Ursodeoxycholic acid in the prevention of gallstones in patients subjected to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass1.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the contribution of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in the first 12 months after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in the prevention of gallstone formation. METHODS: A community-based clinical trial was conducted. A total of 137 patients were included in the study; 69 were treated with UDCA, starting 30 days after the surgery, at a dose of 150 mg twice daily (300 mg/day) over a period of 5 consecutive months (GROUP A), and 68 were control patients (GROUP B). The patients were followed-up, and ultrasonography was performed to determine the presence of gallstones at various times during follow-up. Demographic, anthropometric and comorbid indicators were obtained. The data were subjected to normality tests and evaluated using appropriate tests. RESULTS: Patients did not differ in their baseline characteristics. Of the 69 patients who used UDCA, only one patient developed cholelithiasis (1%), whereas 18 controls (26%) formed gallstones (OR = 24.4, p <0.001). Also, other factors were found not to influence the formation of calculi, such as pre-operative or postoperative hepatic steatosis or diabetes (p = 0.759, 0.468, 0.956). CONCLUSION: The results demonstrated that patients who did not use UDCA showed a 24.4-fold greater probability of developing cholelithiasis.

Ursodeoxycholic acid in the prevention of gallstones in patients subjected to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass

Abstract Purpose: To evaluate the contribution of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in the first 12 months after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in the prevention of gallstone formation. Methods: A community-based clinical trial was conducted. A total of 137 patients were included in the study; 69 were treated with UDCA, starting 30 days after the surgery, at a dose of 150 mg twice daily (300 mg/day) over a period of 5 consecutive months (GROUP A), and 68 were control patients (GROUP B). The patients were followed-up, and ultrasonography was performed to determine the presence of gallstones at various times during follow-up. Demographic, anthropometric and comorbid indicators were obtained. The data were subjected to normality tests and evaluated using appropriate tests. Results: Patients did not differ in their baseline characteristics. Of the 69 patients who used UDCA, only one patient developed cholelithiasis (1%), whereas 18 controls (26%) formed gallstones (OR = 24.4, p <0.001). Also, other factors were found not to influence the formation of calculi, such as pre-operative or postoperative hepatic steatosis or diabetes (p = 0.759, 0.468, 0.956). Conclusion: The results demonstrated that patients who did not use UDCA showed a 24.4-fold greater probability of developing cholelithiasis.

El cuidado enfermero como problema ético: concepto y principios prácticos aplicados al acto de cuidado / Nursing care as an ethical problem: concepts and principles applied to the act of caring / O cuidado de enfermagem como problema ético: conceitos e princípios aplicados ao ato de cuidar

En este trabajo los autores estudian la naturaleza del acto del cuidado, destacan la importancia de la ética en las profesiones vinculadas con la salud de las personas y desarrollan, a la luz de la tradición central de la filosofía moral occidental, un conjunto de principios que deben guiar la actividad de la enfermería.

In this paper the authors study the nature of the act of care, emphasize the importance of ethics in the professions related to the health of people and develop, in the light of the central tradition of Western moral philosophy, a set of principles that should guide nursing activity.

Neste trabalho, os autores refletem sobre a natureza do ato de cuidar, enfatizam a importância da ética nas profissões relacionadas com a saúde das pessoas e desenvolvem, à luz da tradição central da filosofia moral ocidental, um conjunto de princípios que deve orientar o trabalho de enfermagem.

Antilithiasic and hypolipidaemic effects of Raphanus sativus L. var. niger on mice fed with a lithogenic diet.

In Mexico, Raphanus sativus L. var. niger (black radish) has uses for the treatment of gallstones and for decreasing lipids serum levels. We evaluate the effect of juice squeezed from black radish root in cholesterol gallstones and serum lipids of mice. The toxicity of juice was analyzed according to the OECD guidelines. We used female C57BL/6 mice fed with a lithogenic diet. We performed histopathological studies of gallbladder and liver, and measured concentrations of cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides. The juice can be considered bioactive and non-toxic; the lithogenic diet significantly induced cholesterol gallstones; increased cholesterol and triglycerides levels, and decreased HDL levels; gallbladder wall thickness increased markedly, showing epithelial hyperplasia and increased liver weight. After treatment with juice for 6 days, cholesterol gallstones were eradicated significantly in the gallbladder of mice; cholesterol and triglycerides levels decreased too, and there was also an increase in levels of HDL (P < 0.05). Gallbladder tissue continued to show epithelial hyperplasia and granulocyte infiltration; liver tissue showed vacuolar degeneration. The juice of black radish root has properties for treatment of cholesterol gallstones and for decreasing serum lipids levels; therefore, we confirm in a preclinical study the utility that people give it in traditional medicine.

Propinox in biliary colic: a multicenter, randomized, prospective and parallel double-blind study of three doses of propinox versus placebo in acute biliary colic pain.

The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and tolerance of propinox administered i.v., and establish a dose-response relation according to three dose levels (10, 20 and 30 mg), vs. placebo in patients with moderate to severe acute biliary pain. Three hundred and fifty patients were included: 85 received placebo treatment, 81 were treated with propinox 10 mg, 91 with propinox 20 mg and 93 received propinox 30 mg. Spontaneous pain intensity was assessed according to a visual analog and a verbal scale before treatment and 20, 60 and 120 min after. All treatments induced significant and progressive pain reduction at all controls, but patients treated with 20 and 30 mg of propinox showed significantly lower pain intensity after 120 min compared to the placebo group. The last control revealed that 28% of patients receiving placebo had no pain while 60% of patients treated with propinox 30 mg reported absence of pain with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001). All treatments were very well tolerated and there were no dropouts due to adverse events. Mouth dryness was the adverse effect occurring with a significantly higher frequency than that observed with placebo although it was only seen in patients treated with 20 mg and 30 mg active doses. The results of this study showed that propinox was an effective drug in the treatment of moderate to severe colic pain of biliary origin. Concerning efficacy and side effects, a clear dose-response relation was observed; the 20 mg and 30 mg doses being significantly superior to placebo.

Medical management of common bile duct stones.

Common bile duct stones are a common cause of morbidity and mortality in adults. An increasing number of surgical and medical therapies are available to manage them, with different success rates reported. The various medical treatment strategies were developed during the last decade, but these medical modalities should not be contemplated as a first-line alternative of treatment. A consensus from experts is that there is no primary indication to use solvents on common bile duct stones because they have a relatively high rate of adverse effects and their success is limited compared with lithotripsy. However, there is a subgroup of patients in whom invasive or surgical treatment is risky or may fail. In these patients stone dissolution by solvent may constitute a plausible therapeutic alternative or may help reduce the size of the stones sufficiently to facilitate subsequent endoscopic extraction. Solvents may also be indicated in settings where endoscopic techniques or lithotripsy are not available and the patient has a T-tube in the common bile duct. Even in this condition, however, it is probably quicker and more effective to refer the patient to a center with expertise and technologic support to practice stone removal.

Tratamento dos cálculos residuais do coledoco com heparina / Treatment of residual choledochal stones with heparin

Os autores relatam dois casos de calculos residuais no coledoco tratados com exito com solucao fisiologica heparinizada (50.000u de heparina em cada 500 ml de soro fisiologico isotonico - 3x/dia, por periodo de seis horas. O metodo e simples e nao ha alteracoes na coagulacao. Sugerem ser uma opcao de tratamento para os cirurgioes que nao tem acesso a terapeutica endoscopica contemporanea.

[Extracorporeal shock waves lithotripsy during acute obstruction of the cystic duct]. / Litotricia extracorpórea en obstrucción aguda del conducto cístico.

Obstruction of the cystic duct after Biliary Shock Waves Lithotripsy in an uncommon complication. It occurs when a small fragment is hemming in the neck of the gallbladder. Usually, cholecystectomy is the indicated treatment, we challenged this concept and attempted early ESWL to treat this complication. In our clinic, 150 patients were treated with a Lithostar-Plus device between March 1, 1989 to April 30, 1990. Of these, 12 presented acute uncontrolled biliary colic, 28 presented mild abdominal pain and the rest, remained pain free. Of the 12, one presented biliary obstruction and cholecystectomy was performed in other hospital; one refused to be retreated and other presented sonographic gallbladder thickness and hence underwent surgery. Nine patients were re-treated and in all, fragments nested in the gallbladder neck were successfully pulverised and obstruction cleared. To date all patients are free of stones. In summary, we propose early re-treatment with ESWL as a non-surgical alternative approach for treating this complication.

[Evaluation of the use of caerulein (ceruletide) in the postoperative of abdominal surgery]. / Valoración del uso de la ceruleína (ceruletide) en el postoperatorio de la cirugía abdominal.

In order to evaluate the efficacy of Caerulein in the postoperative stage of abdominal surgery, 25 patients received 0.3 mcg/kg intravenously every 4 hours. Bowel Movements, passage of gases, first evacuation and general improvement were compared to 25 patients in similar conditions who didn't receive the drug. The study group showed an earlier appearance of intestinal motility as compared to the control group. This contributed in a relevant matter to an earlier discharge from the hospital. The differences with the control group were statistically significative. The benefits of the drug in the management of the postoperative stage of abdominal surgery are discussed.