Ileocolic Intussusception Caused by a Giant Ulcerating Lipoma of Bauhin’s Valve: an Unusual Cause of Intestinal Obstruction in the Adult

We report a case of intestinal obstruction in a 73-year-old woman caused by ileocolic intussusception. The underlying cause was a giant submucosal ulcerating lipoma (6?×?3.3?×?3.8 cm) extending from the superior mucosal lip of Bauhin’s valve. Abdominal ultrasonography showed a pathognomonic target-like mass appearing as multiple concentric rings. CT scan confirmed the diagnosis. Because of apparent obstruction, a laparotomy with right hemicolectomy and ileocolic anastomosis was performed. Lipomas most frequently occur in the cecum and ascending colon where they represent the most common submucosal mesenchymal tumor. They typically occur in elderly women with an incidence that varies from 0.15 to 0.56 %. Pain, rectal bleeding, and obstruction are typical symptoms. When faced with an intussusception in children, reduction with air per rectum can be performed. In adults, however, malignant cell spreading and seeding is of big concern. Since approximately 20–50 % of all underlying causes are malignant, explorative surgery is favored in adults.     

Lipoprotein Lipase Overexpression in Skeletal Muscle Attenuates Weight Regain by Potentiating Energy Expenditure

Moderate weight loss improves numerous risk factors for cardiometabolic disease; however, long-term weight loss maintenance (WLM) is often thwarted by metabolic adaptations that suppress energy expenditure and facilitate weight regain. Skeletal muscle has a prominent role in energy homeostasis; therefore, we investigated the effect of WLM and weight regain on skeletal muscle in rodents. In skeletal muscle of obesity-prone rats, WLM reduced fat oxidative capacity and downregulated genes involved in fat metabolism. Interestingly, even after weight was regained, genes involved in fat metabolism were also reduced. We then subjected mice with skeletal muscle lipoprotein lipase overexpression (mCK-hLPL), which augments fat metabolism, to WLM and weight regain and found that mCK-hLPL attenuates weight regain by potentiating energy expenditure. Irrespective of genotype, weight regain suppressed dietary fat oxidation and downregulated genes involved in fat metabolism in skeletal muscle. However, mCK-hLPL mice oxidized more fat throughout weight regain and had greater expression of genes involved in fat metabolism and lower expression of genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism during WLM and regain. In summary, these results suggest that skeletal muscle fat oxidation is reduced during WLM and regain, and therapies that improve skeletal muscle fat metabolism may attenuate rapid weight regain.     

Pioglitazone has a dubious bladder cancer risk but an undoubted cardiovascular benefit

On 8 April 2014, a US jury ordered Takeda and Eli Lilly to pay $9 bn in punitive damages after finding that they had concealed the cancer risks associated with pioglitazone. By contrast, on 28 August 2014, the long‐awaited outcome of the 10‐year Kaiser Permanente Northern California study was announced. That study was specifically designed to investigate whether patients exposed to pioglitazone were at an increased risk of bladder cancer and found no association; thus, at last, the controversial issue has been resolved. A review, in retrospect, of the story of the proposed link between pioglitazone and bladder cancer reveals flaws at every stage. In 2012, a BMJ editorial, in keeping with some other contemporary reports, stated ‘it can confidently be assumed that pioglitazone increases the risk of bladder cancer’. Examination of the information which led to such a statement shows that: 1) the pre‐clinical findings of bladder cancer in male rats is not indicative of human risk; 2) there is no association between bladder cancer and pioglitazone in randomized controlled trials, once cases that could not plausibly be related to treatment are removed; and 3) the observational studies that have suggested a link have over‐extrapolated from the data: pioglitazone‐treated patients had more risk factors for bladder cancer than those not treated with pioglitazone. Meanwhile careful study of randomized controlled trials shows evidence of cardiovascular benefit from pioglitazone in Type 2 diabetes, a condition which results, more than anything, in premature cardiovascular death and morbidity.     

Reciprocal Peer Support for Post-partum Patients with Diabetes: A Needs Assessment for the Diabetes Buddy Program

While peer support has been investigated in multiple clinical contexts, its application to the postpartum setting is unknown. The aim was to assess acceptability of a postpartum peer support program for women with diabetes. Observational survey-based needs assessment of forty low-income women with diabetes, receiving care at a major medical institution. Mean age and gravidity were 30.7 years and 3.15 ± 1.67 respectively. 45 % expressed interest in a “buddy.” There was no significant difference between groups desiring and not desiring this program. A majority of respondents desired telephone, text messaging, and in-person contacts (79.2, 72.1, 83.8 %), with 72.5 % of patients desiring diabetes-related activities during clinic waiting time. Many women desire a postpartum diabetes reciprocal peer program for support outside of clinician visits. Patients are receptive to educational services during their wait and outside of clinic time, a potentially valuable opportunity to share important health information.     

A rare case of a periorbital respiratory (choristomatous) cyst

Respiratory cysts are benign lesions lined by normal respiratory epithelium. There are few reported cases localized to the orbit, while those of the eyelid are exceedingly rare. Respiratory cysts usually arise either from a non‐hereditary congenital malformation, where they are distinguished as choristomatous, or from trauma. Here, we report a case of a 53‐year‐old man who presented with a large right lower eyelid cyst that was histopathologically diagnosed as a respiratory cyst.