Introduction: Gastroesophageal reflux-associated chronic aspiration contributes to the development of various lung disease processes including chronic pulmonary allograft dysfunction, as manifested by the histologic finding of bronchiolitis obliterans (BO). The TLR-4 innate immune pathway is thought to play a role in these processes and may be activated by bacteria within the gastric contents. Here we […]
Introduction: Laryngo-pharyngeal reflux (LPR) refers to symptoms caused by backflow of gastric contents to the larynx and pharynx. Concurrent pH recordings at increasing distances above the LES are reported to show a linear decrease in acid exposure as the distance from the LES increases. While abnormal distal esophageal acid exposure is common in patients with […]
Background: Through relatively unknown mechanisms, bariatric surgery can resolve type 2 diabetes in morbidly obese patients. Potentially, pre- and post-operative changes in adiponectin and leptin expression are involved in this process. This study attempts to identify differences in gene expression in diabetic and non-diabetic patients undergoing bariatric surgery with regards to adiponectin and leptin. Methods: […]
Background: The metabolic syndrome describes the association between obesity and a host of co-morbidities including insulin resistance, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular (CV) disease. Adipokines produced from omentum increase the inflammatory state and reportedly contribute to the risk of CV disease. This study examines the genetic differences in the omental tissue of morbidly obese diabetic and […]
IntroductionDuring the past years, laparoscopic hepatic resection is beeing performed by an increasing number of surgeons. Despite many advantages of the laparoscopic procedure, it is unclear if the pneumoperitoneum affects the postoperative liver regeneration after liver resection. The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of a CO2-pneumoperitoneum (PP) on liver regeneration […]