Rhabdomyolysis after Gastric Bypass: Severity and Outcome Patterns

Background: Rhabdomyolysis (RML) is a recently recognized complication of bariatric operations, but it is not known whether creatine kinase (CK) levels along with clinical markers are able to define the course and outcome. Methods: Bariatric patients (n=324) were reviewed retrospectively. Substantially elevated plasma CK after operation was identified in 4.9% (16/324). The affected population was divided into Group I (n=11, 68.8%) with CK 1050-8000 IU/L and no conspicuous muscle pain, weakness or swelling, and Group II (n=5, 31.2%) displaying CK >8000 IU/L and severe pain and dysfunction. The main outcome measures were CK concentration, frequency of renal failure, need for hemodialysis and mortality. Results: Group I subjects compared to Group II were younger (37.7 ± 10.9 vs 44.0 ± 5.5 years, P<0.05) and predominantly females (72.7% vs 40.0%, P<0.05). Peak CK values were definitely lower (2811 ± 952 vs 28136 ± 19000 IU/L, P<0.001), and none progressed to renal failure (0% vs 40.0%, P<0.05). No difference was detected regarding preoperative BMI (50.8 ± 8.1 vs 54.6 ± 7.0 kg/m², NS), duration of operation (5.3 ± 1.6 vs 5.6 ± 2.1 hours, NS) or types of anesthetic drugs (basically fentanyl, nitrogen oxide and halothane/isoflurane). Conclusions: 1) Demographic features, nominally gender and age, were different between the two degrees of RML; 2) Renal failure and hemodialysis were a danger only in patients with massive CK elevation and muscle pain; 3) Moderate CK increase was very well tolerated and rarely entailed major clinical symptoms; 4) Early diagnosis, fluid replenishment and general supportive therapy probably contributed to avert mortality.     

Deconvoluting the Obesity and Breast Cancer Link: Secretome, Soil and Seed Interactions

Obesity is associated with increased risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women and is linked with poor prognosis in pre- and postmenopausal breast cancer patients. The mechanisms underlying the obesity-breast cancer connection are becoming increasingly clear and provide multiple opportunities for primary to tertiary prevention. Several obesity-related host factors can influence breast tumor initiation, progression and/or response to therapy, and these have been implicated as key contributors to the complex effects of obesity on cancer incidence and outcomes. These host factors include components of the secretome, including insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1, leptin, adiponectin, steroid hormones, cytokines, vascular regulators, and inflammation-related molecules, as well as the cellular and structural components of the tumor microenvironment. These secreted and structural host factors are extrinsic to, and interact with, the intrinsic molecular characteristics of breast cancer cells (including breast cancer stem cells), and each will be considered in the context of energy balance and as potential targets for cancer prevention.     

Motorised Two-Wheeler Crash and Helmets: Injury Patterns, Severity, Mortality and the Consequence of Gender Bias

Background

India records the maximum number of deaths from motorised two-wheeler vehicle (MTV) accidents in the world with mandatory helmet laws for males but not females. This study was designed to investigate injury patterns, severity, mortality, and helmet usage among hospital admitted victims of a MTV crash with a paired subgroup analyses on female victims.

Methods

Hospital trauma registry from January 2011 to July 2012 for all adult victims of a MTV crash was analysed for outcomes of mortality, serious head injury, severe facial injury, and cervical spine injury while adjusting for age, gender, use of alcohol/drugs, injury severity score, and presence of shock by multivariable logistic regression model. Groups of helmeted victims (HV) and nonhelmeted victims (NHV) were identified.

Results

A total of 2,718 victims were included. HV suffered maximum injuries to the lower extremity (29.04 %) and had reduced adjusted odds of death (odds ratio (OR) 0.65; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.48–0.86), serious head injury (OR 0.34; CI 0.26–0.45), cervical spine injury (OR 0.74; CI 0.54–1.06), and serious facial injury (OR 0.87; CI 0.57–1.26) compared with NHV who suffered maximum injuries to the head (24.49 %). Compliance with helmet use was 52.91 and 7.94 % among males and females respectively. A total of 224 pairs of male driver and female pillion involved in same MTV crash were identified, and the predominantly helmeted male had reduced odds of death (OR 0.44; CI 0.21–0.84) and severe head injury (OR 0.42; CI 0.24–0.72) compared with overwhelmingly nonhelmeted females.

Conclusions

Helmet laws must be strictly enforced, and society should think about the cost being born by its fairer counterpart by the gender-based differential law.     

The Effect of Practical Dietary Counselling on Food Variety and Regurgitation Frequency after Gastroplasty for Obesity

After obesity surgery, the primary measurement of success is the amount of weight lost. There has, however, been little assessment of how patients cope with the dietary constraints imposed by gastroplasty. Similarly, dietary patterns adopted to cope with these constraints have not been studied fully. These factors are of great importance in terms of nutritional adequacy, patient acceptability and long-term success. A study involving 32 patients was conducted to ascertain whether practical nutritional intervention and extensive follow-up would improve the overall outcome of the gastroplasty operation with respect to the type of foods tolerated and the incidence of regurgitation or vomiting experienced. To quantitate success in terms of frequency of regurgitation and variety of food intake a vomiting/eating (V/E) score was devised. The results showed that the group of patients with more intensive practical education and counselling had a more varied intake of food and coped better with a wider variety of solid foods in the long term. Despite a more solid diet they did not regurgitate food as frequently as patients with less education, and over half the study group of patients reported no regurgitation at all. From this study, it is proposed that patients can be assessed and categorized postoperatively using a V/E scale. This scale numerically scores success with diet after gastroplasty, which, when recorded in conjunction with subsequent weight loss, can give a better quantification of success after obesity surgery.     

Changes in Inflammatory Biomarkers Across Weight Classes in a Representative US Population: A Link Between Obesity and Inflammation

Background  Obesity has been linked with a chronic state of inflammation which may be involved in the development of metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, and even cancer. The objective of this study was to examine the association between obesity class and levels of inflammatory biomarkers from men and women who participated in the 1999–2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Methods  Serum concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen were measured among US participants of the 1999–2004 NHANES. We examined biomarker levels across different weight classes with normal weight, overweight, and obesity classes 1, 2, and 3 were defined as BMI of <25.0, 25.0–29.9, 30.0–34.9, 35.0–39.9, and ≥40.0, respectively. Results  With CRP levels for normal weight individuals as a reference, CRP levels nearly doubled with each increase in weight class: +0.11 mg/dl (95% CI, 0.06–0.16) for overweight, +0.21 mg/dl (95% CI, 0.16–0.27) for obesity class 1, +0.43 mg/dl (95% CI, 0.26–0.61) for obesity class 2, and +0.73 mg/dl (95% CI, 0.55–0.90) for obesity class 3. With normal weight individuals as a reference, fibrinogen levels increase with increasing weight class and were highest for obesity class 3 individuals, +93.5 mg/dl (95% CI, 72.9–114.1). Individuals with hypertension or diabetes have higher levels of CRP and fibrinogen levels compared to individuals without hypertension or diabetes, even when stratified according to BMI. Conclusions  There is a direct association between increasing obesity class and the presence of obesity-related comorbidities such as diabetes and hypertension with high levels of inflammatory biomarkers. Presented at the 49th annual meeting of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract May 20, 2008, San Diego, CA.     

Obesity: The Last Bastion of Prejudice

Background: Most people do not realize how pre-judicially damaging they behave, particularly towards the obese. Their discrimination has been deemed, unconsciously perhaps, as acceptable by society. Methods: This paper describes a high school senior's exploration of prejudice and discrimination towards the obese. Results: Through interviews with bariatric surgeons, bariatric patients, an obese victim of prejudice in her high school, attendance at support group meetings, statements from others experiencing similar bias in their workplace as well as a review of the relevant literature, the author developed a new understanding of the extent and depth of prejudice against the obese in North American society. She realized how this prejudice limits social opportunities and access of all sorts, interferes with employment opportunities, and even how deeply it penetrates the medical community. Conclusion: The intent of this paper is to educate those in society who continue to discriminate against the obese, and to open our eyes to our own behavior, as the author's have been opened.     

Morbid Obesity and Excessive Hospital Resource Consumption for Unilateral Primary Hip and Knee Arthroplasty

Two objectives of this study were (i) to estimate the number of primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA) performed on morbidly obese people in the United States, and (ii) to estimate the economic impact of morbid obesity on hospital resource use. In 2006, approximately 2.9% (6713 cases) of primary THA and 4.2% (20 964 cases) of primary TKA recipients were diagnosed as morbidly obese. Despite the controversy associated with increased infection risk and failure rate, a large number of morbidly obese people seem to consider that the benefits outweigh the risks. When sex, age, race, and primary payer were held constant, the hospital resource consumption for unilateral primary THA and TKA was 9% ($1432) and 7% ($1025) higher among morbidly obese patients than among nonobese patients, respectively.     

Obesity and the lung: 4. Obesity and asthma

Over the past 30 years there has been an epidemic of both obesity and asthma in the western world. A large body of robust epidemiological data has linked obesity with the development and severity of asthma in both children and adults and weight reduction with improvements in asthma severity and symptoms. However, it remains unsettled whether this relationship is causal or confounded by some other factor(s) as mechanistic and physiological studies have produced heterogeneous and at times conflicting findings. This review examines the clinical and epidemiological relationship between obesity and asthma and the purported mechanisms that may link these two processes together.     

The Etiology of Obesity

Obesity likely results from a genetically predetermined body mass set-point that exerts control over body weight through alterations in basal metabolic rate. This set-point may be further influenced by learned eating behaviour, perception of body image, socioeconomic status and the availability of food. This article examines the complex etiology and pathogenesis of obesity from biological, sociocultural and psychological perspectives. Endocrine abnormalities and defective brown fat thermogenesis are also examined and found not to be primary etiologic factors in the development of obesity.     

Obesity and the lung: 2. Obesity and sleep-disordered breathing

As the prevalence of obesity increases in both the developed and the developing world, the respiratory consequences are often underappreciated. This review discusses the presentation, pathogenesis, diagnosis and management of the obstructive sleep apnoea, overlap and obesity hypoventilation syndromes. Patients with these conditions will commonly present to respiratory physicians, and recognition and effective treatment have important benefits in terms of patient quality of life and reduction in healthcare utilisation. Measures to curb the obesity epidemic are urgently required.     

The New Injury Severity Score: a more accurate predictor of in-hospital mortality than the Injury Severity Score

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the New Injury Severity Score (NISS) is a better predictor of mortality than the Injury Severity Score (ISS) in general and in subgroups according to age, penetrating trauma, and body region injured. METHODS: The study population consisted of 24,263 patients from three urban Level I trauma centers in the province of Quebec, Canada. Discrimination and calibration of NISS and ISS models were compared using receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves and Hosmer-Lemeshow statistics. RESULTS: NISS showed better discrimination than ISS (area under the ROC curve = 0.827 vs. 0.819; p = 0.0006) and improved calibration (Hosmer-Leme-show = 62 vs. 112). The advantage of the NISS over the ISS was particularly evident among patients with head/neck injuries (area under the ROC curve = 0.819 vs. 0.784; p < 0.0001; Hosmer-Lemeshow = 59 vs. 350). CONCLUSION: The NISS is a more accurate predictor of in-hospital death than the ISS and should be chosen over the ISS for case-mix control in trauma research, especially in certain subpopulations such as head/neck-injured patients.     

长期迷走神经电刺激对肥胖鼠摄食和体重的影响

目的观察膈下迷走神经刺激(vagal nerves stimulation,VNS)对肥胖鼠摄食、体重、摄食神经肽的影响。方法将18只雄性营养性肥胖鼠(dietary induced obesity,DIO)随机分3组:对照组、假手术组、VNS组。VNS组大鼠体内植入自主研发的闭环芯片并高脂饲养90天,芯片电刺激膈下迷走神经;假手术组体内植入不工作的芯片;对照组不做手术。术后每天测量所有动物体重、日进食量。90天后处死所有动物,分离并称重双侧附睾脂肪垫。反转录PCR法(RT-PCR)半定量检测摄食神经肽:重组人刺鼠色蛋白相关蛋白(AgRP)、神经肽Y(NPY)、可卡因-苯丙胺调节转录因子编码的肽(CART)、阿片促黑色素原(POMC)的含量。结果 VNS组大鼠体重增加量[(124.3±15.5)g vs.(263.1±16.8)g,P=0.013],总摄食量[(1998.7±37.2)g vs.(3312.6±40.9)g,P=0.021]以及附睾脂肪垫重量[(15.9±2.3)g vs.(22.7±2.6)g,P=0.035]明显低于假手术组。VNS组大鼠下丘脑促摄食神经肽AgRP(P=0.027)、NPY的含量(P=0.019)低于假手术组,而抑制摄食的神经肽POMC高于假手术组(P=0.011)。结论 膈下迷走神经电刺激可显著减少大鼠摄食量,减轻体重。