What predicts the unsuccess of bariatric surgery? An observational retrospective study.

PURPOSE: Bariatric surgery (BS) has been recognized as an effective treatment for most patients with morbid obesity, but a variable range of patients failed to achieve a successful weight-loss. Controversial data are available about predictors of unsuccess. We aimed to retrospectively assess whether clinical baseline characteristics of patients submitted to sleeve gastrectomy (SL) or gastric bypass (GBP) were associated with unsuccessful weight-loss after 12 and 24-month follow-up. METHODS: Three hundred patients who underwent BS from the 1st January 2016, with at least 24-months follow-up, were enrolled. Patients were divided according to their percentage of excess weight-loss (%EWL) either < 50% or ≥ 50% after 12 and 24-month follow-up. RESULTS: None of the patients was lost at follow-up; 56 (18.7%) patients showed a %EWL < 50% at 24 months. Age, neck circumference, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) were significantly higher, while total cholesterol and %EWL 6-months lower in those with %EWL < 50% at 12-months. Age, neck circumference, male and OSA rates were increased, while %EWL at 6-months lower in patients with %EWL < 50% at 24-months. In a multiple regression model, age (OR = 1.076; 95% CI 1.029-1.125; p = 0.001; OR = 1.066; 1.027-1.107; p < 0.001) and %EWL at 6-months (OR = 0.876; 0.840-0.913; p < 0.001; OR = 0.950; 0.928-0.972; p < 0.001) were associated with %EWL < 50% both at 12- and 24-months, respectively, and neck circumference (OR = 1.142; 1.011-1.289; p = 0.032) with %EWL < 50% at 24-months. CONCLUSION: Older age, larger neck circumference, and %EWL at 6-months were significantly associated with BS unsuccess, showing almost 90% of those patients an unsuccessful weight-loss early after surgery. Further larger studies with longer follow-up are needed to confirm these results.

Pre-operative micronutrient deficiencies in patients with severe obesity candidates for bariatric surgery.

PURPOSE: In patients with obesity, micronutrient deficiencies have been reported both before and after bariatric surgery (BS). Obesity is a chronic pro-inflammatory status, and inflammation increases the risk of micronutrient malnutrition. Our objective was to assess in pre-BS patients the prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies and their correlation with blood values of C-reactive protein (CRP). METHODS: Anthropometric data, instrumental examinations, and blood variables were centrally measured in the first 200 patients undergoing a pre-BS evaluation at the "Città della Salute e della Scienza" Hospital of Torino, starting from January 2018. RESULTS: At least one micronutrient deficiency was present in 85.5% of pre-BS patients. Vitamin D deficiency was the most prevalent (74.5%), followed by folate (33.5%), iron (32%), calcium (13%), vitamin B12 (10%), and albumin (5.5%) deficiency. CRP values were high (> 5 mg/L) in 65% of the patients. These individuals showed increased rate of iron, folate, vitamin B12 deficiency, and a higher number of micronutrient deficiencies. In a multiple logistic regression model, increased CRP levels were significantly associated with deficiencies of vitamin B12 (OR = 5.84; 95% CI 1.25-27.2; p = 0.024), folate (OR = 4.02; 1.87-8.66; p < 0.001), and with the presence of ≥ 2 micronutrient deficiencies (OR = 2.31; 1.21-4.42; p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Micronutrient deficiencies are common in patients with severe obesity undergoing BS, especially when inflammation is present. In the presence of increased CRP values before surgery, it might be advisable to search for possible multiple micronutrient deficiencies.

An high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the simultaneous analysis of acetylcarnitine taurinate, carnosine, asparagine and potassium aspartate and for the analysis of phosphoserine in alimentary supplements.

A RP-HPLC method with pre-column derivatization was developed and validated for the simultaneous quantification of carnosine (Carn), acetylcarnitine taurinate (AC-Tau), asparagine (Asn), potassium aspartate (Asp) and for the determination of phosphoserine (p-Ser) in new and commercial alimentary supplements. The effect of complex matrices was evaluated by the study of the amino acid derivatization reaction with 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) both in standard and placebo solutions. The reaction was carried out for 20 min at 70 °C in alkaline medium (pH10) for p-Ser analysis, whereas for 60 min in the case of Carn, AC-Tau, Asn and Asp analysis. The adducts have been separated on a Discovery RP Amide C16 (250 mm×4.6mm, i.d.) column using a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile (ACN) and triethylammonium (TEA) phosphate buffer (pH 3, 0.05 M) under gradient elution conditions at a flow-rate of 0.8 mL/min. Detection was set at λ=360 nm. The validation parameters such as linearity, sensitivity, accuracy, precision and specificity were found to be highly satisfactory. Linear responses were observed by placebo solutions (determination coefficient ≤0.9996). Intra-day precision (relative standard deviation, RSD) was ≤1.06% for corrected peak area and ≤0.99% for retention times (tR) without significant differences between intra- and inter-day data. Recovery studies showed good results for all examined compounds (from 97.7% to 101.5%) with RSD ranging from 0.5% to 1.3%). The high stability of derivatized compound solutions at room temperature means an undoubted advantage of the method allowing the simultaneous preparation of a large number of samples and consecutive chromatographic analyses by the use of an autosampler. The developed method can be considered suitable for the quality control of new and commercial products.

Development and validation of a liquid chromatographic method for the determination of ascorbic acid, dehydroascorbic acid and acetaminophen in pharmaceuticals.

A reversed-phase ion pair liquid chromatographic method (RP-LC) for the determination of dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) and ascorbic acid (AA) and also acetaminophen, which is combined in pharmaceuticals, is proposed and validated. AA and acetaminophen were analyzed directly, while DHA was determined after pre-column derivatization with 4,5-dimethyl-1,2-phenylenediamine (DMPD). The derivatization reaction was carried out under mild conditions (10min at ambient temperature) in the dark in sodium acetate buffer (80mM; pH 3.7) solution containing EDTA as metal scavenger. The chromatographic separations were performed on a Phenomenex Synergi 4u hydro-RP (150mmx4.6mm) under isocratic elution conditions, using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as ion-pairing reagent in the mobile phase. Linear responses were observed for each compound. The intra-day precision (R.S.D.) was < or =1.40% and there was no significant difference between intra- and inter-day data. Recovery studies showed good results for all compounds (99.7-101.8%) with R.S.D. ranging from 0.56 to 1.82%. The limits of quantitation were about 40, 50 and 140pmol for acetaminophen, AA and DHA, respectively. The DHA impurity values found in dosage forms were < or =0.2% of AA.

Development and validation of a liquid chromatographic method for the determination of branched-chain amino acids in new dosage forms.

A reversed-phase liquid chromatographic method (RP-LC) is proposed and validated for the analysis of branched-chain amino acids (l-leucine, l-isoleucine and l-valine) in new pharmaceutical formulations. The pre-column derivatization reaction of these amino acids with 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) has been investigated considering the matrix effect. The compound reacts at 60 degrees C for 10 min at pH 9 with the amino function, in presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), to give adducts that have been separated on a RP amide C16 column and detected at lambda=360 nm. Linear responses were observed for each derivative. The intra-day precision (R.S.D.) was

Fractal patterns for cells in culture.

The present study aims to understand the growth of human malignant tumours in vitro, using the geometry of fractals as a method of analysis. The fractal dimensions of HN-5 and MDCK cell growth patterns have been measured. The first results may suggest the possibility of distinct growth processes characterized by different (time-dependent) effective fractal dimensions for MDCK and HN-5 cells. If this is true, the fractal dimensions may yet prove to be a useful discriminant for comparing different diagnostic categories.