Internal Medicine Commons^™

Progressive Regression Of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy Two Years After Bariatric Surgery, Mohamed F Algahim, Thomas R Lux, Joshua G Leichman, Anthony F Boyer, Charles C Miller, Susan T Laing, Erik B Wilson, Terry Scarborough, Sherman Yu, Brad Snyder, Carol Wolin-Riklin, Ursula G Kyle, Heinrich Taegtmeyer

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a systemic disorder associated with an increase in left ventricular mass and premature death and disability from cardiovascular disease. Although bariatric surgery reverses many of the hormonal and hemodynamic derangements, the long-term collective effects on body composition and left ventricular mass have not been considered before. We hypothesized that the decrease in fat mass and lean mass after weight loss surgery is associated with a decrease in left ventricular mass.

METHODS: Fifteen severely obese women (mean body mass index [BMI]: 46.7+/-1.7 kg/m(2)) with medically controlled hypertension underwent bariatric surgery. Left ventricular mass and plasma markers of systemic …

A Direct Role For Secretory Phospholipase A2 And Lysophosphatidylcholine In The Mediation Of Lps-Induced Gastric Injury, Elizabeth J Dial, Duy M Tran, Jimmy J Romero, Mayssa Zayat, Lenard M Lichtenberger

Journal Articles

Endotoxemia from sepsis can injure the gastrointestinal tract through mechanisms that have not been fully elucidated. We have shown that LPS induces an increase in gastric permeability in parallel with the luminal appearance of secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) and its product, lysophosphatidylcholine (lyso-PC). We proposed that sPLA2 acted on the gastric hydrophobic barrier, composed primarily of phosphatidylcholine (PC), to degrade it and produce lyso-PC, an agent that is damaging to the mucosa. In the present study, we have tested whether lyso-PC and/or sPLA2 have direct damaging effects on the hydrophobic barriers of synthetic and mucosal surfaces. Rats were administered LPS …

Thoracic Aortic Disease In Tuberous Sclerosis Complex: Molecular Pathogenesis And Potential Therapies In Tsc2+/- Mice, Jiumei Cao, Limin Gong, Dong-Chuan Guo, Ulrike Mietzsch, Shao-Qing Kuang, Callie S Kwartler, Hazim Safi, Anthony Estrera, Michael J Gambello, Dianna M Milewicz

Journal Articles

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a genetic disorder with pleiotropic manifestations caused by heterozygous mutations in either TSC1 or TSC2. One of the less investigated complications of TSC is the formation of aneurysms of the descending aorta, which are characterized on pathologic examination by smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation in the aortic media. SMCs were explanted from Tsc2(+/-) mice to investigate the pathogenesis of aortic aneurysms caused by TSC2 mutations. Tsc2(+/-) SMCs demonstrated increased phosphorylation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), S6 and p70S6K and increased proliferation rates compared with wild-type (WT) SMCs. Tsc2(+/-) SMCs also had reduced expression of …

Maternal And Neonatal Outcomes By Labor Onset Type And Gestational Age, Jennifer L Bailit, Kimberly D Gregory, Uma M Reddy, Victor H Gonzalez-Quintero, Judith U Hibbard, Mildred M Ramirez, D Ware Branch, Ronald Burkman, Shoshana Haberman, Christos G Hatjis, Matthew K Hoffman, Michelle Kominiarek, Helain J Landy, Lee A Learman, James Troendle, Paul Van Veldhuisen, Isabelle Wilkins, Liping Sun, Jun Zhang

Journal Articles

OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine maternal and neonatal outcomes by labor onset type and gestational age.

STUDY DESIGN: We used electronic medical records data from 10 US institutions in the Consortium on Safe Labor on 115,528 deliveries from 2002 through 2008. Deliveries were divided by labor onset type (spontaneous, elective induction, indicated induction, unlabored cesarean). Neonatal and maternal outcomes were calculated by labor onset type and gestational age.

RESULTS: Neonatal intensive care unit admissions and sepsis improved with each week of gestational age until 39 weeks (P < .001). After adjusting for complications, elective induction of labor was associated with a lower risk of ventilator use (odds ratio [OR], 0.38; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.28-0.53), sepsis (OR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.26-0.49), and neonatal intensive care unit admissions (OR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.48-0.57) compared to spontaneous labor. The relative risk of hysterectomy at term was 3.21 (95% CI, 1.08-9.54) with elective induction, 1.16 (95% CI, 0.24-5.58) with indicated induction, and 6.57 (95% CI, 1.78-24.30) with cesarean without labor compared to spontaneous labor.

CONCLUSION: Some neonatal outcomes improved until 39 weeks. Babies born with elective induction …

Temporal Lobe White Matter Asymmetry And Language Laterality In Epilepsy Patients, Timothy M Ellmore, Michael S Beauchamp, Joshua I Breier, Jeremy D Slater, Giridhar P Kalamangalam, Thomas J O'Neill, Michael A Disano, Nitin Tandon

Journal Articles

Recent studies using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) have advanced our knowledge of the organization of white matter subserving language function. It remains unclear, however, how DTI may be used to predict accurately a key feature of language organization: its asymmetric representation in one cerebral hemisphere. In this study of epilepsy patients with unambiguous lateralization on Wada testing (19 left and 4 right lateralized subjects; no bilateral subjects), the predictive value of DTI for classifying the dominant hemisphere for language was assessed relative to the existing standard-the intra-carotid Amytal (Wada) procedure. Our specific hypothesis is that language laterality in both unilateral …

Humoral Immunity In Tuberculin Skin Test Anergy And Its Role In High-Risk Persons Exposed To Active Tuberculosis, Liliana Encinales, Joaquin Zuñiga, Julio Granados-Montiel, Maria Yunis, Julio Granados, Ingrid Almeciga, Olga Clavijo, Carlos Awad, Vilma Collazos, María Inés Vargas-Rojas, José Luis Bañales-Mendez, Lilia Vazquez-Castañeda, Joel N Stern, Viviana Romero, Masha Fridkis-Hareli, Masha Frindkis-Hareli, Daniel Terreros, Marcelo Fernandez-Viña, Edmond J Yunis

Journal Articles

The most common test to identify latent tuberculosis is the tuberculin skin test that detects T cell responses of delayed type hypersensitivity type IV. Since it produces false negative reactions in active tuberculosis or in high-risk persons exposed to tuberculosis patients as shown in this report, we studied antibody profiles to explain the anergy of such responses in high-risk individuals without active infection. Our results showed that humoral immunity against tuberculin, regardless of the result of the tuberculin skin test is important for protection from active tuberculosis and that the presence of high antibody titers is a more reliable indicator …

A Woman With Hiv Infection, Brain Abscesses, And Eosinophilia, Marcela Campo, Man K Phung, Rehan Ahmed, Paul Cantey, Henry Bishop, Tanvir K Bell, Carolyn Gardiner, Cesar A Arias

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Social Support In An Internet Weight Loss Community, Kevin O Hwang, Allison J Ottenbacher, Angela P Green, M Roseann Cannon-Diehl, Oneka Richardson, Elmer V Bernstam, Eric J Thomas

Journal Articles

PURPOSE: To describe social support for weight loss shared by members of a large Internet weight loss community.

METHODS: We conducted a mixed-methods study with surveys (n=193) and interviews (n=13) of community members along with a content analysis of discussion forum messages (n=1924 messages). Qualitative data were analyzed for social support themes.

RESULTS: Survey respondents were primarily white (91.4%) and female (93.8%) with mean age 37.3 years and mean body mass index 30.9. They used forums frequently, with 56.8% reading messages, 36.1% replying to messages, and 18.5% posting messages to start a discussion related to weight loss on a daily …