
Body Weight-Based Interval Training in Sedentary Overweight and Obese Adults
Body Weight ChangesOverweight and Obesity1 moreBody-weight based interval training (IT) performed 3 times per week will lead to reductions in abdominal adiposity and reduce overall body fat percentage in overweight and obese sedentary adults more effectively than moderate intensity continuous training (MICT). Body-weight interval training will improve exercise capacity (peak VO2) in overweight/obese adults.

The Effect of a Meatless,Keto Restrictive Diet on Body Composition,Strength Capacity,Oxidative Stress,Immune...
Body WeightOxidative Stress13 moreThe subject of doctoral dissertation: Assessment of the effects of a meatless, ketogenic restrictive diet on body composition, strength capacity, oxidative stress and immune response During planning of research and topic of the doctoral dissertation, it was considered how to modify a standard ketogenic diet rich in saturated fatty acids so that the use of this model of nutrition has the most anti-inflammatory effect. Therefore, it was decided to conduct a research to check whether a diet rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids will show such an effect when following a high-fat diet. Hypotheses: 1. The ketogenic diet reduces systemic inflammation. 2.The ketogenic diet reduces oxidative stress. 3. The ketogenic diet reduces body fat. 4. A ketogenic diet does not worsen strength performance.

Meals for Moms: Medically-Tailored Meals for Women Who Had Gestational Diabetes
DiabetesGestational2 moreThe purpose of this research study is to test whether delivery of medically tailored meals (meals designed specifically to be healthy) can be used to help reduce high blood sugar after delivery of a baby. Participants will be recruited and consented during the third trimester of pregnancy but will begin study activities after delivery. Participants will complete a series of questionnaires on demographics, health history, home environment, overall and financial stress, plans for weight loss and infant feeding, and food insecurity. Participants will also be asked to wear continuous glucose monitors for two separate 14-day periods (within 2 weeks of delivery and at 3 months). All participants will receive weekly emails with educational videos and 3 virtual visits with a member of the study team and will also be randomly assigned to an intervention or comparison group. In the intervention, participants will receive weekly meal deliveries of 10 pre-prepared meals from Providence Community Kitchen (local company in Winston-Salem, NC) that are calorically restricted and appropriate for post-partum women with a history of gestational diabetes and who may be breast-feeding. Women in the control condition will receive written resources on self-care, nutrition, and physical activity appropriate for post-partum women who had gestational diabetes.

Effect of Empagliflozin Versus Placebo on Brain Insulin Sensitivity in Patients With Prediabetes...
PreDiabetesBody WeightRecently, various sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have been approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Empagliflozin is a preparation of this class of substances. SGLT2 inhibitors also lead to a reduction in body weight in addition to their blood glucose lowering effect. The basis for this is probably the calorie loss by the increased glucose excretion over the urine. However, this weight-reducing effect is lost after a few weeks of treatment and the body weight subsequently stabilizes at a lower level than before. However, patients continue to lose energy via the urine. Hence, the weight stabilization could be due to an increased energy intake as a possible consequence of a changed brain setpoint for the body weight. As the main weight loss is achieved during the first 6-8 weeks of treatment, the investigators assume that the underlying central nervous mechanisms will be present after this time. Furthermore, clinical-experimental observations show that treatment with empagliflozin promotes endogenous glucose production in the liver. This presumably compensatory mechanism also occurs after only a few weeks of treatment. The common mechanism, which could be based both on energy intake and on the endogenous glucose production effect, is still unclear. The investigators suspect that regulatory circuits in the brain contribute to these observed effects. In fact, several studies in animals as well as initial clinical studies in humans show that the brain is involved in eating behavior and peripheral metabolism. In particular, effects of the hormone insulin modulate the dietary intake via the brain, thereby affecting human body weight. Many of the experiments on the insulin sensitivity of the human brain used a specific approach to the selective delivery of insulin into the brain: the application of insulin as a nasal spray. Although this application route has no therapeutic value, this technique allows the administration of insulin to the central nervous system with little effect on the circulating insulin levels. By combining nasal insulin administration with functional MRI, regional insulin sensitivity of the brain can be quantified. The investigators recently found that the insulin action of the brain (stimulated by nasal insulin) regulates both endogenous glucose production and peripheral glucose uptake during hyperinsulinemic euglycemic glucose clamps. The signals from the brain seem to reach the periphery via the autonomic nervous system in order to modulate metabolic processes. A central brain area in this regard is the hypothalamus. This brain region receives afferents over various systems such as the autonomic nervous system and various endocrine systems (including insulin). The investigators recently characterized the hypothalamus as an insulin-sensitive brain area in humans. The hypothalamus is the key area for homeostatic control throughout the body. Since the dietary intake and the endogenous glucose production are modulated by a hypothalamic insulin effect in humans, we suspect that the observed effects of SGLT2 inhibitors on both processes could be due to altered insulin activity in the brain. Since the SGLT2 inhibition by empagliflozin modulates the autonomic nervous system in the kidneys, signals from the kidney may be transmitted to the brain via the autonomic nervous system, thereby changing specific setpoints, including e.g. insulin sensitivity of the brain. In order to test this hypothesis, a precise phenotyping of prediabetic volunteers with regard to regional brain insulin sensitivity as well as the brain effect on metabolism before and after 8 weeks of treatment with empagliflozin compared to placebo is planned.

Fit Physicians: Use of Activity Monitors and Activity Integration Program in First Year Medical...
Motor ActivityBody Weight ChangesUsing FitBit activity monitors, physical activity levels will be monitored in first year medical students. Body Composition will be measured as well.

Weight Outlooks by Restriction of Diet and Sleep
WeightThe purpose of this study is to examine whether chronic moderate sleep restriction effects the amount of body fat and lean mass loss, and calorie expenditure, in individuals who are participating in a dietary weight loss program.

LEAP a New Overground Body Weight Support Robot: Usability Trial
Spinal Cord InjuriesCerebral Palsy4 morePeople with central nervous system disorders such as spinal cord injury, stroke, cerebral palsy, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, etc… often have impaired lower extremity function that limits activities of daily life and independence. Different body-weight support systems have been developed to facilitate the rehabilitation process by compensating for the user's residual abilities. However, studies on weight-supported gait training on a treadmill have failed to show superiority over conventional rehabilitation programs for spinal cord injury and stroke. A recent study by the group around Grégoire Courtine showed that body-weight support systems that provide assistance only in the vertical direction disrupt the production of gait and balance, suggesting that current practices may even be detrimental for relearning to walk. For the past year, the Clinique Romande de Réadaptation (CRR) worked together with the G-Lab at EPFL and G-Therapeutics on a new robot platform specifically developed to provide adjustable trunk support along four independent degrees of freedom (LEAP). The investigators were able to draw on their long-term experience, which consists of different body weight support training systems for stroke and spinal cord injury. This knowledge, combined with the input of our therapists and physicians and the specific requirements for people with neurological/musculoskeletal disorders, has resulted in a design that can provide adjustable bodyweight support during over-ground locomotion, treadmill, stairs training, standing up and sitting down and for support during the training of activities of daily living. The scope of this study is to examine how well the robot can be used for rehabilitation therapy in everyday clinical practice. This includes, among other things, technical aspects such as the handling of the hardware, the adaptability of the robot to the patient, and the safety during operation (such as the fall prevention). Various patient-specific aspects will also be evaluated e.g. comfort, positioning, or motivation of the patient. This study also aims to evaluate the software with the various support modes, operating options, and the user interface of the LEAP.

App-technology to Improve the Level of Physical Activity After Bariatric Surgery
ObesityBariatric Surgery5 moreThe aim of this study is to investigate the effect of using new app-based technology to increase the level of physical activity, compared to conventional postoperative information given to patients undergoing bariatric surgery. The hypothesis is that the intervention, i.e. using the new technology, will have a greater positive effect on levels of physical activity and outcomes of weight loss than conventional postoperative information.

An Examination of a Weight Loss Formula on Health
Weight LossThe aim of this study is to examine a novel weight loss formula with and without common stimulants on anthropometry and indices of cardiovascular disease risk.

Behavioral Activation for Smoking Cessation and the Prevention of Post-Cessation Weight Gain (Neuroimaging...
Smoking CessationWeight LossThis research study is a sub-study within the Behavioral Activation for Smoking Cessation and the Prevention of Post-Cessation Weight Gain main study (NCT02906787). Participants who are eligible for the main study and meet certain MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) related study criteria (i.e. conditions) may also elect to complete a series of computer tasks inside a standard, closed MRI scanner to examine changes in brain activity associated with the smoking cessation counseling that participants will receive in the main study. In total, participants will be asked to complete 2, one-hour fMRI scans: 1 before completing their first counseling session and 1 during the final 7 days of the scheduled 8-week nicotine patch treatment period.