Eugeniusz Wroblewski

The Effect of Intragastric Balloon on Plasma Ghrelin, Leptin, and Adiponectin Levels in Patients with Morbid Obesity

CONTEXT Ghrelin and leptin are hormones regulating appetite and metabolic processes. Adiponectin plays an important role in the modulation of glucose and lipid metabolism. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to evaluate the levels of plasma ghrelin, leptin, and adiponectin in obese subjects treated with bioenterics intragastric balloon (BIB), low-calorie diet (1500 kcal), and physical exercise. DESIGN BIB was placed for 6 months in 21 subjects with body mass index 47.3 +/- 5.7. The control group consisted of 15 morbidly obese subjects treated with a low-calorie diet and physical effort. Plasma hormone levels were determined by RIA. RESULTS In the BIB group, the insertion of the balloon caused a considerable reduction in body mass over a 6-month period (17.1 +/- 8.0 kg) as compared with the control group (3.2 +/- 6.4 kg). After 1 month, the levels of ghrelin increased from 621.9 +/- 182.4 to 903.9 +/- 237 pg/ml and thereafter gradually decreased, reaching the starting level 3 months after the removal of the balloon. In the same group, the levels of leptin decreased from 61.3 +/- 36.7 to 39.9 +/- 17.5 ng/ml. In the control group, the corresponding levels of ghrelin and leptin remained relatively stable. During the observation period, in the BIB group, the levels of adiponectin remained unchanged as opposed to a transient increase noted in the control group. CONCLUSIONS In patients with morbid obesity, weight loss induced by BIB is associated with a decrease in plasma leptin and a transient elevation of plasma ghrelin. It is likely that the changes in hormones regulating the energy balance caused by BIB can prevent an increase in adiponectin level.

Seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in Polish children and adults depending on socioeconomic status and living conditions

PURPOSE Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is one of the causes of gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, gastric cancer and MALT-lymphoma. The frequency of H. pylori infection is different in various regions of the world and dependent on age, socioeconomic and hygiene status. The objective of this study was to assess seroprevalence and the associated socioeconomic and sociodemographic characteristics influencing H. pylori infection in children and adults in Polish population. MATERIAL/METHODS In multicenter epidemiological studies, H. pylori infection occurrence was assessed in Poland in the years 2002 and 2003. The seroprevalence of H. pylori infection diagnosis was based on IgG anti-H. pylori antibodies concentration above 24 UI/ml, which was measured using ELISA test. The study included 6565 subjects: 3307 adults (50.37%) and 3258 children (49.63%). RESULTS Positive result was observed in 3827 subjects (58.29%), i.e. 1043 children (32.01%) and 2784 adults (84.19%). H. pylori infection prevalence was greater in children of poor economic status, who were born in a rural area, lived in crowded houses with no running tap water and with toilet outside the house, and who did not observe hygiene rules. In adults, the factors predisposing to higher probability of being H. pylori infected included: being born in a rural area, having low family income and elementary education, smoking tobacco, drinking high proof alcohols as well as not observing of hygiene rules. CONCLUSIONS Improvement of socioeconomic status, sanitary and hygienic conditions and the education of the society might decrease H. pylori infection prevalence in children and in adults.

Endoscopic management of gastrointestinal perforations, leaks and fistulas

Gastrointestinal perforations, leaks and fistulas may be serious and life-threatening. The increasing number of endoscopic procedures with a high risk of perforation and the increasing incidence of leakage associated with bariatric operations call for a minimally invasive treatment for these complications. The therapeutic approach can vary greatly depending on the size, location, and timing of gastrointestinal wall defect recognition. Some asymptomatic patients can be treated conservatively, while patients with septic symptoms or cardio-pulmonary insufficiency may require intensive care and urgent surgical treatment. However, most gastrointestinal wall defects can be satisfactorily treated by endoscopy. Although the initial endoscopic closure rates of chronic fistulas is very high, the long-term results of these treatments remain a clinical problem. The efficacy of endoscopic therapy depends on several factors and the best mode of treatment will depend on a precise localization of the site, the extent of the leak and the endoscopic appearance of the lesion. Many endoscopic tools for effective closure of gastrointestinal wall defects are currently available. In this review, we summarized the basic principles of the management of acute iatrogenic perforations, as well as of postoperative leaks and chronic fistulas of the gastrointestinal tract. We also described the effectiveness of various endoscopic methods based on current research and our experience.

Variation in blood levels of hormones in obese patients following weight reduction induced by endoscopic and surgical bariatric therapies.

BACKGROUND Beneficial clinical effects of weight reduction following bariatric therapies is not fully understood and maybe related to the complex interactions between leptin, adiponectin, visfatin, omentin, and ghrelin. The aim of study was to investigate their timeline changes associated with weight reduction and their profile in relation to the type of treatment and its efficacy. METHODS Circulating hormones levels were analyzed before and after endoscopic and surgical procedures in 67 obese patients and compared to non-obese healthy controls. RESULTS Obese patients had higher leptin levels and lower levels of adiponectin, visfatin, omentin, and ghrelin than non-obese controls. During the consecutive follow-up visits after treatment, there was a gradual decrease in leptin levels and an increase in adiponectin levels to the levels observed in non-obese. At 50-54weeks, the ghrelin levels were lower and the levels of adiponectin and visfatin, but not omentin, were higher compared to their baseline values. BMI correlated with ghrelin and leptin levels. The percentage of total weight loss correlated positively with adiponectin levels and negatively with leptin levels. Patients with adequate weight loss had a significantly lower leptin concentration than those with treatment failure. There were timeline variations in hormone levels between endoscopic and bariatric therapies, however there were no significant differences in the median their concentration at 50-54weeks after therapy. CONCLUSION Our study supports observations that weight loss itself, rather than the procedure type, is responsible for hormonal variation. The leptin levels reflect the best the body weight changes after bariatric therapies.

Complications after laparoscopic gastric banding in own material.

Introduction Complications after bariatric procedures are the most difficult to diagnose among all complications in abdominal surgery. Furthermore, they are extremely difficult to treat conservatively and surgically. Laparoscopic treatment of complications after bariatric procedures requires great skills. Complications after laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) are remarkably diverse. Aim Presentation of complications after LAGB in our own material. Material and methods From 2005 to 2010, in the 1st Department of General and Endocrine Surgery, in 110 patients adjustable gastric banding was applied. All procedures were conducted laparoscopically. The group consisted of 76 women (69.1%) and 34 men (30.9%). The average age of women was 37.7 ±13.80 years old. The average age of men was 38.9 ±11.50 years old. The average body mass was 128.5 ±24.35 kg for women and 125.4 ±23.60 kg for men. The average body mass index (BMI) for women was 44.08 ±3.03 kg/m2 and for men 43.66 ±2.90 kg/m2. The average waist circumference was 113.5 ±12.75 cm in women and for men it was 124.40 ±14.8 cm. Results In the analysed material, which consisted of 110 patients after LAGB, 36% developed at least 1 complication. Among early complications, injury of diaphragm, pneumothorax, pleural empyema, gastric perforation and thrombophlebitis were observed. Among late complications, oesophagitis, infections around the port, migration of the gastric band into the gastric lumen, band slippage, vomiting and lack of body mass loss were observed. The most common reasons for the removal of the band were band slippage, its migration to the gastric lumen and extension of the gastric reservoir. Conclusions The LAGB is a relatively easy procedure with a short time of performance and short hospitalization. However, it can bring the risk of intraoperative, perioperative and late complications which require surgical intervention. The present research results are comparable to world data. Complications after LAGB were observed the most frequently in the first years of application of the procedure.

Beneficial effect of iloprost on the course of acute taurocholate pancreatitis in rats and its limitation by antecedent acute ethanol intake.

The effects of stable prostacyclin analogue iloprost on the trypsinogen activation, labilization of lysosomal membranes, lipolytic enzymes activities, histopathological and ultrastructural changes in the pancreas of rats with severe, taurocholate acute pancreatitis (AP), preceded for 6 h by acute ethanol intake have been investigated. Iloprost (1 microg/kg b.w., i.p.) was applied every 6 hours after inducing of taurocholate AP. The antecedent intragastric 40% ethanol intake (5 g/kg b.w.) increased an index of trypsinogen activation in AP lasting 18 h. Treatment with iloprost prevented this increase in the rats with AP given earlier alcohol, and limited the labilization of lysosomal membranes in nonalcoholized rats with AP. Phospholipase A2 and lipase activities were reduced by iloprost only in the rats not given ethanol. The additional damaging effect of acute ethanol abuse prior to AP could be dependent on augmented activation of trypsinogen. The protective effect of iloprost in AP seems to be dependent on the attenuation of trypsinogen activation, decrease of total potential trypsin and the decrease of lysosomal membranes labilization. Its protective effect could be limited in taurocholate acute pancreatitis preceded by acute ethanol intake as evidenced by the differences in the cathepsin B, phospholipase A2 and lipase activities and by histopathological and ultrastructural examination.

Does Antecedent Ethanol Intake Affect Course of Taurocholate Pancreatitis in Rats

The pathogenic role of acute ethanol abuse inacute pancreatitis (AP) is still obscure. The aim of thestudy was to evaluate the effect of antecedent intake ofa high dose of 40% ethanol (5 g/kg body wt.), on trypsinogen activation, pancreatic lysosomalmembrane labilization, and activities of phospholipaseA2 and lipase in taurocholate AP in rats. In80 male Wistar rats, AP or sham operation (SO) wasproduced 6 hr after intragastric saline (S) or ethanol(E) administration, and animals were sacrificed after 6,12, and 18 hr. Free active trypsin (FAT) and totalpotential trypsin (TPT) were assayed in the pancreatic homogenate. Percentage free activity (%F/T) ofcathepsin B was determined as an index of lysosomalmembrane fragility. The most evident activation oftrypsin occured at 6 hr AP (11.6% of TPT in S group and 16.4% in E group). Antecedent ethanolincreased FAT 18 hr after SO from 0.105 0.048 μg/gprotein to 0.258 ± 0.054 and AP lasting 18 hrfrom 0.331 ± 0.072 to 0.695 ± 0.110. The%F/T of cathepsin B was highest at 18 hr of AP, suggesting maximal labilizationof lysosomal membranes at this time. This labilizationoccurred earlier (at 12 hr of AP) in E group. Theincreasing effect of antecedent E on lipolytic enzymes was evident after 6 hr of AP. In conclusion,the antecedent intake of high dose of ethanolsignificantly promoted the conversion of trypsinogen totrypsin in taurocholate acute pancreatitis, whereas its additional effect toward labilization ofpancreatic lysosomal membranes and the increase oflipolytic enzymes activities was less evident.Therefore, the promoting impact of acute ethanol intakein the development of acute pancreatitis could bemainly dependent on its increasing effect on trypsinogenactivation.

Hepatic mitochondrial and lysosomal alterations in acute experimental pancreatitis with ethanolic coetiology in rats

In order to assess the cumulative effects of antecedent acute ethanol intake and acute pancreatitis on the liver, the mitochondrial respiratory functions and lysosomal membrane integrity of the liver were evaluated in taurocholate pancreatitis (AP) in rats, induced 6 hr after intragastric ethanol 40% (5 g/kg body wt). The oxygen consumption rate. RCR (respiratory control ratio), and ADP/O ratio were measured according to Estabrook. Fractional free activity of lysosomal hydrolases was assayed. RCR with glutamate+malate was most decreased at 12 hr of AP with partial improvement after 18 hr. The ADP/O ratio dropped maximally after 18 hr of AP. The fragility of lysosomal membranes increased significantly at 18 hr of AP. The antecedent ethanol intake abolished the partial restoration of RCR after 18 hr; however, it did not affect the ADP/O ratio or the integrity of lysosomal membranes impaired in AP at this time. In conclusion, the antecedent acute ethanol abuse could aggravate the liver mitochondrial deterioration, but not the lysosomal membrane labilization seen in AP.

The effect of endothelin-1 receptor antagonists in acute experimental pancreatitis in the rats

The relative role of endothelin-1 receptors, ET(A) and ET(B) blockade in acute pancreatitis (AP) remains controversial. The aim of the study was to compare the effect of nonselective ET(A/B) antagonist (LU 302872) and selective ET(A)antagonist (LU 302146) in severe taurocholate AP in rats. Male Wistar rats with AP were treated with increasing doses: 1, 5 or 10 mg/kg b.w. of antagonists i.p. at 0, 6, 12, 18 h after induction of AP. In 24 h survivors, free active trypsin (FAT) and total potential trypsin (TPT), chymotrypsin and lipase in 12,000 x g supernatants of the pancreases were assayed. The index of trypsinogen activation (% FAT/TPT) was elevated in untreated AP to 29.2 +/- 5.0 vs 5.4 +/- 0.9 in the control (p < 0.001). ET(A/B) antagonist at increasing doses, diminished this index to 9.8 +/- 2.7, 10.3 +/- 1.6 and 10.1 +/- 2.0 respectively (p < 0.005). ET(A) antagonist reduced % FAT/TPT ratio to 10.6 +/- 1.9 (p < 0.005), 13.4 +/- 0.5 (p < 0.001) and 10.2 +/- 2.4 (p < 0.005) at respective doses. Both antagonists to a similar degree reduced the histological scores of inflammation, hemorrhages and necrosis. The increase in chymotrypsin and lipase activities after 24 h was not significant. In conclusion, both nonselective ET(A/B) and selective ET(A) antagonists attenuated to similar degree the augmented trypsinogen activation and pancreatic injury in taurocholate acute experimental pancreatitis in rats. Endothelin-1 receptor antagonists could be beneficial in the course of acute pancreatitis by the attenuation of trypsinogen activation.

Effects of different omeprazole dosing on gastric pH in non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding: A randomized prospective study.

We aimed to identify the best method of omeprazole (OME) application with respect to intragastric pH, cytochrome P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) genotype and phenotype.