Calorie restriction and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass have opposing effects on circulating FGF21 in morbidly obese subjects.

Objective: To study the effect of different weight loss strategies on levels of the metabolic regulator FGF21 in morbidly obese females with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Design: Observational intervention trial.

Patients And Measurements: Weight reduction was achieved by Gastric Banding (GB, n = 11) or Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB, n = 16) in subjects with NGT, and by RYGB (n = 15) or a very-low-calorie diet (VLCD, n = 12) in type 2 diabetics.

Autonomic nervous system activity in diabetic and healthy obese female subjects and the effect of distinct weight loss strategies.

Objective: Obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are reported to be associated with relative overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which is reversible by weight loss. However, direct effects of weight loss by calorie restriction vs Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) on SNS overactivity were not studied in parallel. This study compared the effects of RYGB vs restrictive weight loss in obese patients with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and with T2DM on SNS function as measured by heart rate variability (HRV).

Endoscopic corticosteroid injections do not reduce dysphagia after endoscopic dilation therapy in patients with benign esophagogastric anastomotic strictures.

Background & Aims: Benign anastomotic strictures are often difficult to treat. We assessed the efficacy of adding corticosteroid injections to endoscopic dilation therapy with Savary bougienage.

Methods: In a multicenter, double-blind trial, 60 patients (mean age, 63 ± 9 years; 78% male) with an untreated cervical anastomotic stricture after esophagectomy with gastric tube reconstruction and dysphagia for at least solid food were randomly assigned to groups given 4 quadrant injections of 0.