Objective: To determine whether the type of prosthetic material and technique of placement influenced longterm complications after repair of incisional hernias.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of exogenous recombinant basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on angiogenesis in severely ischemic tissue beds. We used a two-stage procedure to produce severe ischemia of the hindlimb of 34 New Zealand rabbits. The ischemic hindlimb received intramuscular injection of saline (group A), 1 microgram bFGF (group B), or 3 micrograms bFGF (group C), daily for 2 weeks. Tissue perfusion, skeletal muscle infarction, angiogenesis, and collateral growth were assessed by angiography, transcutaneous oximetry (TcPO2), quantitative spectrophotometric assay of triphenyltetrazolium chloride reduction in muscle, capillary density (capillaries per square millimeter), and capillary per muscle fiber ratio. There were no significant differences in baseline TcPO2 among the three groups for both thigh and calf measurements. Angiography revealed extensive perfusion of the left hindlimb in all the assessed bFGF treated animals. Both thigh and calf TcPO2 values showed a significant increase in all groups over the 14 days ischemia was induced (p less than 0.0001), but the two treatment groups exhibited a much more rapid rise in TcPO2 than the control group (p less than 0.0001). The capillaries per square millimeter and capillaries per muscle fiber ratios were significantly increased in all posttreatment measurements for all animals that received bFGF. The treatment groups with bFGF had a significant (p = 0.025) increase in thigh muscle viability compared with controls based on triphenyltetrazolium chloride reduction. Whereas there was evidence of muscle infarction in both the thighs of groups A and B, there was none in group C.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Bariatric surgery has emerged as an important tool in the fight against morbid obesity. However, reviewers have noted that there is a scarcity of long-term clinical surveillance data for bariatric surgery beyond 1-year follow-up and that a high percentage of patients are lost to follow-up, raising questions regarding the accuracy of current outcomes estimates. A meta-analysis of clinical reports providing bariatric surgery weight loss outcomes for morbidly obese patients was conducted over the period 2003-2007. Studies included were randomized controlled trials, nonrandomized controlled trials, and consecutive case series involving patients receiving either laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) or laparoscopic gastric bypass (LGB) surgery. Included studies involved n = 7,383 patients and were largely academic hospital-based (78.6%) and retrospective in design (71.4%). Weight loss outcome was defined by percent excess weight loss (%EWL). Composite estimates showed a significantly greater %EWL for LGB surgery (62.6%) compared to LAGB (49.4%). The superiority of LGB persisted at all three postsurgical time points examined (1, 2, and >3 years). Problems were identified regarding incomplete or suboptimal data reporting in many studies reviewed, and high patient attrition was evident at 2-year (49.8% LAGB, 75.2% LGB) and >3-year (82.6% LAGB, 89% LGB) end points. This meta-analysis confirms the superiority of LGB to LAGB in %EWL found in earlier studies. Although problems in study quality raised significant concerns regarding the validity of current weight loss estimates in this area, there was no evidence of publication bias.

Aims To determine whether glycemic control is improved when Motivational Interviewing (MI), a patient-centered behavior change strategy, is used with Diabetes Self Management Education (DSME) as compared to DSME alone. Methods Poorly controlled type 2 diabetes (T2DM) patients (n=234) were randomized into 4 groups: MI+DSME or DSME alone, with or without use of a computerized summary of patient self management barriers. We compared HbA1c changes between groups at 6 months and investigated mediators of HbA1c change. Results Study patients attended the majority of intervention visits (mean 3.4/4), but drop-out rate was high at follow-up research visits (35%). Multiple regression showed that groups receiving MI had a mean change in HbA1c that was significantly lower (less improved) than those not receiving MI (t=2.10; p=0.037). Mediators of HbA1c change for the total group were diabetes self-care behaviors and diabetes distress; no between-group differences were found. Conclusions DSME improved blood glucose control, underlining its benefit for T2DM management. However, MI+DSME was less effective than DSME alone. Overall, weak support was found for the clinical utility of MI in the management of T2DM delivered by diabetes educators.