Obesity Clinical Trials

40% of all asthma patients in the US are obese. Obese asthmatics have more severe disease than lean asthmatics and do not respond as well to conventional anti-inflammatory therapies. This proposal will utilize 3D functional imaging with 129XeMRI and single cell RNA sequencing to study mechanisms driving regional airway remodeling and fibrosis in obese asthma subjects and in preclinical models of obese asthma. Read Less

The purpose of the SWIFT Trial is to answer two research questions. Does bariatric surgery before total knee arthroplasty (TKA) improve both perioperative and long-term outcomes of TKA in extreme obesity? Does bariatric surgery before TKA delay or possibly negate the need for arthroplasty? Read Less

Gastric myotomy has been performed for several years as a means of addressing chronic stenosis after sleeve gastrectomy and treating gastroparesis. The Pylorus Sparing Antral Myotomy (PSAM) technique has the opposite effect by leaving the pylorus intact and extending the myotomy proximally to the distal gastric body. PSAM was initially combined with ESG and shown to delay gastric emptying and provide greater weight loss without impacting tolerability (GCSI score) or the safety profile of the procedure (2 DDW GEM abstracts). PSAM has not been evaluated alone, without concomitant ESG. Since delayed gastric emptying alone is known to promote weight loss, it is thought that PSAM alone (without ESG) may provide similar efficacy, while reducing procedure time and adverse events. There have been no clinical studies that investigate the efficacy of PSAM independent of ESG. This pilot study aims to address this lack of information by evaluating the safety, tolerability, and short-term efficacy of PSAM, in addition to exploring its impact on gastric physiology. This will also provide data that may be used in designing a larger clinical trial. Read Less

Patient Power is a patient research network and database (registry) to collect prospective information about demographics, self-reported diagnoses and medications, and willingness to participate in research from participants with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), spondyloarthritis (SpA), other musculoskeletal conditions, chronic neurological conditions like migraine, chronic pulmonary conditions like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), asthma, autoimmune dermatological conditions such as psoriasis, and other chronic inflammatory or immune-mediated conditions. In addition, since patients with chronic conditions often have other co-morbidities like cardiovascular health and obesity-related metabolic disorders, these conditions will also be included. Participants will provide information from their smartphones or personal computers. The information will be used by researchers and clinicians to help patients and their providers make better, more informed decisions about treatment of chronic conditions. Read Less

The goal of the Vida Sana y Completa study is to provide evidence on the most effective approach for addressing the critical combination of obesity and food insecurity among Latinas in primary care while also collecting preliminary information on the potential for implementation and dissemination. Read Less

This study is a randomized clinical trial with the primary aim examining the efficacy of a novel integrated solution of a digitally delivered behavioral weight management program tailored for diabetes utilizing a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) built into the WW digital platform for adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) for the reduction of HbA1c. Read Less

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate a new way of providing healthcare to children with an unhealthy weight. Families who participate will be assigned by chance to one of two groups. One group will see their child's primary care provider to talk about healthy lifestyles for 6 months. The other group will be in our Healthy Lifestyle program for 6 months. This will include: Check-ins with lifestyle specialists and community health workers, A mobile app to help support a healthy lifestyle, and Access to community programs and activities. The main questions the study aims to answer are: Do children in the Healthy Lifestyle program have better weight outcomes? Do more families in the Healthy Lifestyle program stay in the study? Does the Healthy Lifestyle program work better for families from certain communities? Read Less

The purpose of this research is to determine how exercise affects fat (adipose) tissue and how changes to adipose tissue that occur during and after exercise might improve health in aging and obesity. Read Less

Several methods for closure of trocar wounds are known in laparoscopic surgery including mostly transcutaneous or subcuticular suture or adhesive paper tape. Studies comparing laparoscopic incision closure in bariatric population are limited .This is a prospective study that will be conducted in a single tertiary medical center. s obese population comprise most of our surgical candidates, and due to the aforementioned, the aim of our study is to compare the outcomes of both techniques in obese women. Read Less

Obesity, specifically BMIs ≥35 or 40 kg/m2, are associated with an increased probability of poor outcomes of Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) including increased pain, risk for infection, poor joint function, and increased rates of hospital readmissions. Several orthopedic and public health organizations recommend weight loss prior to TJA for individuals with overweight/obesity. However, empirical evidence suggesting the effectiveness of pre-surgical weight loss on surgical and functional outcomes of TKA is extremely limited and is based primarily on non-randomized observational studies. Thus, to gain further insight regarding the feasibility and potential effectiveness of pre-surgical weight loss on outcomes of TKA, the proposed pilot trial will randomize 30 patients (age 50-75 yrs., BMI 35<40 kg/m2) scheduled for TKA through The University of Kansas Health System Department of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine (KUOrtho) to a multi-component weight loss (3-mo. pre-TKA, very low-calorie diet) and maintenance intervention (3-mo. post TKA, conventional maintenance diet) or standard care control which will include no dietary or weight loss advice. The weight loss/maintenance interventions will include reduced energy intake or energy intake prescribed for weight loss maintenance, increased physical activity, and individual behavior counseling. Outcomes will be assessed 1) baseline, i.e., 3 mos. prior to surgery, 2) 3 mos. i.e., at the completion of the weight loss intervention prior to TKA, 3) within a minimum of 2 weeks post TKA, and 4) 3 mos. post-TKA, i.e., after completion of the weight maintenance intervention to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of a remotely delivered multi-component pre-TKA weight loss and a post-TKA weight maintenance intervention. Read Less

This proposal is designed to (1) establish the feasibility of a research strategy for discovering ethnic differences in the frequency of genotypes in patients after bariatric surgery and (2) perform a preliminary evaluation of this research strategy. Our goal is to identify genetic factors that may influence the success of various surgical weight loss interventions and determine whether these factors are associated with specific patient populations. Read Less

The development of type II diabetes (T2D) is strongly associated with obesity and both are well-established risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Knowing that vascular dysfunction is an early event in the development of cardiovascular disease in obese diabetic (OB-T2D) patients, The investigators set their long-term goal to define molecular mechanisms of vascular dysfunction and corrective strategies that target these mechanisms such as physical activity and weight loss. The investigators recently discovered that human adipose tissues release extracellular vesicles (adiposomes) that are efficiently captured by endothelial cells. Adiposomes are known to carry bioactive cargos such as proteins and micro RNAs; however, their lipid content has not been studied nor has their ability to transfer their lipid cargo to endothelial cells. In the current application, the investigators propose to investigate the role of adiposomes in communicating the unhealthy milieu, mainly dysregulated lipids, to endothelial cells in OB-T2D subjects. On top of these lipid species that the investigators propose to be carried by adiposomes are glycosphingolipids (GSLs). These lipids originate from the glycosylation of ceramides, a chemical process that is upregulated in the presence of inflammation and high glucose levels. Preliminary findings showed that in endothelial cells, GSL-rich adiposomes disturb plasma membrane structure and subsequently induce endothelial dysfunction. Moreover, the investigators found that preconditioning endothelial cells with high shear stress (which is an exercise mimetic) protected endothelial cells from the detrimental effects induced by adiposomes. Therefore, the central hypothesis is that adipose tissues in OB-T2D patients release GSL-loaded adiposomes that induce vascular endothelial dysfunction. The researchers propose that exercise and weight loss interventions (bariatric surgery) will restore adipose tissue homeostasis, reduce GSL-loaded adiposomes, and subsequently alleviate vascular risk in OB-T2D patients. The investigators will test the hypotheses by pursuing the following aims: aim 1: Investigate the role of GSL-rich adiposomes in the pathogenesis of endothelial dysfunction in OB-T2D adults; aim 2: Test the effectiveness of exercise training in reducing adiposome-mediated effects on vascular function; and aim 3: Examine changes in adiposome/caveolae axis following metabolic surgery and their association with vascular function. Read Less