Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium (MoTrPAC): Human Studies Design and Protocol.

Physical activity, including structured exercise, is associated with favorable health-related chronic disease outcomes. While there is evidence of various molecular pathways that affect these responses, a comprehensive molecular map of these molecular responses to exercise has not been developed. The Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium (MoTrPAC) is a multi-center study designed to isolate the effects of structured exercise training on the molecular mechanisms underlying the health benefits of exercise and physical activity. MoTrPAC contains both a pre-clinical and human component. The details of the human studies component of MoTrPAC that include the design and methods are presented here. The human studies contain both an adult and pediatric component. In the adult component, sedentary participants are randomized to 12 weeks of Control, Endurance Exercise Training, or Resistance Exercise Training with outcomes measures completed before and following the 12 weeks. The adult component also includes recruitment of highly active endurance trained or resistance trained participants who only complete measures once. A similar design is used for the pediatric component; however, only endurance exercise is examined. Phenotyping measures include weight, body composition, vital signs, cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, physical activity and diet, and other questionnaires. Participants also complete an acute rest period (adults only) or exercise session (adults, pediatrics) with collection of biospecimens (blood only for pediatrics) to allow for examination of the molecular responses. The design and methods of MoTrPAC may inform other studies. Moreover, MoTrPAC will provide a repository of data that can be used broadly across the scientific community.

Study Design, Rationale, and Methodology for Promote Weight Loss in Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease Who Also Have Obesity: The PROVE Trial.

Background Overweight and obesity are associated with adverse functional outcomes in people with peripheral artery disease (PAD). The effects of weight loss in people with overweight/obesity and PAD are unknown. Methods The PROVE (Promote Weight Loss in Obese PAD Patients to Prevent Mobility Loss) Trial is a multicentered randomized clinical trial with the primary aim of testing whether a behavioral intervention designed to help participants with PAD lose weight and walk for exercise improves 6-minute walk distance at 12-month follow-up, compared with walking exercise alone. A total of 212 participants with PAD and body mass index ≥25 kg/m2 will be randomized. Interventions are delivered using a Group Mediated Cognitive Behavioral intervention model, a smartphone application, and individual telephone coaching. The primary outcome is 12-month change in 6-minute walk distance. Secondary outcomes include total minutes of walking exercise/wk at 12-month follow-up and 12-month change in accelerometer-measured physical activity, the Walking Impairment Questionnaire distance score, and the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System mobility questionnaire. Tertiary outcomes include 12-month changes in perceived exertional effort at the end of the 6-minute walk, diet quality, and the Short Physical Performance Battery. Exploratory outcomes include changes in gastrocnemius muscle biopsy measures of mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase activity, mitochondrial biogenesis, capillary density, and inflammatory markers. Conclusions The PROVE randomized clinical trial will evaluate the effects of exercise with an intervention of coaching and a smartphone application designed to achieve weight loss, compared with exercise alone, on walking performance in people with PAD and overweight/obesity. Results will inform optimal treatment for the growing number of patients with PAD who have overweight/obesity. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT04228978.

The Enabling Reduction of Low-Grade Inflammation in Seniors (ENRGISE) Pilot Study: Screening Methods and Recruitment Results.

BACKGROUND: The Enabling Reduction of Low-grade Inflammation in Seniors (ENRGISE) Pilot Study is a multicenter randomized clinical trial examining the feasibility of testing whether omega-3 fish oil (ω-3) and the angiotensin receptor blocker losartan alone or in combination can reduce inflammation and improve walking speed in older adults with mobility impairment. We describe recruitment methods and results. METHODS: Eligible participants were 70 years and older, had elevated interleukin-6 levels (2.5-30 pg/mL) and mobility impairment. RESULTS: Of those who responded to recruitment, 83% responded to mailings. A total of 5,424 telephone screens were completed; of these, 2,011 (37.1%) were eligible for further screening. The most common reasons for ineligibility at the telephone screens were lack of mobility impairment or use of angiotensin receptor blockers or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (n=1.789). Of the 1,305 initial screening visits, 1,087 participants had slow gait speed (<1 m/s). Of these, 701 (64%) had elevated interleukin-6 and were eligible for second screening visits. Of the 582 second screening visits, 335 (57.6%) were eligible to be randomized. A total of 289 participants (96% of goal) were randomized: 180 in the ω-3 stratum (240% of goal); 43 in the losartan (57% of goal), and 66 in the combination (44% of goal). The telephone screen and first screening visit to randomization ratio was 19 to 1 and 4.5 to 1, respectively. The estimated cost of recruitment per randomized participant was $1,782. CONCLUSION: Recruitment for ω-3 exceeded goals, but goals for the losartan and combination strata were not met due to the high proportion of participants taking angiotensin receptor blockers or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors.

Protocol for serious fall injury adjudication in the Strategies to Reduce Injuries and Develop Confidence in Elders (STRIDE) study.

BACKGROUND: This paper describes a protocol for determining the incidence of serious fall injuries for Strategies to Reduce Injuries and Develop Confidence in Elders (STRIDE), a large, multicenter pragmatic clinical trial with limited resources for event adjudication. We describe how administrative data (from participating health systems and Medicare claims) can be used to confirm participant-reported events, with more time- and resource-intensive full-text medical record data used only on an "as-needed" basis. METHODS: STRIDE is a pragmatic cluster-randomized controlled trial involving 5451 participants age ≥ 70 and at increased risk for falls, served by 86 primary care practices in 10 US health systems. The STRIDE intervention involves a nurse falls care manager who assesses a participant's underlying risks for falls, suggests interventions using motivational interviewing, and then creates, implements and longitudinally follows up on an individualized care plan with the participant (and caregiver when appropriate), in partnership with the participant's primary care provider. STRIDE's primary outcome is serious fall injuries, defined as a fall resulting in: (1) medical attention billable according to Medicare guidelines with a) fracture (excluding isolated thoracic vertebral and/or lumbar vertebral fracture), b) joint dislocation, or c) cut requiring closure; OR (2) overnight hospitalization with a) head injury, b) sprain or strain, c) bruising or swelling, or d) other injury determined to be "serious" (i.e., burn, rhabdomyolysis, or internal injury). Two sources of data are required to confirm a serious fall injury. The primary data source is the participant's self-report of a fall leading to medical attention, identified during telephone interview every 4 months, with the confirmatory source being (1) administrative data capturing encounters at the participating health systems or Medicare claims and/or (2) the full text of medical records requested only as needed. DISCUSSION: Adjudication is ongoing, with over 1000 potentially qualifying events adjudicated to date. Administrative data can be successfully used for adjudication, as part of a hybrid approach that retrieves full-text medical records only when needed. With the continued refinement and availability of administrative data sources, future studies may be able to use administrative data completely in lieu of medical record review to maximize the quality of adjudication with finite resources. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02475850).

Effect of Losartan and Fish Oil on Plasma IL-6 and Mobility in Older Persons. The ENRGISE Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Low-grade chronic inflammation, characterized by elevations in plasma Interleukin-6 (IL-6), is an independent risk factor of impaired mobility in older persons. Angiotensin receptor blockers and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3) may reduce IL-6 and may potentially improve physical function. To assess the main effects of the angiotensin receptor blocker losartan and ω-3 as fish oil on IL-6 and 400 m walking speed, we conducted the ENRGISE Pilot multicenter randomized clinical trial. METHODS: The ENRGISE Pilot enrolled participants between April 2016 and June 2017, who participated for 12 months. Participants were aged ≥70 years with mobility impairment, had IL-6 between 2.5 and 30 pg/mL, and were able to walk 400 m at baseline. Participants were randomized in three strata 2 × 2 factorial to: (i) losartan 50-100 mg/d or placebo (n = 43), (ii) fish oil 1,400-2,800 mg/d or placebo (n = 180), and (iii) with both (n = 66). RESULTS: Two hundred eighty-nine participants were randomized (mean age 78.3 years, 47.4% women, 17.0% black). There was no effect of losartan (difference of means = -0.065 ± 0.116 [SE], 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.293-0.163, p = .58) or fish oil (-0.020 ± 0.077, 95% CI: -0.171-0.132, p = .80) on the log of IL-6. Similarly, there was no effect of losartan (-0.025 ± 0.026, 95% CI: -0.076-0.026, p = .34) or fish oil (0.010 ± 0.017, 95% CI: -0.025-0.044, p = .58) on walking speed (m/s). CONCLUSIONS: These results do not support the use of these interventions to prevent mobility loss in older adults at risk of disability with low-grade chronic inflammation. REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02676466.

Hospitalizations During a Physical Activity Intervention in Older Adults at Risk of Mobility Disability: Analyses from the Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders Randomized Clinical Trial.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether moderate-intensity physical activity (PA) and health education (HE) are differentially associated with categories of hospitalizations or subgroups of participants. DESIGN: Multicenter randomized controlled trial in which participants were randomized to a PA or HE program for an average of 2.6 years. SETTING: Eight field centers. PARTICIPANTS: Sedentary men and women aged 70-89 with lower extremity physical limitations but able to walk 400-m in 15 minutes or less (N = 1,635). INTERVENTIONS: Structured, moderate-intensity PA (n =  818) at a center (2×/wk) and at home (3-4×/wk) that included aerobic, strength, balance, and flexibility training or HE (n =  817) of educational workshops and upper extremity stretching exercises. MEASUREMENTS: All-cause inpatient hospitalizations ascertained at 6-month intervals. RESULTS: There were 1,458 hospitalizations (49.1% of PA, 44.4% of HE; risk difference = 4.68%, 95% confidence interval (CI) = -0.18-9.54; hazard ratio (HR) = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.00-1.34). The intervention effect on incident hospitalization did not differ according to race, sex, Short Physical Performance Battery score, age, or history of cardiovascular disease or diabetes mellitus. PA was associated with higher rates of hospitalization in the middle baseline gait speed category, than HE (<0.8 m/s: HR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.76-1.14; 0.8-1.0 m/s: HR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.23-1.94; >1.0 m/s: HR = 1.05, 95% CI = 0.67-1.65; interaction P = .005). CONCLUSION: A PA program in older adults at risk for mobility disability did not lead to a different risk of specific types of hospitalizations than a HE program overall. Baseline gait speed may be a marker for risk of hospitalization during a PA intervention, because individuals with moderate baseline gait speed in the PA group had slightly higher rates of hospitalization than those in the HE group. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01072500.

Characteristics associated with informed consent for genetic studies in the ACCORD trial.

BACKGROUND: Prior studies found that some groups have lower genetic consent rates than others. Participant consent for genetic studies enables randomized trials to examine effects of interventions compared to control in participants with different genotypes. METHODS: Unadjusted and multivariate associations between genetic consent rates and participant, study, and consent characteristics in 9573 participants approached for genetics consent in the multicenter Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial, which used a layered genetics consent. RESULTS: Eighty-nine percent of eligible participants consented to genetic studies ("Any Consent") and 64.7% consented to studies of any genes by any investigator ("Full Consent"), with similar rates in randomized groups. Controlling for multiple characteristics, African-Americans had lower consent rates than others (Any Consent Odds Ratio, OR = 0.62, p = 0.0004; Full Consent OR = 0.67, p < 0.0001). Those with high school or higher education level had higher rates than less than high school graduates (Full Consent ORs 1.41-1.69, p-values < 0.0001). Consent rates were lower when genetics consent was separate from the main trial consent on the same day (Any Consent OR 0.30; Full Consent OR 0.52, p values < 0.0001) or on a subsequent day (Any Consent OR 0.70, p = 0.0022; Full Consent OR 0.76, p = 0.0002). CONCLUSION: High rates of consent for genetic studies can be obtained in complex randomized trials, with lower consent rates in African-Americans, in participants with less than high-school education, and for sharing samples with other investigators. A genetics consent separated from the main trial consent was associated with lower consent rates.