Psychologic assessment in patients undergoing bariatric surgery.

BACKGROUND: Psychological Clearance level (PCL) for patients undergoing metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) is a critical step for successful postoperative outcomes. This study aims to assess the relationship between the level of psychologic fitness and postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing MBS. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the data of patients who underwent MBS (laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy [LSG] and laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass [LRYGB]) and completed two years follow-up, between 2012 and 2019, in a single medical center. The patients were divided into four groups based on PCL, suggesting level of readiness for surgery: Group A (PCL-0: guarded), group B (PCL-1: Fair/reasonable), group C (PCL-2: Good/appropriate), and group D (PCL-3: Strong/excellent). Primary outcome was the percent of total body weight loss (%TWL), and the absolute change in BMI units. Secondary outcomes were missed postoperative visits and patient compliance. Differences between the groups were analyzed using a generalized linear model (GLM), chi-squared and exact Fisher tests, as appropriate. RESULTS: Of 1411 total patients, 607 (43.20%) had complete data at two years follow-up. 512 (84.34%) were females. LSG was performed in 361 (59.5%). No difference was found in %TWL between the four groups (22.14% vs. 28.0% vs. 26.0% vs. 24.8%, p = 0.118). We found a small difference in the mean (SD) of absolute change in BMI between the groups, and on post-hoc analysis it was found between groups B (PCL-1) and D (PCL-3). Overall, no difference between the groups in number of follow-up visits, or compliance issues. However, patients who attended more follow-up visits had less compliance issues (p < 0.001). PCL is inversely correlated with number of psychologic diagnoses (r = - 0.41, p < 0.001) and medical comorbidities (r = - 0.20, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: We found no difference in the percent of TWL in patients who underwent MBS based on PCL at two -years follow-up. Medical comorbidities and psychiatric diagnoses impact the PCL.

The Biological Use of Platelet-Rich Plasma in Skeletal Muscle Injury and Repair.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a blood product that contains several growth factors and active proteins. PRP is thought to be used autologously to assist in the repair of injured tissues as well as to treat pain at the site of injury. The mechanism behind PRP in regenerative medicine has been well investigated and includes the identification and concentration of released growth factors and exosomes. The benefits of PRP have been highly recommended and are used widely in orthopaedics and sports medicine, including repair of injured skeletal muscle. This current report summarizes some of the more recent studies in the use of PRP as it relates to muscle healing, in both the in vitro and clinical arenas.

The advances of blood clots used as biomaterials in regenerative medicine.

The physiologic process of blood clot formation is well understood and occurs naturally in the setting of tissue injury to achieve hemostasis and begin the process of wound healing. While the investigation of blood clots as a biomaterial is still in the early stages, there has been some research with similar biomaterials made of the components of blood clots that support the innovative idea of using an autologous blood clot as a scaffold or delivery method for therapeutic agents. Here, we review the physiology of blood clots in wound healing and how using blood clots as a biomaterial and delivery system can potentially promote wound healing, provide targeted therapeutic agent delivery and use it as an innovative tool in regenerative medicine.

Wounds and tissue injuries are unfortunately still common, and research is very active in trying to discover ways to augment the healing process. Various biomaterials have been developed and studied to analyze their therapeutic potential in promoting regeneration of different tissues in the human body. The formation of blood clots is a natural process that occurs in response to tissue injury, and there has been recent work to investigate the utility of blood clots as therapeutic adjuncts. The practicality of obtaining blood clots, along with the feasibility of integrating therapeutic agents into them, make blood clots an attractive tool in regenerative medicine to be explored. This review article synthesizes current research on blood clot biology, physiology and potential therapeutic utility.

Atypical Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumor of the Foot and Ankle: A Case Report.

Tenosynovial giant cell tumor, also known as giant cell tumor of the tendon sheath (GCT-TS), is a solitary, nodular, firm, benign, soft-tissue tumor that arises from the synovial lining of a tendon. The etiology is unknown. It is a rare soft-tissue tumor, with an overall incidence of one in 50,000 individuals, and usually affects people aged between 30 and 50 years. Magnetic resonance imaging tends to be the imaging modality of choice, used for surgical preparation. Widely accepted treatment involves local excision with or without radiotherapy. The author presents a case study involving a patient with an abnormally large, longstanding GCT-TS, diagnosed with clinical examination and imaging modalities, surgically excised, and further confirmed by pathology reports. Topic of discussion includes a review of GCT-TS.

Rare Intramuscular Lipoma of the Foot: A Case Report.

Intramuscular lipoma is a rare subset of a more common soft-tissue tumor, lipoma. The etiology is unknown. It is a rare soft-tissue tumor with an overall incidence of less than 1% of all lipomas. Magnetic resonance imaging tends to be the imaging modality of choice, used for surgical preparation. Widely accepted treatment involves local excision. The author presents a case study involving a patient with an abnormally large, recurrent intramuscular lipoma of the left hallux, surgically excised and confirmed by pathology reports. iscussion includes a review of intramuscular lipoma. A review of the literature revealed only two previous reports.

Serum Vitamin D Levels in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients Before and During Treatment.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Hepatitis B is a potentially life-threatening liver infection and it is a major global health problem. Over the past decade, numerous studies have reported that patients with CLD, especially HCV-positive and HBV-positive patients, have decreased 25(OH) D levels. The current study was designed to assess the serum levels of vitamin D [25(OH) D3] in chronic hepatitis B patients, before and during treatment with antiviral therapy. METHODS: It was a prospective study in which 80 subjects were enrolled between December 2017 and June 2018. A total of 50 treatment-naïve chronic HBV patients and 30 healthy subjects were recruited. The studied cases received treatment in the form of Lamivudine 100 mg tablet, once daily. Full routine laboratory investigations, HBV DNA measurement by real-time PCR were conducted once before initiation of antiviral treatment and again at least 6 months later. Serum vitamin D level [25(OH)D3 was assessed twice, once before initiation of antiviral treatment and again at least 6 months later. This was done for all the patients enrolled in the study. RESULTS: The studied cases showed a significantly low mean serum Vitamin D level when assessed before treatment (21.6 ± 5.8 ng/ml), compared to the level after 6 ms of treatment (31.1 ± 7.3 ng/ml) which was comparable to that of the control group (33.4 ± 5 ng/ml). CONCLUSION: The present study highlights the impact of antiviral therapy on vitamin D deficiency in CHB patients, where effective therapy improves vitamin D levels. Meanwhile, it is recommended to study the impact of vitamin D replacement and correction on the disease progression or regression.