Asthma and obesity are two of the most common chronic conditions in children and adolescents. There is increasing evidence that sphingolipid metabolism is altered in childhood asthma and is linked to airway hyperreactivity. Dysregulated sphingolipid metabolism is also reported in obesity. However, the functional link between sphingolipid metabolism, asthma, and obesity is not completely understood. This paper describes the protocol of an ongoing study on sphingolipids that aims to examine the pathophysiology of sphingolipids in childhood asthma and obesity. In addition, this study aims to explore the novel biomarkers through a comprehensive multi-omics approach including genomics, genome-wide DNA methylation, RNA-Seq, microRNA (miRNA) profiling, lipidomics, metabolomics, and cytokine profiling. This is a cross-sectional study aiming to recruit 440 children from different groups: children with asthma and normal weight (n = 100), asthma with overweight or obesity (n = 100), overweight or obesity (n = 100), normal weight (n = 70), and siblings of asthmatic children with normal weight, overweight, or obesity (n = 70). These participants will be recruited from the pediatric pulmonology, pediatric endocrinology, and general pediatric outpatient clinics at Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar. Information will be obtained from self-reported questionnaires on asthma, quality of life, food frequency (FFQ), and a 3-day food diary that are completed by the children and their parents. Clinical measurements will include anthropometry, blood pressure, biochemistry, bioelectrical impedance, and pulmonary function tests. Blood samples will be obtained for sphingolipid analysis, serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT) assay, whole-genome sequencing (WGS), genome-wide DNA methylation study, RNA-Seq, miRNA profiling, metabolomics, lipidomics, and cytokine analysis. Group comparisons of continuous outcome variables will be carried out by a one-way analysis of variance or the Kruskal–Wallis test using an appropriate pairwise multiple comparison test. The chi-squared test or a Fisher’s exact test will be used to test the associations between categorical variables. Finally, multivariate analysis will be carried out to integrate the clinical data with multi-omics data. This study will help us to understand the role of dysregulated sphingolipid metabolism in obesity and asthma. In addition, the multi-omics data from the study will help to identify novel genetic and epigenetic signatures, inflammatory markers, and mechanistic pathways that link asthma and obesity in children. Furthermore, the integration of clinical and multi-omics data will help us to uncover the potential interactions between these diseases and to offer a new paradigm for the treatment of pediatric obesity-associated asthma.

Objectives: We aimed to assess the improvement of patterned hair loss with microneedling radiofrequency (MNRF) and its adverse effects in patients. Material and Methods: An open-label study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of MNRF for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia. Patients diagnosed with patterned hair loss received three MNRF treatment sessions once monthly. Efficacy was assessed by comparing before and after photographs and trichoscopy. Results: Twenty-four patients were recruited. Excellent improvement in hair growth was observed in 14 patients, fair improvement in seven patients, and no improvement in three patients without significant adverse effects. Slight pain lasting for a day was the most common adverse event following MNRF. Conclusion: Overall, significant improvement was observed in the majority of the patients without significant side effects.

Altered sphingolipid metabolism in childhood asthma and obesity Introduction: Sphingolipids are group of lipids that are significantly associated with hyperactivity of airway and lung inflammation. Studies on sphingolipid levels showed marked differences between asthmatic and non-asthmatic children. The aim of this study was to determine whether the sphingolipid levels were altered in children with asthma and obesity. Methods and Analysis: A total of 327 children of 6 years and above and less than 18 years of age between August, 2017 to December 2022 were recruited from pediatric outpatient clinics at Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar. They were grouped into asthmatic-lean (n=84), asthmatic-overweight or -obese (n=89), overweight or obese (n=95) and lean (n=59). Sphingolipids from the blood samples were quantified using a high-performance liquid chromatography. Group comparisons on sphingolipids were performed by a one-way analysis of variance or a Kruskal-Wallis test. Results: In overweight and obese children, ceramides (C14, C16, C18, C18:1, C20, C22, C24, C24:1) glucosyl ceramide (C24:1) and dihydroceramides (C16, C24, C24:1) were decreased for asthmatics compared to non-asthmatics whereas in lean children we observed an increasing trend in asthmatics compared to non-asthmatics. In overweight and obese children, lower levels of sphingomyelin (C12, C16:1, C18:1, C24:1) were detected in asthmatics compared to non-asthmatics. Conclusion: The decreased levels of sphingolipids in obese-asthmatics and elevated levels of sphingolipids in lean-asthmatics shows that altered metabolism is dependent not only on the presence of asthma but also on overweight and obesity.