Impact of metabolic bariatric surgery on outcomes and the 10-year risk of major adverse cardiovascular events during a 7-year period: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Metabolic bariatric surgery offers enduring weight reduction and alleviation of obesity-related comorbidities, including dyslipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Long-term data on one-anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB) and single-anastomosis duodenal-jejunal bypass with sleeve gastrectomy (SADJB-SG) is lacking, necessitating this investigation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this multicenter prospectively-collected retrospective observational study, 830 adult Taiwanese patients (682 OAGB, 148 SADJB-SG) who underwent surgery from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2017, were initially identified. Following protocol, 224 patients (177 OAGB, 47 SADJB-SG) with complete follow-up data at various intervals up to three years after surgery were included in the final analysis. The study's primary focus is to evaluate the long-term safety, efficacy, and durability of OAGB and SADJB-SG in promoting weight loss and diabetes remission. Additionally, changes in 10-year and lifetime risks of MACE before and 3-year after surgery are assessed using Taiwan MACE risk prediction model and the China-PAR project model. RESULTS: SADJB-SG patients exhibit higher diabetes prevalence, lower body mass index, and more severe diabetes compared to OAGB. Both groups demonstrate significant improvements in body mass index, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia three years after surgery, with the most substantial improvements occurring in the second year. The Taiwan MACE risk model reveals a significant reduction in 10-year MACE and stroke risks for both groups. The China-PAR project model indicates a synchronized reduction in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease 10-year and lifetime risk in both OAGB and SADJB-SG groups. CONCLUSIONS: OAGB and SADJB-SG exhibit sustained improvements in weight reduction and obesity-related comorbidities over three years after surgery. Notably, both procedures contribute to a substantial reduction in 10-year MACE, stroke, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risks. These findings underscore the efficacy of OAGB and SADJB-SG in the context of metabolic bariatric surgery.

Cobalt-Doping Induced Formation of Five-Coordinated Nickel Selenide for Enhanced Ethanol Assisted Overall Water Splitting.

To overcome the low efficiency of overall water splitting, highly effective and stable catalysts are in urgent need, especially for the anode oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In this case, nickel selenides appear as good candidates to catalyze OER and other substitutable anodic reactions due to their high electronic conductivity and easily tunable electronic structure to meet the optimized adsorption ability. Herein, an interesting phase transition from the hexagonal phase of NiSe (H-NiSe) to the rhombohedral phase of NiSe (R-NiSe) induced by the doping of cobalt atoms is reported. The five-coordinated R-NiSe is found to grow adjacent to the six-coordinated H-NiSe, resulting in the formation of the H-NiSe/R-NiSe heterostructure. Further characterizations and calculations prove the reduced splitting energy for R-NiSe and thus the less occupancy in the t2g orbits, which can facilitate the electron transfer process. As a result, the Co2 -NiSe/NF shows a satisfying catalytic performance toward OER, hydrogen evolution reaction, and (hybrid) overall water splitting. This work proves that trace amounts of Co doping can induce the phase transition from H-NiSe to R-NiSe. The formation of less-coordinated species can reduce the t2g occupancy and thus enhance the catalytic performance, which might guide rational material design.

From Our One Anastomosis Gastric Bypass (OAGB) Experience to Establishing Single Anastomosis Sleeve Ileal (SASI) Bypass Procedure: A Single-Center Report.

BACKGROUND: Bariatric surgery has been proven to be the most effective treatment for obesity with or without metabolic syndrome. One anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB) is a well-established bariatric procedure developed over the past 20 years with excellent outcomes. Single anastomosis sleeve ileal (SASI) bypass is introduced as a novel bariatric and metabolic procedure. There is some similarity between these two operations. This study aimed to present our SASI procedure based on the past experience of the OAGB in our center. METHOD: Thirty patients with obesity underwent SASI surgery from March 2021 to June 2022. Herein, we demonstrated our techniques step by step and key points of techniques learned from our experience with OAGB (shown in the video) with satisfying surgical outcomes. The clinical characteristics, peri-operative variables, and short-term outcomes were reviewed. RESULTS: There was no case of conversion to open surgery. The mean operative time, volume of blood loss, and hospital stay were 135.2 ± 39.2 min, 16.5 ± 6.2 mL, and 3.6 ± 0.8 days, respectively. There is no postoperative leakage, bleeding, or mortality. The percentage of total weight loss and excess weight loss at 6 months were 31.2 ± 6.5 and 75.3 ± 14.9, respectively. Improvement in type 2 diabetes (11/11, 100%), hypertension (14/26, 53.8%), dyslipidemia (16/21, 76.2%), and obstructive sleep apnea (9/11, 81.8%) were observed at 6 months after surgery. CONCLUSION: Our experience showed that our proposed SASI technique is feasible and may help surgeons perform this promising bariatric procedure without encountering many obstacles.

Bariatric surgery trends and progress in Taiwan: 2010-2021.

INTRODUCTION: Taiwan is a leading country regarding bariatric surgery in Asia-Pacific. Since 2010, the Taiwan Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (TSMBS) has been accountable for the national evolution of bariatric surgery and inaugurated a national database accordingly. This study aimed to analyze the bariatric surgery trends and progress in Taiwan from 2010 to 2021. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The TSMBS database was collected on the basis of structured inquiries filled out by bariatric surgeons in Taiwan. All patients involving bariatric surgery were included. The data were stratified with the following objectives, including the types of bariatric procedures, demographic characteristics, and perioperative variables. A nationwide database was comprehensively analyzed and evaluated to determine the trends in the applications of the procedure. RESULTS: Data of 30,026 patients were enrolled. A 2.5-fold increase was observed in bariatric procedures, from 1218 in 2010 to 3005 in 2021. Within 12 years, female accounts for 61.8 %. The revisional rate was 3.40 % during the exploration stage (2010-2013), 2.77 % during the maturity stage (2013-2018), and 5.10 % during the expansion stage (2019-2021). The top five of primary bariatric surgery is sleeve gastrectomy (SG, 63.05 %), gastric clipping surgery (GC, 11.17 %), Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB, 9.34 %), one anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB, 8.80 %), and sleeve plus surgery (SG plus, 4.43 %). CONCLUSION: The trends and progress of Taiwan's bariatric surgery within recent decades are presented in this article. Taiwan's bariatric surgery case number has increased steadily from 2010 to 2021. Amongst all, SG has become the most dominant procedure since 2011 while OAGB takes up second place in 2020.

Outcomes of laparoscopic revisional conversion of sleeve gastrectomy to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: Diff erent strategies for obese and non-obese Asian patients.

BACKGROUND: Sleeve gastrectomy (SG) is the most performed bariatric procedure now. Some patients would necessitate a revision to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) as a salvage procedure for intractable gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). However, outcome of the revision in Asians with co-existed obesity and those non-obese is not clear. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the data of patients who underwent revisional laparoscopic RYGB after SG between 2007 and 2019 for intractable GERD with data of one year follow-up. Pre-operative clinical data, perioperative outcomes, GERD symptoms, weight loss and medication details were analyzed. Patients were classified into those with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 and < 25 kg/m2. RESULTS: Fifty-five patients (44 women, 11 men; mean age 42.5 years) were included. Mean interval from the initial SG to revision surgery was 51.2 months (range, 5-132). Mean body mass index before SG was 34.6 kg/m2, whereas that before revision surgery was 27.6 kg/m2. All the patients required continue proton pump inhibitor (PPI) to control the GERD symptoms before surgery. Among them, 36 (65.4%) patients in the obese group received long BP limb (>100 cm) RYGB for associated obesity but the common channel was assured to ≥ 400 cm or 70% of small bowel length, the other 19 (34.6%) patients in the non-obese group received standard BP limb (<100 cm) RYGB. There was no difference in basic characters between the two groups before revision surgery except a higher mean BMI (30.0 vs. 22.2 kg/m2, p < 0.001), blood pressure and triglyceride in obese group. One year after revision surgery, all the patients had improved GERD symptoms but only 33 (60%) can completely wave PPI, without difference between the 2 groups. Obese group with a long BP limb RYGB had a significant higher % total weight loss (TWL) than non-obese group (%TWL 9.1% vs. -3.1%, p = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic revision to RYGB is a safe and effective treatment for patients with intractable GERD after SG but some patients may still have residual GERD symptoms. Using a modified RYGB technique in revision surgery may help in weight reduction for obese Asian patients.

Probiotics for gallstone prevention in patients with bariatric surgery: A prospective randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Gall stone disease was known to increase after bariatric surgery. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) might reduce the gallstone formation rate after bariatric surgery. However, other option for gallstone prevention was unclear. We reported the result of a randomized trial comparing the gallstone prevention efficacy of probiotics and digestive enzyme versus UDCA. METHODS: This prospective, randomized trial was held in an institute of Taiwan. Patients were eligible for inclusion if their body-mass index (BMI) was 32.5 kg/m2 or higher with the presence of comorbidity, or 27.5 kg/mw or higher with not-well controlled type 2 diabetes, and were aged 18-65 years. Participant were randomized assigned (1:1:1) to probiotic, digestive enzyme or UDCA. The primary endpoint was assessed in the incidence of gallstone disease at 6 months after surgery. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov. number NCT03247101, and is now completed. RESULTS: From January 2016 to December 2018, of 186 patients screened for eligibility, 152 were randomly assigned to probiotic (52) or digestive enzyme (52) or UDCA (52). In the per-protocol population, mean age was 35.9 years (SD 10.6), mean BMI was 40.3 kg/m2 (SD 6.9), 57(58.2%) were female. After 6 months, the incidence of gall bladder diseased was 15.2%, in the probiotics group, 17.6% in UDCA group and 29.1% in digestive enzyme groups, confirming non-inferiority of probiotic (p = 0.38). Female gender was identified as a risk factor for gall bladder disease after bariatric surgery (odds ratio = 4.61, 95% confidence interval = 1.05, 20.3, p = 0.04). The poor drug compliance rate was 19.5%, 22.7% and 26.2% in probiotics, UDCA and digestive enzyme group respectively. UDCA group had a higher drug adverse effect than probiotic group (15.9% vs. 2.4%, p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Probiotic is not inferior to UDCA regarding gall bladder disease prevention after bariatric surgery at 6 months.

Change of cardiovascular risk associated serologic biomarkers after gastric bypass: A comparison of diabetic and non-diabetic Asian patients.

BACKGROUND: While clinical findings demonstrate a superior benefit of cardiovascular (CV) risk reduction in obese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) receiving bariatric surgery over non-T2D patients, the mechanism is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the changes in the CV risk score and five CV-associated biomarkers after gastric bypass surgery. METHOD: We enrolled 80 obese subjects who underwent gastric bypass (40 T2D and 40 non-T2D). CV risks were assessed using the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) engine before and after surgery. Levels of five biomarkers -fasting serum fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-19, FGF-21, corin, oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL), and soluble receptor for advanced glycation end-products (sRAGE)-were measured before surgery and one year after surgery. RESULTS: The T2D group was significantly older and had a higher CV risk score than the non-T2D group, but body mass index (BMI) was similar between the groups. Preoperative biomarker levels were similar in both the T2D and the non-T2D groups. One year after surgery, the percentage of total weight loss (%TWL) was similar between the two groups (32.2 ± 19.5% versus 34.1% ± 8.8%, p = 0.611). Complete T2D remission (hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) < 6.0%) was achieved in 29 patients (72.5%). The 10-year CV risk scores by the UKPDS risk engine reduced significantly in both the T2D and the non-T2D groups, but more in the T2D group. Three of five biomarkers changed significantly after surgery: the FGF-19 increased from 195.6 ± 249.1 pg/mL to 283.2 ± 211.8 pg/mL, corin increased from 3.3 ± 2.3 ng/mL to 4.6 ± 3.7 ng/mL, and ox-LDL decreased from 148.5 ± 71.7-107.9 U/L; the P values were 0.002, 0.002 and < 0.001, respectively. The T2D group showed a significantly different change in FGF-19 increase and FGF-21 decrease compared to the non-T2D group. The changes in corin and ox-LDL levels were not different between the T2D and non-T2D groups. CONCLUSION: Gastric bypass surgery resulted in a higher UKPDS CV risk score reduction in obese T2D Asians than in those without. FGF-19 and FGF-21 may be associated with the underlying mechanism of this difference.

Long-Term Efficacy of Bariatric Surgery for the Treatment of Super-Obesity: Comparison of SG, RYGB, and OAGB.

BACKGROUND: The most appropriate procedure for the treatment of super obesity (BMI > 50 kg/m2) is unknown. We aimed to evaluate the safety, long-term (> 5 years) weight loss, and adverse events between three commonly performed procedures, sleeve gastrectomy (SG), Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), and one anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB) in super-obese patients. METHODS: Between January 2002 and December 2015, 498 successive patients with super morbid obesity (BMI > 50), who underwent SG or RYGB or OAGB, were recruited. Surgical outcome, weight loss, resolution of co-morbidities, and late complications were followed and compared between the 3 groups. All data derived from a prospective bariatric database and a retrospective analysis was conducted. RESULTS: The average patient age was 32.1 ± 10.4 years, with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 56.0 ± 6.7 kg/m2. Of them, 190 (38.9%) underwent SG, 62 (12.4%) RYGB, and 246 (49.4%) OAGB. There was no difference in basic characters between the 3 groups except SG had fewer diabetic patients. RYGB group had higher intraoperative blood loss, longer operating time, and hospital stay than the other 2 groups. RYGB had a higher 30-days post-operative major complication rate (4.8%) than SG (0.5%) and OAGB (0.8%). The follow-up rate at 1 and 5 years was 89.4% and 52.0%. At post-operative 5 years, OAGB had a higher total weight loss (40.8%) than SG (35.1%), but not RYGB (37.2%). SG had a lower remission rate in dyslipidemia comparing to OAGB and RYGB, but T2DM remission rate was no different between the groups. The overall revision rate is 5.4% (27/498) of the whole group, and SG had a lower revision rate (2.6%) than RYGB (8.1%) and OAGB (6.9%). CONCLUSION: SG is an effective and durable primary bariatric procedure for the treatment of super obesity and metabolic disorders. OAGB had a similar operation risk to SG but resulted in a better weight loss than SG.

One Anastomosis Gastric Bypass for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes: Long-Term Results and Recurrence.

BACKGROUND: Bariatric/metabolic surgery has been incorporated into the therapeutic treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Among many bariatric/metabolic procedures, one anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB) is one of the most effective procedures but long-term data about T2DM recurrence after OAGB are lacking. METHODS: Outcomes of 134 patients who had undergone OAGB for the treatment of T2DM with long-term (5 years) follow-up were assessed in a retrospective cohort study. The remission of T2DM after OAGB surgery was evaluated in different groups using a scoring system composed of the age, BMI, C-peptide level, duration of T2DM (ABCD score), and percent of total weight loss (%TWL). RESULTS: The %TWL and percent of excess weight loss (%EWL) of the OAGB patients at 5 years after surgery were 29.2 (10.6) and 72.1(27.5), respectively. The mean BMI decreased from 39.5(7.9) to 27.6(5.3) kg/m2 and mean glycated hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) decreased from 8.9 to 5.9% in OAGB patients at 5 years after OAGB. The complete T2DM remission rate of OAGB was 76.1% at 1 year and 64.2% at 5 years after surgery. Forty-one (57.8%) out of 71 patients who completed a 10-year follow-up remained in complete T2DM remission. The T2DM recurrence rate of OAGB patients was 15.7% at 5 years after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: OAGB is highly effective in inducing T2DM remission but a significant number of patients will still have T2DM recurrence. To select patient with an ABCD score > 5 and maintaining a weight loss greater than 30% is important for durable T2DM remission after OAGB.

Long-term outcomes of metabolic surgery in overweight and obese patients with type 2 diabetes in Asia.

AIM: To assess the outcomes of metabolic surgery in overweight and obese patients in Asia with type 2 diabetes (T2D). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The treatment outcomes of 1999 patients from the Asian Diabetes Surgery Summit database were analysed. The changes in treatment effects across time were assessed with respect to the surgical procedures performed by using generalized estimating equations. RESULTS: The most commonly performed procedure was the single-anastomosis gastric bypass (32.6%). Weight (from 106.2 ± 25.1 to 77.9 ± 18.8 kg), body mass index (BMI; from 38.7 ± 7.9 to 28.5 ± 5.9 kg/m2 ), blood sugar (from 9.3 ± 4.1 to 5.7 ± 1.8 mmol/L) and HbA1c (from 8.4% ± 1.8% to 6.0% ± 1.1%) significantly improved from baseline to 1 year (P < .001) and remained stable at 5 years (weight, 86.3 ± 23.3 kg; BMI, 31.7 ± 7.9 kg/m2 ; blood sugar, 5.8 ± 1.8 mmol/L, and HbA1c, 6.4% ± 1.2%; all P < .001 vs. baseline). Blood pressure and most lipid disorders also improved significantly. Of the treatment procedures, single-anastomosis gastric bypass had the most satisfactory outcomes with statistical significance for most disorders, whereas adjustable gastric banding displayed the least satisfactory outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Metabolic surgery remarkably improved body weight, T2D and other metabolic disorders in Asian patients. However, the efficacy of individual procedures varied substantially.

Check point to get adequate weight loss within 6-months after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy for morbid obesity in Asian population.

Purpose of this study is to develope a scoring system to predict the likelihood of excess body weight loss (EBWL) ≥ 50% 6-months after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). From April 2016 to September 2018, data was collected from 160 patients (BMI ≥ 32) who underwent primary LSG with at least 6-months follow-up. They were separated into score generation (operated by one surgeon, n = 122) and validation groups (operated by 3 different surgeons, n = 38). EBWL at 6-months ≥ 50% was considered adequate weight loss. Independent variables including age, gender, initial body mass index (BMI), comorbidities, life-style habits, percentage of EBWL and percentage of total body weight loss at 1-week, 1-month, and 3-months were analyzed with mutivariate logistic regression to generate the scoring system. The system was applied to internal and external validation groups to determine efficacy. As results, between the score generation and internal validation groups, the only significant difference in patient characteristics was in exercise participation. EBWL at 1-month > 19.5% (1 point) and EBWL at 3-months > 37.7% (2 points) were identified as independent factors to predict EBWL at 6-months ≥ 50%. When scores were > 1, the system had 94.03% positive predictive value (PPV) and 81.82% negative predictive value (NPV) (AUC: 0.923). Internal validation scores > 1 had a 95.83% PPV and 85.71% NPV (AUC: 0.975). External validation results showed 88.59% PPV and 72.00% NPV (AUC: 0.802). We concluded that this scoring system provides a reliable, objective prediction of EBWL at 6-months ≥ 50%. Patients requiring more aggressive clinical follow-up and intervention can be detected as early as 1- to 3-months after LSG.

Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Long-Term Result and Recurrence of Diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is becoming a primary bariatric/metabolic surgical procedure for treating obesity and related type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). This study presents the long-term outcome of LSG about the remission and recurrence of T2D. METHODS: A total of 59 obese patients (38 women and 21 male) with T2D (mean body mass index [BMI] 37.6 ± 5.1 kg/m2) who underwent LSG from 2006 to 2014 with complete 5 years followed up were selected for present study. The remission of T2D was evaluated in stratified groups using the ABCD scoring system which is composed of the age, BMI, C-peptide, and duration of T2D. RESULTS: The weight loss at 5 years after surgery was 23.5% and the mean BMI decreased to 27.7 ± 4.5 kg/m2. The mean HbA1c decreased from 8.1 to 6.1% at 5 years. The 1-year and 5-year complete remission rate (HbA1c < 6.0%) was 62.7% and 42.4%. Thirteen patients (35.1%) out of 37 patients who had their T2D remission at 1 year had their T2D recurrent at 5 years. Patients with ABCD score higher than 5 had a higher long-term T2D remission rate and less recurrence of their T2D than those with ABCD score less than 5. The remission and recurrence of T2D after were associated with a weight loss more than 20%. CONCLUSION: LSG is an effective procedure for T2D treatment but a significant portion of patients had their T2D recurrence at long-term. LSG is better recommended to patients with their ABCD score ≥ 5 and dedication to maintain a good weight loss is important.

Theoretical investigation on the promotion of second harmonic generation from chalcopyrite family AIGaS2 to AIIGa2S4.

The chalcopyrite structure is a rich source for the exploration of new IR materials. However, not all of the compounds with a chalcopyrite-type structure exhibit satisfactory optical properties, which may originate from their different microstructure features. In this work, we selected four classical chalcopyrite materials, AIGaS2 (AI = Ag, Cu) with normal structures and AIIGa2S4 (AII = Zn, Hg) with defect structures, to study their electronic structures, optical properties including the contribution of ions and ion groups to their band gaps, SHG responses and birefringences by the first-principles method. The results uncover that the different band gaps are mainly caused by the d orbitals of A* (A* = AI, AII)-site atoms and dp hybridizations between the A*-site and S atoms. In addition, the more powerful covalent bonds of AII-S and Ga-S in the AIIGa2S4 lead to the larger SHG responses of ZnGa2S4 and HgGa2S4. For the birefringences, the sizes of the A*-site atoms make sense, namely larger size will lead to higher distortion of tetrahedra, then result in large birefringences. All the above analyses conclude that the A*-site atoms in the chalcopyrite structures play a modulation role in determining the optical properties.

Timely thrombectomy can improve patency of hemodialysis arteriovenous fistulas.

OBJECTIVE: The urgency with which salvage of thrombosed vascular accesses for dialysis should be attempted remains unknown. We examined the effect of a timely thrombectomy approach on vascular access outcomes for dialysis. METHODS: A before-and-after study was conducted with patients on hemodialysis who had undergone endovascular thrombectomy. A timely thrombectomy initiative (ie, salvage within 24 hours of thrombosis diagnosis) was started in July 2015 at our institution. Data about thrombectomy procedures, performed within 1 year before and after the initiative was introduced, were abstracted from an electronic database. Immediate outcomes and patency outcomes were compared between the preinitiative (control) and postinitiative (intervention) groups. RESULTS: During the study period, 329 patients were enrolled, including 165 cases before and 164 cases after the initiative. The intervention group had more thrombectomy procedures performed within 24 hours (93% vs 55%; P < .01) and within 48 hours (97% vs 79%; P < .01) than the control group. No between-group differences in procedural success or clinical success rates were found. At 3 months, the intervention group had a higher postintervention primary patency rate than the control group, although this did not reach statistical significance (58% vs 48%; P = .06). After stratification into native or graft accesses, the patency benefit was observed in the native access group (68% vs 50%; P = .03) but not in the graft access group (50% vs 46%; P = .65). After adjusting for potential confounders, timely thrombectomy remained an independent predictor of postintervention primary patency (hazard ratio, 0.449; 95% confidence interval, 0.224-0.900; P = .02) for native dialysis accesses. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that a timely thrombectomy approach, in which salvage is attempted within 24 hours of thrombosis diagnosis, improves postintervention primary patency of native but not graft accesses for dialysis.

The laparoscopic right gastroepiploic lymph node flap transfer for upper and lower limb lymphedema: Technique and outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Lymph node flap transfer popularity for treatment of extremity lymphedema is increasing quickly. Multiple flap donor sites were described in search of the optimal one. We describe the technique and outcomes of a laparoscopically harvested right gastroepiploic lymph node flap for treatment of extremity lymphedema. METHODS: From January 2012 to January 2013, 10 consecutive female patients, average age 54.8 years, with International Society of Lymphology stage II-III extremity lymphedema refractory to conservative management were included. Five patients had upper limb breast cancer-related lymphedema and five patients had lower limb pelvic cancer-related lymphedema. All patients underwent laparoscopic harvest of the right gastroepiploic lymph node flap, transferred to the wrist and ankle as recipient sites. Flaps were covered with a small skin graft taken from the thigh. Perioperative assessment included physical exam, photography, circumference measurements, CT scans, lymphoscintigraphy, and Lymphedema Quality of Life (LYMQOL) questionnaire. Clinical and CT evaluation of donor-site morbidity were performed. RESULTS: The flap survival rate was 100%, with a mean harvest time of 32 minutes and total operating time of 164 minutes. One case required regrafting for skin graft loss. The mean limb reduction rate was 39.5% at a mean follow-up of 14.7 months. Perioperative lymphoscintigraphy demonstrated transferred lymph node viability and lymphatic transport improvement. LYMQOL showed a 2.6-fold quality-of-life improvement (P < 0.01). No donor-site morbidity was encountered. CONCLUSIONS: The use of the laparoscopically harvested right gastroepiploic lymph node flap may be a safe technique that improves limb measurements and quality of life in extremity lymphedema patients. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microsurgery 37:197-205, 2017.

Predictors of long-term diabetes remission after metabolic surgery.

BACKGROUND DATA: Bariatric/metabolic surgery has been proposed for the treatment of inadequately controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in obese patients. However, prediction on successful long-term remission of T2DM after metabolic surgery has not been clearly studied. Our objectives were to evaluate rates of long-term remission of T2DM after metabolic surgery and determine the independent predictors of remission. METHODS: Outcomes of 157 patients who underwent metabolic surgery between 2006 and 2009 and who had complete 5-year follow-up data were assessed. Prolonged complete remission was defined as glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) less than 6 % without diabetes medication up to 5 years. Predictors of prolonged remission studies included patient characteristics such as glucose level, HbA1c, body weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, total cholesterol, LDL, triglyceride, uric acid, AST, alanine transaminase (ALT), albumin, insulin, C-peptide, iron, calcium, complete blood cell count, the ABCD score (a multidimensional grading system composed of age, body mass index (BMI), C-peptide levels, and duration of T2DM), and postoperative weight loss. RESULTS: At 5 years after surgery, the weight loss was 27.1 % and the mean BMI decreased from 39.8 to 28.8 kg/m(2). The mean HbA1c decreased from 8.3 to 6.0 %. A significant number of patients had improvement in their glycemic control, including 97 (71.3 %) patients who had complete remission (HbA1c < 6.0 %), 27 (19.9 %) partial remission (HbA1c < 6.5 %), and 12 (8.8 %) improved condition (HbA1c < 7 %). In univariate analysis, patients with prolonged T2DM remission after surgery were younger and heavier; had a wider waist, higher C-peptide, shorter duration of T2DM, higher liver enzyme, higher insulin resistance, higher C-peptide level, and higher white blood cell count; were taking smaller insulin dosage; had higher ABCD score; and had greater weight loss than those without remission. Multivariate logistical regression analyses showed that the ABCD score and weight loss were the only predictors of remission after metabolic surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Metabolic surgery is a treatment option for patients with obesity and T2DM. Baseline ABCD score and weight loss have a major influence on outcome.

Gastro-intestinal Quality of Life After Metabolic Surgery for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence has shown that bariatric/metabolic surgery ameliorates type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in mildly obese patients (BMI < 35 kg/m(2)) but long-term data is inadequate. We investigated the change of the quality of life after metabolic surgery in not well-controlled T2DM patients with BMI < 35 kg/m(2). METHODS: The quality of life was measured by the gastrointestinal quality of life index (GIQLI), a 36-item questionnaire divided into three domains of general health and one domain of specific gastro-intestinal symptoms, administered before operation, at 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery. A control group matched in age, gender, and BMI was recruited for comparison. RESULTS: A total of 86 patients were enrolled, and the preoperative BMI and HbA1C (mean ± SD) were 30.7 ± 2.8 kg/m(2) and 9.3 ± 2.1 %, respectively. At 1 year after surgery, the BMI and HbA1C were 24.3 ± 2.3 kg/m(2) and 6.2 ± 1.1 %, respectively. There was a significantly improvement in all of the measures of glucose metabolism. Complete remission (HbA1C < 6.0 %) was achieved in 56 subjects (65 %) at 12 months. The GIQLI score was significantly impaired in T2DM patients before surgery compared with the control group. The GIQLI score significantly increased from 109.2 ± 20.0 to 116.1 ± 14.2 points 1 year after surgery. The patients had improvement in the three domains of general health (social, physical, and emotional function) without a difference with the normal control but deteriorated in the domain of specific symptoms. Most of the patients experienced symptoms including abdominal pain, bloating, flatulence, belching, abdominal noise, regurgitation, dysphagia, slow eating speed, nausea, bowel urgency, and incontinence after metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: Health-related QOL improved dramatically after metabolic surgery for not well-controlled T2DM patients with BMI < 35 kg/m(2), but patients might develop specific gastro-intestinal symptoms after surgery.

Combined capillary hemangioma and angiodysplasia of the ileum: an unusual cause of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding with preoperative localization by double-balloon endoscopy.

Vascular lesions in the small bowel with bleeding complications are usually difficult to diagnose and localize preoperatively. With the increased use of either capsule endoscopy or enteroscopy, there have been more reports of preoperative diagnosis from such lesions. The authors report a rare case of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding from a combined hemangioma and angiodysplasia identified by double-balloon enteroscopy. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of such combined lesions.