Clinical outcome of patients undergoing abdominoplasty after massive weight loss

BackgroundAbdominoplasty is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures to reshape the body contour in patients who have undergone massive weight loss.ObjectivesThis study was undertaken to assess the clinical outcome, complication rates, and risk factors for complications of patients undergoing abdominoplasty after massive weight loss.SettingUniversity Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.MethodClinical outcome was retrospectively analyzed in 121 patients, who underwent abdominoplasty. The retrospective analysis included demographic data of patients, such as sex, age, body mass index (BMI), and pre-existing illnesses. Moreover, postoperative complications including seroma, hematoma, wound infection, and tissue necrosis were analyzed.ResultsIn our study cohort, the median age was 43.7 years, the median weight was 94.7 kg, and the median BMI was 32.3 kg/m². The majority of included patients were women (70.3%). Death occurred in none of the patients. Among individuals, wound infection occurred in 3.3%, tissue necrosis in 1.7%, seroma in 7.4%, and hematoma in 3.3% of patients during the postoperative course. Reoperations were necessary in 2 patients (1.7%) due to postoperative bleeding and tissue necrosis of the navel. Tissue necrosis was significantly more often seen in a subset individual with type 2 diabetes (P = .006). Moreover, the rate of reoperations was significantly higher in patients with pre-existing cardiovascular illnesses compared with cardiovascular healthy patients (P = .036). Multivariate analysis analyzing risk factors for postoperative complications, including sex, age, BMI, diabetes, pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease, revealed strong independent relevance for type 2 diabetes (P = .024).ConclusionsWe found that abdominoplasty is a safe operative procedure. In addition, the risk for complications is significantly increased in the subgroup of diabetic patients and patients with cardiovascular diseases.     

Is Endocan a Novel Diagnostic Marker for the Severity of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in Very Low Birth Weight Infants?

IntroductionEndocan levels were found to be associated with severity and mortality of the respiratory system diseases.ObjectiveWe aimed to figure out whether endocan was an important marker for the diagnosis, severity and follow-up of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).Materials and methodsInfants with moderate/severe BPD, and who required hydrocortisone treatment were included in the study group. Infants without BPD were allocated in the control group. Endocan levels were compared between the control group and the study group, and before and after the treatment in the study group.ResultsA total of 148 infants, 74 infants in the control group and 74 infants in the BPD group, were included. The endocan level was higher in the BPD group than in the control group (P = .001). Endocan levels before treatment in the BPD group was found to be higher than endocan level after treatment (P = .021).ConclusionOur study found that endocan levels increased in moderate/severe BPD. Serum endocan levels may be a safe and novel indicator for the follow-up of response to treatment and the prognosis of the severity of the disease.     

Patients undergoing intragastric balloon achieve approximately 50% of their target weight loss in the first month postoperatively: an MBSAQIP analysis

BackgroundIntragastric balloon (IGB) placement can provide a mean percent total weight loss (%TWL) of 10.2% at 6-month follow-up.ObjectivesWe aimed to evaluate 30-day outcomes and safety of patients undergoing IGB placement.SettingMetabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program.MethodsThe 2016 to 2017 Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program was queried for adult patients who underwent primary IGB placement. Demographic characteristics and preoperative risk factors were collected. Postoperative outcomes included %TWL, percent excess weight loss, and complications rates and causes. Subset analysis was done for outcomes comparison between surgeons or gastroenterologists performing the procedure. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 25.0.ResultsA total of 1221 patients were included. The majority was female (81.9%), Caucasian (81.2%), with a mean age of 48 ± 11.3 years and a mean preoperative body mass index of 34.9 ± 11.2 kg/m². Of patients, 98.8% were discharged within 24 hours of the procedure. Two patients were admitted to the intensive care unit, and 7.2% received postoperative treatment for dehydration. Reoperation and readmission rates were 1.1% and 7.2%, respectively, mainly due to nausea, vomiting, and poor nutritional status (n = 22). The intervention rate was 6.2%. Patients in this cohort achieved a mean %TWL of 6.2% (standard deviation, 5.52%) and mean TWL of 6.8 kg within 30 days postoperatively (n = 147; 24–30 d).ConclusionsOur data show patients met approximately 50% of their target weight loss 30 days after IGB placement. Nausea, vomiting, and poor nutrition status were the most common complications within 30 days of the procedure. Long-term follow-up is necessary to determine if these patients are able to sustain their weight loss and for how long.     

Neonatal Weight and Prenatal Exposure to Polychlorinated Biphenyls: A Meta-Analysis

Background: This research studied the relationship between maternal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls and neonatal birth weight through systematic review and meta-analysis of existing literature. Methods:We searched for all the studies published in MEDLINE / PUBMEDN / EMBASE (Medical Abstract Database) by June 2018, and seven studies had been selected. Results:The results showed that there was significant correlation between birth weight reduction and PCBS exposure throughout pregnancy (β=-0.586g, 95%CI:-0.629,-0.543). There was a negative correlation between birth weight and PCBs exposure and umbilical cord serum (β=-0.833g) and maternal serum (β= -0.504g).Subgroup analyses showed significantly different effects of PCBs exposure on birth weight in different regions, stages of pregnancy and study designs. It was thought the heterogeneity was mainly caused by geographical regions, stages of pregnancy, and the assessment methods. Conclusion: The meta analysis revealed a negative correlation between PCBs exposure and birth weight but there was significant difference in the correlation between birth weight loss.     

Optimal design of robust feedforward compensator with gain and phase specifications

This paper deals with the design of the robust feedforward compensator for improving the tracking performance of control systems with gain and phase specifications. The feedforward compensator is designed for single‐input–single‐output continuous‐time linear systems with constrained input and model uncertainty. The design objective is to make the transfer characteristic from command to output be one in the presence of the input saturation and the model uncertainty. To do that, the design of the feedforward compensator is formulated as a new gain‐phase optimization problem with both the gain and phase specifications. Then, the design procedures are proposed by using frequency‐matching method based on the closed‐loop frequency response. The proposed method provides a good trade‐off between system performance and control input to overcome performance reduction due to input saturation, and guarantees the robustness of the overall system in the presence of the model uncertainty. Two design examples illustrate that the frequency characteristics and the transient response of the control system are improved by the proposed method.     

母亲产后抑郁对喂养方式及子代体重增加量影响的队列研究

目的比较产后抑郁母亲与正常对照组对子代喂养方式的差异,明确产后抑郁是否对子代的体重增加有所影响。方法分别在西南医科大学附属医院、泸州市中医院、泸州市江阳区妇幼保健院和泸州市妇女儿童医院对住院待产的产妇进行筛查,对符合入组标准的48例产妇在产后第4、8、12周,使用爱丁堡产后抑郁量表(EPDS)和婴幼儿喂养方式及体重增加量调查表进行评定,将在首次评定时EPDS评分≥13分的被试归入产后抑郁组(n=14),将EPDS评分13分者归入对照组(n=34),比较两组人口学资料、EPDS评分、喂养方式及其婴儿体重增加量等方面的差异。结果产后第12周,产后抑郁组婴儿体重增加量高于对照组(Z=-2.612,P=0.009)。各随访时间点,产后抑郁组平均每日非母乳喂养的比例均高于对照组(Z_(4周)=-2.652,Z_(8周)=-3.591,Z_(12周)=-2.822,P均0.05)。产后抑郁组平均每日非母乳喂养的次数(Z_(4周)=-2.403,Z_(8周)=-3.666,Z_(12周)=-2.834,P均0.05)和非母乳喂养量(Z_(4周)=-2.289,Z_(8周)=-3.347,Z_(12周)=-2.609)均高于对照组。产后抑郁组当月用于婴儿食品等消耗品的支出均高于对照组(Z_(4周)=-3.404,Z_(8周)=-4.130,Z_(12周)=-3.859,P均0.05)。结论截止产后第12周,产后抑郁母亲的子代较少接受母乳喂养,但喂养方式的差异并未影响子代体重的增加。