Weight Loss

This clinical trial will test whether preoperative tirzepatide treatment improves outcomes after bariatric surgery. The outcome of this study could impact therapeutic guidelines for the multimodal treatment of obesity. The major objectives are: 1. To evaluate whether pre-operative tirzepatide treatment reduces tissue and circulating inflammatory markers at the time of surgery. 2. To establish the relationship of these changes with postoperative improvements in weight loss, metabolic and inflammatory profiles, comorbidity resolution (glycemic control, blood pressure, lipid profile), and 30-day surgical complications. Researchers will compare data from patients taking tirzepatide to data from patients not taking tirzepatide before their planned bariatric surgery to see if tirzepatide reduces inflammation and improves health outcomes after bariatric surgery. Participants will: Take or not take tirzepatide, depending on what study group they are in, once a week for 3 months. Visit the endocrine clinic once a month for 3 months to be prescribed the drug and for checkups regarding side effects due to the drug. Keep a diary to document taking the drug and any side effects. Continue with their planned bariatric surgery and post-surgery follow-ups according to their healthcare provider.

Roux-en-y gastric bypass is performed with the patient in the French position by a bariatric surgeon with 8 years of experience. A single port was placed in the umbilicus, an additional trocar (5mm) was placed in the right side of the abdomen. The surgery is started by performing the liver retraction with the grasper plus magnet attached to the border for the correct visualization of the surgical field. Later, the division of the major curvature of the omentum is started, and as it is performed in a superior direction, the magnet is positioned to retract the fundus and finishing exposing the esophageal hiatus where a hiatal hernia is visualized, which is decided to be repaired transoperatively. For the hiatoplasty, after placing a reference around the stomach, the magnet is positioned in that reference to retract the stomach and esophagus and to be able to suture the hernia defect. Then we proceed to perform the RYGB with the simplified technique, starting with the reference attached to the magnet but this time at the opposite end to start the resection of the lesser omentum, a minor step prior to the confection of the pouch. The pouch confection is done with 3 blue cartridges. Continuing with the procedure, the retraction of the transverse colon is performed with the use of the magnet to visualize the treitz angle and start the 60 cm measurement of the biliopancreatic limb. Later, gastrojejunal anastomosis is performed traditionally. Once this step is finished, the 100 cm alimentary limb is measured and then, the magnet-assisted jejunal anastomosis is performed. The Petersen defect and the intermesenteric defect is closed assisted by magnets. A methylene blue leak test is routinely performed, with negative results, this time testing both anastomoses. Finally, the magnet-assisted omega section is made with the retraction of the limb to finish the Roux-en-Y.

Background: One-in-four Canadians will develop atrial fibrillation (AF), increasing risk of heart failure and stroke. Obesity (i.e., BMI ≥30 kg/m2) represents a strong, independent risk factor for increased incidence and severity of AF. Weight loss reduces AF symptom burden, and patients with obesity who lose ≥10% of their body weight may achieve AF regression/remission. Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) improves AF risk factors including hypertension and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), yet the efficacy of CR for reducing AF symptom burden is not established. CR rarely includes targeted obesity management and, on average, has a negligible impact on BMI. Adding behavioural weight-loss treatment (BWLT) to traditional CR may therefore enhance weight loss and lead to improvements in AF prognosis, symptoms, and health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) in patients with AF and obesity. Given the high prevalence of obesity among individuals with AF, and its detrimental effect on AF burden and outcomes, there is a critical need for interventions that can support weight-loss-promoting behaviours and can be integrated into routine clinical care for AF. CR programs are available in all major Canadian cities and have a proven track-record of achieving clinically-relevant improvements in important AF risk factors including hypertension, lipid profile, and exercise capacity. Therefore, CR represents an ideal setting to promote risk factor management for patients with AF. Yet, because traditional CR does not produce meaningful weight loss there is a clear gap in the ability of current CR programming to meet the needs of a growing population of individuals with AF and obesity. The addition of a novel BWLT component to CR is needed to bridge this gap and provide the appropriate treatment regimen of comprehensive risk factor management, exercise, and weight loss to achieve optimal AF outcomes. The primary aim is to: Assess whether the combination of an AF-specific 'small changes' BWLT and traditional CR results in a greater proportion of patients with AF and obesity achieving ≥ 10% body weight loss compared to patients who receive standard care (traditional CR alone). The secondary aims of the proposed study are to evaluate the impact of BWLT+CR on: 1) mean % weight loss of controls vs. intervention group; 2) AF burden; 3) self-reported AF symptom burden; 4) disease-specific and generic patient-reported outcome measures (e.g., AF- and health-related quality-of-life \[HRQoL\]; psychological distress); and 5) exercise volume measured in weekly steps. Hypotheses: The primary study hypothesis is that patients in the BWLT+CR group will be more likely to achieve ≥10% weight loss at 12 months post-randomization relative to the CR-only group. Secondary hypotheses are that: patients in the BWLT+CR group will experience greater improvements in AF burden, AF self-reported symptom burden, increased HRQoL, decreased psychological distress, and increased leisure-time exercise and CR exercise session attendance relative to the CR-only group. Study design: Design and Procedure. Patients will be assessed for eligibility at TotalCardiology Rehabilitation (TCR). Eligible patients who consent to participate will be enrolled into the CR program and randomized to either the BWLT+CR or CR-only group. Prior to randomization, patients will complete a questionnaire battery including socio-demographic variables (age, sex, ethnicity, income, education), self-reported weight and height to establish BMI, and validated questionnaires assessing AF symptom burden, AF-related quality-of-life, general HRQOL, and psychological distress at baseline (T1). Patients will be re-administered the test battery following the 12-week BWLT+CR program, or 12 weeks of the CR-only program (T2). (Note: T2 measures will be administered even if the patient is still completing their remaining CR exercise sessions. CR completion/adherence will be determined after patients have completed their 12-week exercise program). The test battery will be administered for a final time approximately 24 weeks post-randomization. Weight loss from baseline to 52-weeks will be calculated and converted to a percentage of initial body weight at baseline. Clinical variables (e.g., CRF from graded exercise tests; blood pressure, lipids) will be obtained by TCR chart review. Recruitment. Patients will be recruited in two ways: (1) directly from TotalCardiology Rehabilitation using referrals from Dr. Wilton and TCR clinic staff, and (2) from an existing database of patients who participated in the Part I qualitative study and Part II acceptability study that provided consent to be contacted about future studies. The recruitment period will be from October 2022 to April 2024. Equal numbers of men and women will be recruited. AF clinic patients who are both (a) eligible for the CR program and (b) eligible for the proposed study will be identified by Dr. Wilton and/or TCR clinic staff. Dr. Wilton/TCR clinic staff will inform patients who meet (a) and (b) criteria about the study and invite them to participate. Interested patients will receive a CR referral and their contact information will be provided to the research coordinator. The research coordinator (B. Valdarchi) will contact patients, provide additional information about the study, and obtain informed consent. The research coordinator will then send an email link to complete baseline questionnaires. Following the completion of the questionnaires, participants will be informed about the group they were randomized to, and scheduled for BWLT groups if needed. Concurrently, patients will be contacted by CR staff to schedule their orientation appointment, as per typical clinic procedures. This recruitment procedure will also apply to patients who previously participated in Part I and II (i.e the qualitative and acceptability studies, respectively). TCR patients who are currently enrolled in CR will also be recruited. A research team member will identify CR patients who have consented to be approached about research and who are eligible for inclusion by reviewing patient chart data. An RA will contact patients by telephone to review study procedures and obtain patients' informed consent. Sample Size/Analysis. Analysis will be by intention to treat. Conservatively assuming a 5% success rate in the control group and a 30% success rate in the intervention group, 78 patients (39 per group) will provide 80% power to detect a difference using a two-sided independent test of proportions with a 5% significance level. The investigators estimate loss to follow-up and drop-outs of 20% and 10% respectively, therefore 120 patients will be recruited in total (60 per group). The primary analysis will compare the proportion in each group achieving ≥10% weight loss between baseline and 52 weeks post-randomization. A secondary per-protocol analysis will be performed including only participants who complete at least the initial 12-weeks of the BWLT. AF burden will be calculated as a % of total ECG tracings and compared between treatment and controls. Self-reported secondary outcomes will be evaluated using linear mixed modelling.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has been referred to as a "pre-obese state", with many studies describing the onset of obesity during treatment. Weight gain typically begins within the first month of ALL diagnosis, stabilizes, and then resumes at the beginning of maintenance and continues into survivorship. Children and adolescents with healthy weight at diagnosis are the most vulnerable to weight gain; up to 70% develop overweight/obesity (OW/OB) by the end of treatment (EOT). Weight gain during treatment is one of the most consistently reported risk factors for weight gain in survivorship and is associated with an increased odds of being OW/OB 5-years post-EOT. Significant clinical ramifications are associated with being OW/OB. A meta-analysis led by the Children's Oncology Group nutrition committee found that OW/OB is associated with a 31% increased risk of mortality in ALL. The objective of the study team is to prevent the development of OW/OB during maintenance chemotherapy using a six-month virtually delivered dietary education intervention (PEDALL) in English and Spanish speaking families of children and adolescents undergoing treatment for ALL. Once enrolled, subjects will be randomized to PEDALL or standard of care (SOC). Subjects in the PEDALL group will receive 26 contact hours of specialized nutrition education and counseling via a virtual platform. The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of a virtually-delivered dietary education intervention in the prevention of OW/OB compared to SOC during maintenance chemotherapy. The clinical impact of this study will improve the understanding of pre-treatment factors predictive of the efficacy of intervention to prevent unhealthy weight gain among patients treated for ALL. Study findings may lead to the allocation of limited clinical resources to individuals most susceptible to OW/OB. Information obtained from this study may also direct the refinement of counseling techniques to enhance the likelihood of success over the course of treatment for ALL and into survivorship. The long-term goal is to enhance the likelihood of success of weight maintenance during therapy thereby mitigating excess toxicities during treatment and reducing nutrition-related late-effects associated with OW/OB among survivors of childhood ALL.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a disease commonly associated with obesity, which is an important risk factor for this condition. More than 80% of the diabetic subjects are obese. By analogy with the metabolic syndrome, the close association between obesity and T2D justifies the recognition of a new disease entity named by the neologism "diabesity". This study will examine the contribution of different genetic variants on "diabesity" development, by integrating multiple genomics approaches (linkage analysis on whole genome, transcriptomics and bioinformatics) and analysis of biological pathways in relevant animals models and humans.

Cervical cancer, ranking as the fourth most prevalent malignancy in women globally, presents significant challenges in nutritional management. Approximately 31% of patients develop cancer-related malnutrition/cachexia, with 10-20% of deaths directly attributable to nutritional depletion. The disease process and its treatment - particularly concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) - create a destructive cycle through multiple mechanisms. Tumor-derived factors (including activins and myostatin) and inflammatory cytokines (such as TNF-α and IL-6) actively promote muscle and fat catabolism. CCRT toxicity, especially from platinum-based drugs, worsens this condition by inducing mitochondrial dysfunction and accelerating protein degradation, leading to clinically significant sarcopenia. This metabolic disruption has dire consequences, with studies showing severe weight loss during CCRT correlating with a 2.37-fold increase in mortality risk (HR 2.37, p=0.036). Nanocrystalline megestrol acetate (MA) emerges as a promising therapeutic intervention with dual mechanisms of action. Centrally, it modulates D2 receptors to upregulate neuropeptide Y (NPY), effectively stimulating appetite. Peripherally, it suppresses key inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-α), thereby reducing systemic inflammation and muscle wasting. Its efficacy is well-established, with endorsement from major oncology guidelines (ASCO, NCCN, ESMO) for cancer cachexia management. A comprehensive meta-analysis of 35 clinical trials involving 4,234 patients demonstrated MA's superiority over placebo, showing significant improvements in appetite (RR 2.2), weight gain (RR 1.6), and quality of life (RR 1.8). The nanocrystalline formulation represents a substantial pharmacological advancement over conventional MA. While traditional preparations have limited solubility (2 µg/mL) and require high-fat meals for adequate absorption, the nanocrystalline version (with particles reduced to 26.6 nm) demonstrates 22% greater bioavailability. This translates to clinically meaningful differences: fasting-state peak concentrations increase from 187 ng/mL to 1,133 ng/mL, the time to observable effect shortens from 14 days to just 3 days, and 12-week weight gain improves from 3.5 kg to 5.4 kg (with 40% being lean mass). Dose optimization studies confirm 800 mg/day as the optimal conventional MA dose, with the nanocrystalline equivalent being 625 mg/day due to its enhanced bioavailability. The proposed clinical investigation will evaluate this intervention in FIGO IB3-IVA cervical cancer patients (n=5) undergoing CCRT. The study employs a two-arm design comparing nanocrystalline MA (625 mg/day) plus CCRT against CCRT alone. Primary endpoints focus on BMI changes at 8 weeks, with secondary assessments of nutritional status, inflammatory markers, and quality of life measures. This research aims to establish nanocrystalline MA as a means to break the cachexia cycle in cervical cancer treatment, potentially improving both treatment tolerance and survival outcomes.

The specific aim of this study is to examine the Safety, Tolerability and Pharmacokinetic of Semaglutide Nasal Spray compared with placebo and positive control in Adult Overweight or Obese Participants.

Establish a cohort of diabetic kidney disease(DKD) patients with intensive weight loss treatment to evaluate the impact of intensive weight loss treatment on the renal prognosis of DKD and construct a prediction model for the improvement of renal outcomes after weight loss.

This study is part of the Europe (EU) project "Improving and upscaling primary prevention of cancer by addressing childhood obesity through implementation research" (PREVENT), which aims to promote healthier dietary habits among students by improving access to fruits in school environments. The intervention is implemented in a set of participating schools, each assigned to one of the predefined strategies. The study examines whether providing fruit ad libitum during school hours influences students' snacking patterns, and whether an accompanying awareness campaign adds value beyond fruit availability alone. In each participating school, fruit stands offering two types of fruit will be placed in central areas where students typically gather. Fruit will be available during periods when students have access to common spaces, and digital scales integrated into the stands will enable weight-based monitoring of fruit uptake. Designated school staff will photograph scale readings at the beginning, end, and one or more intermediate points during the day. These images will be processed using optical character recognition (OCR) to extract weight data and upload it to a secure backend system for automated monitoring of fruit distribution and potential food waste. To evaluate students' eating behaviour and fruit consumption patterns, participating students will use a research mobile application to photograph their meals and snacks. Data collection takes place in three periods: (1) a baseline period prior to the introduction of fruit stands, (2) an early-intervention period immediately following the introduction of the stands, during which students continue to report all meals to capture short-term behavioural changes, and (3) a post-intervention period to assess sustained effects. The app records time and location metadata for each entry, allowing analysis of when and where food is consumed and how eating patterns change during the intervention. The primary aim is to assess whether increased availability of free fruit influences students' snacking habits and whether the addition of an awareness campaign further enhances engagement with the fruit stands. Secondary aims include evaluating the feasibility of weight-based digital monitoring, characterising patterns of fruit uptake over the school day, and examining changes in students' overall eating behaviour across measurement periods. All data will be analysed at group level, and the study is considered minimal risk. Findings will support future scalable strategies for fruit distribution in school settings and contribute to broader evaluation of school-based dietary promotion initiatives.

Native Americans are 50% more likely to be obese compared with non-Hispanic Whites and are twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes. Obesity and poor diet quality are major risk factors for developing Type II diabetes, and Native Americans are disproportionately impacted by poor physical health outcomes. The investigators propose to develop a culturally-relevant micronutrient-dense plant-rich (mNDPR) dietary protocol, which will then be used in a pilot, randomized-controlled trial (RCT) to test the effectiveness of improving health and wellness of Native American employees of Twin Arrows Casino. This study will train and employ Native American students of Northern Arizona University (NAU) to implement the protocol and serve as Lifestyle coaches for the intervention. It is hypothesized that the protocol will be effective in (i) improving anthropometric measures (weight, waist circumference), cardiometabolic measures (cholesterol, triglycerides, blood glucose, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting insulin, hsCRP, IgF-1, and blood pressure), and wellness measures (anxiety, stress, sleep quality, depressive symptoms, and mood); and (ii) reducing healthcare costs in Native American employees of Twin Arrows Casino over a 1- year period. Consistent with the specified aims of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, this project will address health and wellness issues in an underserved population that is disproportionately affected by obesity and related diseases. Consistent with the specified objectives of the Academic Enhancement Research Award, this project will significantly increase research opportunities for students in the Health Sciences, providing the expertise and experience needed to develop skills and advance their careers. Employees of the Twin Arrows Casino will be randomly assigned to a 12-week in-person experimental group or a wait-list control group that will be assigned a start-date 12 weeks after the experimental group. Both groups will undergo the same measures of health and wellness at study week 0 (baseline) and week 13 (post-intervention for the experimental group). During week 26, the experimental group will undergo follow-up diet analysis and the wait-list control will undergo all measures of health and wellness. Healthcare utilization data will be collected at week 52 for both groups. Statistically significant differences between the intervention and control at the end of the first 12 weeks, as well as differences between baseline and post-intervention outcomes for both groups, will demonstrate the effectiveness of this program in reducing risk factors for obesity and related diseases in Native American employees. Health-care costs of both groups will also be evaluated and significant differences will suggest cost-effectiveness of the program.