Rheumatoid Diseases Involving the Cervical Spine I. History, Definition, and Diagnosis: New Trends and Technologies.

The cervical spine might be involved in several conditions: congenital, traumatic, and chronic inflammatory and or degenerative rheumatic disorders. Among the inflammatory rheumatic conditions that can affect the cervical spine, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common, affecting up to 86% of patients and leading to cervical spine instability and subsequent myelopathy. Other inflammatory diseases include juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and the spondyloarthritis group (SpA), including psoriatic arthritis. Since many patients do not show symptoms of cervical involvement, diagnosis is often delayed. Radiographs are the first line imaging modality used to detect such involvement, but MRI and CT are superior in terms of early diagnosis and surgical planning.In this review, we provide an overview of cervical involvement in RA, JIA, and SpA.

Simulation of gastric bypass effects on glucose metabolism and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease with the Sleeveballoon device.

BACKGROUND: Gastric bypass surgery is a very effective treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes. However, very few eligible patients are offered surgery. Some patients also prefer less invasive approaches. We aimed to study the effects of the Sleeveballoon - a new device combining an intragastric balloon with a connecting sleeve, which covers the duodenal and proximal jejunal mucosa - on insulin sensitivity, glycemic control, body weight and body fat distribution. METHODS: We compared the effects of Sleeveballoon, Roux-en-Y Gastric-Bypass (RYGB) and sham-operation in 30 high-fat diet (HFD) fed Wistar rats. Whole body and hepatic insulin sensitivity and insulin signaling were studied. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed using a Vevo 2100 system (FUJIFILM VisualSonics Inc., Canada). Gastric emptying was measured using gastrografin. FINDINGS: Hepatic (P = .023) and whole-body (P = .011) insulin sensitivity improved in the Sleeveballoon and RYGB groups compared with sham-operated rats. Body weight reduced in both Sleeveballoon and RYGB groups in comparison to the sham-operated group (503.1 ±â€¯8.9 vs. 614.4 ±â€¯20.6 g, P = .006 and 490.0 ±â€¯17.7 vs. 614.4 ±â€¯20.6 g, P = .006, respectively). Ectopic fat deposition was drastically reduced while glycogen content was increased in both liver and skeletal muscle. Gastric emptying (T1/2) was longer (157.7 ±â€¯29.2 min, P = .007) in the Sleeveballoon than in sham-operated rats (97.1 ±â€¯26.3 min), but shorter in RYGB (3.5 ±â€¯1.1 min, P < .0001). Cardiac function was better in Sleeveballoon and RYGB versus sham-operated rats. INTERPRETATION: The Sleeveballoon reduces peripheral and hepatic insulin resistance, glycaemia, body weight and ectopic fat deposition to a similar level as RYGB, although the contribution of gastric emptying to blood glucose reduction is different.