Adipocytokines and Associations with Abnormal Body Composition in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

2021

2021 Sep 24

2151-4658

<p><strong>PURPOSE: </strong>We determined associations between adipokines and abnormal body composition in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).</p>

<p><strong>METHODS: </strong>Combining data from three RA cohorts, whole-body dual-energy absorptiometry measures of appendicular lean mass and fat mass indices were converted to age, sex, and race-specific Z-Scores. Lean mass relative to fat mass was determined based on prior methods. Independent associations between body composition profiles and circulating levels of adiponectin, leptin, and fibroblast growth factor(FGF)-21 were assessed using linear and logistic regression models adjusting for demographics and study cohort. We also determined the improvement in the area-under-the-curve (AUC) for prediction of low lean mass when adipokines were added to predictive models that included clinical factors such as demographics, study, and body mass index (BMI).</p>

<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>Among 419 participants, older age was associated with higher levels of all adipokines while higher C-reactive protein was associated with lower adiponectin levels and higher FGF-21 levels. Greater fat mass was strongly associated with lower adiponectin levels and higher leptin and FGF-21 levels. Higher levels of adiponectin, leptin, and FGF-21 were independently associated with low lean mass. The addition of adiponectin and leptin levels to regression models improved prediction of low lean mass when combined with demographics, study, and BMI (AUC 0.75 v. 0.66).</p>

<p><strong>CONCLUSIONS: </strong>Adipokines are associated with both excess adiposity and low lean mass in patients with RA. Improvements in the prediction of body composition abnormalities suggest that laboratory screening could help identify patients with altered body composition who may be at greater risk of adverse outcomes.</p>

10.1002/acr.24790

Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken)

34558809

Sarcopenia and preserved bone mineral density in paediatric survivors of high-risk neuroblastoma with growth failure.

2021

2021 Jun 29

2190-6009

<p><strong>BACKGROUND: </strong>Survival from paediatric high-risk neuroblastoma (HR-NBL) has increased, but cis-retinoic acid (cis-RA), the cornerstone of HR-NBL therapy, can cause osteoporosis and premature physeal closure and is a potential threat to skeletal structure in HR-NBL survivors. Sarcopenia is associated with increased morbidity in survivors of paediatric malignancies. Low muscle mass may be associated with poor prognosis in HR-NBL patients but has not been studied in these survivors. The study objective was to assess bone density, body composition and muscle strength in HR-NBL survivors compared with controls.</p>

<p><strong>METHODS: </strong>This prospective cross-sectional study assessed areal bone mineral density (aBMD) of the whole body, lumbar spine, total hip, femoral neck, distal 1/3 and ultradistal radius and body composition (muscle and fat mass) using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and lower leg muscle strength using a dynamometer. Measures expressed as sex-specific standard deviation scores (Z-scores) included aBMD (adjusted for height Z-score), bone mineral apparent density (BMAD), leg lean mass (adjusted for leg length), whole-body fat mass index (FMI) and ankle dorsiflexion peak torque adjusted for leg length (strength-Z). Muscle-specific force was assessed as strength relative to leg lean mass. Outcomes were compared between HR-NBL survivors and controls using Student's t-test or Mann-Whitney U test. Linear regression models examined correlations between DXA and dynamometer outcomes.</p>

<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>We enrolled 20 survivors of HR-NBL treated with cis-RA [13 male; mean age: 12.4&nbsp;±&nbsp;1.6&nbsp;years; median (range) age at therapy initiation: 2.6 (0.3-9.1) years] and 20 age-, sex- and race-matched controls. Height-Z was significantly lower in HR-NBL survivors compared with controls (-1.73&nbsp;±&nbsp;1.38 vs. 0.34&nbsp;±&nbsp;1.12, P&nbsp;&lt;&nbsp;0.001). Areal BMD-Z, BMAD-Z, FMI-Z, visceral adipose tissue and subcutaneous adipose tissue were not significantly different in HR-NBL survivors compared with controls. Compared with controls, HR-NBL survivors had lower leg lean mass-Z (-1.46&nbsp;±&nbsp;1.35 vs. -&nbsp;0.17&nbsp;±&nbsp;0.84, P&nbsp;&lt;&nbsp;0.001) and strength-Z (-1.13&nbsp;±&nbsp;0.86 vs. -&nbsp;0.15&nbsp;±&nbsp;0.71, P&nbsp;&lt;&nbsp;0.001). Muscle-specific force was lower in HR-NBL survivors compared with controls (P&nbsp;&lt;&nbsp;0.05).</p>

<p><strong>CONCLUSIONS: </strong>Bone mineral density and adiposity are not severely impacted in HR-NBL survivors with growth failure, but significant sarcopenia persists years after treatment. Future studies are needed to determine if sarcopenia improves with muscle-specific interventions in this population of cancer survivors.</p>

10.1002/jcsm.12734

J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle

34184837

Associations of the residential built environment with adolescent sleep outcomes.

2021

2021 Jan 28

1550-9109

<p><strong>STUDY OBJECTIVES: </strong>Over 75% of US high school students obtain insufficient sleep, placing them at risk for adverse health outcomes. Identification of modifiable determinants of adolescent sleep is needed to inform prevention strategies, yet little is known about the influence of the built environment on adolescent sleep.</p>

<p><strong>METHODS: </strong>In this prospective study, actigraphy was used to assess sleep outcomes among 110 adolescents for 14 days each in eighth and ninth grades: duration (hours/night), onset and offset, and sleeping ≥8 hours. Home addresses were linked to built environment exposures: sound levels, tree canopy cover, street density, intersection density, population density, and housing density. Mixed-effects regression estimated associations of built environment measures with sleep outcomes, adjusting for sex, race, parent education, household income, household size, grade, weeknight status, and neighborhood poverty.</p>

<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>A 1-standard deviation (SD) increase in neighborhood sound was associated with 16 minutes later sleep onset (β = 0.28; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.06, 0.49) and 25% lower odds of sleeping for ≥8 hours (odds ratio (OR) = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.59, 0.96). A 1-SD increase in neighborhood tree canopy was associated with 18 minutes earlier sleep onset (β = -0.31, 95% CI: -0.49, -0.13) and 10 minutes earlier sleep offset (β= -0.17, 95% CI: -0.28, -0.05). No associations were observed for density-based exposures.</p>

<p><strong>CONCLUSIONS: </strong>Higher neighborhood sound level was associated with lower odds of sufficient sleep, while higher tree canopy cover was associated with more favorable sleep timing. Neighborhood sound levels and tree canopy cover are potential targets for policies and interventions to support healthier sleep among adolescents.</p>

10.1093/sleep/zsaa276

Sleep

33507268

Gut Microbiome Profile After Pancreatectomy in Infants With Congenital Hyperinsulinism.

2021

89-92

2021 Jan 01

1536-4828

<p><strong>OBJECTIVES: </strong>The objective of this study was to characterize gut microbiome profiles of infants with congenital hyperinsulinism (HI) who underwent near-total or partial pancreatectomy for hypoglycemia management, as compared with healthy controls.</p>

<p><strong>METHODS: </strong>A prospective observational cohort study was performed. Subjects were infants (0-6 months) with HI who underwent removal of pancreatic tissue for management of intractable hypoglycemia from February 2017 to February 2018 at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Fecal samples were collected postoperatively, on full enteral nutrition. The gut microbiome of HI subjects was analyzed and compared with age-matched samples from healthy infants.</p>

<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>Seven subjects with ≥50% pancreatectomy and 6 with &lt;50% pancreatectomy were included. α (within-sample) diversity was lowest among infants with ≥50% pancreatectomy (richness: false discovery rate, 0.003; Shannon index: false discovery rate, 0.01). β (between-sample) diversity (Bray-Curtis dissimilarity, P = 0.02; Jaccard distance, P = 0.001) differed across groups (≥ or &lt;50% pancreatectomy, controls). Bifidobacteria and Klebsiella species were least abundant among infants with ≥50% pancreatectomy but did not differ between infants with &lt;50% pancreatectomy and historical controls.</p>

<p><strong>CONCLUSIONS: </strong>Infants with HI who underwent ≥50% pancreatectomy differed from age-matched infants in gut microbiome profile, whereas those with &lt;50% pancreatectomy more closely resembled control profiles. The durability of this difference should be investigated.</p>

10.1097/MPA.0000000000001708

Pancreas

33370028

Engineering a Mobile Platform to Promote Sleep in the Pediatric Primary Care Setting.

2020

2020 Nov 07

<p><strong>BACKGROUND: </strong>Pediatricians lack tools to support families at home for the promotion of childhood sleep. We are using the Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST) framework to guide the development of a mobile health platform for childhood sleep promotion.</p>

<p><strong>PURPOSE: </strong>Under the preparation phase of the MOST framework, to demonstrate feasibility of a mobile health platform towards treating children with insufficient sleep.</p>

<p><strong>METHODS: </strong>Children aged 10-12y were enrolled (Study #1: N=30; Study #2: N=43). Participants wore a sleep tracker to measure sleep duration. Data were retrieved by a mobile health platform, programmed to send introductory messages during run-in (2 weeks) and goal achievement messages during intervention (7 weeks) periods. In study #1, participants were randomized to control, gain-framed incentive or loss-framed incentive arms. In study #2, participants were randomized to control, loss-framed incentive, normative feedback or loss-framed incentive plus normative feedback arms.</p>

<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>In study #1, 1,514 nights of data were captured (69%) and sleep duration during the intervention was higher by an average of 21 (95% CI: -8, 51) and 34 (95% CI: 7, 61) minutes per night for the gain-framed and loss-framed arms, respectively, compared to controls. In study #2, 2,689 nights of data were captured (81%), with no major differences in average sleep duration between the control and the loss-framed or normative feedback arms.</p>

<p><strong>CONCLUSION: </strong>We have developed and deployed a mobile health platform that can capture sleep data and remotely communicate with families. Promising candidate intervention components will be further investigated under the optimization phase of the MOST framework.</p>

10.1101/2020.11.06.20223719

medRxiv

33173886

Engineering a mobile platform to promote sleep in the pediatric primary care setting.

2021

zpab006

2021

2632-5012

<p><strong>Study Objectives: </strong>Pediatricians lack tools to support families at home for the promotion of childhood sleep. We are using the Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST) framework to guide the development of a mobile health platform for childhood sleep promotion. The objective of this study is to demonstrate feasibility of a mobile health platform towards treating children with insufficient sleep.</p>

<p><strong>Methods: </strong>Children aged 10-12 years were enrolled (Study #1: = 30; Study #2: = 43). Participants wore a sleep tracker to measure sleep duration. Data were retrieved by a mobile health platform, programmed to send introductory messages during run-in (2 weeks) and goal achievement messages during intervention (7 weeks) periods. In study #1, participants were randomized to control, gain-framed incentive or loss-framed incentive arms. In study #2, participants were randomized to control, loss-framed incentive, normative feedback or loss-framed incentive plus normative feedback arms.</p>

<p><strong>Results: </strong>In study #1, 1514 nights of data were captured (69%) and sleep duration during the intervention was higher by an average of 21 (95% CI: -8, 51) and 34 (95% CI: 7, 61) minutes per night for the gain-framed and loss-framed arms, respectively, compared to controls. In study #2, 2,689 nights of data were captured (81%), with no major differences in average sleep duration between the control and the loss-framed or normative feedback arms.</p>

<p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>We have developed and deployed a mobile health platform that can capture sleep data and remotely communicate with families. Promising candidate intervention components will be further investigated under the of the MOST framework.</p>

<p><strong>Clinical Trials: </strong>Both studies included in this manuscript were registered at clinicaltrials.gov:-Study #1: NCT03263338-Study #2: NCT03426644.</p>

10.1093/sleepadvances/zpab006

Sleep Adv

33173886

Leg length and sitting height reference data and charts for children in the United States.

2020

106131

2020 Oct

2352-3409

<p>Population-specific reference data are required to interpret growth measurements in children. Sitting height and leg length (standing height minus sitting height) measurements are indicators of proportionality and can be used to evaluate children with disordered growth. NHANES III recorded sitting height and standing height measurements in a strategic random sample of the United States population from 1988 to 1994, and we have previously published reference charts for sitting height to standing height ratio in this population. In this study, we have developed separate sitting height and leg length reference charts for Non-Hispanic Black, Non-Hispanic White, and Mexican-American children in the United States. In addition, we provide mean (SD) and LMS data to support the use of these reference charts in clinical care.</p>

10.1016/j.dib.2020.106131

Data Brief

32904356

Changes in Sleep Duration and Timing During the Middle-to-High School Transition.

2020

2020 Jun 20

1879-1972

<p><strong>PURPOSE: </strong>The purpose of the study was to quantify changes in sleep during the middle-to-high school transition and determine if changes in sleep differ by sociodemographic characteristics.</p>

<p><strong>METHODS: </strong>Adolescents were enrolled in eighth grade and followed into ninth grade (N&nbsp;= 110; 2,470 nights observed). The outcomes were actigraphy-estimated sleep duration, sleep onset, sleep offset, and sleep sufficiency (≥8&nbsp;hours of sleep). The exposures were school grade (eighth or ninth), school night status (school or nonschool), sex (female or male), and race (white, black, or other).</p>

<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>On school nights, sleep duration declined by 25.8&nbsp;minutes per night (p &lt; .001) from eighth to ninth grade. There was no change in sleep duration on nonschool nights. Timing of sleep onset was 22.2&nbsp;minutes later on school nights (p &lt; .001) and 17.4&nbsp;minutes later on nonschool nights (p&nbsp;&lt;&nbsp;.001) in ninth grade. Timing of sleep offset did not change on school mornings but was 22.2&nbsp;minutes later on nonschool mornings (p &lt; .001) in ninth grade. The proportion of school nights (and nonschool nights) with sleep duration ≥8&nbsp;hours was 9.4% (38.3%) in eighth grade and 5.7% (35.9%) in ninth grade. The odds of sleeping ≥8&nbsp;hours per night was 42% lower in ninth grade, compared toeighth grade (odds ratio&nbsp;= .58; 95% confidence interval: .37, .91). Males were 59% less likely to sleep ≥8&nbsp;hours per night. Black adolescents were 51% less likely to sleep ≥8&nbsp;hours per night.</p>

<p><strong>CONCLUSIONS: </strong>Insufficient sleep is highly prevalent, especially on school nights and among male and black adolescents, and this problem worsens with the transition to high school.</p>

10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.04.024

J Adolesc Health

32576483

Sitting Height to Standing Height Ratio Reference Charts for Children in the United States.

2020

2020 Jun 21

1097-6833

<p><strong>OBJECTIVE: </strong>To create reference charts for Sitting height to standing height ratio (SitHt/Ht) for children in the United States, and to describe the trajectory of SitHt/Ht during puberty.</p>

<p><strong>STUDY DESIGN: </strong>This was a cross-sectional study using data from the 1988-1994 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III, a strategic random sample of the United States population. Comparison between Non-Hispanic White (NHW), Non-Hispanic Black (NHB) and Mexican American groups was performed by analysis of variance (ANOVA) to determine if a single population reference chart could be used. ANOVA was used to compare SitHt/Ht in pre-, early and late puberty.</p>

<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>NHANES III recorded sitting height and standing height measurements in 9,569 children aged 2 to 18 years of NHW (n=2,715), NHB (n=3,336), and Mexican American (n=3,518) ancestry. NHB children had lower SitHt/Ht than NHW and Mexican American children throughout childhood (p &lt; 0.001). In both sexes, SitHt/Ht decreased from prepuberty to early puberty and increased in late puberty. Sex-specific percentile charts of SitHt/Ht vs age were generated for NHB and for NHW and Mexican American youth combined.</p>

<p><strong>CONCLUSIONS: </strong>SitHt/Ht assessment can detect disproportionate short stature in children with skeletal dysplasia, but age-, sex- and population-specific reference charts are required to interpret this measurement. NHB children in the United States have significantly lower SitHt/Ht than other children, which adds complexity to interpretation. We recommend the use of standardized ancestry-specific reference charts in screening for skeletal dysplasias and have developed such charts in this study.</p>

10.1016/j.jpeds.2020.06.051

J. Pediatr.

32579888

The stepwise assembly of the neonatal virome is modulated by breastfeeding.

2020

470-474

2020 May

1476-4687

<p>The gut of healthy human neonates is usually devoid of viruses at birth, but quickly becomes colonized, which-in some cases-leads to gastrointestinal disorders. Here we show that the assembly of the viral community in neonates takes place in distinct steps. Fluorescent staining of virus-like particles purified from infant meconium or early stool samples shows few or no particles, but by one month of life particle numbers increase to 10 per gram, and these numbers seem to persist throughout life. We investigated the origin of these viral populations using shotgun metagenomic sequencing of virus-enriched preparations and whole microbial communities, followed by targeted microbiological analyses. Results indicate that, early after birth, pioneer bacteria colonize the infant gut and by one month prophages induced from these bacteria provide the predominant population of virus-like particles. By four months of life, identifiable viruses that replicate in human cells become more prominent. Multiple human viruses were more abundant in stool samples from babies who were exclusively fed on&nbsp;formula milk compared with those fed partially or fully on breast milk, paralleling reports that breast milk can be protective against viral infections. Bacteriophage populations also differed depending on whether or not the infant was breastfed. We show that the colonization of the infant gut is stepwise, first mainly by temperate bacteriophages induced from pioneer bacteria, and later by viruses that replicate in human cells; this second phase is modulated by breastfeeding.</p>

10.1038/s41586-020-2192-1

Nature

32461640