Immunonutrition for patients undergoing surgery for head and neck cancer.

Background: Patients with head and neck cancer are often malnourished. Surgery for such cancers is complex and may be undertaken after a course of radiotherapy. As a result, patients may have postoperative complications such as fistulae and wound infections, as well as more generalised infections such as pneumonia.

Protocol for the systematic review of the reporting of transoral robotic surgery.

Introduction: Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) has been adopted in some parts of the world as an innovative approach to the resection of oropharyngeal tumours. The development, details and outcomes of early-to-later phase evaluation of this technique and the quality of evidence to support its adoption into practice have hitherto not been summarised. The aim of this review is to identify and summarise the early and later phase studies of, and evidence for, TORS and to understand how early phase studies report intervention development, governance procedures and selection and reporting of outcomes to optimise methods for using the Idea, Development, Exploration, Assessment, Long-term follow-up (IDEAL) framework for surgical innovation that informs evidence-based practice.

A Comparison of Health Professionals' and Patients' Views of the Importance of Outcomes of Bariatric Surgery.

Background: A comprehensive evaluation of bariatric surgery is required to inform decision-making. This will include measures of benefit and risk. It is possible that stakeholders involved with surgery value these outcomes differently, although this has not previously been explored.

What are important outcomes of bariatric surgery? An in-depth analysis to inform the development of a core outcome set and a comparison between the views of surgeons and other health professionals (the BARIACT study).

Background: Outcome reporting in bariatric surgery needs uniformity. A core outcome set is an agreed minimum set of outcomes reported in all studies of a particular condition, but members of the bariatric multidisciplinary team might value outcomes differently. The aim of this study was to summarise existing outcome reporting in bariatric surgery, to inform the development of a core outcome set, and to compare outcomes selected as important by type of health professional.

The role of bariatric surgery in the treatment of diabetes.

The obesity epidemic contributes to approximately 44% of the world's type 2 diabetes burden. Bariatric surgery is an effective treatment for type 2 diabetes mellitus in patients with morbid obesity as it improves glycaemia, blood pressure, lipids and inflammation. This review describes the evidence supporting the addition of bariatric surgery to the treatment algorithms used by diabetologists.

Obesity surgery smartphone apps: a review.

Background: The purpose of this study are to review available smartphone applications ('apps') relating to weight loss surgery, and assess the level of medical professional involvement in their design

Methods: Smartphone apps relating to weight loss surgery were identified by searching the three app stores: Apple's App Store, Google Play (Android) and Blackberry AppWorld. A data search was undertaken using keywords and phrases relating to weight loss surgery. Apps designed for the non-surgical treatment of obesity were excluded.

Betel quid not containing tobacco and oral leukoplakia: a report on a cross-sectional study in Papua New Guinea and a meta-analysis of current evidence.

Leukoplakia is an asymptomatic, potentially malignant change in the oral mucosa. Previous studies have reported that smoking and betel quid chewing are associated with increased risk of leukoplakia; few studies have reported on these associations in populations where betel quid does not contain tobacco. We conducted a case-control study nested in a cross-sectional study in Papua New Guinea and a systematic review of studies that included chewers of betel quid without tobacco.