Heterogeneity of weight loss after gastric bypass,sleeve gastrectomy,and adjustable gastric banding

Background

Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, and laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding all lead to substantial weight loss in obese patients. Long-term weight loss can be highly variable beyond 1-year postsurgery. This study examines and compares the frequency distribution of weight loss and lack of treatment effect rates after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, and laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding.

Intervention for arch obstruction after the Norwood procedure: Prevalence,associated factors,and practice variability

Objective

Arch obstruction after the Norwood procedure is common and contributes to mortality. We determined the prevalence, associated factors, and practice variability of arch reintervention and assessed whether arch reintervention is associated with mortality.

The efficacy and toxicity of immune checkpoint inhibitors in a real-world older patient population

ImportanceImmunotherapy has emerged as an effective treatment option for the management of advanced cancers. The effects of these immune checkpoint inhibitors in the older patient population has not been adequately assessed.ObjectiveTo understand the impact of aging on CTLA-4 and PDL-1 inhibitors efficacy and immune-related adverse events (irAE) in the context of real-world management of advanced solid cancers.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis retrospective study involved all non-study patients with histologically-confirmed metastatic or inoperable solid cancers receiving immunotherapy at Kingston Health Sciences Centre. We defined ‘older patient’ as age ≥ 75. All statistical analyses were conducted under SPSS IBM for Windows version 24.0.Main Outcomes and MeasuresStudy outcomes included immunotherapy treatment response, survival, as well as number, type, and severity of irAEs.ResultsOur study (N = 78) had 29 (37%) patients age <65, 26 (33%) patients age 65–74, and 23 (30%) patients age ≥75. Melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, and renal cell carcinoma accounted for 70%, 22%, and 8% of the study population, respectively. Distributions of ipilimumab (32%), nivolumab (33%), and pembrolizumab (35%) were similar in the study. The response rates were 28%, 27%, and 39% in the age <65, age 64–74, age ≥75 groups, respectively (P = 0.585). Kaplan-Meier curve showed a median survival of 28 months (12.28–43.9, 95% CI) and 17 months (0–36.9, 95% CI) in the age <65 and age 64–74 groups, respectively; the estimated survival probability did not reach 50% in the age ≥75 group (P = 0.319). There were no statistically significant differences found in terms of irAEs, multiple irAEs, severity of grade 3 or higher, types of irAEs, and irAEs resolution status when comparing between different age groups.Conclusion and RelevanceOur results suggest that patients age ≥75 are able to gain as much benefit from immunotherapy as younger patients, without excess toxicity. Our findings suggest that single agent immunotherapy is generally well-tolerated across different age groups with no significant difference in the type, frequency or severity of irAEs. Future studies evaluating aging and combination immunotherapy are warranted.     

Conventional Ultrafiltration During Elective Cardiac Surgery and Postoperative Acute Kidney Injury

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Celebrity Health Announcements and Online Health Information Seeking: An Analysis of Angelina Jolie’s Preventative Health Decision

On May 14, 2013, Angelina Jolie disclosed she carries BRCA1, which means she has an 87% risk of developing breast cancer during her lifetime. Jolie decided to undergo a preventative bilateral mastectomy (PBM), reducing her risk to 5%. The purpose of this study was to analyze the type of information individuals are exposed to when using the Internet to search health information regarding Jolie’s decision. Qualitative content analysis revealed four main themes—information about genetics, information about a PBM, information about health care, and information about Jolie’s gender identity. Broadly, the identified websites mention Jolie’s high risk for developing cancer due to the genetic mutation BRCA1, describe a PBM occasionally noting reasons why she had this surgery and providing alternatives to the surgery, discuss issues related to health care services, costs, and insurances about Jolie’s health decision, and portray Jolie as a sexual icon, a partner to Brad Pitt, a mother of six children, and an inspirational humanitarian. The websites also depict Jolie’s health decision in positive, negative, and/or both ways. Discussion centers on how this actress’ health decision impacts the public.     

EEG dipole analysis of motor-priming foreperiod activity reveals separate sources for motor and spatial attention components

OBJECTIVE: This study employed EEG source localisation procedures to study the contribution of motor preparatory and attentional processing to foreperiod activity in an S1-S2 motor priming task. METHODS: Behavioural and high-density event-related potential (ERP) data were recorded in an S1-S2 priming task where participants responded to S2 with a left or right-hand button press. S1 either provided information about response hand (informative) or ambiguous information (uninformative). RESULTS: Responses were significantly faster in informative trials compared with uninformative trials. Dipole source analysis of foreperiod lateralized ERPs revealed sources of motor preparatory activity in the dorsolateral premotor cortex (PMd) in line with previous work. In addition, two spatial attention components (ADAN, LDAP) were identified with generators in the PMd and occipitotemporal visual areas in the middle temporal (MT) region, respectively. Separation of motor-related and attentional PMd source locations was reliable along the rostral-caudal axis. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of attentional components in a motor priming paradigm supports the premotor theory of attention which suggests a close link between attention and motor preparatory processes. Separation of components in the premotor cortex is in accord with a functional division of PMd into rostral (higher-order processing) and caudal (motor-related processing) areas as suggested by imaging work. SIGNIFICANCE: A prime for response preparation is a trigger for separate, but closely linked, attention-related activity in premotor areas.