Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected millions of people worldwide with worse outcomes demonstrated in those with certain co-morbid conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The Rio Grande Valley (RGV), a four-county region along the Texas-Mexico border has been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. The case fatality ratio in the RGV from COVID-19 [...]

Background: Obesity increases the risk of severe illness, hospitalizations, and death from most acute illnesses – particularly infectious diseases. (1,2) African American communities have been greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and are disproportionately impacted by the obesity epidemic in this country. (3, 4) However, little is known of their knowledge and attitudes related to [...]

Background: Obesity is associated with many cardiopulmonary comorbidities independently associated with worse health outcomes in acute illness, yet the physiological mechanisms potentially making obese patients more susceptible to COVID-19 remain uncertain. Adiposity-derived immunosuppression, increased thrombogenic potential, and predilection towards inflammatory hyperreactivity have all been postulated as potential mediators of this phenomenon. Yet, the most obvious [...]

Background: Obesity is associated with overall higher mortality risk in the general population however, some authors have noted patterns to suggest a survival advantage in a certain clinical subpopulation. Obesity paradox is reported for stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure, renal disease, and diabetes. Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is the most common nosocomial infection in the [...]

Background: Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and second leading cause of cancer death among men in the US. Approximately three million prostate cancer survivors are living in the US according to 2014 estimate by American Cancer Society. Little is known about the risk factors and the causes of medical admissions associated with [...]

Background: Obesity affects a large majority of the U.S. population, and hospitalizations may represent opportunities to intervene and promote weight loss.  We sought to determine if multidisciplinary patient-centered inpatient weight loss consults, post-discharge telephone text messages, and primary care follow up could result in weight loss. Methods: We conducted a feasibility study comparing 25 obese [...]

Background: Patients with diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) experience large burdens of morbidity, mortality, and hospital costs. Over a third of patients with diabetes will develop DFUs in their lifetime; and almost half of these patients subsequently develop diabetic foot infections (DFIs). Although it has been reported that obese patients with diabetes do not have higher [...]

Background: Increased asthma and obesity prevalence are independently associated with health disparities.  This study sought to examine the relationship between these two conditions, particularly within the pediatric population at a major inner city teaching hospital. Methods: Patients aged 3 to 18 with a diagnosis of bronchial asthma and at least one hospital encounter for an [...]

Background: A higher Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) prevalence was associated with increased rates of post-operative complications including increased marginal ulceration and leak rates. Limited studies described prevalence of H. pylori in patients undergoing bariatric surgery and H. pylori associated upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB). Primary Aim of our study was to evaluate the prevalence [...]

Background: The obesity paradox describes a counterintuitive observation of improved outcomes in patients with obesity. Analysis of the association among overweight/obesity and leading causes of inpatient mortality in a systemic manner has not been conducted. Methods: We used STATA (StataCorp, College Station, Texas) to analyze the 2016 National Inpatient Sample (NIS). We recognized patients with [...]