Reneé H. Moore

A randomized trial of adenotonsillectomy for childhood sleep apnea.

BACKGROUND Adenotonsillectomy is commonly performed in children with the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, yet its usefulness in reducing symptoms and improving cognition, behavior, quality of life, and polysomnographic findings has not been rigorously evaluated. We hypothesized that, in children with the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome without prolonged oxyhemoglobin desaturation, early adenotonsillectomy, as compared with watchful waiting with supportive care, would result in improved outcomes. METHODS We randomly assigned 464 children, 5 to 9 years of age, with the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome to early adenotonsillectomy or a strategy of watchful waiting. Polysomnographic, cognitive, behavioral, and health outcomes were assessed at baseline and at 7 months. RESULTS The average baseline value for the primary outcome, the attention and executive-function score on the Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment (with scores ranging from 50 to 150 and higher scores indicating better functioning), was close to the population mean of 100, and the change from baseline to follow-up did not differ significantly according to study group (mean [±SD] improvement, 7.1±13.9 in the early-adenotonsillectomy group and 5.1±13.4 in the watchful-waiting group; P=0.16). In contrast, there were significantly greater improvements in behavioral, quality-of-life, and polysomnographic findings and significantly greater reduction in symptoms in the early-adenotonsillectomy group than in the watchful-waiting group. Normalization of polysomnographic findings was observed in a larger proportion of children in the early-adenotonsillectomy group than in the watchful-waiting group (79% vs. 46%). CONCLUSIONS As compared with a strategy of watchful waiting, surgical treatment for the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in school-age children did not significantly improve attention or executive function as measured by neuropsychological testing but did reduce symptoms and improve secondary outcomes of behavior, quality of life, and polysomnographic findings, thus providing evidence of beneficial effects of early adenotonsillectomy. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health; CHAT ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00560859.).

A Two-Year Randomized Trial of Obesity Treatment in Primary Care Practice

BACKGROUND Calls for primary care providers (PCPs) to offer obese patients behavioral weight-loss counseling have not been accompanied by adequate guidance on how such care could be delivered. This randomized trial compared weight loss during a 2-year period in response to three lifestyle interventions, all delivered by PCPs in collaboration with auxiliary health professionals (lifestyle coaches) in their practices. METHODS We randomly assigned 390 obese adults in six primary care practices to one of three types of intervention: usual care, consisting of quarterly PCP visits that included education about weight management; brief lifestyle counseling, consisting of quarterly PCP visits combined with brief monthly sessions with lifestyle coaches who instructed participants about behavioral weight control; or enhanced brief lifestyle counseling, which provided the same care as described for the previous intervention but included meal replacements or weight-loss medication (orlistat or sibutramine), chosen by the participants in consultation with the PCPs, to potentially increase weight loss. RESULTS Of the 390 participants, 86% completed the 2-year trial, at which time, the mean (±SE) weight loss with usual care, brief lifestyle counseling, and enhanced brief lifestyle counseling was 1.7±0.7, 2.9±0.7, and 4.6±0.7 kg, respectively. Initial weight decreased at least 5% in 21.5%, 26.0%, and 34.9% of the participants in the three groups, respectively. Enhanced lifestyle counseling was superior to usual care on both these measures of success (P=0.003 and P=0.02, respectively), with no other significant differences among the groups. The benefits of enhanced lifestyle counseling remained even after participants given sibutramine were excluded from the analyses. There were no significant differences between the intervention groups in the occurrence of serious adverse events. CONCLUSIONS Enhanced weight-loss counseling helps about one third of obese patients achieve long-term, clinically meaningful weight loss. (Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; POWER-UP ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00826774.).

Preoperative eating behavior, postoperative dietary adherence, and weight loss after gastric bypass surgery

BACKGROUND To investigate the relationship between preoperative eating behavior, postoperative dietary adherence and weight loss after gastric bypass surgery in a major, urban medical center with a comprehensive bariatric surgery program. Despite the significant weight loss and dramatic improvements in co-morbidities associated with bariatric surgery, a significant minority of patients appear to experience suboptimal weight loss. The reasons for this are not well understood, but the suboptimal weight loss is often attributed to preoperative psychosocial characteristics and/or eating behaviors, as well as poor adherence to the recommended postoperative diet. METHODS A prospective investigation was performed of 200 female and male patients who were studied both preoperatively and 20, 40, 66, and 92 weeks postoperatively. All patients underwent either open or laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. The measures were the percentage of weight loss, macronutrient intake, dietary adherence, and eating behavior. RESULTS Gender, baseline cognitive restraint, and self-reported adherence to the postoperative diet at postoperative week 20 were associated with the percentage of weight loss at postoperative week 92. Those high in dietary adherence had lost 4.5% more weight at postoperative week 92 than those low in dietary adherence. CONCLUSION Baseline cognitive restraint and adherence to the recommended postoperative diet were associated with the percentage of weight loss after gastric bypass surgery. These results suggest the potential utility of pre- and/or postoperative dietary counseling interventions to improve the postoperative outcomes.

Changes in quality of life and body image after gastric bypass surgery

BACKGROUND Improvements in psychosocial status are an important aspect of successful outcomes after bariatric surgery. Relatively few studies have investigated the changes in psychosocial functioning at a number of points in the first few postoperative years. The present study was undertaken to assess the changes in quality of life and body image after gastric bypass surgery. The present study was performed at an academic medical center. METHODS A total of 200 men and women were enrolled in the study and completed psychometric measures of quality of life and body image before surgery and again 20, 40, and 92 weeks postoperatively. RESULTS The participants reported significant improvements in several domains of health- and weight-related quality of life, as well as changes in body image, after surgery. These changes were correlated with the percentage of weight loss. CONCLUSION Those who undergo gastric bypass surgery experienced significant improvements in quality of life and body image within the first few months after surgery. These changes were, with few exceptions, maintained into the second postoperative year.

Predictors of Attrition and Weight Loss Success: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial

Attrition is a common problem in weight loss trials. The present analysis examined several baseline and early-treatment process variables, as predictors of attrition and outcome in a clinical trial that combined pharmacotherapy and behavior therapy for weight loss. Participants were 224 obese adults who were treated with sibutramine alone, lifestyle modification alone, combined therapy, or sibutramine plus brief lifestyle modification. Predictors included baseline characteristics (e.g., demographic, weight-related, psychological, and consumption-related variables), plus attendance, adherence, and weight loss in the early weeks of treatment. Outcomes were attrition and weight loss success (i.e., >or=5% reduction in body weight) at 1 year. Multivariable models, adjusting for other relevant variables, found that younger age and greater baseline depressive symptoms were related to increased odds of attrition (ps <or= 0.003). Greater early weight loss marginally reduced the odds of attrition (p = 0.06). Predictors of weight loss success at 1 year were Caucasian ethnicity (p = 0.04), lower baseline depressive symptoms (p = 0.04), and weight loss during the first 3 weeks of treatment (p < 0.001). Thus, depressive symptoms at baseline were a significant predictor of both attrition and weight loss success. As a process variable, early weight loss appears to have more predictive value than early attendance at treatment sessions or early adherence.

Transcranial Doppler Ultrasonography and Prophylactic Transfusion Program Is Effective in Preventing Overt Stroke in Children with Sickle Cell Disease

OBJECTIVE To assess the impact of our transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (TCD) program on the incidence of first stroke and the rate of transfusion for stroke prevention in children with sickle cell disease. STUDY DESIGN In this single-institution, retrospective study, we compared the incidence of stroke and of transfusion for stroke prevention in 475 patients observed in the 8-year period before instituting TCD screening with the rate in 530 children in the 8-year period after. RESULTS The incidence of overt stroke in the pre-TCD period was 0.67 per 100 patient-years, compared with 0.06 per 100 patient-years in the post-TCD period (P<.0001). Of the 2 strokes in the post-TCD period, 1 occurred in a child too young for the screening protocol, and 1 occurred in a child with high velocities solely in the anterior cerebral arteries. The rate of transfusion therapy for stroke prevention increased from 0.67 per 100 patient-years to 1.12 per 100 patient-years since instituting our program (P=.008). CONCLUSIONS Our program has been successful in reducing the rate of first overt stroke, but with increased use of transfusion. Additional modifications to screening might further reduce the risk of first stroke, and studies of alternative treatments may be beneficial.

Fat and lean BMI reference curves in children and adolescents and their utility in identifying excess adiposity compared with BMI and percentage body fat

BACKGROUND Body mass index (BMI) and percentage body fat (%BF) are widely used to assess adiposity. These indexes fail to account for independent contributions of fat mass (FM) and lean body mass (LBM) to body weight, which vary according to age, sex, pubertal status, and population ancestry in the pediatric population. OBJECTIVE The objective was to develop pediatric reference curves for fat mass index (FMI) and lean body mass index (LBMI) and evaluate the effects of population ancestry and LBM on measures of excess adiposity (BMI, %BF, and FMI). DESIGN Sex-specific FMI and LBMI reference curves relative to age for children and adolescents aged 8-20 y were generated from cross-sectional body-composition data measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry from NHANES. RESULTS The mean LBMI z score was higher in blacks (males: 0.26; females: 0.45) than in whites (males: -0.07; females: -0.09) and Mexican Americans (males: 0.05; females: -0.09). The positive predictive value of overweight by BMI to identify excess adiposity defined by FMI was lower in blacks (males: 35.9%; females: 30.3%) than in whites (males: 65.4%; females: 52.2%) and Mexican Americans (males: 73.3%; females: 68.3%). Participants classified as having excess adiposity by FMI but normal adiposity by %BF had significantly higher BMI, LBMI, and height z scores than did those classified as having excess adiposity by %BF but normal adiposity by FMI. CONCLUSIONS Relative to FMI, the prevalence of excess adiposity is overestimated by BMI in blacks and underestimated by %BF in individuals with high LBM. The use of FMI and LBMI improves on the use of %BF and BMI by allowing for the independent assessment of FM and LBM.

Attrition from Randomized Controlled Trials of Pharmacological Weight Loss Agents: A Systematic Review and Analysis

Clinical trials of obesity treatments have been limited by substantial dropout. Participant‐level variables do not reliably predict attrition, and study‐level variables have not yet been examined. We searched MEDLINE and identified 24 large randomized controlled trials of weight loss medications. These trials were comprised of 23 placebo and 32 drug groups. Two authors independently extracted the following for each treatment group: (i) treatment received; (ii) design characteristics (inclusion of a lead‐in period, selection of participants with weight‐related comorbidities, study location and number of study visits); (iii) sample characteristics (sample size, % female, and mean baseline age and body mass index); and (iv) attrition (total, adverse event [AE]‐related and non‐AE‐related) at 1 year. The primary outcome was total attrition, which was significantly related to treatment (i.e. 34.9%, 28.6%, 28.3% and 35.1% in placebo, orlistat, sibutramine and rimonabant groups, respectively, P < 0.0001). In adjusted multivariable models, total attrition was significantly lower in groups that completed a pre‐randomization lead‐in period than in those that did not (29.1% vs. 39.9%, P < 0.01). Gender also was significantly related to total attrition; groups with more women had higher dropout (P < 0.01). The pattern was similar for predicting non‐AE‐related attrition. Findings suggest ways to design studies that maximize retention.

Detection of acute HIV infections in an urban HIV counseling and testing population in the United States

Summary:The southeastern United States has an increasing burden of HIV, particularly among blacks, women, and men who have sex with men. To evaluate HIV nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) and antibody-based algorithms in determination of HIV incidence, detection of acute HIV infections, and surveillance of drug-resistant virus transmission in the urban southeastern United States, we conducted a cross-sectional analysis of prospectively collected data from 2202 adults receiving HIV testing and counseling at 3 sites in Atlanta, GA from October 2002 through January 2004. After standard testing with an HIV enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and Western blot confirmation, HIV-positive specimens were tested with 2 standardized assays to detect recent infection. HIV antibody-negative specimens were pooled and screened for HIV using NAAT. Seventy (3.2%) of 2202 subjects were HIV infected. Only 66 were positive on the standard HIV antibody test; 4 were antibody-negative but acutely HIV infected. The overall annual HIV incidence was 1.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.4 to 1.8) based on the Vironostika-LS assay and 1.3% (95% CI: 0.6 to 2.1) based on the BED Incidence Enzyme Immunoassay (EIA). The prevalence of acute HIV infection was 1.8 per 1000 persons (95% CI: 0.7 to 4.6). The sensitivity of the current testing algorithm using an EIA and Western blot test for detectable infections was only 94.3% (95% CI: 86.2 to 97.8). All 3 of the acutely infected subjects genotyped had drug resistance mutations, and 1 had multiclass resistance. Adding NAAT-based screening to standard HIV antibody testing increased case identification by 6% and uncovered the first evidence of multidrug-resistant HIV transmission in Atlanta. Antibody tests alone are insufficient for public health practice in high-risk urban HIV testing settings.

Beverage Consumption Patterns of Children Born at Different Risk of Obesity

Background: Increased intake of sugar‐sweetened beverages and fruit juice has been associated with overweight in children.