Severe Obesity: A Growing Health Concern A.S.P.E.N. Should Not Ignore

Etoricoxib treatment prevented body weight gain and ameliorated oxidative stress in the liver of high-fat diet-fed rats

The main focus of this study was to determine the role of etoricoxib in counterbalancing the oxidative stress, metabolic disturbances, and inflammation in high-fat (HF) diet-induced obese rats. To conduct this study, 28 male Wistar rats (weighing 190-210 g) were distributed randomly into four groups: control, control + etoricoxib, HF, and HF + etoricoxib. After 8 weeks of treatment with etoricoxib (200 mg/kg), all the animals were sacrificed followed by the collection of blood and tissue samples in order to perform biochemical tests along with histological staining on hepatic tissues. According to this study, etoricoxib treatment prevented the body weight gain in HF diet-fed rats. Furthermore, rats of HF + etoricoxib group exhibited better blood glucose tolerance than the rats of HF diet-fed group. In addition, etoricoxib also markedly normalized HF diet-mediated rise of hepatic enzyme activity. Etoricoxib treatment lowered the level of oxidative stress indicators significantly with a parallel augmentation of antioxidant enzyme activities. Furthermore, etoricoxib administration helped in preventing inflammatory cell invasion, collagen accumulation, and fibrotic catastrophe in HF diet-fed rats. The findings of the present work are suggestive of the helpful role of etoricoxib in deterring the metabolic syndrome as well as other deleterious pathological changes afflicting the HF diet-fed rats.

Efficacy and safety of mini percutaneous nephrolithotomy in obese patients

Purpose

We aimed to evaluate the effect of obesity on surgical outcomes of mini percutaneous nephrolithotomy (Mini-PNL).

Methods

Hundred and eighty two Mini-PNL procedures were performed between May 2013 and January 2015 and their results were evaluated retrospectively. Patients were classified as non-obese (BMI, 18.5–30 kg/m²) and obese (≥30 kg/m²) groups. Obese and non-obese patients were compared according to pre-operative demographic values, intra-operative surgery techniques and post-operative results.

Results

BMI values of 133 patients were lower than 30 kg/m² while 49 patient’s BMI values were higher than 30 kg/m². There were no significant difference between operation time, fluoroscopy time, number of access and access sites when two groups were compared. No significant difference was found in total length of hospital stay, hemoglobin drop, and complication rates. Stone-free rates were 70.7 % in the non-obese and 71.4 % in the obese group (p = 0.9).

Conclusions

Mini-PNL procedure is a safe and effective treatment modality, which should be strongly considered for obese patients with appropriate sized stones.

Prevalence of asymptomatic urinary tract infections in morbidly obese dogs

Background. Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in dogs and, as in humans, cost of care has increased due to associated comorbidities. In humans, asymptomatic urinary tract infections (UTI) may be more prevalent in the obese. Asymptomatic bacteriuria (AB) is the term used when UTI are asymptomatic. We hypothesized that morbidly obese dogs are similarly more likely to have asymptomatic bacteriuria than lean, overweight, and moderately obese dogs.

Methods. A retrospective study was undertaken to explore a possible association between obesity and asymptomatic bacteriuria. Records from lean, overweight, and obese dogs receiving both a dual energy absorptiometry (DXA) scan and urine culture were included.

Results. Six positive urine cultures were identified among 46 dogs fulfilling search criteria. All six positive cultures were found in dogs with body fat percentage of >45%. In dogs with body fat percentage of <45%, there were no positive urine cultures.

Discussion. There was an increased prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria in the morbidly obese dogs in this study compared to those that were lean, overweight, or moderately obese. Whether antibiotic therapy is necessary in such cases is still being debated, but because asymptomatic bacteriuria may be associated with ascending infections, uroliths, or other complications, the data reported herein support the screening of obese patients for bacteriuria.

One stage laparoscopic left adrenalectomy and sleeve gastrectomy by direct supragastric approach

INTRODUCTION

The advances in laparoscopic surgical technique and the greater experience of surgical teams have enabled the combination of different surgical techniques in a single procedure. This paper presents a case of a sleeve gastrectomy and a left adrenalectomy by laparoscopy for a morbidly obese patient with Cushing's syndrome.

PRESENTATION OF CASE

A 52 year-old male patient with a BMI of 53kg/m(2) was diagnosed as having Cushing's syndrome caused by a left adrenal tumor. Sleeve gastrectomy was performed according to the usual technique. The adrenalectomy was performed at the same time by a left supragastric approach. The evolution was favorable, with 52% of excess weight loss observed after six months. Plasma and urinary cortisol at the 3- and 6-month follow-ups were under normal range and the patient required glucocorticoid therapy, confirming the cure of Cushing's syndrome.

DISCUSSION

Teams with experience of advanced laparoscopic surgery can successfully combine complex procedures in one surgical period. The approach we used for the adrenalectomy proved itself to be feasible after the sleeve gastrectomy.

CONCLUSION

Both procedures can be safely done in experience teams. Sleeve gastrectomy facilitates the direct supragastric approach.

Nutritional status and wound severity of overweight and obese patients with venous leg ulcers: a pilot study

Obesity is a chronic disease that is linked to the presence of numerous chronic illnesses, including venous disease. Venous disease can lead to chronic wounds, which may be exacerbated by vitamin, mineral, and macro-nutritional deficiencies. A cross-sectional observational design was used to examine the nutritional status of patients with chronic venous leg ulcers (VLUs) who are overweight or obese and to explore the relationship between nutritional status and severity of venous ulceration. Nutritional status was evaluated using anthropometric measurements, nutrient analysis from a 3-day dietary intake log, serum albumin, vitamins A and C, and zinc levels. Wound severity was assessed using the Leg Ulcer Measurement Tool (LUMT). Eight patients participated; six patients were men, and all eight patients were more than 50 years of age. Patients had an average daily caloric intake below their estimated caloric need. When compared with recommended daily intake levels, dietary nutrient intake was suboptimal for protein, vitamin C, and zinc. Serum levels were below normal for at least one of these nutrients in six patients. A positive correlation was found only between serum albumin, average daily intake, and percent recommended daily intake of protein (r(s) = 0.93, P = .003). An inverse relationship was found between LUMT score and serum vitamin A levels (r(s) = -0.83, P = .01), and a positive correlation was observed between LUMT score and serum vitamin C (r(s) = 0.74, P = .04). No clear relationships were shown among serum zinc, albumin, and LUMT scores. Overweight and obese patients with VLU show nutritional deficits that are similar to those of the broader population of patients with leg ulcers. The relationships found between vitamins A and C and leg ulcer severity warrant further exploration. The nutritional differences in the study need to be examined in a larger sample of overweight and normal-weight patients to determine whether overweight patients are at greater risk for prolonged VLU because of poor nutrition than non-overweight patients.

Outcome of Percutaneous Surgery Stratified According to Body Mass Index and Kidney Stone Size

OBJECTIVE

To stratify outcome and morbidity of percutaneous nephrostolithotomy (PCNL) with regard to body mass index (BMI) and kidney stone burden.

METHODS

The charts of 148 patients who underwent PCNL procedures were reviewed retrospectively. Hospital stay, blood loss, maximal temperature during inpatient stay, and stone-free outcomes were evaluated. Patients were divided into 3 groups depending on their BMIs: <25 kg/m, 25 to 29.9 kg/m, and >30 kg/m. Kidney stone burden was measured in terms of square area in millimeters, as measured by retrospective review of computerized tomography scans. Preoperative computerized tomography scan for measurement of stone burden was available for only 85 patients who are included in the study. Analysis of variance for a single variable was performed with regard to the values of the hospital stay, postoperative maximal temperature, and hemoglobin change.

RESULTS

Of the 85 patients, 37 (43.5%) were obese or morbidly obese (BMI, >30 kg/m), 33 (38.8%) were overweight (BMI, 25 to 29.9 kg/m), and 15 (17.7%) were within or below their ideal weight (BMI, <25 kg/m). No statistically significant difference among the 3 groups was seen for stone-free rate, postoperative fever, or change in hemoglobin when stratified by BMI alone or by BMI and kidney stone burden. However, significantly longer length of stay for the group with BMI <25 kg/m was observed when stratifying either by BMI alone (P=0.01) or by BMI and kidney stone burden (P=0.03).

CONCLUSIONS

In this retrospective review of patients with kidney stones undergoing PCNL, the stone-free outcome and associated morbidity of PCNL (except for the length of hospital stay) is independent of both patients' BMI and stone burden when stratifying by commonly defined parameters.