Effect of Weight Loss on Bone Metabolism: Comparison of Vertical Banded Gastroplasty and Medical Intervention

Background: We studied the effects of weight loss on bone metabolism. Methods: 16 consecutive surgically-treated (14 female, 2 male) morbidly obese patients and 65 obese (53 male, 12 female) medically-treated patients were enrolled in an observational study. Surgical treatment for morbidly obese patients was vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG). Studies were performed prior to and 12 months after the start of treatment. Bone mineral density (BMD), bone turnover markers, sex steroids, calcium excretion and parathyroid hormone measurements were done at each visit. Results: Weight loss was more prominent with surgical than with medical treatments. Bone loss was also pronounced in the surgical treatment group, and occurred at the hip level only (P<0.05). Compared to previously reported studies, where the effects of malabsorptive treatments for obesity on bone metabolism were studied, calcium excretion and parathyroid hormone levels did not change after VBG or medical therapy. For both groups, bone markers indicated an increased bone turnover, evidenced by increased urinary excretion of deoxypyridinoline and serum levels of osteocalcin (P<0.05). Sex steroid measurements revealed a decrease in estradiol levels in the surgical treatment group, but not in medical treatment group. This finding was thought to be secondary to less weight loss in the medical group. Conclusion: Our data indicate that weight loss causes bone loss. The bone loss is independent of the method of weight reduction. However, the mechanism of the bone loss is not clear. It may be explained partly by reduced estradiol levels in female patients. Because the mechanisms of bone disease after weight loss remain unclear, it is difficult to determine the most effective treatment. It is important to detect osteopenia early, before fractures occur. Measuring BMD appears to be the only reliable method for screening.     

Hypereosinophilia and metastatic anaplastic carcinoma of unknown primary

The differential diagnosis of eosinophilia may sometimes be difficult. Eosinophilia may occur in a diverse array of conditions from parasitic infestations to malignacies. Idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome has also been described. A 65-year-old male patient presenting with eosinophilia of obscure etiology is described in the present report. Three years after the diagnosis of eosinophilia, metastatic anaplastic carcinoma of unknown primary was detected. Differential diagnosis is disscussed briefly. It is stressed that patients with hypereosinophilia of unknown etiology must be screened for malignancy regularly during follow up.     

Comparison of ranitidine bismuth citrate, tetracycline and metronidazole with ranitidine bismuth citrate and azithromycin for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori in patients resistant to PPI based triple therapy.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Helicobacter pylori is the most common infectious disease all over the world. Ten to twenty percent of the patients remain infected despite treatment with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), amoxicillin and clarithromycin. We compared PPI, bismuth, tetracycline and metronidazole with ranitidine bismuth citrate, tetracycline and metronidazole in cases resistant to PPIs-based triple therapies. METHODS: The study included 52 patients who underwent a triple therapy with PPI, clarithromycin and amoxicillin for 14 days between September 2001 and December 2002, and were found to be resistant to the therapy. They were randomized to take ranitidine bismuth citrate (Rb) 400 mg twice a day, tetracycline (T) 1 g twice a day and metronidazole (M) 500 mg three times a day for 14 days (RbTM), or ranitidine bismuth citrate (Rb) 400 mg twice a day for 14 days and azithromycin (A) 500 mg once a day for 7 days (RbA). Four weeks after the treatment, endoscopies were repeated, and patients were assessed with respect to changes in symptoms. When H. pylori was negative on histological analysis and urease test, eradication was achieved. RESULTS: A total of 52 patients, 32 females and 20 males with a mean age of 49+/-12 years, were included in the study. Eradication was achieved in 15 (28%) out of 52 patients in total. There was a significant difference between RbA and RbTM groups (p=0.01). In fact, H. pylori was eradicated in 3 (12%) out of 25 patients in the RbA group, whereas it was eradicated in 12 (44.4%) out of 27 patients in the RbTM group. Symptom scores significantly improved in both groups after the treatment, though there was not a significant difference between the groups (p=0.705). CONCLUSIONS: Triple therapy including azithromycin does not seem to be a good choice in cases resistant to the first line therapies; however, a similarly lower rate of eradication was achieved with the quadruple therapy proposed. Therefore, different treatment schemes should be applied in resistant patients, and further studies are needed as well.     

Performing only one cardiovascular reflex test has a high positive predictive value for diagnosing autonomic neuropathy in patients with chronic renal failure on hemodialysis

BACKGROUND: Autonomic neuropathy is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) on hemodialysis. Generally, cardiovascular reflex tests are used to determine autonomic neuropathy. Our purpose in this study was to determine the frequency of autonomic neuropathy in patients with CRF on hemodialysis by using cardiovascular reflex tests and compare the sensitivity of each test. METHODS: The authors performed five tests: heart rate response to the Valsalva maneuver, heart rate variation during deep breathing, heart rate response to standing up, blood pressure response to standing up, and blood pressure response to hand grip exercise in order to determine autonomic neuropathy. Each test subject was evaluated as normal, borderline, and abnormal and scored as 0, 1, and 2, respectively. Subjects with a total score > or = 5 were considered to have autonomic neuropathy. Forty subjects with CRF on hemodialysis were included in this study. None of the subjects had diabetes mellitus or any other etiology that could cause autonomic neuropathy. RESULTS: Thirty-five of 40 subjects (87.5%) had abnormal autonomic tests. In 35 subjects, the relationship between autonomic neuropathy and biochemical parameters, effects of treatment with vitamin D and erythropoietin, and urea reduction rate were studied. No relationship was found between autonomic neuropathy and age, time on hemodialysis, urea reduction rate, albumin, ferritin, calcium, inorganic phosphorus, intact parathyroid hormone, hemoglobin levels, and treatment with vitamin D and erythropoietin. The abnormal test results were as follows: 20 subjects (50%) in the heart rate response to the Valsalva Maneuver, 31 (77.5%) in the heart rate variation during deep breathing, 28 (70%) in the heart rate response to standing up, 6 (15%) in the blood pressure response to standing up, and 31 subjects (77.5%) in the blood pressure response to hand grip exercise tests. Among these five tests, the two most abnormal tests were the heart rate variation during deep breathing and the blood pressure response to hand grip exercise. CONCLUSION: Patients with CRF on hemodialysis frequently have autonomic neuropathy. For the diagnosis and follow-up of patients, five cardiovascular autonomic reflex tests are generally used. In this study, it was determined that performing only one test instead of all five tests has a high sensitivity and is more practicable in terms of determining autonomic neuropathy.     

Esophageal variceal ligation for acute variceal bleeding: results of three years' follow-up.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Endoscopic variceal ligation is widely accepted as the optimum endoscopic treatment for esophageal variceal hemorrhage. However, the rebleeding course and long-term outcome of patients with esophageal variceal hemorrhage after ligation have been poorly defined. Therefore, we conducted a long-term follow-up study to delineate the outcome of ligation. METHODS: Twenty-one liver cirrhotic patients with endoscopically proven esophageal variceal hemorrhage were treated by endoscopic variceal ligation. These patients received regular follow-up and detailed clinical assessment of at least 24 months. RESULTS: Twenty-one eligible patients were followed up for a mean of 44.45 months (range 33.5-64 months). The mean number of sessions required to obtain eradication was 3.57+/-1.99 (range 1-8). Esophageal varices could be obliterated within 11.57+/-6.8 weeks (range 3-30). The percentage of variceal recurrence during follow-up was 57.14% (12/21) after endoscopic variceal ligation. Recurrence were observed in a mean of 34 months (median 29 months). Rebleeding from esophageal varices appeared in four patients (19.04%). The appearance rates of portal hypertensive gastropathy and fundal gastric varices after varice obliteration were found to be 45.45% (5/11) and 25% (3/12), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of long-term follow-up of endoscopic variceal ligation, although the percentage of variceal recurrence was high, endoscopic ligation achieved variceal obliteration faster and in fewer treatment sessions. Furthermore, endoscopic variceal ligation had a lower rate of rebleeding and of development of fundal gastric varices, but high portal hypertensive gastropathy.     

The effects of pirfenidone on ischaemia–reperfusion injury in testicular torsion-induced rat model

The aim of this study was to analyse the effect of pirfenidone against ischaemia–reperfusion injury occurring after detorsion in rats with induced testicular torsion model. Group 1 was assigned as the control group. Group 2 first had testis torsion performed, and then, testicular detorsion was performed. Group 3 had similar procedures to the rats in Group 2. Rats in Group 3 additionally had 325 mg/kg pirfenidone administered immediately after ischaemia. The blood samples were analysed spectrophotometrically. To determine the intensity of tissue injury, haemorrhage, oedema and congestion levels were evaluated with direct microscopic investigation of testis. Seminiferous tubule architecture, spermatogenesis processes and germ cell maturation were graded by Johnsen and Cosentino scoring systems. In Group 3, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities increased compared with Group 2 (p:.03 and p:.049 respectively). Additionally, the mean malondialdehyde (MDA) value was higher in Group 2 compared with the other groups (p:.001). Histopathological investigation of rats in Group 3 identified positive changes in haemorrhage, oedema and congestion levels compared with Group 2 (p:.031, p:.048, p:.044 respectively). Similarly, Johnsen and Cosentino scores were positively affected in Group 3 (p:.033, p:.032 respectively). Pirfenidone is protective against testicular oxidative damage.     

Common surgical pitfalls in the skull

BACKGROUND: A detailed knowledge of the morphologic variations in the ossicles, foramina, and ridges of the skull vault and skull base is vital to performing safe radical surgery. METHODS: A surgical reminder of possible pitfalls was composed based on the incidences of most of the minor variations such as the supraorbital notch, frontal foramen, metopism, foramen caecum, parietal foramina, bony defects in the fossa occipitalis cerebellaris, Inca bone, foramen lacerum anterius, incomplete posterolateral wall of the foramen ovale, absence of the medial or posterior wall of the foramen spinosum, foramen innominatus, foramen meningoorbitale, bony dehiscence of the internal carotid canal, bony ridge or torus in the floor of the external auditory meatus, foramen of Huschke, precondylar tubercle, foramen hypoglossi, anterior condylar canal, hypoglossal bridging, divided articular surface of the occipital condyle, high jugular bulb, paramastoid process, atlanto-occipital assimilation, ossicle of Kerkring, delta or keyhole shaped bony defects in the anterior border of foramen magnum, foramen of Vesalius, posterior condylar canal, mastoid emissary foramen and occipital foramen in 200 skulls. CONCLUSION: Recognition of these structures and their possible variations will help in distinguishing normal from potentially abnormal structures during computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging examinations, and in avoiding misinterpretations that lead to confusion during surgical interventions. Instrumentation near potential bone gaps may traumatize important neural or vascular structures.     

Effects of topical application of mitomycin-C and 5-fluorouracil on myringotomy in rats.

OBJECTIVE: The effects of topical application of Mitomycin-C (MMC) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) for maintaining myringotomy patency were investigated in this experimental study. STUDY DESIGN: We performed simple myringotomy with a knife on 140 tympanic membranes of 70 rats. Rats were divided in two study groups and a control group. Each study group had 60 tympanic membranes, and the control group had 20. We applied Mitomycin-C (0.4 mg/ml) in Group A, 5-fluorouracil (50 mg/ml) in Group B topically, and sterile saline in the control group for 10 minutes. Examination was made with otoendoscope on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, and 70, and patency rates were recorded. RESULTS: MMC and 5-FU Groups remained open for a mean of 46.17 days and 14.62 days, respectively. The control ears healed within 10.4 days. Fibrosis of the MMC-treated group was the same as that of 5-FU-treated groups. Fibrosis of both study groups was significantly lower than that of the control group. CONCLUSIONS: MMC is more effective than 5-FU, which is more effective than the simple myringotomy procedure in extending the patency of myringotomies in rat tympanic membranes (p < 0.05). Both medications are useful as an adjunct in preventing myringotomy closure.