatives will contribute to study design, oversight, consensus, and dissemination., Conclusions: The result of this project is a COS that should be included in any RCT evaluating the effect of nutritional interventions in older adults with malnutrition and those at risk. This COS will facilitate comparison of RCT results, will increase efficient use of research resources and will reduce bias due to measurement of the outcome and publication bias. Ultimately, the COS will support clinical decision making by identifying the most effective approaches for treating and preventing malnutrition in older adults., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Introduction: The public restrictions taken during the COVID-19 pandemic have substantially affected lifestyle and health behavior of children and adolescents. In Germany, little is known how these changes influenced daily life in families with children and adolescents., Methods: A cross-sectional survey was performed in April/May 2022 across Germany, similar to a survey performed in 2020. Parents (N = 1,004, 20-65 years) with at least one child aged 3-17 years filled in an online questionnaire released by the Forsa Institute for Social Research and Statistical Analysis. Fifteen questions related to eating habits, dietary patterns, physical activity, media consumption, fitness, mental health, and body weight were included, and standard socioeconomic parameters were assessed., Results: Parents' answers indicated that there was a parental self-reported weight gain in every sixth child since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was most obvious in children from families with lower household income and preexisting overweight. Parents also reported that lifestyle patterns had worsened: 70% reported an increase of media consumption during leisure time, 44% a decrease in daily physical activity, and 16% the worsening of dietary habits (e.g., 27% stated to eat more cake and sweets). Children aged 10-12 years were most severely affected., Conclusion: Negative health effects related to the COVID-19 pandemic are predominantly observed in children 10-12 years of age and in children from families with low household income, suggesting a worsening social disparity. Political action is urgently needed to tackle the adverse consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on childhood lifestyle and health., (© 2023 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.)