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.

In situ saphenous vein bypass grafts: angiographic evaluation and interventional repair of complications

In situ saphenous vein grafts are being used with increasing frequency for bypass procedures involving the femoral and popliteal arteries. Complications of these procedures include anastomotic stenoses and persistent arteriovenous fistulae that may result in failure of the graft. Balloon angioplasty and embolotherapy with detachable balloons were employed successfully in three or four recent cases of patients with complications from in situ grafts. Tailored angiography is essential for evaluating in situ grafts, and interventional techniques are extremely useful for managing complications.     

The effects of antioxidant supplementation during Percoll preparation on human sperm DNA integrity

The integrity of sperm DNA is crucial for the maintenance of genetic health. A major source of damage is reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation; therefore, antioxidants may afford protection to sperm DNA. The objectives of the study were, first, to measure the effects of antioxidant supplementation in vitro on endogenous DNA damage in spermatozoa using the single cell gel electrophoresis (comet) assay and, second, to assess the effect of antioxidant supplementation given prior to X-ray irradiation on induced DNA damage. Spermatozoa from 150 patients were prepared by Percoll centrifugation in the presence of ascorbic acid (300, 600 microM), alpha tocopherol (30, 60 microM), urate (200, 400 microM), or acetyl cysteine (5, 10 microM). DNA damage was induced by 30 Gy X-irradiation. DNA strand breakage was measured using the comet assay. Sperm DNA was protected from DNA damage by ascorbic acid (600 microM), alpha tocopherol (30 and 60 microM) and urate (400 microM). These antioxidants provided protection from subsequent DNA damage by X-ray irradiation. In contrast, acetyl cysteine or ascorbate and alpha tocopherol together induced further DNA damage. Supplementation in vitro with the antioxidants ascorbate, urate and alpha tocopherol separately has beneficial effects for sperm DNA integrity.      

Towards a Taenia solium cysticercosis vaccine: an epitope shared by Taenia crassiceps and Taenia solium protects mice against experimental cysticercosis

The Taenia crassiceps recombinant antigen KETc7 has been shown to be effective as a vaccine against experimental murine cysticercosis, a laboratory model used to test potentially promising molecules against porcine Taenia solium cysticercosis. Based on the deduced amino acid sequence of this proline-rich polypeptide, three fragments, GK-1, GK-2, and GK-3, were chemically synthesized in linear form. Of the three peptides, only GK-1 induced sterile protection against T. crassiceps cysticercosis in 40 to 70% of BALB/cAnN male mice. GK-1 is an 18-amino-acid peptide which contains at least one B-cell epitope, as demonstrated by its ability to induce an antibody response to the peptide and T. crassiceps antigen without need of a carrier protein. Immunofluorescence studies revealed that anti-GK1 antibodies strongly react with the native protein in the tegument of T. crassiceps and also with anatomical structures of T. solium eggs, oncospheres, cysticercus, and tapeworm. GK-1 also contains at least one T-cell epitope, capable of stimulating the proliferation of CD8(+) and to a lower extent CD4(+) T cells primed either with the free peptide or T. crassiceps total antigen. The supernatant of the stimulated cells contained high levels of gamma interferon and low levels of interleukin-4. Similar results were obtained with T cells tested for intracellular cytokine production, an indication of the peptide's capacity to induce an inflammatory response. The remarkable protection induced by GK-1 immunization, its physicochemical properties, and its presence in all developmental stages of T. solium point to this synthetic peptide as a strong candidate in the construction of a synthetic vaccine against T. solium pig cysticercosis.     

A STAT4-dependent Th1 response is required for resistance to the helminth parasite Taenia crassiceps

To determine the role of STAT4-dependent Th1 responses in the regulation of immunity to the helminth parasite Taenia crassiceps, we monitored infections with this parasite in resistant mice lacking the STAT4 gene. While T. crassiceps-infected STAT4(+/+) mice rapidly resolved the infection, STAT4(-/-) mice were highly susceptible to infection and displayed large parasite loads. Moreover, the inability of STAT4(-/-) mice to control the infection was associated with the induction of an antigen-specific Th2-type response characterized by significantly higher levels of Th2-associated immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) and total IgE as well as interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-10, and IL-13 than those in STAT4(+/+) mice, who produced significantly more gamma interferon. Furthermore, early after infection, macrophages from STAT4(-/-) mice produced lower levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-12, tumor necrosis factor alpha, IL-1 beta, and nitric oxide (NO) than those from STAT4(+/+) mice, suggesting a pivotal role for macrophages in mediating protection against cysticercosis. These findings demonstrate a critical role for the STAT4 signaling pathway in the development of a Th1-type immune response that is essential for mediating protection against the larval stage of T. crassiceps infection.