OBJECTIVEWe previously reported changes in food-cue neural reactivity associated with behavioral and surgical weight loss interventions. Resting functional connectivity represents tonic neural activity that may contribute to weight loss success. Here we explore whether intervention type is associated with differences in functional connectivity after weight loss.METHODSFifteen obese participants were recruited prior to adjustable gastric banding surgery. Thirteen demographically matched obese participants were selected from a separate behavioral diet intervention. Resting state fMRI was collected three months after surgery/behavioral intervention. ANOVA was used to examine post-weight loss differences between the two groups in connectivity to seed regions previously identified as showing differential cue-reactivity after weight loss.RESULTSFollowing weight loss, behavioral dieters exhibited increased connectivity between left precuneus/superior parietal lobule (SPL) and bilateral insula pre- to post-meal and bariatric patients exhibited decreased connectivity between these regions pre- to post-meal (pcorrected<.05).CONCLUSIONSBehavioral dieters showed increased connectivity pre- to post-meal between a region associated with processing of self-referent information (precuneus/SPL) and a region associated with interoception (insula) whereas bariatric patients showed decreased connectivity between these regions. This may reflect increased attention to hunger signals following surgical procedures, and increased attention to satiety signals following behavioral diet interventions.

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Effects of ischaemia-reperfusion injury (I\R) of liver on expression of rat glutathione S-transferase (rGST) isoenzymes that metabolize products of oxidative stress were examined. Rats underwent lobar liver ischaemia for 30 min followed by reperfusion. In ischaemic lobes, rGSTA1\A2 transcript levels increased significantly 12 h after I\R (2.94-fold) and protein levels increased significantly at 24 h (1.45-fold) ; increased transcript levels were also observed in nonischaemic lobes (1.78-fold). Superoxide dismutase prevented I\R and the increases in transcript and protein levels in ischaemic and non-ischaemic lobes.

Phenobarbital and other xenobiotics induce drug-metabolizing enzymes, including glutathione S-transferase A1/A2 (rGSTA1/A2). We examined the mechanism of induction of rGSTA1/A2 in rat livers after phenobarbital treatment. The induction of rGSTA1/A2 was not uniform across the hepatic lobule; steady-state transcript levels were threefold higher in perivenous hepatocytes relative to periportal hepatocytes when examined by in situ hybridization 12 h after a single dose of phenobarbital. Administration of a second dose of phenobarbital 12 or 24 h after the first dose did not equalize the induction of rGSTA1/A2 across the lobule. The transcriptional activity of the rGSTA1/A2 gene was increased 3.5- to 5.5-fold in whole liver by phenobarbital, but activities were the same in enriched periportal and perivenous subpopulations of hepatocytes from phenobarbital-treated animals. The half-life of rGSTA1/A2 mRNA in control animals was 3.6 h, whereas it was 10.2 h in phenobarbital-treated animals. We conclude that phenobarbital induces rGSTA1/A2 expression by increasing transcriptional activity across the lobule but induction of rGSTA1/A2 is greater in perivenous hepatocytes due to localized stabilization of mRNA transcripts.

ObjectiveThe authors demonstrate the feasibility of converting failed transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) to distal splenorenal shunt (DSRS) in patients with good hepatic reserve for long-term control of variceal bleeding. Summary Background DataTIPS is an effective method for decompressing the portal venous system and controlling bleeding from esophageal and gastric varices. TIPS insufficiency is, however, a common problem, and treatment alternatives in patients with an occluded TIPS are limited because most have already failed endoscopic therapy. MethodsThe records of five patients who underwent conversion from TIPS to DSRS because of TIPS failure or complication in the past 36 months were reviewed.