Safety and Effectiveness of Two Different Fluid-Filled Intragastric Balloons: A Single Center Experience.

Objective: The aim of the study is to compare weight loss and safety outcomes of two different commonly available fluid-filled intragastric balloons (IGBs) used for weight loss.

Method: A retrospective cohort study of a prospectively maintained database of adult patients who underwent IGB insertion between July 2020 and November 2021 in a single private clinic in Kuwait. The patient either received the Elipse™ or Orbera365™ balloon and was followed until the end of treatment.

Effect of Dual Glucagon-Like Peptide 1/Glucose-Dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide Receptor Agonist (Tirzepatide) versus Bariatric Surgery on Weight Loss and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Objectives: Bariatric surgery is a well-established treatment for obesity and type 2 diabetes. Tirzepatide, a dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist, has emerged as a promising therapy for type 2 diabetes. This study aimed to compare the effects of bariatric surgery, semaglutide (a GLP-1 receptor agonist), and tirzepatide in Sprague-Dawley rats fed a high-fat diet.

Semaglutide and Tirzepatide for the Management of Weight Recurrence After Sleeve Gastrectomy: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) is the most effective treatment for obesity and improvement of obesity-associated comorbidities. However, a proportion of these patients may suffer from weight recurrence and recurrence of obesity-associated comorbidities.

Method: A retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent SG between January 2008 and August 2022 and sought treatment for weight recurrence with semaglutide or tirzepetide from January 2022 onwards.

Effectiveness and tolerability of liraglutide for the management of weight regain following sleeve gastrectomy.

Background: There is currently very little research evidence on the benefits and safety of liraglutide in the management of weight regain or inadequate weight loss following metabolic and bariatric surgery. This study aimed to determine the clinical effectiveness and tolerability of liraglutide as an adjunct therapy for managing weight regain and inadequate weight loss following sleeve gastrectomy (SG).

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of medical records conducted at a private clinic in Kuwait.

Increased Glucagon Immunoreactivity in a Rat Model of Diet-induced Obesity following Sleeve Gastrectomy.

Objective: Bariatric surgery is currently the most effective treatment for obesity, and procedures such as Roux-en Y gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy (SG) also result in rapid improvements in insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance. In addition, these procedures cause changes in the secretion of various gut-derived hormones. The role these hormones play in the mechanism of the beneficial effects of bariatric surgery is still debated, but nonetheless, their importance provides inspiration for novel obesity-targeted pharmacotherapies.

Changes in the expression of meteorin-like (METRNL), irisin (FNDC5), and uncoupling proteins (UCPs) after bariatric surgery.

Objective: Bariatric surgery is currently the most effective treatment for severe obesity. This study aims to investigate the changes in expression levels of meteorin-like protein (METRNL), irisin (FNDC5), and uncoupling proteins (UCP) 1/2/3 following bariatric surgery to understand their involvement in enhancing metabolism after surgery.

Method: A total of 40 participants were enrolled in this interventional study, 20 with obesity BMI ≥ 35 kg/m and 20 with BMI ≤ 25 kg/m .

Association Between Factors Involved in Bone Remodeling (Osteoactivin and OPG) With Plasma Levels of Irisin and Meteorin-Like Protein in People With T2D and Obesity.

The musculoskeletal system consisting of bones and muscles have been recognized as endocrine organs secreting hormones that are involved in regulating metabolic and inflammatory pathways. Obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are associated with several musculoskeletal system complications. We hypothesized that an interaction exists between adipomyokines namely, irisin and METRNL, and various molecules involved in bone remodeling in individuals with obesity and T2D.

Effect of sleeve gastrectomy on the expression of meteorin-like (METRNL) and Irisin (FNDC5) in muscle and brown adipose tissue and its impact on uncoupling proteins in diet-induced obesity rats.

Background: Bariatric surgery is well established as a treatment for obesity and associated complications. This procedure improves metabolic homeostasis through changes in energy expenditure. We hypothesized that sleeve gastrectomy (SG) improves metabolic homeostasis by modulating energy expenditure and enhancing thermogenesis through increasing the expression level of meteorin-like protein (METRNL) and fibronectin type III domain-containing protein 5 (FNDC5/Irisin) through uncoupling proteins 1/2/3 (UCP1, UCP2, and UCP3).

Education and epilepsy: Examples of good practice and cooperation. Report of the IBE Commission on Education.

Education for patients, for families, for professionals, and for officials is one of the most important tools for improving knowledge about epilepsy and fighting discrimination. There are many educational initiatives worldwide, but they are often known only at a local level. Studies on epilepsy educational programs are rare and therefore published to a limited extent.

Instruction manual for the ILAE 2017 operational classification of seizure types.

This companion paper to the introduction of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) 2017 classification of seizure types provides guidance on how to employ the classification. Illustration of the classification is enacted by tables, a glossary of relevant terms, mapping of old to new terms, suggested abbreviations, and examples. Basic and extended versions of the classification are available, depending on the desired degree of detail.

The HemoScreen, a novel haematology analyser for the point of care.

Background And Aims: A haematology analyser, based on a new technology, is presented herein. The analyser that provides a complete blood count (CBC) and five-part differential accepts disposable cartridges containing all required reagents, making it maintenance-free and ideal for point-of-care (POC) settings. The test reproducibility and imperviousness to analytical errors are attributed to the imaging-based analysis employed.

Platelets: the few, the young, and the active.

Many modern automated cell counters in high-volume clinical hematology laboratories use new, improved technologies for routine platelet analysis. The latest progress includes the use of state-of-the art information technology, specific fluorescent dyes, and monoclonal antibodies to obtain more reliable platelet counts. This information allows the accurate and precise enumeration of platelets even in thrombocytopenic patients and the reporting of novel platelet parameters.

Malaria trends and challenges in the Greater Mekong Subregion.

This report provides an overview of the epidemiological patterns of malaria in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) from 1998 to 2007, and highlights critical challenges facing national malaria control programs and partners in effort to build on their successes as they move towards malaria pre-elimination and elimination as a programmatic goal. Epidemiological data provided by malaria programs show a drastic decline in malaria deaths and confirmed malaria positive cases over the last 10 years in the GMS. More than half of confirmed malaria cases and deaths recorded in the GMS occur in Myanmar, however, reporting methods and data management are not comparable between countries despite effort made by WHO to harmonize data collection, analysis and reporting among WHO Member States.

Why do case studies on national health research systems matter?: identifying common challenges in low- and middle-income countries.

Since health research has become increasingly acknowledged as an important tool for development, many approaches have been undertaken to understand national health research from a systems perspective. This paper reviews 28 case studies that describe or analyse health research systems in 26 low- and middle-income countries. These case studies were sponsored either by the Council on Health Research for Development or the South-East Asia Regional Office of the World Health Organization.

Importance of health research in South Asia.

South Asian countries face similar health problems and would benefit from collaboration in health research