Obesity Clinical Trials

This will be a prospective, registry study of an investigational procedure for at least 12 standard of care visits up to 1 year after subject consents for study. Subjects will be enrolled between 8/1/2018 and 8/1/2023. Subjects will undergo a clinically indicated endoscopic procedure and subsequent follow up clinic visits as part of their standard medical care. Disclaimer: To undergo the procedure there is an out of pocket expense for $9000. Read Less

Brown fat is a type of fat, found in both children and adults, which can produce heat and regulate the body's metabolism and energy use. White fat is the more common type of fat which is used to store extra calories. Understanding more about differences between brown and white fat may allow us to develop new approaches to improve the body's metabolism. Read Less

Impaired endothelial function is observed in disease states related to obesity, such as atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, and diabetes. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and resultant oxidative stress contribute to the development of these obesity-related diseases. The enzyme NADPH-oxidase is a major source of oxidative stress within the vasculature, and has been linked with the Metabolic Syndrome. In the investigator's previously funded studies, the investigators demonstrated for the first time that: 1) in vivo ROS were elevated in skeletal muscle of obese as compared to lean or overweight human subjects, 2) perfusion of the NADPH-oxidase inhibitor apocynin locally into muscle normalized ROS levels and reversed local microvascular endothelial dysfunction in the obese individuals, and 3) aerobic exercise training was effective at attenuating in vivo hydrogen peroxide production and reversing microvascular endothelial dysfunction in the obese individuals. The investigators will investigate in this R15 renewal application the mechanism of exercise training-induced alterations in ROS production and action on endothelial dysfunction in obesity using our newly developed microdialysis methodology of monitoring ROS production, in combination with analysis of muscle biopsy samples obtained before and after our previously tested 8-week intervention of aerobic interval exercise training. The objectives of this study are to determine the impact of in vivo NADPH oxidase activity on endothelial function in obese individuals, and to determine the mechanism of training-induced improvements in endothelial function. The investigator's unique microdialysis methodology will allow monitoring of microvascular/endothelial function and ROS generation, as well as the administration of pharmacological agents directly into muscle. The central hypothesis is that it is upregulation of both mitochondrial ROS and NADPH oxidase-derived ROS that results in endothelial dysfunction in obesity, and that exercise training down-regulates mitochondrial-derived ROS, and NADPH oxidase 4, thereby improving endothelial function. The aims of this proposal are to: 1) determine the contributions of mitochondrial ROS and specific NADPH oxidase isoforms to the NADPH oxidase dependent endothelial dysfunction in skeletal muscle of obese individuals; 2) determine the mechanism of ROS reduction and improved endothelial function resulting from an 8-week aerobic interval training program. Read Less

Maintenance of protein homeostasis is impaired in skeletal muscle of humans with obesity. A hallmark of this defect is distorted expression of isoforms of the myosin heavy chain (MHC) protein, and this defect is linked to obesity-associated adverse health outcomes. By employing exercise and increase in plasma amino acids as investigational tools the investigators intend to modulate the metabolism of muscle MHC isoforms in order to unravel the biological mechanisms that sustain distorted MHC protein metabolism in muscle of humans with obesity. Read Less

The goals of this research study are to: 1) understand why some people with obesity are protected from developing conditions such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease while others are more likely to develop obesity-related conditions; 2) assess the effect of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs also called exosomes), obtained from human participants, on metabolic function in cultured cells and in mice. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of impaired glucose (carbohydrate) tolerance in lean children with a family history of diabetes and in overweight/obese children with or without a family history of diabetes mellitus. Read Less

This is a single site, single-blinded parallel randomized control trial that investigates a multi-level intervention to improve postpartum blood pressure in women with hypertensive disorder pregnancy. The investigators will recruit women diagnosed with a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, identified between 3rd trimester and 2 weeks post-delivery. The investigators will randomize participants to receive usual care home blood pressure monitoring for 6 weeks versus an intervention of usual care + blood pressure and weight monitoring + a doula trained in heart health. This trial will be conducted in partnership with a local community-based organization, Healthy Start Inc. Read Less

Children who have previously participated in the study "MI Energy" will be invited to participate in "SUPER kids". Investigators want to better understand differences in nutrient use (e.g., fatty acid and carbohydrate) during rest and exercise in children of varying body types and activity levels. Read Less

The investigator proposes an 18 month, feasibility pilot study, randomizing obese and diabetic individuals with pure uric acid nephrolithiasis (UAN) or mixed calcium oxalate (CO) UAN to either phentermine/topiramate or a pragmatic control group who will remain on their standard medication regimen (citrate salts, allopurinol, diet, etc.). Read Less

Mexican American families share similar elevated risks for obesity and obesity-related conditions, such as type 2 diabetes. Because negative family interactions and relationships (e.g., poor communication, high conflict, low emotional closeness) are associated with obesity treatment outcomes, this study tests a behavioral weight management intervention that provides relationship skills counseling to mothers and adult daughters. The goal is to improve family interaction patterns to buffer challenges and strengthen collaboration for eating and physical activity behaviors that support long-term weight management and thus provide an effective obesity treatment approach to address a major public health concern. Read Less

Exercise acutely increases gut permeability and inflammation, even in healthy populations. However, whether this response differs in groups at-risk for CVD that present with low-grade inflammation (e.g., normal-weight obesity) has yet to be examined. The investigators aim to measure serum indicators of gut permeability in those with normal-weight obesity pre- and post-short, intense exercise and sustained, moderate exercise Read Less

This Proof-of-Concept study consists of a series of uncontrolled pilot studies to refine a behavioral weight loss trial using a "small change" approach for emerging adult college students with overweight/obesity. The primary aim of this study is maximize student acceptability of the intervention and weight loss outcomes. Read Less