Certolizumab Pegol Compared to Natalizumab in Patients with Moderate to Severe Crohn’s Disease: Results of a Decision Analysis

Introduction  

A significant proportion of patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) lose response to antibodies directed against tumor necrosis factor α (TNF). Prior TNF-antagonist failure is associated with lower rates of response to subsequent TNF-antagonist therapy. In patients failing two anti-TNF agents, a choice exists between using a third-anti-TNF therapy or natalizumab (NAT), an α-4 integrin inhibitor. A cost-effectiveness analysis comparing these competing strategies has not been performed.     

Topography and Spatial Fascicular Arrangement of the Human Inferior Alveolar Nerve

Background: Topography and fascicular arrangement of the inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) can provide critical information for the estimation of damage to IAN based on patient symptoms, or conversely to evaluate the symptoms resulting from injury to the IAN. Purpose: The fascicular composition and organization of the IAN were determined to confirm the microarchitecture of the IAN bundles into each of the mandibular teeth, including the composition of the mental nerve. Materials and Methods: The IAN within the mandibular canal (MC) was examined in 30 hemifaces of embalmed Korean cadavers. Results: The most common patterns of nerve fascicle innervation to the mandibular teeth could be grossly classified into three: (1) the superior buccal portion of the IAN innervating the molars, (2) the superior portion innervating the premolars, and (3) the superior lingual or the superior lingual and inferior lingual portions in the posterior MC and the lingual portions in the anterior MC, innervating the incisors and canine. The buccal two‐thirds portion of the IAN was composed of the mental nerve. Conclusion: The IAN had distinctive fascicular organizations, which make it possible to forecast the degree, location, and extent of nerve damage according to presenting symptoms.     

Internal plug mesh without fixation in laparoscopic total extraperitoneal (TEP) repair of inguinal hernias: a pilot study

Purpose

Mesh fixation is essential in laparoscopic total extraperitoneal (TEP) repair of inguinal hernia; however, fixation sometimes causes post-operative pain. This study investigated a novel method of laparoscopic TEP repair without mesh fixation.

Methods

This study reviewed data from about two-hundred and forty-one laparoscopic TEP repairs on 219 patients, which were performed between December 2004 and October 2005.

Results

There were no statistically significant differences in the recurrence rate, seroma formation, and hospital stay. However, the mean operation time was shorter in the internal plug mesh group than the fixation group (p = 0.009), and post-operative pain only occurred in 4 cases in the internal plug mesh group in comparison to 29 cases in the mesh fixation group (p = 0.014).

Conclusions

An internal plug mesh without fixation might reduce post-operative pain after laparoscopic TEP repair of an inguinal hernia. Internal plug mesh without fixation may be an alternative method in laparoscopic TEP repair, especially for those involving indirect hernias.     

Predicting success of metabolic surgery: age,body mass index,C-peptide,and duration score

BackgroundSurgery is the most effective treatment of morbid obesity and leads to dramatic improvements in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Gastrointestinal metabolic surgery has been proposed as a treatment option for T2DM. However, a grading system to categorize and predict the outcome of metabolic surgery is lacking. The study setting was a tertiary referral hospital (Taoyuan City, Taoyuan County, Taiwan).MethodsWe first evaluated 63 patients and identified 4 factors that predicted the success of T2DM remission after bariatric surgery in this cohort: body mass index, C-peptide level, T2DM duration, and patient age. We used these variables to construct the Diabetes Surgery Score, a multidimensional 10-point scale along which greater scores indicate a better chance of T2DM remission. We then validated the index in a prospective collected cohort of 176 patients, using remission of T2DM at 1 year after surgery as the outcome variable.ResultsA total of 48 T2DM remissions occurred among the 63 patients and 115 remissions (65.3%) in the validation cohort. Patients with T2DM remission after surgery had a greater Diabetes Surgery Score than those without (8 ± 4 versus 4 ± 4, P < .05). Patients with a greater Diabetes Surgery Score also had a greater rate of success with T2DM remission (from 33% at score 0 to 100% at score 10); A 1-point increase in the Diabetes Surgery Score translated to an absolute 6.7% in the success rate.ConclusionThe Diabetes Surgery Score is a simple multidimensional grading system that can predict the success of T2DM treatment using bariatric surgery among patients with inadequately controlled T2DM.     

Preserving Parathyroid Gland Vasculature to Reduce Post-thyroidectomy Hypocalcemia

Background

The failure to preserve parathyroid function in patients who have undergone total thyroidectomy is of major concern, because hypocalcemia is difficult to prevent and remains a common postoperative complication. Here, we describe procedures designed to preserve the vasculature supplying the parathyroid glands and examine both recent outcomes and retrospective reports of results obtained prior to the application of these preservation techniques.

Methods

Our technique for preserving parathyroid function during thyroidectomy was adopted in 2009 and involves separating a relatively long segment of a vessel distally from the thyroid gland. We reviewed the medical records of 1,411 patients who underwent total thyroidectomy, with or without lateral neck dissection, at the Samsung Medical Center from January 2006 through June 2014 to determine outcomes. Patients were divided into three groups according to the time period during which the surgery took place: Group A, 2006–2008 (before the vasculature-preserving technique was applied); Group B, 2009–2011 (the time when the technique was first adopted); and Group C, 2012–2014 (more recent results of the technique). We analyzed the incidence of hypoparathyroidism in the three groups, as well as risk factors that influenced its development.

Results

The rates of transient and permanent hypoparathyroidism in Group A were 25.4 and 4.3 %, respectively. However, the incidence of hypoparathyroidism decreased significantly over time after the vasculature-preserving procedure was adopted. Transient hypoparathyroidism developed in 4.8 % of Group C patients, and only four (0.7 %) of the 565 patients in this group required calcium supplementation, despite the fact that a greater number of patients were included who underwent total thyroidectomy combined with lateral neck dissection. Although female sex and lateral neck dissection tended to increase the rate of transient hypoparathyroidism, multivariate analysis showed that the vasculature-preserving procedure was the only significant risk factor related to postoperative hypoparathyroidism.

Conclusion

The blood flow of the final branch to the parathyroid gland is mostly in the lateral-to-medial direction; therefore, mobilization and preservation of the vessels lateral to the gland is essential to prevent devascularization of the parathyroid gland.