ERCP in a cohort of 759 cases: A 6-year experience of a single tertiary centre in Libya.

Background And Study Aims: The aim of this study was to review the indications, findings, technical success, and outcomes of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) procedures in a large cohort of patients admitted to a single tertiary centre in Libya.

Patients And Methods: A total of 759 consecutive ERCP procedures were performed in 704 patients from January 2005 through December 2010 at the Endoscopy Unit of Central Hospital, Tripoli, Libya. The patients' demographic characteristics, clinical information, ERCP indications, laboratory parameters, and post-ERCP complications were reviewed.

Role of the SIK2-p35-PJA2 complex in pancreatic β-cell functional compensation.

Energy sensing by the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is of fundamental importance in cell biology. In the pancreatic β-cell, AMPK is a central regulator of insulin secretion. The capacity of the β-cell to increase insulin output is a critical compensatory mechanism in prediabetes, yet its molecular underpinnings are unclear.

Abdominal wall schwannoma: case report and review of the literature.

A 29-year-old female had presented to surgical outpatient's department complaining of lump in the anterior abdominal wall. Ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a solid degenerated tumor in the anterior abdominal wall. It was surgically excised, and histopathology confirmed it to be "ancient" schwannoma.

Periprosthetic bone remodeling after 12 years differs in cemented and uncemented hip arthroplasties.

Background: Different patterns of stress shielding may lead to differences in periprosthetic bone preservation around cemented and uncemented hips in the long term?

Questions/purposes: The purpose of this study is to compare the difference in periprosthetic bone density between cemented Charnley total hip and uncemented hydroxyapatite-coated Furlong THAs at a minimum followup of 12 years (mean, 16 years; range, 12-24 years).

Methods: We studied a cohort of 17 patients who had bilateral THAs with a cemented Charnley THA on one side and an uncemented Furlong hydroxyapatite-coated THA on the other side. At a minimum followup of 12 years, Harris and Oxford hip scores were used to determine the function, and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry was used to quantify bone mineral density adjacent to the prosthesis.

Right abdominal mass: keep an open mind.

Amebic colitis is common in tropics, usually presenting with variable and non-specific symptoms. Amebomas occur rarely, usually in cecum and ascending colon, when they can masquerade as colon carcinoma. This report describes the case of a 27-year-old male who presented with right abdominal mass.

Furlong hydroxyapatite-coated hip prosthesis vs the Charnley cemented hip prosthesis.

We report the results of a prospective trial comparing uncemented Furlong hydroxyapatite-coated total hip arthroplasty and cemented Charnley total hip arthroplasty. One hundred ninety-one patients were allocated into 2 groups depending on their year of birth. One group received a Furlong hydroxyapatite-coated total hip arthroplasty and the other group received a cemented Charnley total hip arthroplasty.

Acetabular version and long posterior wall cup in total hip replacement.

This study discusses the definition of operative, anatomic and radiographic acetabular anteversion and their effect on a long posterior wall cup. In this cadaveric study, anteversion was modelled radiographically with a Charnley double wire marker Long Posterior Wall (LPW) cup and the position of the long posterior wall was studied with relation to different anteversion angles, and also correlated with computer generated line diagrams of the acetabular cup. The position of a long posterior wall varies when different types of anteversion are applied.

Glucose controls CREB activity in islet cells via regulated phosphorylation of TORC2.

CREB is a cAMP- and calcium-responsive transcriptional activator that is required for islet beta cell proliferation and survival. Glucose and incretin hormones elicit beta cell insulin secretion and promote synergistic CREB activity by inducing the nuclear relocalization of TORC2 (also known as Crtc2), a coactivator for CREB. In islet cells under basal conditions when CREB activity is low, TORC2 is phosphorylated and sequestered in the cytoplasm by 14-3-3 proteins.

Reliability and validity of the subjective component of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society clinical rating scales.

This study evaluates the criterion validity of the subjective component of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) clinical rating scales by correlating scores obtained with these rating scales to scores obtained with the Foot Function Index (FFI) in patients with foot and ankle conditions. To date, the AOFAS scoring scales have not been shown to provide valid information despite their popularity. The FFI, on the other hand, has previously been shown to provide valid information in regard to conditions affecting the foot and ankle.

Mid term results of Furlong LOL uncemented hip hemiarthroplasty for fractures of the femoral neck.

We report the mid-term results of hemiarthroplasty with the Furlong hydroxyapatite coated bipolar prosthesis for displaced (Garden type III and IV) intracapsular hip fracture in 480 patients operated between 1989 and 2000. Three hundred sixty eight (77%) patients were lost to follow-up due to death, dementia or movement away from the area. In the patients followed up there was an 8% reoperation rate for infection, aseptic loosening, periprosthetic fracture and acetabular erosion.

[Comparison of the influence of ipratropium bromide and salbutamol on activity of phosphocreatine kinase (CK) and isoenzyme CK-MB].

The effect of salbutamol, a selective beta 2-adrenergic agonist versus ipratropium bromide anticholinergic agent on creatine kinase (CK) and creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB) activity in serum of 20 asthmatic patients was investigated. Twenty asthmatic subjects (12 males and 8 females) were studied. They were aged 45 +/- 5 years and had moderate airway obstruction FEV1 was 65 +/- 7 and FEV1% VC 64 +/- 6 of predicted value.