Primary experience of bariatric surgery in a newly established private obesity center.

Objectives: To assess the outcomes of different types of bariatric surgeries in a single newly established private obesity center.

Methods: Retrospectively, we included patients who were entered in the registry for bariatric surgeries in the Obesity Unit, Riyadh National Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between January 2013 and September 2014, and completed one year of follow up. Baseline characteristics, percent excess weight loss, and safety data were collected and analyzed.

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration in patients with psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis and its association with disease activity and serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha.

Objective: To assess vitamin D status in psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and to study whether it was associated with disease activity, inflammatory markers, and serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α).

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Riyadh National Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between March and September 2012. It included 43 patients with plaque psoriasis, 55 RA patients and 40 healthy controls matched for age.