Primary experience of bariatric surgery in a newly established private obesity center.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the outcomes of different types of bariatric surgeries in a single newly established private obesity center. METHODS: Retrospectively, we included patients who were entered in the registry for bariatric surgeries in the Obesity Unit, Riyadh National Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between January 2013 and September 2014, and completed one year of follow up. Baseline characteristics, percent excess weight loss, and safety data were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 79 patients were included. Based on the type of surgery, patients were divided into 3 groups: laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), laparoscopic minigastric bypass (MGBP), and laparoscopic vertical sleeve gastrectomy (SG). After one year, RYGB and MGB patients lost more weight than SG patients. No mortality, or leak were reported and one patient had reoperation after revision laparoscopic RYGB for bleeding. There was one readmission, while 4 patients visited the emergency room for vomiting and dehydration (2 patients), anemia (one patient), and port site infection (one patient). CONCLUSION: Bariatric surgeries are safe when carried out by an experienced bariatric surgeon in the private sector. The outcome of this series is similar to the published results from large international obesity databases.

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration in patients with psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis and its association with disease activity and serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha.

OBJECTIVE: To assess vitamin D status in psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and to study whether it was associated with disease activity, inflammatory markers, and serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Riyadh National Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between March and September 2012. It included 43 patients with plaque psoriasis, 55 RA patients and 40 healthy controls matched for age. Blood samples were drawn from all participants for assessment of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], TNF-α, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), parathyroid hormone (PTH), and serum corrected calcium. Disease activity of psoriasis and RA were assessed using Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) and Disease Activity Score Index of a 28 joint count (DAS28). RESULTS: We found a significant difference between psoriatic patients, RA patients, and healthy controls in the mean 25(OH)D (11.74±3.60, 15.45±6.42, and 24.55±11.21 ng/ml; p=0.000). We found that 25(OH)D was not correlated with PASI, DAS28, TNF-α, CRP, or ESR in psoriatic and RA patients. CONCLUSION: Serum 25-(OH)D levels are significantly lower in psoriatic and RA patients than in healthy control subjects. Low 25-OHD levels also may provide the rationale for vitamin D supplementation in the treatment of psoriasis and RA. More definitive evidence is also required to demonstrate the clinical benefit of vitamin D supplementation in the treatment of psoriasis and RA.