Browsing by Author "Reimer, Raylene A"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Association of Metabolic Markers with self-reported osteoarthritis among middle-aged BMI-defined non-obese individuals: a cross-sectional study
    (2018-09-03) Collins, Kelsey H; Sharif, Behnam; Reimer, Raylene A; Sanmartin, Claudia; Herzog, Walter; Chin, Rick; Marshall, Deborah A
    Abstract Background Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative joint disease. While it is well-established that obesity affects OA through increased axial loading on the joint cartilage, the indirect effect of obesity through metabolic processes among the body mass index (BMI)-defined non-obese population, i.e., BMI < 30 kg/m2, is less known. Our goal was to evaluate the association of metabolic markers including body fat percentage (BF%), waist circumference, maximum weight gain during adulthood and serum creatinine with self-reported OA to establish if such measures offer additional information over BMI among the non-obese population between 40 and 65 years of age. Methods Cross-sectional data from two cycles of the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) in 2007–2009 and 2009–2011 were analyzed. Sex-specific logistic regression models were developed to evaluate the association of self-reported OA with metabolic markers. Models were separately adjusted for age, BMI categories and serum creatinine, and a stratified analysis across BM categories was performed. In a secondary analysis, we evaluated the association of self-reported OA, cardiovascular diseases and hypertension across BF% categories. Results Of 2462 individuals, 217 (8.8%) self-reported OA. After adjusting for age and BMI, those within BF%-defined overweight/obese category had 2.67 (95% CI: 1.32–3.51) and 2.11(95% CI: 1.38–3.21) times higher odds of reporting self-reported OA compared to those within BF%-defined athletic/acceptable category for females and males, respectively. BF% was also significantly associated with self-reported OA after adjusting for age and serum creatinine only among females (OR: 1.47, 95%CI: 1.12–1.84). Furthermore, among the BMI-defined overweight group, the age-adjusted odds of self-reported OA was significantly higher for overweight/obese BF% compared to athletic/acceptable BF% in both females and males. In a secondary analysis, we showed that the association of self-reported OA and hypertension/cardiovascular diseases is significantly higher among BF% overweight/obese (OR: 1.37, 95%CI: 1.19–3.09) compared to BF% athletic/acceptable (OR: 1.13, 95%CI: 0.87–2.82). Conclusion Our results provide corroborating evidence for a relationship between body fat and OA in a population-based study, while no significant independent correlates were found between other metabolic markers and OA prevalence. Future investigation on the longitudinal relationship between BF and OA among this sub-population may inform targeted prevention opportunities.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Diet-Induced Obesity and Musculoskeletal Health: Studies in a Rat Model
    (2017) Collins, Kelsey Helen-Marie Collins; Herzog, Walter; Hart, David A.; Reimer, Raylene A; Frank, Cyril B
    The primary goal of this Thesis is to develop a model of diet-induced obesity (DIO), using a high-fat/high-sucrose (HFS) diet to evaluate the impact of DIO on the musculoskeletal health of rats. The overarching hypothesis is that DIO can induce deleterious musculoskeletal changes in this animal model. In the first study, the role of DIO in the onset of joint damage is assessed by superimposing the diet on a model of post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTA) progression. This study recapitulated changes in systemic and local inflammation with DIO that had been described in the clinical literature, had not been demonstrated in a preclinical model of osteoarthritis (OA). The next study linked diet-induced knee damage, without trauma, to changes in gut microbiota for the first time. The third study explored time-course changes in systemic and local inflammatory mediators in conjunction with joint damage and response to DIO. Given the changes in the systemic inflammatory environment, the next study then evaluated other synovial joints in addition to the knee joint. This study suggested that the knee and shoulder are uniquely vulnerable to damage with DIO, while the hip joint is protected. Additionally, muscle is implicated in both OA progression and the pathophysiology of metabolic syndrome, and therefore the effects of HFS DIO on muscle were measured. The fifth study evaluated DIO-induced changes in the integrity of the Vastus Lateralis (VL) quadriceps muscle. Given the severity of changes seen in the VL, short-term exposure to HFS was then explored in the VL muscle in study six, as were diet-induced changes in the gut microbiota and systemic inflammation. Because muscles have different phenotypes, related to their substrate utilization, force-producing capacity, and fatigability, we then explored another muscle, the soleus, which was previously suggested to be protected against diet-induced changes. Collectively, this Thesis demonstrates that DIO can result in structural damage across musculoskeletal tissues, while implicating several opportunities for therapeutic intervention to mitigate or prevent damage across musculoskeletal tissues. These relations and opportunities are summarized in Chapter 10, which is an integrative review on the influence of diet-induced systemic inflammation on musculoskeletal tissues.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Effect of a prebiotic supplement on knee joint function, gut microbiota, and inflammation in adults with co-morbid obesity and knee osteoarthritis: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
    (2021-04-07) Fortuna, Rafael; Hart, David A; Sharkey, Keith A; Schachar, Rachel A; Johnston, Kelly; Reimer, Raylene A
    Abstract Background Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic and painful condition where the articular cartilage surfaces progressively degenerate, resulting in loss of function and progressive disability. Obesity is a primary risk factor for the development and progression of knee OA, defined as the “metabolic OA” phenotype. Metabolic OA is associated with increased fat deposits that release inflammatory cytokines/adipokines, thereby resulting in systemic inflammation which can contribute to cartilage degeneration. There is currently no cure for OA. Prebiotics are a type of dietary fiber that can positively influence gut microbiota thereby reducing systemic inflammation and offering protection of joint integrity in rodents. However, no human clinical trials have tested the effects of prebiotics in adults with obesity suffering from knee OA. Therefore, the purpose of this double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial is to determine if prebiotic supplementation can, through positive changes in the gut microbiota, improve knee function and physical performance in adults with obesity and knee OA. Methods Adults (n = 60) with co-morbid obesity (BMI > 30 kg/m2) and knee OA (Kellgren-Lawrence grade II–III) will be recruited from the Alberta Hip and Knee Clinic and the Rocky Mountain Health Clinic and surrounding community of Calgary, Canada, and randomized (stratified by sex, BMI, and age) to prebiotic (oligofructose-enriched inulin; 16 g/day) or a calorie-matched placebo (maltodextrin) for 6 months. Anthropometrics, performance-based tests, knee pain, serum inflammatory markers and metabolomics, quality of life, and gut microbiota will be assessed at baseline, 3 months, 6 months (end of prebiotic supplementation), and 3 months following the end of the prebiotic supplementation. Clinical significance There is growing pressure on health care systems for aggressive OA treatment such as total joint replacement. Less aggressive, yet effective, conservative treatment options have the potential to address the growing prevalence of co-morbid obesity and knee OA by delaying the need for joint replacement or ideally preventing its need altogether. The results of this clinical trial will provide the first evidence regarding the efficacy of prebiotic supplementation on knee joint function and pain in adults with obesity and knee OA. If successful, the results may provide a simple, safe, and easy to adhere to intervention to reduce knee joint pain and improve the quality of life of adults with co-morbid knee OA and obesity. Trial registration Clinical Trials.gov NCT04172688 . Registered on 21 November 2019.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Exercise and nutrition for head and neck cancer patients: a patient oriented, clinic-supported randomized controlled trial
    (BioMed Central, 2012-10-02) Capozzi, Lauren C; Lau, Harold; Reimer, Raylene A; McNeely, Margaret; Giese-Davis, Janine; Culos-Reed, S Nicole
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Relationship between inflammation, the gut microbiota, and metabolic osteoarthritis development: studies in a rat model
    (2016) Herzog, Walter; Collins, Kelsey H; Paul, Heather A; Reimer, Raylene A; Seerattan, Ruth A; Hart, David A
    Western-type diets, high in fat and sugars, lead to obesity. Obesity in turn is associated with chronic inflammation, and thought to be a risk factor for the onset and increased rate of progression of metabolic osteoarthritis (OA) in joints. Emerging evidence suggests that intrinsic inflammatory mediators secreted by body fat, or adipose tissue, including cytokines, adipokines, and advanced glycation end products, may be sufficient to lead to onset and progression of OA. It appears that these obesity-associated, intrinsic inflammatory factors define a metabolic subtype of osteoarthritis. Characterizing the factors that comprise this unhealthy metabolic phenotype is critical to understanding the influence of obesity on OA. Furthermore, establishing the “indirect” role of the microbiota and the gut is required to fully understand the initiators and drivers of metabolic OA.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    The British Columbia Farmers' Market Nutrition Coupon Program reduces short-term household food insecurity among adults with low incomes: a pragmatic randomized controlled trial.
    (ELSEVIER, 2023-10-06T06:00:00Z) Aktary, Michelle L; Dunn, Sharlette; Sajobi, Tolulope; O'Hara, Heather; Leblanc, Peter; McCormack, Gavin R; Caron-Roy, Stephanie; Lee, Yun Yun; Reimer, Raylene A; Minaker, Leia M; Raine, Kim D; Godley, Jenny; Downs, Shauna; Nykiforuk, Candace I J; Olstad, Dana Lee
    The British Columbia Farmers' Market Nutrition Coupon Program (BC FMNCP) provides households with low incomes with coupons to purchase healthy foods from farmers' markets.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    The chemo-gut study: investigating the long-term effects of chemotherapy on gut microbiota, metabolic, immune, psychological and cognitive parameters in young adult Cancer survivors; study protocol
    (2019-12-23) Deleemans, Julie M; Chleilat, Faye; Reimer, Raylene A; Henning, Jan-Willem; Baydoun, Mohamad; Piedalue, Katherine-Ann; McLennan, Andrew; Carlson, Linda E
    Abstract Background The gut microbiota is an important modulator of immune, metabolic, psychological and cognitive mechanisms. Chemotherapy adversely affects the gut microbiota, inducing acute dysbiosis, and alters physiological and psychological function. Cancer among young adults has risen 38% in recent decades. Understanding chemotherapy’s long-term effects on gut microbiota and psycho-physiological function is critical to improve survivors’ physical and mental health, but remains unexamined. Restoration of the gut microbiota via targeted therapies (e.g. probiotics) could potentially prevent or reverse the psycho-physiological deficits often found in young survivors following chemotherapy, ultimately leading to reduced symptom burden and improved health. Methods This longitudinal study investigates chemotherapy induced long-term gut dysbiosis, and associations between gut microbiota, and immune, metabolic, cognitive and psychological parameters using data collected at < 2 month (T1), 3–4 months (T2), and 5–6 months (T3) post-chemotherapy. Participants will be 18–39 year old blood or solid tumor cancer survivors (n = 50), and a healthy sibling, partner or friend as a control (n = 50). Gut microbiota composition will be measured from fecal samples using 16 s RNA sequencing. Psychological and cognitive patient reported outcome measures will include depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, pain, fatigue, and social and cognitive function. Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) will be used to measure fat and lean mass, and bone mineral concentration. Pro-inflammatory cytokines, C-reactive protein (CRP), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), serotonin, and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) will be measured in serum, and long-term cortisol will be assayed from hair. Regression and linear mixed model (LMM) analyses will examine associations across time points (T1 – T3), between groups, and covariates with gut microbiota, cognitive, psychological, and physiological parameters. Conclusion Knowing what bacterial species are depleted after chemotherapy, how long these effects last, and the physiological mechanisms that may drive psychological and cognitive issues among survivors will allow for targeted, integrative interventions to be developed, helping to prevent or reverse some of the late-effects of treatment that many young cancer survivors face. This protocol has been approved by the Health Research Ethics Board of Alberta Cancer Committee (ID: HREBA.CC-19-0018).