Preventing heart attacks and strokes in type 2 diabetes patients managed in primary care should be an urgent priority, according to the study, ‘Half of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus are at very high cardiovascular risk according to the 2019 ESC/EASD categories: data from a large Mediterranean population’, published on World Diabetes Day in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

A single-blind, sham procedure randomised trial of transcatheter bariatric embolotherapy (TBE) of the left gastric artery (LGA) in patients with obesity has shown that the procedure is well-tolerated and resulted in effective weight loss at six-month follow-up, compared with the sham control, and the weight loss was sustained at 12 months.

Providing support to help people with prediabetes make small changes to their lifestyle, diet and physical activity can almost halve the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according the results of the Norfolk Diabetes Prevention Study (NDPS) the largest diabetes prevention research study in the world in the last 30 years.

Allurion Technologies has announced new clinical data from two studies on the Elipse Balloon at ObesityWeek 2020. The Allurion Program features the Elipse Balloon, the world’s first and only procedureless weight loss device. The balloon is designed to remain in the stomach for four months and is paired with a Bluetooth connected scale and Allurion smartphone app and a supervised nutritional programme.

The LINX Reflux Management System provides effective long-term control of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and eliminates the need for daily reflux medications in 79% of patients according to the study, ‘Six to 12-year outcomes of magnetic sphincter augmentation (MSA) for gastroesophageal reflux disease’, published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports.

On 29th September 2020, the International Bariatric Club (IBC) hosted the 16th iteration in its series of IBC ‘Oxford Hot Topics in Surgery’ webinars, entitled ‘Banded sleeve gastrectomy - Is there a method to this madness?’. The webinar featured presentations from world renowned experts in banded sleeve gastrectomy including Professors Phil Schauer (USA) and Jodok Fink (Germany), and Dr Paolo Gentileschi (Italy), as well as a video presentation by Dr Mohit Bhandari (India).

The standard approach of assessing long-term risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) works just as well for patients who are overweight as they do for patients at an optimal weight, according to a study by researchers from Yale and published in the JAMA Network Open.

Kidney transplants are frequently denied to patients with obesity, partly due to an increased risk of surgical complications, particularly infections. Now surgeons at University of Illinois Chicago Heath who have pioneered the use of robotic-assisted surgery has shown that robotic-assisted kidney transplant and bariatric surgery can be performed safely to successfully reduce surgical complications.

Reducing the level of body fat and waist size are linked to a lower risk of heart failure in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a study led by UT Southwestern researchers. The findings, published in Circulation, suggest that all weight loss is not equal when it comes to mitigating the risk of heart disease.

Scientists from Indiana University School of Medicine, the University of Michigan and Case Western Reserve University have found that insulin has met an evolutionary cul-de-sac, limiting its ability to adapt to obesity and thereby rendering most people vulnerable to type 2 diabetes.

Synlogic has treated the first healthy volunteer in its Phase 1 study of the investigational Synthetic Biotic medicine SYNB8802 for the treatment of Enteric Hyperoxaluria (HOX). Enteric Hyperoxaluria is an acquired metabolic disorder caused by increased absorption of dietary oxalate, which is present in many healthy foods, making it almost impossible to control with diet alone.

MediSmart Technologies has announced the international launch of a new specialist bariatric range offering dynamic air mattresses, integrated hybrids, embedded hybrids, seating options and the ultra-low Bariatric Microcell Companion air mattress (this mattress can be retrofitted onto riser recliners).

The new bariatric range includes:

University of Oxford researchers have discovered that obesity can increase the chances of developing kidney disease. Funded by Kidney Research UK and the Medical Research Council, this study has found that fat all over the body increases risk, not just fat around the middle (abdominal fat) and suggests controlling weight could be a new way to manage kidney disease risk. This study, ‘Conventional and Genetic Evidence on the Association between Adiposity and CKD’, was published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

GI Windows Medical’s self-forming magnetic compression anastomosis device indicated for small bowel end to end anastomosis for ileostomy reversal or tissue resection, has been granted Breakthrough Device Designation by the FDA.

Timely post-operative lifestyle intervention could be useful for bariatric patients in helping them enhance and maintain better outcomes after bariatric surgery, according to researchers from the Evangelical Hospital ‘Villa Betania’ and the University of Naples ‘Parthenope’, in Naples, Italy. Specifically, they state that a multidisciplinary team of different professionals may be fundamental in order to guarantee the long-term effectiveness of the surgical intervention.

Researchers from Rijnstate ziekenhuis Arnhem, Arnhem, the Netherlands, are investigating whether the volumetric amount of spinal epidural lipomatosis (SEL) declines significantly in the lower spine after bariatric surgery. The observational study, ‘Spinal epidural lipomatosis before and after bariatric surgery’, is aiming to recruit 50 patients and compared the volume of SEL in bariatric patients before and after surgery and those patients with normal weight (BMI 20-25).

Revisional One Anastomosis/Mini-Gastric Bypass (OAGB/MGB) procedures after failed restrictive bariatric surgery (eg gastric lap band) is feasible and effective, according to a meta-analysis from 26 studies including 1,771 patients. The findings were reported in the paper, ‘One Anastomosis/Mini-Gastric Bypass (OAGB/MGB) as Revisional Surgery Following Primary Restrictive Bariatric Procedures: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis’, published in Obesity Surgery.

Bariatric News is sad to report that Professor Nicola Scopinaro, a true pioneer in Bariatric Surgery, has died at the age of 75. He was born on March 6, 1945, in Castagneto Carducci, a small village in the Province of Livorno in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 90 kilometres (56 miles) southwest of Florence. Professor Nicola Scopinaro was known by many as a great surgeon and innovator, a dedicated and hard worker, a teacher and mentor to several generations of surgeons, and as one of the fathers of modern bariatric surgery.

All adults with endocrine disorders should be tested for high cholesterol and triglycerides to evaluate their risk of heart attack or stroke, according to a Clinical Practice Guideline, ‘Lipid Management in Patients with Endocrine Disorders: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline, issued by the Endocrine Society and published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.