Faculty Bibliography

Background/UNASSIGNED:Accruing evidence indicates that accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and activation of the receptor for AGEs (RAGE) play a significant role in obesity and type 2 diabetes. The concentrations of circulating RAGE isoforms, such as soluble RAGE (sRAGE), cleaved RAGE (cRAGE), and endogenous secretory RAGE (esRAGE), collectively sRAGE isoforms, may be implicit in weight loss and energy compensation resulting from caloric restriction. Objectives/UNASSIGNED:We aimed to evaluate whether baseline concentrations of sRAGE isoforms predicted changes (∆) in body composition [fat mass (FM), fat-free mass (FFM)], resting energy expenditure (REE), and adaptive thermogenesis (AT) during weight loss. Methods/UNASSIGNED:Data were collected during a behavioral weight loss intervention in adults with obesity. At baseline and 3 mo, participants were assessed for body composition (bioelectrical impedance analysis) and REE (indirect calorimetry), and plasma was assayed for concentrations of sRAGE isoforms (sRAGE, esRAGE, cRAGE). AT was calculated using various mathematical models that included measured and predicted REE. A linear regression model that adjusted for age, sex, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and randomization arm was used to test the associations between sRAGE isoforms and metabolic outcomes. Results/UNASSIGNED:) experienced modest and variable weight loss over 3 mo. Although baseline sRAGE isoforms did not predict changes in ∆FM or ∆FFM, all baseline sRAGE isoforms were positively associated with ∆REE at 3 mo. Baseline esRAGE was positively associated with AT in some, but not all, AT models. The association between sRAGE isoforms and energy expenditure was independent of HbA1c, suggesting that the relation was unrelated to glycemia. Conclusions/UNASSIGNED:This study demonstrates a novel link between RAGE and energy expenditure in human participants undergoing weight loss.This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03336411.

BACKGROUND:Everyday experiences with racial (RD) and weight discrimination (WD) are risk factors for chronic pain in ethnically diverse adults with obesity. However, the individual or combined effects of RD and WD on pain in adults with obesity is not well understood. There are gender differences and sexual dimorphisms in nociception and pain, but the effect of gender on relationships between RD, WD, and pain outcomes in ethnically diverse adults with obesity is unclear. Thus, the purposes of this study were to: 1) examine whether RD and WD are associated with pain intensity and interference, and 2) explore gender as a moderator of the associations between RD, WD, and pain. METHODS:with weight-related comorbidity. RD and WD were measured using questions derived from the Experiences of Discrimination questionnaire (EOD). Pain interference and intensity were measured using the PROMIS 29 adult profile V2.1. Linear regression models were performed to determine the associations between WD, RD, gender, and pain outcomes. RESULTS:Participants (n = 483) reported mild pain interference (T-score: 52.65 ± 10.29) and moderate pain intensity (4.23 ± 3.15). RD was more strongly associated with pain interference in women (b = .47, SE = .08, p < 001), compared to men (b = .14, SE = .07, p = .06). Also, there were no significant interaction effects between RD and gender on pain intensity, or between WD and gender on pain interference or pain intensity. CONCLUSIONS:Pain is highly prevalent in adults with obesity, and is impacted by the frequencies of experiences with RD and WD. Further, discrimination against adults with obesity and chronic pain could exacerbate existing racial disparities in pain and weight management. Asking ethnically diverse adults with obesity about their pain and their experiences of RD and WD could help clinicians make culturally informed assessment and intervention decisions that address barriers to pain relief and weight loss. TRIAL REGISTRATION:NCT03006328.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS/OBJECTIVE:Obesity is an independent risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD), and platelet hyperactivation in obesity may contribute to this association. Olive oil consumption is associated with lower cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in the general population. However, little is known for individuals with obesity. We investigated whether olive oil intake is associated with platelet activation in obesity. METHODS AND RESULTS/RESULTS:. Olive oil intake was stratified into <1 time/week (n = 21), 1-3 times/week (n = 18), ≥4 times/week (n = 24). Strata did not differ by age, BMI or platelet count. Unstimulated P-selectin expression did not differ by olive oil consumption. Subjects with more frequent olive oil intake exhibited lower P-selectin expression on submaximal thrombin exposure. CONCLUSIONS:More frequent olive oil intake is associated with reduced thrombin-induced platelet activation in obesity.

BACKGROUND:Limited research has addressed the obesity-COVID-19 severity association in paediatric patients. OBJECTIVE:To determine whether obesity is an independent risk factor for COVID-19 severity in paediatric patients and whether age modifies this association. METHODS:SARS-CoV-2-positive patients at NYU Langone Health from 1 March 2020 to 3 January 2021 aged 0-21 years with available anthropometric measurements: weight, length/height and/or body mass index (BMI). Modified log-Poisson models were utilized for the analysis. Main outcomes were 1) hospitalization and 2) critical illness (intensive care unit [ICU] admission). RESULTS:One hundred and fifteen of four hundred and ninety-four (23.3%) patients had obesity. Obesity was an independent risk factor for critical illness (adjusted risk ratio [ARR] 2.02, 95% CI 1.17 to 3.48). This association was modified by age, with obesity related to a greater risk for critical illness in adolescents (13-21 years) [ARR 3.09, 95% CI 1.48 to 6.47], but not in children (0-12 years). Obesity was not an independent risk factor for hospitalization for any age. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Obesity was an independent risk factor for critical illness in paediatric patients, and this association was modified by age, with obesity related to a greater risk for critical illness in adolescents, but not in children. These findings are crucial for patient risk stratification and care.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW/OBJECTIVE:While obesity-related comorbidities are frequently addressed and treated in primary care (PC), obesity itself is undertreated. We review the current treatments for obesity and provide potential provider and system-level strategies for integrating weight management and improving longer term obesity care within PC settings. RECENT FINDINGS/RESULTS:We now understand that the body develops multiple mechanisms to resist weight loss and promote weight regain, making both weight loss and weight loss maintenance challenging. Therefore, weight management often requires medically supervised interventions and should be treated on a long-term basis. However, there are multiple barriers to improving obesity care within PC settings. Clinically, utilizing strategies such as a shared decision-making approach and the 5As to discuss treatment options can facilitate formulating an obesity treatment plan. Utilizing telehealth, a team-based approach, and community partnering can increase patient access to intensive behavioral interventions. Future studies should evaluate other cost-effective methods to implement obesity care into the PC setting.

BACKGROUND:Early microbiota perturbations are associated with disorders that involve immunological underpinnings. Cesarean section (CS)-born babies show altered microbiota development in relation to babies born vaginally. Here we present the first statistically powered longitudinal study to determine the effect of restoring exposure to maternal vaginal fluids after CS birth. METHODS:Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we followed the microbial trajectories of multiple body sites in 177 babies over the first year of life; 98 were born vaginally, and 79 were born by CS, of whom 30 were swabbed with a maternal vaginal gauze right after birth. FINDINGS:Compositional tensor factorization analysis confirmed that microbiota trajectories of exposed CS-born babies aligned more closely with that of vaginally born babies. Interestingly, the majority of amplicon sequence variants from maternal vaginal microbiomes on the day of birth were shared with other maternal sites, in contrast to non-pregnant women from the Human Microbiome Project (HMP) study. CONCLUSIONS:The results of this observational study prompt urgent randomized clinical trials to test whether microbial restoration reduces the increased disease risk associated with CS birth and the underlying mechanisms. It also provides evidence of the pluripotential nature of maternal vaginal fluids to provide pioneer bacterial colonizers for the newborn body sites. This is the first study showing long-term naturalization of the microbiota of CS-born infants by restoring microbial exposure at birth. FUNDING:C&D, Emch Fund, CIFAR, Chilean CONICYT and SOCHIPE, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Emerald Foundation, NIH, National Institute of Justice, Janssen.

Despite the popularity of commercially available wearable activity monitors (WAMs), there is a paucity of consistent methodology for analyzing large amounts of accelerometer data from these devices. This multimethod study aimed to inform appropriate Fitbit wear thresholds for physical activity (PA) outcomes assessment in a sample of 616 low-income, majority Latina patients with obesity enrolled in a behavioral weight-loss intervention. Secondly, this study aimed to understand intervention participants' barriers to Fitbit use. We applied a heart rate (HR) criterion (≥10 h/day) and a step count (SC) criterion (≥1000 steps/day) to 100 days of continuous activity monitor data. We examined the prevalence of valid wear and PA outcomes between analytic subgroups of participants who met the HR criterion, SC criterion, or both. We undertook qualitative analysis of research staff notes and participant interviews to explore barriers to valid Fitbit data collection. Overall, one in three participants did not meet the SC criterion for valid wear in Weeks 1 and 13; however, we found the SC criterion to be more inclusive of participants who did not use a smartphone than the HR criterion. Older age, higher body mass index (BMI), barriers to smartphone use, device storage issues, and negative emotional responses to WAM-based self-monitoring may predict higher proportions of invalid WAM data in weight-loss intervention research.