Browsing by Subject "obesity"
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Item Open Access Challenges in the Management of Geriatric Obesity in High Risk Populations.(Nutrients, 2016-05-04) Porter Starr, Kathryn N; McDonald, Shelley R; Weidner, Julia A; Bales, Connie WThe global prevalence of obesity in the older adult population is growing, an increasing concern in both the developed and developing countries of the world. The study of geriatric obesity and its management is a relatively new area of research, especially pertaining to those with elevated health risks. This review characterizes the state of science for this "fat and frail" population and identifies the many gaps in knowledge where future study is urgently needed. In community dwelling older adults, opportunities to improve both body weight and nutritional status are hampered by inadequate programs to identify and treat obesity, but where support programs exist, there are proven benefits. Nutritional status of the hospitalized older adult should be optimized to overcome the stressors of chronic disease, acute illness, and/or surgery. The least restrictive diets tailored to individual preferences while meeting each patient's nutritional needs will facilitate the energy required for mobility, respiratory sufficiency, immunocompentence, and wound healing. Complications of care due to obesity in the nursing home setting, especially in those with advanced physical and mental disabilities, are becoming more ubiquitous; in almost all of these situations, weight stability is advocated, as some evidence links weight loss with increased mortality. High quality interdisciplinary studies in a variety of settings are needed to identify standards of care and effective treatments for the most vulnerable obese older adults.Item Open Access Closed-Incision Negative-Pressure Therapy in Obese Patients Undergoing Cesarean Delivery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.(AJP Rep, 2017-07) Gunatilake, Ravindu P; Swamy, Geeta K; Brancazio, Leo R; Smrtka, Michael P; Thompson, Jennifer L; Gilner, Jennifer B; Gray, Beverly A; Heine, Robert PhillipsBackground Postcesarean wound morbidity is a costly complication of cesarean delivery for which preventative strategies remain understudied.Objective We compared surgical site occurrences (SSOs) in cesarean patients receiving closed-incision negative-pressure therapy (ciNPT) or standard-of-care (SOC) dressing.Study Design A single-center randomized controlled trial compared ciNPT (5-7 days) to SOC dressing (1-2 days) in obese women (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 35), undergoing cesarean delivery between 2012 and 2014. Participants were randomized 1:1 and monitored 42 ± 10 days postoperatively. The primary outcome SSOs included unanticipated local inflammation, wound infection, seroma, hematoma, dehiscence, and need for surgical or antibiotic intervention.Results Of the 92 randomized patients, 82 completed the study. ciNPT and SOC groups had similar baseline characteristics. Mean BMI was 46.5 ± 6.5 and no treatment-related serious adverse events. Compared with SOC, the ciNPT group had fewer SSOs (7/43 [16.3%] vs. 2/39 [5.1%], respectively;p = 0.16); significantly fewer participants with less incisional pain both at rest (39/46 [84.8%] vs. 20/46 [43.5%];p < 0.001) and with incisional pressure (42/46 [91.3%] vs. 25/46 [54.3%];p < 0.001); and a 30% decrease in total opioid use (79.1 vs. 55.9 mg morphine equivalents,p = 0.036).Conclusion A trend in SSO reduction and a statistically significant reduction in postoperative pain and narcotic use was observed in women using ciNPT.Item Open Access Determinants of Dropout from and Variation in Adherence to an Exercise Intervention: The STRRIDE Randomized Trials.(Translational journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, 2022-01) Collins, Katherine A; Huffman, Kim M; Wolever, Ruth Q; Smith, Patrick J; Siegler, Ilene C; Ross, Leanna M; Hauser, Elizabeth R; Jiang, Rong; Jakicic, John M; Costa, Paul T; Kraus, William EPurpose
This study aimed to characterize the timing and self-reported determinants of exercise dropout among sedentary adults with overweight or obesity. We also sought to explore variations in adherence among individuals who completed a 6- to 8-month structured exercise intervention.Methods
A total of 947 adults with dyslipidemia [STRRIDE I, STRRIDE AT/RT] or prediabetes [STRRIDE-PD] were enrolled to either control or to one of 10 exercise interventions, ranging from doses of 8-23 kcal/kg/week; intensities of 50%-75% V̇O2 peak; and durations of 6-8 months. Two groups included resistance training and one included dietary intervention (7% weight loss goal). Dropout was defined as an individual who withdrew from the study due a variety of determinants. Timing of intervention dropout was defined as the last session attended and categorized into phases. Exercise training adherence was calculated by dividing weekly minutes or total sets of exercise completed by weekly minutes or total sets of exercise prescribed. General linear models were used to characterize the associations between timing of dropout and determinant category.Results
Compared to exercise intervention completers (n=652), participants who dropped out (n=295) were on average non-white (98% vs. 80%, p<0.01), had higher body mass index (31.0 kg/m2 vs. 30.2 kg/m2; p<0.01), and were less fit at baseline (25.0 mg/kg/min vs. 26.7 ml/kg/min, p<0.01). Of those who dropped out, 67% did so prior to the start of or while ramping up to the prescribed exercise volume and intensity. The most commonly reported reason for dropout was lack of time (40%). Notably, among individuals who completed the ramp training period, subsequent exercise intervention adherence did not waiver over the ensuing 6-8 months of training.Conclusion
These findings are some of the first to delineate associations between the timing of dropout and dropout determinants, providing guidance to future exercise interventions to better support individuals at-risk for dropout.Item Open Access Do class III obese patients achieve similar outcomes and satisfaction to nonobese patients following surgery for cervical myelopathy? A QOD study.(Journal of neurosurgery. Spine, 2024-09) Park, Christine; Bhowmick, Deb A; Shaffrey, Christopher I; Bisson, Erica F; Bydon, Mohamad; Asher, Anthony L; Coric, Domagoj; Potts, Eric A; Foley, Kevin T; Wang, Michael Y; Fu, Kai-Ming; Virk, Michael S; Knightly, John J; Meyer, Scott; Park, Paul; Upadhyaya, Cheerag; Shaffrey, Mark E; Schupper, Alexander J; Uribe, Juan S; Tumialán, Luis M; Turner, Jay D; Chan, Andrew K; Chou, Dean; Haid, Regis W; Mummaneni, Praveen V; Gottfried, Oren NObjective
The aim of this study was to compare the rate of achievement of the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and satisfaction between cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) patients with and without class III obesity who underwent surgery.Methods
The authors analyzed patients from the 14 highest-enrolling sites in the prospective Quality Outcomes Database CSM cohort. Patients were dichotomized based on whether or not they were obese (class III, BMI ≥ 35 kg/m2). PROs including visual analog scale (VAS) neck and arm pain, Neck Disability Index (NDI), modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA), EQ-5D, and North American Spine Society patient satisfaction scores were collected at baseline and 24 months after cervical spine surgery.Results
Of the 1141 patients with CSM who underwent surgery, 230 (20.2%) were obese and 911 (79.8%) were not. The 24-month follow-up rate was 87.4% for PROs. Patients who were obese were younger (58.1 ± 12.1 years vs 61.2 ± 11.6 years, p = 0.001), more frequently female (57.4% vs 44.9%, p = 0.001), and African American (22.6% vs 13.4%, p = 0.002) and had a lower education level (high school or less: 49.1% vs 40.8%, p = 0.002) and a higher American Society of Anesthesiologists grade (2.7 ± 0.5 vs 2.5 ± 0.6, p < 0.001). Clinically at baseline, the obese group had worse neck pain (VAS score: 5.7 ± 3.2 vs 5.1 ± 3.3), arm pain (VAS score: 5.4 ± 3.5 vs 4.8 ± 3.5), disability (NDI score: 42.7 ± 20.4 vs 37.4 ± 20.7), quality of life (EQ-5D score: 0.54 ± 0.22 vs 0.56 ± 0.22), and function (mJOA score: 11.6 ± 2.8 vs 12.2 ± 2.8) (all p < 0.05). At the 24-month follow-up, however, there was no difference in the change in PROs between the two groups. Even after accounting for relevant covariates, no significant difference in achievement of MCID and satisfaction was observed between the two groups at 24 months.Conclusions
Despite the class III obese group having worse baseline clinical presentations, the two cohorts achieved similar rates of satisfaction and MCID in PROs. Class III obesity should not preclude and/or delay surgical management for patients who would otherwise benefit from surgery for CSM.Item Open Access Do obese patients undergoing surgery for grade 1 spondylolisthesis have worse outcomes at 5 years' follow-up? A QOD study.(Journal of neurosurgery. Spine, 2024-09) Zammar, Samer G; Ambati, Vardhaan S; Yee, Timothy J; Patel, Arati; Le, Vivian P; Alan, Nima; Coric, Domagoj; Potts, Eric A; Bisson, Erica F; Knightly, Jack J; Fu, Kai-Ming; Foley, Kevin T; Shaffrey, Mark E; Bydon, Mohamad; Chou, Dean; Chan, Andrew K; Meyer, Scott; Asher, Anthony L; Shaffrey, Christopher I; Slotkin, Jonathan R; Wang, Michael; Haid, Regis; Glassman, Steven D; Park, Paul; Virk, Michael; Mummaneni, Praveen VObjective
The long-term effects of increased body mass index (BMI) on surgical outcomes are unknown for patients who undergo surgery for low-grade lumbar spondylolisthesis. The goal of this study was to assess long-term outcomes in obese versus nonobese patients after surgery for grade 1 spondylolisthesis.Methods
Patients who underwent surgery for grade 1 spondylolisthesis at the Quality Outcomes Database's 12 highest enrolling sites (SpineCORe group) were identified. Long-term (5-year) outcomes were compared for patients with BMI ≥ 35 versus BMI < 35.Results
In total, 608 patients (57.6% female) were included. Follow-up was 81% (excluding patients who had died) at 5 years. The BMI ≥ 35 cohort (130 patients, 21.4%) was compared to the BMI < 35 cohort (478 patients, 78.6%). At baseline, patients with BMI ≥ 35 were more likely to be younger (58.5 ± 11.4 vs 63.2 ± 12.0 years old, p < 0.001), to present with both back and leg pain (53.8% vs 37.0%, p = 0.002), and to require ambulation assistance (20.8% vs 9.2%, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the cohort with BMI ≥ 35 had worse baseline patient-reported outcomes including visual analog scale (VAS) back (7.6 ± 2.3 vs 6.5 ± 2.8, p < 0.001) and leg (7.1 ± 2.6 vs 6.4 ± 2.9, p = 0.031) pain, disability measured by the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) (53.7 ± 15.7 vs 44.8 ± 17.0, p < 0.001), and quality of life on EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D) questionnaire (0.47 ± 0.22 vs 0.56 ± 0.22, p < 0.001). Patients with BMI ≥ 35 were more likely to undergo fusion (85.4% vs 74.7%, p = 0.01). There were no significant differences in 30- and 90-day readmission rates (p > 0.05). Five years postoperatively, there were no differences in reoperation rates or the development of adjacent-segment disease for patients in either BMI < 35 or ≥ 35 cohorts who underwent fusion (p > 0.05). On multivariate analysis, BMI ≥ 35 was a significant risk factor for not achieving minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs) for VAS leg pain (OR 0.429, 95% CI 0.209-0.876, p = 0.020), but BMI ≥ 35 was not a predictor for achieving MCID for VAS back pain, ODI, or EQ-5D at 5 years postoperatively.Conclusions
Both obese and nonobese patients benefit from surgery for grade 1 spondylolisthesis. At the 5-year time point, patients with BMI ≥ 35 have similarly low reoperation rates and achieve rates of satisfaction and MCID for back pain (but not leg pain), disability (ODI), and quality of life (EQ-5D) that are similar to those in patients with a BMI < 35.Item Open Access Dysregulated Metabolism in the Pathophysiology of Non-Allergic Obese Asthma.(Journal of asthma and allergy, 2021-01) McCravy, Matthew; Ingram, Jennifer L; Que, Loretta GAsthma is an obstructive airway disease that is characterized by reversible airway obstruction and is classically associated with atopic, TH2 driven inflammation. Landmark studies in the second half of the twentieth century identified eosinophils as a key mediator of inflammation and steroids, both inhaled and systemic, as a cornerstone of therapy. However, more recently other phenotypes of asthma have emerged that do not respond as well to traditional therapies. In particular, obese patients who develop asthma as adults are less likely to have eosinophilic airway inflammation and do not respond to traditional therapies. Obese patients often have metabolic comorbidities such as impaired glucose tolerance and dyslipidemias, also known as metabolic syndrome (MetS). The unified pathophysiology of metabolic syndrome is not known, however, several signaling pathways, such as the neuropeptide glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and nitric oxide (NO) signaling have been shown to be dysregulated in MetS. These pathways are targeted by commercially available medications. This review discusses the potential roles that dysregulation of the GLP-1 and NO signaling pathways, along with arginine metabolism, play in the development of asthma in obese patients. GLP-1 receptors are found in high density in the lung and are also detectable in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. NO has long been associated with asthma. We hypothesize that these derangements in metabolic signaling pathways underpin the asthmatic phenotype seen in obese patients with non-eosinophilic airway inflammation and poor response to established therapies. While still an active area of research, novel interventions are needed for this subset of patient who respond poorly to available asthma therapies.Item Open Access Effects of Oxidative Stress on Airway Epithelium Permeability in Asthma and Potential Implications for Patients with Comorbid Obesity.(Journal of asthma and allergy, 2023-01) Kim, Haein R; Ingram, Jennifer L; Que, Loretta G20 million adults and 4.2 million children in the United States have asthma, a disease resulting in inflammation and airway obstruction in response to various factors, including allergens and pollutants and nonallergic triggers. Obesity, another highly prevalent disease in the US, is a major risk factor for asthma and a significant cause of oxidative stress throughout the body. People with asthma and comorbid obesity are susceptible to developing severe asthma that cannot be sufficiently controlled with current treatments. More research is needed to understand how asthma pathobiology is affected when the patient has comorbid obesity. Because the airway epithelium directly interacts with the outside environment and interacts closely with the immune system, understanding how the airway epithelium of patients with asthma and comorbid obesity is altered compared to that of lean asthma patients will be crucial for developing more effective treatments. In this review, we discuss how oxidative stress plays a role in two chronic inflammatory diseases, obesity and asthma, and propose a mechanism for how these conditions may compromise the airway epithelium.Item Open Access Imbalanced Coagulation in the Airway of Type-2 High Asthma with Comorbid Obesity.(Journal of asthma and allergy, 2021-01) Womble, Jack T; McQuade, Victoria L; Ihrie, Mark D; Ingram, Jennifer LAsthma is a common, chronic airway inflammatory disease marked by airway hyperresponsiveness, inflammation, and remodeling. Asthma incidence has increased rapidly in the past few decades and recent multicenter analyses have revealed several unique asthma endotypes. Of these, type-2 high asthma with comorbid obesity presents a unique clinical challenge marked by increased resistance to standard therapies and exacerbated disease development. The extrinsic coagulation pathway plays a significant role in both type-2 high asthma and obesity. The type-2 high asthma airway is marked by increased procoagulant potential, which is readily activated following damage to airway tissue. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of the role the extrinsic coagulation pathway plays in the airway of type-2 high asthma with comorbid obesity. We propose that asthma control is worsened in obesity as a result of a systemic and local airway shift towards a procoagulant and anti-fibrinolytic environment. Lastly, we hypothesize bariatric surgery as a treatment for improved asthma management in type-2 high asthma with comorbid obesity, facilitated by normalization of systemic procoagulant and pro-inflammatory mediators. A better understanding of attenuated coagulation parameters in the airway following bariatric surgery will advance our knowledge of biomolecular pathways driving asthma pathobiology in patients with obesity.Item Open Access Is bigger really better? Obesity among high school football players, player position, and team success.(Clin Pediatr (Phila), 2013-10) Skinner, Asheley Cockrell; Hasty, Stephanie E; Turner, Robert W; Dreibelbis, Mark; Lohr, Jacob AOBJECTIVE: American football is one of the most common high school sports in the United States. We examine obesity among high school football players, and variations based on positions, team division, and team success. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We used 2 data sets from the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (n = 2026) and MaxPreps (n = 6417). We examined body mass index, calculated using coach-reported height and weight, by player position, division, and success based on win-loss percentage. RESULTS: Most players (62%) were skill players, with 35% linemen and 3% punters/kickers. Most skill players (62%) were healthy weight and 4% obese or morbidly obese. In contrast, only 8% of linemen were healthy weight, with 21% morbidly obese. Team success was correlated with size only for skill players. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity is a significant problem for high school football players. Pediatricians should consider the context of football playing in assessing long-term health risks for these young men.Item Open Access Long-term impact of obesity on patient-reported outcomes and patient satisfaction after lumbar spine surgery: an observational study.(Journal of neurosurgery. Spine, 2020-09) Park, Christine; Garcia, Alessandra N; Cook, Chad; Shaffrey, Christopher I; Gottfried, Oren NObjective
Obese body habitus is a challenging issue to address in lumbar spine surgery. There is a lack of consensus on the long-term influence of BMI on patient-reported outcomes and satisfaction. This study aimed to examine the differences in patient-reported outcomes over the course of 12 and 24 months among BMI classifications of patients who underwent lumbar surgery.Methods
A search was performed using the Quality Outcomes Database (QOD) Spine Registry from 2012 to 2018 to identify patients who underwent lumbar surgery and had either a 12- or 24-month follow-up. Patients were categorized based on their BMI as normal weight (≤ 25 kg/m2), overweight (25-30 kg/m2), obese (30-40 kg/m2), and morbidly obese (> 40 kg/m2). Outcomes included the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and the visual analog scale (VAS) for back pain (BP) and leg pain (LP), and patient satisfaction was measured at 12 and 24 months postoperatively.Results
A total of 31,765 patients were included. At both the 12- and 24-month follow-ups, those who were obese and morbidly obese had worse ODI, VAS-BP, and VAS-LP scores (all p < 0.01) and more frequently rated their satisfaction as "I am the same or worse than before treatment" (all p < 0.01) compared with those who were normal weight. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that the BMI cutoffs for predicting worsening disability and surgery dissatisfaction were 30.1 kg/m2 and 29.9 kg/m2 for the 12- and 24-month follow-ups, respectively.Conclusions
Higher BMI was associated with poorer patient-reported outcomes and satisfaction at both the 12- and 24-month follow-ups. BMI of 30 kg/m2 is the cutoff for predicting worse patient outcomes after lumbar surgery.Item Open Access Principal-component-based multivariate regression for genetic association studies of metabolic syndrome components(2010) Mei, Hao; Chen, Wei; Dellinger, Andrew; He, Jiang; Wang, Meng; Yau, Canddy; Srinivasan, Sathanur R; Berenson, Gerald SBackground: Quantitative traits often underlie risk for complex diseases. For example, weight and body mass index (BMI) underlie the human abdominal obesity-metabolic syndrome. Many attempts have been made to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) over the past decade, including association studies. However, a single QTL is often capable of affecting multiple traits, a quality known as gene pleiotropy. Gene pleiotropy may therefore cause a loss of power in association studies focused only on a single trait, whether based on single or multiple markers. Results: We propose using principal-component-based multivariate regression (PCBMR) to test for gene pleiotropy with comprehensive evaluation. This method generates one or more independent canonical variables based on the principal components of original traits and conducts a multivariate regression to test for association with these new variables. Systematic simulation studies have shown that PCBMR has great power. PCBMR-based pleiotropic association studies of abdominal obesity-metabolic syndrome and its possible linkage to chromosomal band 3q27 identified 11 susceptibility genes with significant associations. Whereas some of these genes had been previously reported to be associated with metabolic traits, others had never been identified as metabolism-associated genes. Conclusions: PCBMR is a computationally efficient and powerful test for gene pleiotropy. Application of PCBMR to abdominal obesity-metabolic syndrome indicated the existence of gene pleiotropy affecting this syndrome.Item Open Access Reported Sports Participation, Race, Sex, Ethnicity, and Obesity in US Adolescents From NHANES Physical Activity (PAQ_D).(Glob Pediatr Health, 2015) Turner, Robert W; Perrin, Eliana M; Coyne-Beasley, Tamera; Peterson, Camilla J; Skinner, Asheley CObjective. To understand the relationships between participation in different types of leisure time sport activity and adolescent obesity, and how those relationships might differ based on race, gender, and household income. Methods. Data consisted of 6667 students that took part in the 1999 to 2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The authors used adjusted Wald tests to examine differences in the prevalence of obesity (body mass index >95th percentile for age and sex) by sport for boys and girls separately. Results. Among adolescent youth age 12 to 19 years, 16.6% of male leisure time sport participants and 15.3% of female sport participants were obese, compared with 23.6% for male nonathlete participant-in-other-activities and 17.0% obesity rate for female nonathlete/participant-in-other-activities. For both males and females, reported participation in leisure time sports decreased between middle school and high school, and this reduction was associated with higher body mass index.Item Open Access Role of obesity in less radiographic correction and worse health-related quality-of-life outcomes following minimally invasive deformity surgery.(Journal of neurosurgery. Spine, 2022-02) Than, Khoi D; Mehta, Vikram A; Le, Vivian; Moss, Jonah R; Park, Paul; Uribe, Juan S; Eastlack, Robert K; Chou, Dean; Fu, Kai-Ming; Wang, Michael Y; Anand, Neel; Passias, Peter G; Shaffrey, Christopher I; Okonkwo, David O; Kanter, Adam S; Nunley, Pierce; Mundis, Gregory M; Fessler, Richard G; Mummaneni, Praveen VObjective
Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for adult spinal deformity (ASD) can offer deformity correction with less tissue manipulation and damage. However, the impact of obesity on clinical outcomes and radiographic correction following MIS for ASD is poorly understood. The goal of this study was to determine the role, if any, that obesity has on radiographic correction and health-related quality-of-life measures in MIS for ASD.Methods
Data were collected from a multicenter database of MIS for ASD. This was a retrospective review of a prospectively collected database. Patient inclusion criteria were age ≥ 18 years and coronal Cobb angle ≥ 20°, pelvic incidence-lumbar lordosis mismatch ≥ 10°, or sagittal vertical axis (SVA) > 5 cm. A group of patients with body mass index (BMI) < 30 kg/m2 was the control cohort; BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 was used to define obesity. Obesity cohorts were categorized into BMI 30-34.99 and BMI ≥ 35. All patients had at least 1 year of follow-up. Preoperative and postoperative health-related quality-of-life measures and radiographic parameters, as well as complications, were compared via statistical analysis.Results
A total of 106 patients were available for analysis (69 control, 17 in the BMI 30-34.99 group, and 20 in the BMI ≥ 35 group). The average BMI was 25.24 kg/m2 for the control group versus 32.46 kg/m2 (p < 0.001) and 39.5 kg/m2 (p < 0.001) for the obese groups. Preoperatively, the BMI 30-34.99 group had significantly more prior spine surgery (70.6% vs 42%, p = 0.04) and worse preoperative numeric rating scale leg scores (7.71 vs 5.08, p = 0.001). Postoperatively, the BMI 30-34.99 cohort had worse Oswestry Disability Index scores (33.86 vs 23.55, p = 0.028), greater improvement in numeric rating scale leg scores (-4.88 vs -2.71, p = 0.012), and worse SVA (51.34 vs 26.98, p = 0.042) at 1 year postoperatively. Preoperatively, the BMI ≥ 35 cohort had significantly worse frailty (4.5 vs 3.27, p = 0.001), Oswestry Disability Index scores (52.9 vs 44.83, p = 0.017), and T1 pelvic angle (26.82 vs 20.71, p = 0.038). Postoperatively, after controlling for differences in frailty, the BMI ≥ 35 cohort had significantly less improvement in their Scoliosis Research Society-22 outcomes questionnaire scores (0.603 vs 1.05, p = 0.025), higher SVA (64.71 vs 25.33, p = 0.015) and T1 pelvic angle (22.76 vs 15.48, p = 0.029), and less change in maximum Cobb angle (-3.93 vs -10.71, p = 0.034) at 1 year. The BMI 30-34.99 cohort had significantly more infections (11.8% vs 0%, p = 0.004). The BMI ≥ 35 cohort had significantly more implant complications (30% vs 11.8%, p = 0.014) and revision surgery within 90 days (5% vs 1.4%, p = 0.034).Conclusions
Obese patients who undergo MIS for ASD have less correction of their deformity, worse quality-of-life outcomes, more implant complications and infections, and an increased rate of revision surgery compared with their nonobese counterparts, although both groups benefit from surgery. Appropriate counseling should be provided to obese patients.Item Open Access Role of T cells in malnutrition and obesity.(Front Immunol, 2014) Gerriets, Valerie A; MacIver, Nancie JNutritional status is critically important for immune cell function. While obesity is characterized by inflammation that promotes metabolic syndrome including cardiovascular disease and insulin resistance, malnutrition can result in immune cell defects and increased risk of mortality from infectious diseases. T cells play an important role in the immune adaptation to both obesity and malnutrition. T cells in obesity have been shown to have an early and critical role in inducing inflammation, accompanying the accumulation of inflammatory macrophages in obese adipose tissue, which are known to promote insulin resistance. How T cells are recruited to adipose tissue and activated in obesity is a topic of considerable interest. Conversely, T cell number is decreased in malnourished individuals, and T cells in the setting of malnutrition have decreased effector function and proliferative capacity. The adipokine leptin, which is secreted in proportion to adipocyte mass, may have a key role in mediating adipocyte-T cell interactions in both obesity and malnutrition, and has been shown to promote effector T cell function and metabolism while inhibiting regulatory T cell proliferation. Additionally, key molecular signals are involved in T cell metabolic adaptation during nutrient stress; among them, the metabolic regulator AMP kinase and the mammalian target of rapamycin have critical roles in regulating T cell number, function, and metabolism. In summary, understanding how T cell number and function are altered in obesity and malnutrition will lead to better understanding of and treatment for diseases where nutritional status determines clinical outcome.Item Open Access Special Considerations in the Management of Diabetes in Women.(Journal of women's health (2002), 2018-05-10) McNeill, Diana B; Herbst, RebeccaType 2 diabetes and prediabetes are heterogeneous diseases that directly affect over 115 million Americans. Considerable gender differences exist with regard to diabetes risk factors, hormonal effects on glucose, and cardiovascular outcomes.Historically, diabetes studies have largely focused on men with the assumption that the data can safely be extrapolated to women. However, more recent investigations have illuminated significant differences between genders.Women are at higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease (CVD), are more likely to die following a myocardial infarction, and are treated less aggressively toward glycemic targets. Additionally, pregnancy and menopause have profound effects on the risks for diabetes and therefore warrant more aggressive diagnostic attention and monitoring. It is important for practitioners to understand that women who have gestational diabetes are at an increased risk for CVD even if they do not develop diabetes. Older age brings additional challenges with diabetes, including increased fracture risk even with normal bone mineral density.Recognizing the stages of life that are unique to women is critical as treatment and patient education can significantly impact patient well-being and outcomes. This article describes female-specific characteristics of prediabetes and diabetes during several distinct phases of life, including pregnancy, menopause, and older age. Diagnostic and management strategies for these populations are also discussed.Item Open Access Sustainable Food and the Weight Management Program Industry: A Comparative Case Study(2013-04-26) Zoubek, SarahOverconsumption of food in the US has led to skyrocketing rates of obesity and the rapid expansion of the diet industry. The demands of the food industry have also aided the creation of an industrialized agricultural system whose practices can lead to a number of environmental and social harms. In response, fast-moving consumer goods companies are acting to ensure they are sourcing foods more sustainably. Governing bodies within the field of nutritional science are also reformulating the disciplines’ core principles to include ecological considerations. Sitting at the intersection between fast moving consumer goods companies and nutrition science is the weight-management industry—a sector that may be uniquely positioned to address both obesity and sustainable food sourcing concerns at once. Three companies were examined in this study: Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, and Nutrisystem. Of these three, Jenny Craig is taking the most action regarding sustainable food sourcing, however, the company is not yet educating the public about their efforts. Overall, all three companies made little to no mention of sustainable food principles on their websites. While incorporation of sustainable foods into companies’ programming could potentially provide clients with greater meal satiety, prolong membership, and capture new market trends, commonly cited barriers included cost considerations, a potentially small niche market, supply availability, lack of concrete data on health benefits, lack of concrete definitions for sustainable food, loss of mission focus, and lack of control over supply chain and co-manufacturers. However, as the sustainable food movement continues to gather strength in the US, it is recommended that these companies: continue to make an effort to co-brand or co-manufacture with companies with a strong sustainable sourcing track record; join food industry coalitions or partner with NGOs on sustainable sourcing issues; incorporate more information into their educational programming or onto product labels; build community gardens; test-market premium products or membership services; continue to test-market fresh-delivery programs; set standards for co-manufacturers to meet for sustainable souring; set goals or standards for internal product development and incentivize meeting them; and finally, establish a culture that encourages environmental sustainability in general within corporate office locations.Item Open Access The design and conduct of Keep It Off: An online randomized trial of financial incentives for weight-loss maintenance.(Clin Trials, 2016-09-19) Shaw, Pamela A; Yancy, William S; Wesby, Lisa; Ulrich, Victoria; Troxel, Andrea B; Huffman, David; Foster, Gary D; Volpp, KevinBACKGROUND: Obesity continues to be a serious public health challenge. Rates are increasing worldwide, with nearly 70% of the US adults overweight or obese, leading to increased clinical and economic burden. While successful approaches for achieving weight loss have been identified, techniques for long-term maintenance of initial weight loss have largely been unsuccessful. Financial incentive interventions have been shown in several settings to be successful in motivating participants to adopt healthy behaviors. PURPOSE: Keep It Off is a three-arm randomized controlled trial that compares the efficacy of a lottery-based incentive, traditional direct payment incentive, and control of daily feedback without any incentive for weight-loss maintenance. This design allows comparison of a traditional direct payment incentive with one based on behavioral economic principles that consider the underlying psychology of decision-making. METHODS: Participants were randomized in a 2:1 ratio for each active arm relative to control, with a targeted 188 participants in total. Eligible participants were those aged 30-80 who lost at least 11 lb (5 kg) during the first 4 months of participation in Weight Watchers, a national weight-loss program, with whom we partnered. The interventions lasted 6 months (Phase I); participants were followed for an additional 6 months without intervention (Phase II). The primary outcome is weight change from baseline to the end of Phase I, with the change at the end of Phase II a key secondary endpoint. Keep It Off is a pragmatic trial that recruited, consented, enrolled, and followed patients electronically. Participants were provided a wireless weight scale that electronically transmitted daily self-monitored weights. Weights were verified every 3 months at a Weight Watchers center local to the participant and electronically transmitted. RESULTS: Using the study web-based platform, we integrated recruitment, enrollment, and follow-up procedures into a digital platform that required little staff effort to implement and manage. We randomized 191 participants in less than 1 year. We describe the design of Keep It Off and implementation of enrollment. LESSONS LEARNED: We demonstrated that our pragmatic design was successful in rapid accrual of participants in a trial of interventions to maintain weight loss. LIMITATIONS: Despite the nationwide reach of Weight Watchers, the generalizability of study findings may be limited by the characteristics of its members. The interventions under study are appropriate for settings where an entity, such as an employer or health insurance company, could offer them as a benefit. CONCLUSIONS: Keep It Off was implemented and conducted with minimal staff effort. This study has the potential to identify a practical and effective weight-loss maintenance strategy.Item Embargo The Role of Akkermansia Species and Subspecies in Human Health(2024) Mueller, Katherine DianneAkkermansia are mucin-degrading bacteria commonly found in the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The prevalence and abundance of these bacteria, notably Akkermansia muciniphila, are correlated with immunological and metabolic health in humans and have gained notoriety as a potential next-generation probiotic. Until recently, A. muciniphila was the only species of the phylum Verrucomicrobia identified in the human GI tract. However, it is increasingly clear that Akkermansia in the GI tract are diverse and that there are several human-associated Akkermansia species with significantly larger genomes than A. muciniphila. I hypothesize that this added genetic content may impact how various subgroups of Akkermansia modulate host immunological and metabolic health.To define the breadth of diversity within the genus Akkermansia, I conducted a pangenomic analysis of 234 Akkermansia genomes. My findings based on average nucleotide identity, full-length 16S rRNA gene identity, and conservation among core Akkermansia genes identified a novel group of Akkermansia and indicated that the genus Akkermansia should be split into several species. Further analysis of fatty acid composition and biochemical characterization of representative isolates supported this notion. Additionally, I found that A. muciniphila sensu stricto, the most prevalent Akkermansia species in humans, should be subdivided into two subspecies clades. Having defined species boundaries between strains that were previously all classified as one, I next sought to determine if these distinctions are relevant to the previously established correlations between Akkermansia and human health. To this end, I employed high-resolution species and clade assignments to reanalyze publicly available metagenomic datasets to determine if there are species or clade-specific relationships between Akkermansia and various disease outcomes. I observed species-specific correlations between Akkermansia abundance and obesity in a pediatric cohort. For a set of inflammatory bowel disease cohorts, I identified species-specific and clade-specific decreased abundance of Akkermansia in patients with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. In patients who had undergone hematopoietic cell transplantation, I found no correlation between Akkermansia species or phylogroups and graph-versus-host-disease development. In patients undergoing immune checkpoint inhibitor therapies for non-small cell lung cancer, I observed a significant association between one A. muciniphila clade and survival outcomes. Additionally, I showed that these species-predictive methods could be applied to additional species of Akkermansia and another mucophilic gastrointestinal bacterium, Ruminococcus gnavus. Finally, I described variability in biofilm production across isolates of the Akkermansia genus. I describe the generation of a library of transposon mutants in one biofilm-producing strain, Akk147, providing a possible link between mucin degradation and biofilm production in modulating the association between Akkermansia and the host. Finally, I tested whether biofilm production enhances the colonization ability of three A. muciniphila isolates of varying biofilm-production and determined that in vitro biofilm production does not enhance colonization of the murine GI tract. Overall, my findings suggest that the prevalence of specific Akkermansia species and clades may be crucial in evaluating their association with host health, and thus their usefulness in promoting health. As these associations differ between disease contexts, making these distinctions should be an important consideration when using Akkermansia as a probiotic or therapeutic supplement.
Item Open Access Women Veterans Experience with the VA MOVE! Weight Management Program.(Women's health reports (New Rochelle, N.Y.), 2020-01) Batch, Bryan C; Brown, Candace S; Goldstein, Karen M; Danus, Susanne; Sperber, Nina R; Bosworth, Hayden BBackground: Obesity prevalence is higher in women veterans overall than their civilian counterparts considering 44% of women veterans are obese. Thus, there is a critical need to understand the facilitators and barriers to women veterans' participation in weight management programs. The objective of this study is to explore facilitators and barriers to weight loss for women veterans enrolled in the Veterans Health Administration Motivating Overweight/Obese Veterans Everywhere (VA MOVE!) weight management program and gather feedback on the design and delivery of the MOVE!Program
Materials and Methods: Primary qualitative data were collected from women veterans who completed at least one MOVE! visit via semistructured telephone interviews. Two authors independently reviewed transcripts for data-derived codes. A content analysis approach was used within the software to code the transcripts. Results: The mean age of participants was 52 years. Sixty-eight percent (N = 17/25) were black, and 52% (N = 13/25) lived >64 kilometers from the location of the MOVE!Program
Facilitators to participation included both intrinsic (e.g., drive to become healthy) and extrinsic (e.g., drive to improve laboratories) motivating factors. Women expressed difficulty with learning in a group setting and applying lessons to their everyday lives. Others reported the setup of group classes triggered their post-traumatic stress disorder and prevented them from fully participating in the program. Additional barriers included distance traveled to group sessions and lack of access to exercise space. Conclusions: Our results illuminate barriers and facilitators to engagement in the MOVE!Program
Many of the barriers highlighted by these women veterans mirror barriers civilian women face, highlighting the possibility that our results could be applied to other programs designed to target weight loss in women.