Many risk factors are encountered during the pathogenesis of epilepsy. In this study, the effect of seizure frequency on free radical generation and antioxidants levels in epileptic patients was evaluated. This study was carried out on 15 healthy controls (GI) and 60 epileptic patients treated with mono- or poly-therapy of carbamazepine, valproic acid, or phenytoin. The treated epileptic patients were divided into 2 main groups according to the seizure frequency: controlled seizure patients GII (n = 30) and uncontrolled seizure patients GIII (n = 30). GII included the GIIA subgroup (n = 15) which had been seizure free for more than 12 months and the GIIB subgroup (n = 15) which had been seizure free for a period from 6 to12 months. GIII included GIIIA (n = 15) and GIIIB (n = 15) for patients which had a seizure frequency of less than and more than four times/month, respectively. In comparison to the control group (GI), the levels of nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde/creatinine ratio were significantly increased in GIIB, GIIIA, and GIIIB, while vitamins A and E levels were significantly decreased in GIIIB. Serum NO levels had significant negative correlations with serum vitamin E in the GIIA and GIIB groups, and with vitamin A in the GIIIA and GIIIB groups. However, serum NO had positive correlation with urinary MDA/Cr ratio. The imbalance between free radical generation and antioxidant system in epileptic patients may be a factor in seizure frequency.

The present large scale study aimed to assess the prevalence and consequences of malnutrition, based on clinical assessment (body mass index and preoperative weight loss) and severe hypoalbuminemia (<3.1 g/L), in a representative US cohort undergoing IBD surgery. The American College of Surgeons National Quality improvement program (ACS-NSQIP) Public User Files (PUF) between 2005 and 2018 were assessed. A total of 25,431 patients were identified. Of those, 6560 (25.8%) patients had severe hypoalbuminemia, 380 (1.5%) patients met ESPEN 2 criteria (≥10% weight loss over 6 months PLUS BMI < 20 kg/m2 in patients <70 years OR BMI < 22 kg/m2 in patients ≥70 years), and 671 (2.6%) patients met both criteria (severe hypoalbuminemia and ESPEN 2). Patients who presented with malnutrition according to any of the three definitions had higher rates of overall, minor, major, surgical, and medical complications, longer LOS, higher mortality and higher rates of readmission and reoperation. The simple clinical assessment of malnutrition based on BMI and weight loss only, considerably underestimates its true prevalence of up to 50% in surgical IBD patients and calls for dedicated nutritional assessment.

Background There is controversy regarding the postoperative outcomes in Crohn’sdisease (CD) patients exposed to Vedolizumab (VDZ) or Ustekinumab (UST). We aimed to describe our surgical outcomes in patients who underwent minimally invasive ileocolonic resection (MIS-ICR) for CD who had preoperative biologic therapy. Methods All consecutive adult patients who had MIS-ICR for CD between 2014 and 2021 at our institution were included. Patients were divided into four groups: VDZ, UST, anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF), and no biologic group. Timing between the last dose of biologics and surgery was per surgeon’s discretion. The primary outcome was intraabdominal septic complications. Secondary outcomes included all thirty-day complications. Results A total of 274 patients were identified. Of these, 113 (41.2%) patients had received anti-TNF, 52 (19%) had received UST, and 19 (7%) had received VDZ. There was no difference between the four groups regarding baseline risk factors. There was no difference between the four groups regarding intraabdominal septic complications (4.4% for no biologic, 5.3% for anti-TNF, 5.8% for UST, and 5.3% for VDZ; p=0.987), surgical site infection rate, overall 30-day morbidity, overall 30-day readmission, overall surgical and medical complications, urinary tract infection, pulmonary infections and length of stay. Those results were consistent after a subgroup analysis based on complexity of the disease. Conclusion This retrospective analysis demonstrates an equivalent postoperative safety profile for patients treated with preoperative anti-TNF, VDZ, UST versus no biologic therapy within three months of MIS-ICR for Crohn’s disease. Preoperative biologic therapy may not increase complications after minimally invasive ileocolonic resection in Crohn’s disease. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm results.