PONE-D-24-30787Alterations in the inflammatory markers of the Tumor Necrosis Factor system in overweight and obese children and adolescents.PLOS ONE

Dear Dr. RIBEIRO,

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Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

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Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

1. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Partly

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2. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: N/A

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3. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception (please refer to the Data Availability Statement in the manuscript PDF file). The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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4. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

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Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: No

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5. Review Comments to the Author

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters)

Reviewer #1: Title: Alterations in the Inflammatory Markers of the Tumor Necrosis Factor system in overweight and obese children and adolescents

Summary

This study by Palhares et. al investigates the relationship between obesity, inflammation, and metabolic markers in children, predominantly focusing on TNF-α and soluble TRAIL (sTRAIL). Though the study was unable to detect TNF-α in most samples, it reveals significant differences in metabolic markers between obese and non-obese children. Study findings suggest that inflammation plays a role in childhood obesity, though the precise mechanisms remain unclear. The present study highlights the need for more studies to determine sTRAIL’s role in obesity-related complications.

Comment

The article is well-written and presents a clear and focused investigation into the relationship between obesity, inflammation, and metabolic markers in children and adolescents. The authors have effectively explained the study's objectives, methods, and findings on obesity-related inflammation. Despite limitations, the study addresses important gaps in pediatric obesity research and suggests avenues for future exploration, particularly regarding inflammatory markers. The language is accessible, and the structure is logical, making the article a valuable contribution to the field.

Based on its scientific merit and clarity, the article deserves to be considered for publication.

Reviewer #2: Manuscript title: Alterations in the inflammatory markers of the Tumor Necrosis Factor system in overweight and obese children and adolescents.

Summary statement of the article

The article titled "Alterations in the Inflammatory Markers of the Tumor Necrosis Factor system in overweight and obese children and adolescents." This study explores the relationship between cardio-metabolic risk markers and the Tumor Necrosis Factor system in a diverse group of children and adolescents. In the study, authors analyzed various clinical and laboratory parameters to better understand the impact of overweight and obesity on inflammatory markers. The research aims to provide insights into the inflammatory responses linked to obesity in the pediatric population, contributing to a better understanding of the health implications of childhood obesity. The manuscript title and in itself is a scientific marvel to look at. However, some things can be looked at to improve the article.

Specific areas of improvement

Major comments:

1. Under materials and methods, lines 120-139 are a bit confusing with the grammar. Follow the heading and revise accordingly the entire section. I must the criteria of participant selection is confusing and given slim chances that it can replicated.

2. From Table 1, under the results section you have indicated 2 groups of interest contrary to the concept of 3 groups. Please indicate the characteristics of the eutrophic group as well.

3. Include the subheadings where necessary, it is not easy to tell which paragraph has clinical implications, conclusion/summary including the limitations of the study which could be expanded.

4. Results have not been clearly communicated, the discussion has the comparison factor to other relevant literature which the majority has been cited but the logic flow is a bit missing.

Minor comments:

1. Lines 184-188, “The project was approved by the Committee of Ethics in Research with Human Beings of UFTM (protocol no. 2479). Children, adolescents and parents and/or parents were clarified about the research project and those who agreed to participate of the study project signed the term of free and informed consent and the term of assent.” Move text to somewhere under statements of ethics and revise the sentence.

2. Spelling error I guess of “Eutrofic” in Figure 1. Please clarify.

3. Overall the grammar in the article is not so clear to easily understand, if authors can logically simplify the text and also there are some short paragraphs which can be merged into sizeable pieces, that would be great and could improve the clarity of the article.

4. Cite each statement that has been made in the article, as this covers authors on plagiarism. E.g. lines 67-71, 83-85. Please countercheck for others.

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Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: No

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Alterações nos marcadores inflamatórios do sistema Fator de Necrose Tumoral em crianças e adolescentes com sobrepeso e obesidade.

PONE-D-24-30787R1

Dear Dr. RIBEIRO,

We’re pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it meets all outstanding technical requirements.

Within one week, you’ll receive an e-mail detailing the required amendments. When these have been addressed, you’ll receive a formal acceptance letter and your manuscript will be scheduled for publication.

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Kind regards,

Sepiso K. Masenga, PhD

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Additional Editor Comments (optional):

Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

1. If the authors have adequately addressed your comments raised in a previous round of review and you feel that this manuscript is now acceptable for publication, you may indicate that here to bypass the “Comments to the Author” section, enter your conflict of interest statement in the “Confidential to Editor” section, and submit your "Accept" recommendation.

Reviewer #1: All comments have been addressed

Reviewer #2: All comments have been addressed

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2. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented.

Reviewer #1: (No Response)

Reviewer #2: Yes

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3. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

Reviewer #1: (No Response)

Reviewer #2: Yes

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4. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception (please refer to the Data Availability Statement in the manuscript PDF file). The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified.

Reviewer #1: (No Response)

Reviewer #2: Yes

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5. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

PLOS ONE does not copyedit accepted manuscripts, so the language in submitted articles must be clear, correct, and unambiguous. Any typographical or grammatical errors should be corrected at revision, so please note any specific errors here.

Reviewer #1: (No Response)

Reviewer #2: Yes

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6. Review Comments to the Author

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters)

Reviewer #1: (No Response)

Reviewer #2: The authors have rigorously addressed the submitted review comments, resolving concerns to enhance the manuscript's clarity.

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7. PLOS authors have the option to publish the peer review history of their article (what does this mean? ). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy .

Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: No

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