A prospective pilot study of the efficacy and safety of Elipse intragastric balloon: A single-center, single-surgeon experience.

BACKGROUND: Elipse™ is the least invasive IGB for weight loss that needs no sedation or endoscopy. It is a swallowable capsule filled with 550 mL of fluid, which stays in the stomach for 16 weeks and is excreted from the gastrointestinal tract. Kuwait is one of the first countries to start using Elipse™ as a weight loss device. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Elipse™ intragastric balloon (IGB). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a single-center prospective pilot study of 51 Elipse™ insertions at our clinic. The patients were followed for 4 months to monitor their weight and body mass index (BMI) at 1, 2, and 4 months. Total weight loss, % excess weight loss (%EWL), % total body weight loss (%TBWL), and change in BMI and waist circumference (WC) were recorded at the end of the study. A short survey was administered to evaluate symptoms, complications, and overall satisfaction. RESULTS: Fifty-one patients participated, of which five had Elipse™ removed because of intolerance. One case vomited the balloon; one had early deflation. The total weight loss was 8.84 kg, %TBWL 10.44%, %EWL 40.84%, change in BMI 3.42 kg/m2, and the total WC reduction 8.62 cm. Symptoms after insertion were severe, whereas those during excretion were mild and self-limiting. No serious complications were recorded, and the overall satisfaction was above average. CONCLUSION: Our data proves that Elipse™ is a safe and effective device for weight loss. Nevertheless, some limitations were observed that need to be overcome for better outcomes. Larger studies are needed to support our findings.

Two siblings with fatal Chromobacterium violaceum sepsis linked to drinking water.

Chromobacterium violaceum is a Gram-negative organism found in water and soil. C. violaceum is not usually pathogenic in humans; only approximately 150 human cases have been reported worldwide. C. violaceum bacteraemia progresses rapidly, leading to fatal sepsis on dissemination to multiple organs within a short time. We describe two cases of fatal septicaemia caused by C. violaceum in siblings. Our initial impression was that these cases were associated with an undiagnosed immunodeficiency in the siblings. However, detailed patient histories revealed a potential underlying immunodeficiency in only one patient. These findings prompted us to investigate possible environmental exposure. We identified C. violaceum in filtered water that was sold to the family at a nearby store. This discovery led to a public health alert and closer scrutiny of similar stores by the Ministry of Health.

Multisource feedback to assess pediatric practice: a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: The assessment and maintenance of competence for pediatricians has recently received increased attention. The aim of the present study was to investigate further the use of multisource feedback for assessing pediatricians in practice. METHODS: A systematic literature review was conducted using the electronic databases EMBASE, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, PUBMED, and CINAHL for English-language articles. RESULTS: 762 articles were identified with the initial search and 756 articles were excluded for a total of six studies that met the inclusion criteria for this systematic review. Internal consistency reliability was reported in five studies with α ≥ 0.95 for both subscales and full scales. Generalizability was also reported in two studies with Ep (2) generally ≥ 0.78. These adequate Ep (2) coefficients were achieved with different numbers of raters. Evidence for content, criterion-related (e.g., Pearson's r) and construct validity (e.g., principal component factor analysis) was reported in all 6 studies. CONCLUSION: Multisource feedback is a feasible, reliable, and valid method to assess pediatricians in practice. The results indicate that multisource feedback system can be used to assess key competencies such as communication skills, interpersonal skills, collegiality, and medical expertise. Further implementation of multisource feedback is desirable.

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of paranasal sinuses.

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors IMTs are clinico-pathologically distinctive but biologically controversial entities; they rarely affect the head and neck region and usually follow a benign clinical course after radical excision. We reviewed the literatures of IMTs and present a rare case of IMT arising from the maxillary paranasal sinus of an 11-year-old girl. Moreover, we elaborate on the morpho-immunophenotypic characteristics of this lesion. Microscopic examination revealed a spindle cell proliferation set in a highly vascular stroma with numerous inflammatory cells. Tumor cells were immunoreactive for vimentin, and smooth muscle actin, negative for desmin, S-100, p53, Cyclin D1, and bcl-2. The potential neoplastic nature of this lesion was substantiated by the strong diffuse immuno-expression of ALK-1 protein, a marker that has been linked to neoplastic transformation. The lesion was excised completely by a CO2 LASER as a new treatment modality and the patient manifested no evidence of disease recurrence at 10-months recall.