Surujpal Teelucksingh

Bariatric Surgery in the Management of Childhood Obesity: Should There be an Age Limit?

We report a case of a 6-year-old girl suffering from morbid obesity, Blount`s disease, and significant social and functional impairment who underwent a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. One year later, she has shown remarkable improvement in all aspects of her health emphasizing the success of the procedure. A follow-up laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or biliopancreatic diversion (BPD) are options if she regains weight as she gets older. This case is noteworthy for several reasons. The age of the patient is younger than any currently on record who has had this treatment. Additionally, the utilization of a sleeve gastrectomy as a first-step procedure, to be followed by Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or BPD, remains a novel treatment for morbid obesity in a pediatric population.

Medical and surgical interventions to improve outcomes in obese women planning for pregnancy

Obesity is a known risk factor for infertility in women. The exact mechanism through which obesity is linked to infertility is still not fully understood. Hyperleptinaemia, hyperinsulinaemia and resultant hyperandrogenism are all thought to play a role. Various medical and surgical interventions have been attempted to improve fertility rates in obese women. Encouraging evidence for pharmacotherapy, bariatric surgery and assisted reproduction are yet to be seen. In this chapter, we review the hormonal changes in obesity and the evidence behind medical and surgical interventions to improve fertility in obese women.

Using the Kinect for detecting tremors: Challenges and opportunities

The Kinect sensor is an attachment for the Xbox gaming console which allows players to interact with games through body movement. This paper explores the possibility of using the Kinect in a clinical setting for detection of Parkinsons, postural, flapping, titubation and voice tremors. All of the physical tremors were simulated and the ability of the Kinect to capture them was evaluated. The Kinect was also used to record voice data from real voice tremors patients. Physical and voice data were gathered from healthy persons for comparison. The results showed that the Kinect could reliably detect voice, postural and Parkinsons tremors. A very consistent graph could be obtained repeatedly for both Parkinsons and postural tremors. For voice tremors there was also a consistent pattern that differentiated a normal voice from one with a tremor. We have therefore proven that the Kinect can consistently record Parkinsons, postural and voice tremors.

Prevalence of self-reported diabetes, hypertension and heart disease in individuals seeking State funding in Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies

Objective: Diabetes, hypertension and heart disease inflict a heavy health burden on the Caribbean Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. This study assessed the prevalence of self- reported diabetes, hypertension and heart disease in lower socioeconomically placed individuals accessing welfare grants. Method: Data collected between July 2008 and June 2009 were analyzed from 14,793 responses. The survey sought information on education, average monthly income, health, housing, and household facilities. Results: Self-reported disease prevalence was 19.5% (95% CI: 18.9–20.2) for diabetes mellitus; 30.2% (95% CI: 29.5–30.9) for hypertension; and 8.2% (95% CI: 7.7–8.6) for cardiac disease. Diabetes and cardiac disease had equivalent gender frequency; hypertension was more prevalent in women (p < .001). Disease prevalence was highest in Indo-Trinidadians, married and divorced subjects, non-Christians and increased with age. Those with primary education alone were at greatest risk. Conclusion: Trinidad and Tobago have a high prevalence of hypertension, diabetes and heart disease. Hypertension showed gender specificity in women. Prevalence was highest in Indo-Trinidadians, increased with age, and primary education alone was a risk factor. Interventions to arrest the high prevalence of chronic non-communicable diseases to promote wellness are needed in Trinidad and Tobago.

Screening for diabetes in schoolchildren in Trinidad, West Indies

Abstract Background: Although the epidemic of diabetes in adults is well established and documented, information on the epidemiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in children and adolescents in Trinidad and Tobago is limited. Anecdotal reports suggest an increase in children and especially adolescents with T2DM amongst clinic attendees. Objective: To assess the prevalence of diabetes mellitus in schoolchildren screened by mass urinary testing in Trinidad and to determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of this screening method. Design and Methods: During January to June 2009, a cross-sectional survey was undertaken in schoolchildren aged 5–17 years, in the island of Trinidad only. Children were instructed to collect an early-morning, pre-breakfast urine sample at home and to bring it to school for testing for glycosuria. Those with an initially positive result underwent a second urine test. Those with two consecutively positive urine tests were invited to undertake an oral glucose tolerance test. Results: 67,000 (53·6%) children from a school-age population of 125,000 were screened. Twenty-three were found to have persistent glycosuria and 21 agreed to undergo an oral glucose tolerance test. Eight fulfilled the American Diabetes Association’s criteria for diabetes and five for pre-diabetes. Of the eight with confirmed diabetes (aged 7–18 years), one (male, age 12 years) was slim and ketotic and required insulin for control. Of the other seven, five were overweight (three females, two males) with a BMI >85th per centile and two females were obese (BMI >95th per centile). Five children (four females, one male) aged 12–14 years were diagnosed as pre-diabetic. There is a prevalence of 10·4/100,000 schoolchildren with T2DM, and 7·5/100,000 with impaired glucose intolerance among schoolchildren in Trinidad. Urine screening had a positive predictive value (PPV) of 65% for detecting T2DM in schoolchildren. The cost of screening 67,000 children was US

Does insulin resistance co-exist with glucocorticoid resistance in the metabolic syndrome? Studies comparing skin sensitivity to glucocorticoids in individuals with and without acanthosis nigricans

55,080, a per capita cost of US

A cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence of obesity and other risk factors for type 2 diabetes among school children in Trinidad, West Indies

7000, representing a 63% saving. Conclusion: Despite the low PPV of urine glucose testing, our data support the view that mass screening of schoolchildren in Trinidad for T2DM is both feasible and cost-effective.

Metformin: an important tool for endocrinology in the West Indies. New tricks for an old drug

BackgroundThe metabolic syndrome is associated with increased risk for both diabetes and coronary artery disease, which insulin resistance alone does not satisfactorily explain. We propose an additional and complementary underlying mechanism of glucocorticoid resistance.ResultsUsing acanthosis nigricans (AN) and skin vasoconstrictor (SVC) response to topically applied beclomethasone dipropionate as markers of insulin and glucocorticoid resistance, respectively, we compared anthropometric, biochemical, pro-inflammatory markers and the SVC response in subjects with AN in two studies: STUDY 1 was used to compare subjects with AN (Grade 4, n = 32), with those without AN (n = 68) while STUDY 2 compared these responses among a cross-section of diabetic patients (n = 109) with varying grades of AN (grade 0, n = 30; grade 1, n = 24; grade 2, n = 18; grade 3, n = 25; grade 4, n = 12).FindingsIn both studies there was an inverse relationship between AN Grade 4 and the SVC response, (P < 0.001). In STUDY 1, AN Grade 4 was associated with age, waist circumference, BMI, fasting blood glucose, plasma lipids and hs-CRP (P < 0.05). SVC was an independent predictor of CRP and those with combined AN and a negative SVC response, CRP levels were highest. In Study 2 when the SVC response in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus with varying degrees of AN was studied, it showed that for any degree of AN, the SVC response is more likely to be negative and was independent of gender and ethnicity.ConclusionAn absent SVC response represents a new biomarker for the metabolic syndrome and the exaggerated inflammatory response, which characterizes the metabolic syndrome, may be an outcome of deficient glucocorticoid action in vascular tissue.

Acute pneumonitis secondary to subcutaneous silicone injection

Abstract Background: Our previous work has shown that type 2 diabetes mellitus is a problem in the school-aged population of Trinidad, West Indies. The current study evaluated the prevalence in this population of selected risk factors for diabetes, viz: obesity, family history of diabetes and acanthosis nigricans. Objective: To assess the prevalence of the following risk factors for type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in school children in Trinidad: obesity, family history of diabetes in first- or second-degree relatives and the presence of acanthosis nigricans (AN). Methods: A cross-sectional survey was performed among school children aged 7–18 years from September 2009 to June 2010. A convenience sample was selected from a random sample of 32 schools drawn from all educational districts. A self-administered questionnaire was employed to record family history, gender and ethnicity. AN was assessed and scored clinically at the neck and obesity was measured by anthropometry and bio-impedance. Results: There were 2130 participants in the study. Fifteen per cent were obese and 17% were overweight. Primary school children had a higher prevalence of obesity (22·9% vs 11·0%) and overweight (20·0% vs 15·6%) than secondary school children (P<0·05). A greater proportion of males than females had combined overweight/obesity as measured by BMI for age (35·8 vs 29·4%, P<0·05). The overall prevalence of AN was 43·4%. However, just over 18% of all school children have a degree of AN greater than grade 2, which clinically is readily recognisable. Females displayed this physical sign more commonly than males (P<0·05). The prevalences of a family history of diabetes in first- and second-degrees relatives were 11·0% and 1·1%, respectively. Forty-three per cent had one risk factor for diabetes, 23·1% had two and 2·9% had three. Conclusion: Risk factors for T2DM are very common among school children in Trinidad. More than 40% had at least one risk factor. Strategies aimed at reducing risk factors for T2DM, especially obesity, among Trinidadian school children are urgently warranted.

Restrictive pulmonary deficit is associated with inflammation in sub-optimally controlled obese diabetics

Against the backdrop of an obesity pandemic, comes an increasing prevalence of metabolic (e.g. type 2 diabetes mellitus) and reproductive abnormalities (e.g. polycystic ovarian syndrome) mediated by the phenomenon of insulin resistance. Metformin is an inexpensive and widely available drug which partly through an insulin sensitising action has an antidiabetic action with unique cardioprotective effects and which has value in preventing progression of pre-diabetes to diabetes. Despite mounting favourable data its role in polycystic ovarian syndrome remains unsettled. The recent finding for its safety and efficacy in gestational diabetes, however, will no doubt lift concerns over its use in women in the reproductive age group. One immediate result would be its earlier and greater therapeutic application in under-resourced environments where cost and emotional barriers to insulin exist.