In 2023, around 37 percent of all adult Hispanics in Connecticut were obese. Prevention of being obese can be undertaken through health eating of more fruits and vegetables and little to no total fats and sugars. This statistic depicts the obesity rates for adults in Connecticut in 2023, by race/ethnicity.

For µCT imaging, adult zebrafish were fixed and decalcified in Bouin's solution at room temperature for 7 days, stored in PBS and imaged using a micro-computed tomography (µCT) device (SkyScan1272, Bruker BioSpin GmbH, Ettlingen, Germany). Zebrafish were placed individually in 1.5ml Eppendorf tubes using and an ultra-focus scan over the whole body was performed in a full-rotation in step-and-shoot mode. 322 projections (1008x672 pixels, 4x4 binning) were acquired per subscan with an x-ray tube voltage of 60 kV, power 0.166 mA, aluminum filter 0.25 mm,exposure time of 363 ms, 6 averages and a object-source distance of 86 mm. All CT images were reconstructed at an isotropic voxel size of 18 µm using a Feldkamp type algorithm (filtered back-projection). Fat-containing regions were appear hypo intense in µCT data and were segmented using Imalytics Preclinical (Gremse-IT GmbH, Aachen, Germany (Gremse et al., 2016; doi:10.7150/thno.13624). The volumetric fat percentage was calculated as the ratio of subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) or visceral adipose tissue (VAT) fat volume compared to the entire volume of the body cavity anterior of the anal fin and expressed per skeletal segment.

We describe the respiratory mechanics and lung aeration in anesthetized obese dogs ventilated with tidal volumes (VT) based on ideal (VTi) vs. current (VTc) body weight. Six dogs with body condition scores ≥ 8/9 were included. End-expiratory respiratory mechanics and end-expiratory CT-scan were obtained at baseline for each dog. Thereafter, dogs were ventilated with VT 15 ml kg−1 based on VTi and VTc, applied randomly. Respiratory mechanics and CT-scan were repeated at end-inspiration during VTi and VTc. Data analyzed with linear mixed models and reported as mean ± SD or median [range]. Statistical significance p < 0.05. The elastance of the lung, chest wall and respiratory system indexed by ideal body weight (IBW) were positively correlated with body fat percentage, whereas the functional residual capacity indexed by IBW was negatively correlated with body fat percentage. At end-expiration, aeration (%) was: hyperaeration 0.03 [0.00–3.35], normoaeration 69.7 [44.6–82.2], hypoaeration 29.3 [13.6–49.4] and nonaeration (1.06% [0.37–6.02]). Next to the diaphragm, normoaeration dropped to 12 ± 11% and hypoaeration increased to 90 ± 8%. No differences in aeration between groups were found at end-inspiration. Airway driving pressure (cm H2O) was higher (p = 0.002) during VTc (9.8 ± 0.7) compared with VTi (7.6 ± 0.4). Lung strain was higher (p = 0.014) during VTc (55 ± 21%) than VTi (38 ± 10%). The stress index was higher (p = 0.012) during VTc (SI = 1.07 [0.14]) compared with VTi (SI = 0.93 [0.18]). This study indicates that body fat percentage influences the magnitude of lung, chest wall, and total respiratory system elastance and resistance, as well as functional residual capacity. Further, these results indicate that obese dogs have extensive areas of hypoaerated lungs, especially in caudodorsal regions. Finally, lung strain and airway driving pressure, surrogates of lung deformation, are higher during VTc than during VTi, suggesting that in obese anesthetized dogs, ventilation protocols based on IBW may be advantageous.

Patient demographics and response to therapy separated by Skeletal Muscle Density (SMD) and Body Mass Index (BMI) as defined by low (≤25 kg/m2) or high (>25 kg/m2).