Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Circulating Microrna Expression And Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease In Adolescents With Severe Obesity, Yi-Jie Li, Brittney O Baumert, Nikos Stratakis, Jesse A Goodrich, Hao-Tian Wu, Jing-Xuan He, Yin-Qi Zhao, Max T Aung, Hong-Xu Wang, Sandrah P Eckel, Douglas I Walker, Damaskini Valvi, Michele A La Merrill, Justin R Ryder, Thomas H Inge, Todd Jenkins, Stephanie Sisley, Rohit Kohli, Stavra A Xanthakos, Andrea A Baccarelli, Rob Mcconnell, David V Conti, Lida Chatzi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common chronic liver diseases in children and adolescents. NAFLD ranges in severity from isolated hepatic steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), wherein hepatocellular inflammation and/or fibrosis coexist with steatosis. Circulating microRNA (miRNA) levels have been suggested to be altered in NAFLD, but the extent to which miRNA are related to NAFLD features remains unknown. This analysis tested the hypothesis that plasma miRNAs are significantly associated with histological features of NAFLD in adolescents.

AIM: To investigate the relationship between plasma miRNA expression and NAFLD features among adolescents with NAFLD.

METHODS: This …

Association Between Body Mass Index And Functional Outcomes In Patients With Intracerebral Hemorrhage, Andrea Becerril-Gaitan, Dale Ding, Natasha Ironside, Andrew M Southerland, Bradford B Worrall, Fernando D Testai, Matthew L Flaherty, Mitchell S Elkind, Sebastian Koch, Gene Sung, Steven J Kittner, Douglas J Mayson, Nicole Gonzales, Jacob L Mccauley, Marc Malkoff, Christiana E Hall, Michael R Frankel, Michael L James, Christopher D Anderson, Jaroslaw Aronowski, Sean I Savitz, Daniel Woo, Ching-Jen Chen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Evidence of the so-called "obesity paradox," which refers to the protective effect and survival benefit of obesity in patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), remains controversial. This study aims to determine the association between body mass index (BMI) and functional outcomes in patients with ICH and whether it is modified by race/ethnicity.

METHODS: Included individuals were derived from the Ethnic/Racial Variations of Intracerebral Hemorrhage study, which prospectively recruited 1,000 non-Hispanic White, 1,000 non-Hispanic Black, and 1,000 Hispanic patients with spontaneous ICH. Only patients with available BMI were included. The primary outcome was 90-day mortality. Secondary outcomes were …

Polygenic Scores For Tobacco Use Provide Insights Into Systemic Health Risks In A Diverse Ehr-Linked Biobank In Los Angeles, Vidhya Venkateswaran, Kristin Boulier, Yi Ding, Ruth Johnson, Arjun Bhattacharya, Bogdan Pasaniuc

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Tobacco use is a major risk factor for many diseases and is heavily influenced by environmental factors with significant underlying genetic contributions. Here, we evaluated the predictive performance, risk stratification, and potential systemic health effects of tobacco use disorder (TUD) predisposing germline variants using a European- ancestry-derived polygenic score (PGS) in 24,202 participants from the multi-ancestry, hospital-based UCLA ATLAS biobank. Among genetically inferred ancestry groups (GIAs), TUD-PGS was significantly associated with TUD in European American (EA) (OR: 1.20, CI: [1.16, 1.24]), Hispanic/Latin American (HL) (OR:1.19, CI: [1.11, 1.28]), and East Asian American (EAA) (OR: 1.18, CI: [1.06, 1.31]) GIAs but …

Obesity And Skeletal Fragility, Rui Chen, Reina Armamento-Villareal

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Skeletal fracture has recently emerged as a complication of obesity. Given the normal or better than normal bone mineral density (BMD), the skeletal fragility of these patients appears to be a problem of bone quality rather than quantity. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), the incidence of which increases with increasing body mass index, is also associated with an increased risk for fractures despite a normal or high BMD. With the additional bone pathology from diabetes itself, patients with both obesity and T2DM could have a worse skeletal profile. Clinically, however, there are no available methods for identifying those who are …

Very-Low-Density Lipoprotein Triglyceride And Free Fatty Acid Plasma Kinetics In Women With High Or Low Brown Adipose Tissue Volume And Overweight/Obesity, Maria Chondronikola, Jun Yoshino, Raja Ramaswamy, Joseph Daniel Giardina, Richard Laforest, Richard L Wahl, Bruce W Patterson, Bettina Mittendorfer, Samuel Klein

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Although a high amount of brown adipose tissue (BAT) is associated with low plasma triglyceride concentration, the mechanism responsible for this relationship in people is not clear. Here, we evaluate the interrelationships among BAT, very-low-density lipoprotein triglyceride (VLDL-TG), and free fatty acid (FFA) plasma kinetics during thermoneutrality in women with overweight/obesity who had a low (< 20 mL) or high (≥20 mL) volume of cold-activated BAT (assessed by using positron emission tomography in conjunction with 2-deoxy-2-[

Pastoral Leaders’ Perception Of Obesity And Their Role Within Faith-Based Organizations, Darren D. Moore, Clinton E. Cooper, Charles Williams

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of pastoral leaders regarding obesity and health within faith-based organizations (FBOs). In this study, the authors focused on gaining additional insight regarding how pastoral leaders conceptualize and make sense of their roles in terms of health promotion within FBOs. Utilizing a qualitative research methodological approach, specifically Qualitative Description, authors administered a qualitative survey to 12 participants which yielded three emerging themes: (1) perceived scope, (2) understanding and use of resources, and (3) defining obesity through pastoral leaders’ perspectives. In the study, investigators discuss clinical implications and provide recommendations.

Global Benchmarks In Primary Robotic Bariatric Surgery Redefine Quality Standards For Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass And Sleeve Gastrectomy, Guillaume Giudicelli, Daniel Gero, Lind Romulo, Vasu Chirumamilla, Pouya Iranmanesh, Christopher K Owen, Wayne Bauerle, Amador Garcia, Lisa Lucas, Anne-Sophie Mehdorn, Dhananjay Pandey, Abdullah Almuttawa, Francisco Cabral, Abhishek Tiwari, Virginia Lambert, Beniamino Pascotto, Celine De Meyere, Marouan Yahyaoui, Thomas Haist, Oliver Scheffel, Maud Robert, Frederiek Nuytens, Santiago Azagra, Lilian Kow, Arun Prasad, Carlos Vaz, Michel Vix, Vivek Bindal, Jan H Beckmann, David Soussi, Ramon Vilallonga, Maher El Chaar, Erik B Wilson, Arif Ahmad, Andre Teixeira, Monika E Hagen, Christian Toso, Pierre-Alain Clavien, Milo Puhan, Marco Bueter, Minoa K Jung

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Whether the benefits of the robotic platform in bariatric surgery translate into superior surgical outcomes remains unclear. The aim of this retrospective study was to establish the 'best possible' outcomes for robotic bariatric surgery and compare them with the established laparoscopic benchmarks.

METHODS: Benchmark cut-offs were established for consecutive primary robotic bariatric surgery patients of 17 centres across four continents (13 expert centres and 4 learning phase centres) using the 75th percentile of the median outcome values until 90 days after surgery. The benchmark patients had no previous laparotomy, diabetes, sleep apnoea, cardiopathy, renal insufficiency, inflammatory bowel disease, immunosuppression, …

Continued Treatment With Tirzepatide For Maintenance Of Weight Reduction In Adults With Obesity: The Surmount-4 Randomized Clinical Trial, Louis J Aronne, Naveed Sattar, Deborah B Horn, Harold E Bays, Sean Wharton, Wen-Yuan Lin, Nadia N Ahmad, Shuyu Zhang, Ran Liao, Mathijs C Bunck, Irina Jouravskaya, Madhumita A Murphy, Surmount-4 Investigators

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

IMPORTANCE: The effect of continued treatment with tirzepatide on maintaining initial weight reduction is unknown.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of tirzepatide, with diet and physical activity, on the maintenance of weight reduction.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This phase 3, randomized withdrawal clinical trial conducted at 70 sites in 4 countries with a 36-week, open-label tirzepatide lead-in period followed by a 52-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled period included adults with a body mass index greater than or equal to 30 or greater than or equal to 27 and a weight-related complication, excluding diabetes.

INTERVENTIONS: Participants (n = 783) enrolled in an open-label …

Modulation Of Diet-Induced Gut Inflammation In Slowing Initiation Of Hematologic Malignancies, Esther Nyarkoa Mensah

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The intestinal tract serves as a host to an extremely complex microbial system. Microbes in the gut regulate their metabolism in response to chemicals generated by other microorganisms as well as nutrition supply from dietary intake. Alterations in gut bacteria have been implicated in the development of metabolic disorders such as obesity and the progression of diseases such as Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Although the cause of obesity is multifactorial, the consumption of high-fat or sugar-rich diets (Western diets) has been proposed as a significant contributor to this global epidemic. Obesity is a major public health concern that has been extensively …

The Effects Of Aerobic Exercise To Improve Depression In Overweight Adults, Curtis Lura

Master of Science in Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner

Overweight/obese adults are at an increased risk for both physical and mental comorbidities (CDC, 2019). Depression is a common comorbidity in those that are obese (CDC, 2019) and the standard of care currently to treat depression may increase the risk of physical comorbidities because weight gain is a common side effect of antidepressants (Hall-Flavin, 2018). The aim of this capstone research paper is to present evidence that an aerobic exercise regimen can be a valid treatment option for depression.

Sleep Hygiene Education, Hope Colon

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

This DNP project was designed to increase awareness of insomnia and sleep hygiene in the target community by providing an in-person educational session on sleep hygiene. The educational session provided information on insomnia, sleep hygiene habits, statistics of those with sleep disorders, and medication use for sleep. The impact of the project implementation was measured using a pre-intervention survey and a post-intervention survey. All survey items had an increase in correct answers post-intervention. In conclusion, the results revealed there was an increase in awareness and knowledge base of insomnia and sleep hygiene after the education was provided.

A Mindfulness Approach To Regulate Depressive-Associated Emotional Eating, Jillian G. Montefusco

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Background: Depression affects 350 to 500 million people globally, with depressive-associated emotional eating (DAEE) impacting approximately 43.5% of these individuals. Depressive-associated emotional eating contributes to obesity through poor dietary choices and weight gain, leading to the projection that by 2048 all United States citizens will be overweight or obese.

Local Problem: At a Chicago weight loss center, the Emotional Appetite Questionnaire screened 75 patients, revealing that 56% (N = 42) ate more during sadness, boredom, and loneliness, and 50.7% (N = 38) ate more during depression, indicating significant DAEE.

Methods: This quasi-experimental quality improvement project uses a pre- and post-evaluation …

Weight Health In The Modern Lens: Investigating The Intersectionality Of Obesity, William Bohne, Anthony Onochie

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between these social determinants of health and obesity to provide a better understanding of geographical differences in obesity rates. Methods All data was collected using countyhealthrankings.org. The variables that were studied included access to exercise, food insecurity, and life expectancy due to previous literature demonstrating probable association between these variables and the prevalence of obesity. Results Statistically significant increase in number of adults with obesity from 2016 to 2022 (32% to 37%). Statistically significant weak, negative correlation between access to exercise and obesity (r=-.306). Statistically significant weak, negative correlation …

Quality Improvement Project: Compliance Of Antenatal Testing In Patients With Class Iii Obesity, Isabella L. Sciacca, Timothy Kremer, Nicole Tenzel

North Texas GME Research Forum 2024

The prevalence of obesity in women of reproductive age (20 to 39) in the US is 39.7%. It has been estimated that one-quarter of pregnancy complications are attributable to maternal obesity. Comprehensive prenatal care is imperative to achieving positive health outcomes. This quality improvement (QI) initiative aimed to improve antenatal fetal surveillance rates in patients with class III obesity. Evidence based interventions to test fetal wellbeing were implemented and examined over a 7 month time period to evaluate physician compliance of the standard of care for antenatal surveillance starting at 34 weeks gestation. Following implementation of this initiative, compliance with …

Action Apac: Understanding Perceptions, Attitudes And Behaviours In Obesity And Its Management Across South And Southeast Asia, Kwang Wei Tham, Asma Ahmed, Apussanee Boonyavarakul, Mariana Mercado Garcia, Miroslava Guajardo, Zubaidah Nor Hanipah, Tran Quang Nam, Nemencio A. Nicodemus, Faruque Pathan, Jack Garcia Uranga Romano, Sidartawan Soegonda, Edgardo L. Tolentino, Ambika Gopalakrishnan (A G) Unnikrishnan, Brian J. Oldfield

Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health Publications

To identify perceptions and attitudes among people with obesity (PwO) and healthcare professionals (HCPs) toward obesity and its management in nine Asia-Pacific (APAC) countries, a cross-sectional online survey was conducted among adult PwO with self-reported body mass index of ≥25 kg/m2 (≥27 kg/m2, Singapore), and HCPs involved in direct patient care. In total, 10 429 PwO and 1901 HCPs completed the survey. Most PwO (68%) and HCPs (84%) agreed that obesity is a disease; however, a significant proportion of PwO (63%) and HCPs (41%) believed weight loss was the complete responsibility of PwO and only 43% of PwO discussed weight …

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Genetic Susceptibility, Shakil A. Saghir, Nicole Shams, Lianette Veliz, Saleh Alfuraih, Yadollah Omidi, Jaleh Barar, Ajay Sharma, Rais Ansari

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

The prevalence of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is increasing, particularly in individuals who consume minimal to no alcohol. Currently, NAFLD affects at least 32% of the global population. Although not all but approximately 5-10% cases of NAFLD progress to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a condition arising from lipotoxicity. Patients with NASH may further develop liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, it is important to note that progression from NAFLD to NASH and HCC is not inevitable for all patients. The pathogenesis of HCC in the context of NAFLD and NASH remains poorly understood, however, fat accumulation, often due …

Temporal Lobe Epilepsy And Obesity In Adults, Mahmoud Fathy Saleh, Mohammed Abbas, Mostafa Mansour, M. Saad

Mansoura Medical Journal

Background: Epilepsy is a common, chronic, and disabling neurologic state. Medial temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the commonest, and best-defined, form of symptomatic localization-related epilepsy. Obesity-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress are thought to participate in the initiation and progression of epilepsy. Obesity is a potentially preventable predisposing factor for drug resistant epilepsy (DRE).

Objective: the aim of this study was to investigate the association of TLE with obesity and the effect of obesity on seizure control.

Methods: This case control study was carried out on 50 patients with TLE and was divided into two groups, …

The Ethical Concerns Of Improper Semaglutide Administration After Acquisition From A Compounded Pharmacy, Syed Basit Haider, Renu Thomas, E’Joven Reed, Aneesha Shaju, Bushra Bangash, Jakob Schnell, Edrianna Mae Ablola

Gulf Coast Division GME Research Symposium 2024

No abstract provided.

Study Of Insulin Levels, Home –Ir, Body Mass Index, Iipids, And Oxidative Stress Factors In Iraqi Type 2 Diabetic Patients, Heba Mohammed Abed, Huda Farhan, Ali Abd Al-Hussein

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

Increased oxidative stress is a well-established negative factor leading to insulin resistance, β-cell dysfunction, dyslipidemia, and finally leading to type 2 diabetes mellitus and its complications The study aimed to investigate some oxidative biomarkers, lipid profiles, and their association with hyperglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetics and compared the result with healthy control group. The present study conducted a case control study on 180 participants (87 females and 93 males) between the ages of 30 and 70 years, from the first of July 2023 until the end of September 2023. The participants were divided into three groups …

The Relationship Between Being Uninsured And Having Poor Health Outcomes And Experiences In Eastern Kentucky, Danielle Adams, Amber Todd

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Objective: To examine health insurance and health outcome disparities in Eastern Kentucky since Kentucky’s implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Methods: Using data from County Health Rankings and Roadmap, rates of uninsurance will be compared before and a decade after implementation of the ACA in Kentucky (2013 and 2023). In addition, prevalence of certain health outcomes in Eastern Kentucky will be compared from 2013 and 2023 and correlation established between uninsured rates and particular health outcomes for 2023. Results: Since 2013, the percentage of those uninsured in Eastern Kentucky has seen a significant decline. While there is no correlation between …

Predicting Difficult Airway In Morbidly Obese Patients Using Ultrasound, Sevim Akin, Mustafa Yildirim, Hakan Artaş, Esef Bolat

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Difficult mask ventilation and difficult intubation are more common in obese patients. Ultrasound is a reliable andnoninvasive method for evaluating the airway. The aim of this study was to investigate the contribution and availability of anterior necksoft tissue (ANS) thickness at different levels, tongue volume (TV), hyomental distance (HMD), the ratio of preepiglottic distance todistance between the epiglottis and the midpoint of vocal cords (PE/E-VC) measured by ultrasonography in predicting difficult airwayin morbidly obese patients.Materials and methods: Between March 2020 and November 2020, patients aged ≥18 years with a body mass index (BMI) of ≥40 kg/m2who underwent elective surgery under …

The Delineation Of Platelet Pathology In Cardiometabolic Disease, Chi Peng

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences

Obesity is a multifactorial disease with many comorbidities leading to multiorgan dysfunction. Current studies point towards dysregulation of platelet signaling as a driver for increased risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. The exact mechanisms remain elusive due to the complex interplay of factors involved, warranting the need to further understand how platelets are affected. Our preliminary data evaluating changes in platelet and coagulation parameters from bariatric patients showed that obesity did not affect platelet count or clotting time as demonstrated in INR values. However, female patients had increased bleeding events before surgery that were decreased after surgery. Due to limitations …

The Role Of Uric Acid In Metabolic Abnormalities Of Obesity, Andrew P. Giromini

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Uric acid (UA) is the single most tightly associated metabolite for obesity and type 2 diabetes. While the field varies on whether UA is causative or correlative of the metabolic dysfunction allied to obesity, these studies use different diets and animal models to make these claims. It is the goal of this dissertation to compare different diets commonly used in this research to delve deeper into the data and determine which diets induce elevated circulating UA levels as well as which diets also induce metabolic dysfunction. Early chapters of this dissertation examine the comparison of high fructose consumption, both in …

Childhood Obesity Prevention Programs In Texas, Thao Doan

Gulf Coast Division GME Research Symposium 2024

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Primary Care Providers In Maintaining Weight Loss By Preventing Behavioral Relapse, Hayden R. Blanchard

Capstone Showcase

Supporting patients in optimizing health by treating obesity remains a relevant goal for primary care providers. While weight loss is frequently achieved with behavioral modification, maintaining weight loss by avoiding behavioral relapse is much more difficult. Patient may lose weight by reducing overall energy intake, incorporating intensive behavior change programs, utilizing pharmacotherapy as needed and, in certain cases, undergoing bariatric surgery. With a focus on behavior change and maintenance, primary care providers can support patients by planning more frequent follow up appointments, at least every one to three months. In these visits, PCPs can: focus on reenforcing lifestyle change principles …

Adgrl1 Is A Glucose Receptor Involved In Mediating Energy And Glucose Homeostasis, Kavaljit H Chhabra, Siresha Bathina, Tumininu S Faniyan, Dennis J Samuel, Muhammad Ummear Raza, Leticia Maria De Souza Cordeiro, Gonzalo Viana Di Prisco, Brady K Atwood, Jorge Robles, Lauren Bainbridge, Autumn Davis

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The brain is a major consumer of glucose as an energy source and regulates systemic glucose as well as energy balance. Although glucose transporters such as GLUT2 and sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) are known to regulate glucose homeostasis and metabolism, the identity of a receptor that binds glucose to activate glucose signalling pathways in the brain is unknown. In this study, we aimed to discover a glucose receptor in the mouse hypothalamus.

METHODS: Here we used a high molecular mass glucose-biotin polymer to enrich glucose-bound mouse hypothalamic neurons through cell-based affinity chromatography. We then subjected the enriched neurons to …

Family Structure, Family Transitions, And Child Overweight And Obesity: Comparing Australia, The United Kingdom, And The United States, Sadie A. Slighting, Kirsten Rasmussen, Mikaela J. Dufur, Jonathan A. Jarvis, Shana Pribesh, Alyssa J. Alexander, Carolina Otero

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Growing rates of childhood obesity globally create concern for individuals' health outcomes and demands on health systems. While many policy approaches focus on macro-level interventions, we examine how the type of stability of a family structure might provide opportunities for policy interventions at the micro level. We examine the association between family structure trajectories and childhood overweight and obesity across three Anglophone countries using an expanded set of eight family structure categories that capture biological relationships and instability, along with potential explanatory variables that might vary across family trajectories and provide opportunities for intervention, including access to resources, family stressors, …

A Thoughtful Approach To Weight Loss Management, Zachary Brock

Capstone Showcase

As a student preparing to graduate PA school, one of the areas I hope to improve upon is my ability to educate patients in a comfortable, caring, encouraging, and effective manner. In my experience, the topic of weight-loss is often handled in ways that are insensitive, making patients feel shameful about their condition and less inspired to change. The goal of this article will be to address the current literature on how to medically manage obesity in patients and combine resources that offer more effective, encouraging, and subtle approaches that will help lead to a more effective, shame-free treatment of …

Approaches To Estimate Bidirectional Causal Effects Using Mendelian Randomization With Application To Body Mass Index And Fasting Glucose, Jinhao Zou, Rajesh Talluri, Sanjay Shete

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Mendelian randomization (MR) is an epidemiological framework using genetic variants as instrumental variables (IVs) to examine the causal effect of exposures on outcomes. Statistical methods based on unidirectional MR (UMR) are widely used to estimate the causal effects of exposures on outcomes in observational studies. To estimate the bidirectional causal effects between two phenotypes, investigators have naively applied UMR methods separately in each direction. However, bidirectional causal effects between two phenotypes create a feedback loop that biases the estimation when UMR methods are naively applied. To overcome this limitation, we proposed two novel approaches to estimate bidirectional causal effects using …

Predictors Of Obesity In Hypothyroid Patients Under Treatment, Mohamed Zakarya Nooh, Moustafa Mohammed Gaballah Elnagar, Mohammed Abd El-Raouf Korany, Raghda Samy Ahmed El-Meligy Matard, Moustafa Bakrey Hamed Ata

Journal of Medicine in Scientific Research

Objectives: to evaluate obesity and insulin resistance relation in treated hypothyroid patients attending Menoufia university hospital.

Background: Hypothyroidism is a common endocrine disorder resulting from deficient secretion of thyroid hormone. Africa has the highest prevalence (14.2%) while Asia has the lowest prevalence (5.8%). “obesity” is a disease where body fat and body-fat distribution exceed the level considered healthy. Through the production of adipokines adipose tissue affects the activity of the Hypothalamic–pituitary–thyroid (HPT) axis system. Insulin resistance and autoimmune thyroid disease have shown to influence each other.

Patient and methods: Our study included 254 Egyptian hypothyroid patients under treatment …