Impact of bariatric surgery-induced weight loss on circulating PCSK9 levels in obese patients.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To investigate the effect of obesity and bariatric-induced weight loss on circulating levels of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9 (PCSK9) in severely obese patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this non-randomized interventional study, we enrolled 36 severely obese patients (BMI 43.7 ± 5.6 kg/m2), of which 20 underwent bariatric surgery, and 12 nonobese healthy controls. An oral glucose tolerance test (75-g OGTT) was performed in 31 of these obese patients at baseline (T0) and in 14 patients at 6 months after bariatric surgery (T6) to assess plasma glucose, insulin and PCSK9 levels. Plasma PCSK9 levels were also measured in 18 of these obese patients at T0 during a 2-h hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp (HEC). At T0, PCSK9 levels were higher in obese patients than in controls (274.6 ± 76.7 ng/mL vs. 201.4 ± 53.3 ng/mL) and dropped after bariatric surgery (T6; 205.5 ± 51.7 ng/mL) along with BMI (from 44.1 ± 5.9 kg/m2 to 33.1 ± 5.6 kg/m2). At T6, there was also a decrease in plasma glucose (T0 vs. T6: 6.0 ± 1.8 vs. 5.0 ± 0.5 mmol/L) and insulin (15.7 ± 8.3 vs. 5.4 ± 2.1 mU/L) levels. At T0, plasma PCSK9 levels decreased during OGTT in obese patients, reaching a nadir of 262.0 ± 61.4 ng/mL at 120 min with a hyperinsulinemic peak of 75.1 ± 40.0 mU/L, at 60 min. Similarly, at T0 insulin infusion during 2-h HEC acutely reduced plasma PCSK9 levels in obese patients. The aforementioned OGTT-induced changes in plasma PCSK9 levels were not observed neither in nonobese healthy controls nor in obese patients after bariatric-surgery weight loss. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest a pivotal role of adipose tissue and insulin resistance on PCSK9 homeostasis in severely obese patients.

Clinical factors that predict remission of diabetes after different bariatric surgical procedures: interdisciplinary group of bariatric surgery of Verona (G.I.C.O.V.).

AIMS: The aims of the study were to investigate weight loss and glycemic control parameters after different bariatric surgical procedures in type 2 diabetes (T2D) obese patients and identify patients' factors that predict diabetes remission. METHODS: The study included 105 obese T2D patients (66 women and 39 men) who underwent laparoscopic gastric banding (LAGB, 11 subjects, age 47 ± 10 years, BMI 42.3 ± 8.3 kg/m(2)), or laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYBP, 77 subjects, age 50 ± 8 years, BMI 45.7 ± 6.8 kg/m(2)), or sleeve gastrectomy (SG, 17 subjects, age 49 ± 11 years, BMI 50.2 ± 8.8 kg/m(2)) during 2005-2012 period. RESULTS: The average percentage of weight loss at 12 months after surgery was 26.4 ± 9.8 %, and it was maintained at 24 and 36 months of follow-up. Diabetes remission occurred in 68.6 % of study participants (4/11 of LAGB, 54/77 of RYBP and 14/17 of SG). In multivariate Cox analysis, age, duration of diabetes, surgical procedure and glycated hemoglobin <53 mmol/mol (7 %) resulted significant predictors of diabetes remission (age RR = 0.97, 95 %CI 0.94-1.0, p = 0.05; diabetes duration RR = 0.93, 95 % CI 0.86-0.99, p = 0.036; rif LAGB, RYBP RR = 3.9, 95 % CI 1.31-11.57, p = 0.014; SG RR = 5.6, 95 % CI 1.67-18.64, p = 0.005; glycated hemoglobin RR = 0.54, 95 % CI 0.32-0.92, p = 0.024). CONCLUSIONS: Bariatric surgical procedures that modify the upper gastrointestinal tract anatomy (RYBP and SG) are more successful in producing weight loss and remission of T2D than those that simply restrict stomach capacity (LAGB). Younger age, short duration of diabetes and better glucose control confer higher probability of achieving remission of diabetes.

Improvement in health-related quality of life in first year after laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding.

BACKGROUND: We analyzed the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and its determinants in the first year after laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB). The setting was 10 Italian public and private bariatric surgery centers. METHODS: Data collected in an ongoing, prospective, 3-year multicenter Italian study on the changes in HRQOL after LAGB were used. HRQOL was investigated using the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36 questionnaire. Hunger, satiety, and the self-perceived effects of LAGB were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 334 patients were enrolled. The follow-up rate was 92.2%. The percentage of excess weight loss was 39.6% ± 25.8%, with very few side effects or complications. Hunger in the morning (0-10 scale) was 4.5 ± 2.7 before surgery and 3.8 ± 2.4 after 1 year (P <.001). Satiety after a meal (0-10 scale) was 7.1 ± 2.7 before surgery and 8.2 ± 1.9 at 1 year (P <.001). The self-perceived effect of LAGB on caloric intake (0-10 scale) was 8.4 ± 1.9 after 1 year. The scores for the 8 Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36 subscales were significantly improved after surgery. The physical component summary score was 52.6 ± 11.9 at baseline and 79.1 ± 15.6 after 1 year (P <.001). The corresponding mental component summary scores were 52.2 ± 12.3 and 76.5 ± 17.2 (P <.001). Greater physical component summary improvement was independently associated with a low initial physical component summary (P <.001), high satiety (P = .002), a high percentage of excess weight loss (P = .013), and a high self-perceived effect of the LAGB (P = .026). Greater mental component summary improvement was associated with a low initial mental component summary (P <.001), high satiety (P <.001), a low frequency of heartburn (P = .004), and a high percentage of excess weight loss (P = .012). CONCLUSIONS: Significant improvements in HRQOL were observed in the first year after LAGB. A poor baseline HRQOL, a high efficacy of the banding in eating control, and better weight loss might influence HRQOL changes.