Active clinical trials for "Obesity, Morbid"

The purpose of the current study is to determine whether an intensive lifestyle intervention was as effective as surgery to treat morbid obesity nine years post-intervention.

Purpose is to determine the effect of ephedrine and caffeine, on metabolic rate and weight loss after bariatric surgery. Approximately 40% of patients struggle with their weight loss rate, or metabolic rate, after bariatric surgery, and at least 30% previously had or develop a low metabolic rate after surgery. Metabolic rate is the speed at which calories are burned. The fewer the calories eaten and the more calories burned, the more rapidly weight is lost. It is possible that despite a very low calorie intake following bariatric surgery metabolic rate will decrease so much so that weight does not decrease even if intake is reduced to 1000 calories per day. Ephedrine is a medicine used commonly to treat asthma, difficulty breathing, and wheezing. However, 40 years ago it was reported in scientific studies that ephedrine increases weight loss in patients on low calorie diets by increase the amount of calories that are burned. Combining caffeine with ephedrine makes ephedrine work more efficiently (more weight loss over time). Many studies show the effect of ephedrine on weight loss that began in 1974 with patients on food diets. Ephedrine used in various strengths and with a number of different combinations has shown to be effective and safe, especially when directed by a physician. There is only one study where ephedrine has been used in patients after bariatric surgery. In that study, both the patient and medical staff knew they were taking ephedrine (i.e., they were not "blinded"). The patients who were not losing weight or had measured low metabolic rates were treated with ephedrine. The patients taking ephedrine lost more weight after surgery than those not taking ephedrine. While this is a significant finding, the study was not designed to be the best test of the effects of ephedrine. The best test is where neither the patients nor the medical staff know if the patient is taking the active drug (double blind). All patients enrolled into the Research Study will receive capsules that contain either ephedrine and caffeine (the active drug) or identical capsules with no active ingredient (called a "placebo"). Neither group of patients will know which set of capsules they receive. The expected duration of treatment in the Study is 7 months from the day of surgery. This is a single site study. All patients will have their gastric bypass performed through Oregon Weight Loss Surgery at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital. The investigators expect to study 200 patients with 100 receiving the study drugs (ephedrine and caffeine in a capsule) and 100 receiving placebo (inactive ingredients in an identical capsule) over approximately 6 months.

The study investigates if applying a special ventilatory strategy during anesthesia for laparoscopic gastric by pass, produces less atelectasis and better oxygenation in spite of using 100 % oxygen during pre oxygenation and induction of anesthesia. The study investigates oxygenation with blood gas samples but also with a new method that might give more information without the use of blood gas samples. Primary: Oxygenation in patients with morbid obesity improves if preoxygenation, induction and maintenance of anesthesia is performed with either a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or a positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP), respectively, of 10 cm H2O, in comparison to a technique without CPAP but with a PEEP of 10 cm H2O. Secondary: The improved oxygenation during anesthesia can be prolonged inte the postoperative period if emergence from anesthesia is performed without high levels of oxygen.

Adequate postoperative analgesia can facilitate recovery following gastric bypass surgery for morbid obesity. The efficacy and safety of intravenous patient - controlled analgesia has been studied, but up to date no data are available concerning the use of thoracic epidural patient-controlled analgesia regarding the use of levobupivacaine combined with morphine in morbidly obese patients. The investigators' aim in this prospective, randomized, double-blinded study was to compare the analgesic effectiveness, the dose requirements and side effects of thoracic epidural patient controlled analgesia 0.1% and 0.2% levobupivacaine combined with a continuous epidural administration of morphine, with or without a loading dose, after open gastric bypass for morbid obesity.

Bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for morbid obesity. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is a bariatric procedure with known safety and effectiveness. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is a newer procedure gaining popularity. The aim of the study is to compare outcomes of these two surgical methods in terms of weight loss, improvement of common comorbidities of obesity and influence on metabolic and hormonal status.

The purpose of this study is to determine if residual weakness after weight loss surgery leads to an increased risk of respiratory complications in the postoperative period.

The proposed study aims to investigate the effects of laparoscopic gastric plication (LGP) on excess body weight, body mass index, and weight-related medical and psychological co-morbidities in obese adolescents. Additionally, we will evaluate the safety and efficacy of this procedure (implemented within a multidisciplinary comprehensive lifestyle modification program) on changes in the patients' medical status, psychosocial and psychological functioning, physical fitness, and health-related quality of life. Study hypothesis: Laparoscopic gastric plication performed on carefully selected obese adolescents within a multidisciplinary treatment program providing pre and post-surgical behavioral and psychological support and education will result in: a) initial and sustained reductions in excess body weight and body mass index, b) improvements in psychological functioning, physical fitness, and health-related quality of life, and c) reduction in weight-related comorbidities. LGP will be a safe procedure, with complication rates that are comparable to or lower than what has been found in other published reports of surgical weight loss procedures used in obese adolescents.

Obesity is one of the greatest public health challenges of the 21st century. Its prevalence has tripled in many countries of the European Region since the 1980s, and the numbers of those affected continue to rise at an alarming rate. In addition to causing various physical disabilities and psychological problems, excess weight drastically increases a person's risk of developing a number of noncommunicable diseases including cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes, in association or not to metabolic syndrome. The risk of developing more than one of these diseases (co-morbidity) also increases with increasing body weight. Every year a growing number of patient tend to suffer of more severe obesity and difficulty in losing weight even with a restricted diet and exercise. Garcinia mangostana (Sphaeranthus indicus extract) has known for its antioxidant properties; new evidence point out some promising effects in the prevention of lipogenesis and the promotion of lipolysis . Currently in the scientific literature there is only one paper, by Stern et al., showing the association of Garcinia mangostana assumption in low-calorie diet. This work has demonstrated a significant reduction in weight loss , compared to the placebo group,due to the use of Garcinia mangostana. Aim of the present study is the evaluation of safety and efficacy of weight loss in severe obese patients. Also cardiometabolic parameters and flogosys serum indicators will be evaluated before and after 6 month therapy of low calory diet alone or in association with Garcinia mangostana extract.

Pediatric obesity has become a critical health problem worldwide, increasing the premature onset of obesity-related morbidities. This phenomenon has induce an increase in the incidence of serious health complications starting in childhood and adolescence. Lifestyle interventions, including diet and regular physical activity, are the cornerstone of current medical management. Unfortunately, these interventions are often ineffective in providing a meaningful and long-lasting weight loss necessary to change health outcomes. It has been demonstrated that an early intervention in obesity in children and adolescents, inducing weight loss by performing bariatric surgery in carefully selected patients, can dramatically reduce the risk of adulthood obesity and obesity-related diseases, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Recent evidence suggest that bariatric surgery can improve metabolic complications and liver involvement in patients affected by morbid obesity.

Long-term weight loss maintenance is seldom achieved by individuals with obesity owing to numerous biological adaptations involving appetite, satiety, and energy expenditure in the post- weight loss setting. Following a loss in body weight, peripheral and central mechanisms convey a sense that energy reserves have dwindled, activating a strong counter response to increase caloric intake. Adolescents with severe obesity are not immune to the vexing issue of weight regain. Indeed, only 2% are able to achieve and maintain clinically-meaningful weight loss with lifestyle modification therapy. Therefore, novel treatment paradigms focused on long-term weight loss maintenance are urgently needed. Pharmacotherapy has the potential to prevent weight regain by targeting specific counter-regulatory mechanisms in the post- weight loss setting. One of the most promising candidates is the glucagon like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) class, which greatly enhanced weight loss maintenance following a short-term low calorie diet among adults with obesity. The rationale for focusing on GLP-1RA treatment (BYDUREON™) to prevent weight regain is supported by the multiple central and peripheral mechanisms of action targeted by this class of drug; many of which specifically address the biological adaptations known to induce relapse. The investigators have strong preliminary data demonstrating that GLP-1RA treatment reduces BMI in adolescents with severe obesity. Moreover, the investigators and others have shown that although meal replacement therapy (structured meals of known caloric content) can elicit robust short-term weight loss among adolescents with severe obesity, weight regain is a pervasive problem. Therefore, in this clinical trial, our innovative approach will utilize GLP-1RA treatment to target weight regain following short-term meal replacement therapy in youth with severe obesity. Participants who achieve ≥5% BMI reduction during the meal replacement phase will be randomized to GLP-1RA treatment or placebo for an additional 52 weeks while simultaneously engaging in lifestyle modification therapy. Importantly, this study will also allow us to examine the extent to which GLP-1RA treatment addresses mechanisms of weight regain, investigate other pleiotropic benefits of GLP-1RA, and identify predictors of weight loss response.