Environmental and Acceptance-Based Innovations for Weight Loss Maintenance
ObesityOverweight1 moreThe major goal of this project is to evaluate an innovative approach to obesity involving modification of the home environment. The project also will evaluate if home environment modification is more effective when supplemented with distress tolerance and related skills training.
Body Weight Supported Treadmill Training as Physical Therapy Treatment to Spinal Cord Injury Patients...
Spinal Cord Injury/DamageThe purpose of this current prospective study is to assess the effects of body weight support treadmill training (BWSTT) in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Training intervention aim at improving: quality of life, walking capability, spasticity, functions in every day life, bone mass density and related hematological factors. The examination consisted of (1) neurological classification by ASIA standard neurological classification of spinal cord injury working sheet, (2) spasticity evaluation of lower limbs by Modified Ashworth Scale, (3) walking independence evaluation by Walking Index for Spinal Cord Injury II (WISCI II), (4) patient's quality of life perspective by World Health Quality of Life- BREF (WHOQOL-BREF), (5) the functional status by 10-item Modified Barthel Index, (6) bone mass density (BMD) by Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan, (7) body tissue consistency by full body DXA scan, (8) skeletal system health associated blood factors (calcitonin, osteocalcin, 25 OH vitamin D, 1,25- (OH)2 vitamin D, ostase and parathyroid hormone) by hematological tests. The results will be collected and evaluated using statistical software (i.e. SPSS).
Ursodiol on Insulin Sensitivity, Gastric Emptying and Body Weight With Type 2 Diabetes on Metformin...
Type 2 Diabetes MellitusThis study will evaluate whether bile acids are able to increase insulin sensitivity and enhance glycemic control in T2DM patients, as well as exploring the mechanisms that enhance glycemic control. These observations will provide the preliminary data for proposing future therapeutic as well as further mechanistic studies of the role of bile acids in the control of glycemia in T2DM.
Impact of Oral Application of Gastrografin on the Meconium Evacuation in Very Low Birth Weight Infants...
Meconium IleusVery Low Birth Weight InfantGastrografin is a radiopaque contrast agent for the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) which can be applied orally or rectally. In neonatal intensive care, Gastrografin is used to detect otherwise radiologically invisible perforations or an insufficient GIT anastomosis after surgery. Furthermore it is used for the treatment of meconium ileus. Gastrografin has a strong osmotic effect and leads to water influx into the intestine lumen. Thereby the peristaltic movement is accelerated and the premature infant excretes stool during the hours following application. Therefore Gastrografin might be effective to mobilize meconium from small bowel and deep parts of the colon. The investigators hypothesized that enteral application of Gastrografin accelerates meconium evacuation in premature infants, and thereby enhances feeding tolerance in this population.
Computerized Working Memory Training in Very-low-birth-weight Children at Preschool Age
InfantVery Low Birth WeightThe main aim of this prospective interventional study is to compare quantitative EEG findings and cognitive and neuropsychological test results before and after training with the Cogmed JM program in a group of very-low-birth-weight children in preschool age, i.e. ages 5-6 years. The investigators hypothesize that the children in the study may respond positively to the computerized training and improve working memory, but probably to different degrees depending on the underlying neurological condition. The investigators also hypothesize that training may benefit additional executive functions.
Intraoperative Protective Ventilation in Abdominal Surgery (IMPROVE Study)
Protective Lung Ventilation Using:Low Tidal Volume (6-8 mL/kg Predicted Body Weight)2 moreThe purpose of this study is to compare the influence of a lung protective ventilation with conventional ventilation on postoperative complications following major abdominal surgery.
Low-Carbohydrate Diet Intervention on Body Weight
Over WeightObesityThe primary aim of this study is to determine the adherence of low- carbohydrate among Chinese. Then compare the effect of low-carbohydrate and traditional Chinese but restricted-calories diet on weight loss and metabolic traits.
Testing Strategies to Encourage Weight Loss in an Employer Setting
Weight LossThis is a 3-arm pilot randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of two novel ways of structuring financial incentives to motivate and sustain long-term weight loss. The study will recruit eligible employees at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) to participate in a 6-month weight loss program and an additional 3-month follow-up period. The primary outcome measure in this randomized control trial will be pounds of weight lost between baseline and 6 months. The goal of this study is to evaluate whether a novel financial incentive program delivered through a workplace can effectively encourage sustained weight loss among obese employees. The study hypotheses are 1) mean weight loss will be greater in all the intervention groups compared to the control group by the end of the 24-week intervention period; and 2) individuals in the intervention groups will have a lower mean weight at the end of the 12-week follow-up period than individuals in the control group.
Litramine in Weight Maintenance
Weight MaintenanceOverweight1 moreThe effect of Litramine on weight loss has previously been studied during a 12-week intervention period with promising results. The present study looks into the effect of weight maintenance using Litramine following initial weight loss, for a longer period of 24 weeks.
Free Fatty Acids, Body Weight, and Growth Hormones Secretion in Children
ObesityShort Stature1 moreBackground: - Overweight and obese children and adults often have lower levels of growth hormone in the blood. Regulation of growth hormone may be tied to weight and free fatty acids in the blood. Current tests of growth hormone (such as those used when evaluating the heights of children who are markedly shorter than other children of comparable age) may be affected by other factors, including obesity. Researchers are interested in evaluating the levels of growth hormone and free fatty acids in the blood of children between 7 and 14 years of age who weigh more than children of a comparable age, or who are shorter than other children of a comparable age and have been recommended for growth hormone testing as part of an evaluation for their height. Objectives: - To determine the effect of changes in free fatty acids in the blood on changes in growth hormone secretion in overweight or shorter children and young adolescents. Eligibility: - Children and adolescents between 7 and 14 years of age who weigh more than or are shorter than other children of a comparable age and do not have any medical illnesses. Design: Participants will have two study visits, one of which will be a half day screening visit in the outpatient clinic and one of which will require 2 nights as an inpatient at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center. Participants should not eat or drink anything except water after 10 PM the night before or on the morning of the screening visit. At the screening visit, participants will have a physical examination and medical history, provide blood and urine samples, have an oral glucose tolerance test (to check blood sugar levels), and have an x-ray of the left hand to check bone age. The inpatient study visit will involve a physical examination and medical history, a full x-ray scan to study body fat and muscle, frequent blood tests throughout the visit, and various medications to stimulate growth hormone production and lower levels of free fatty acids in the blood.