Obesity Medicine

LAS VEGAS -- An implanted device approved for treating the chronic nausea and vomiting associated with gastroparesis may also be useful for relieving these idiopathic symptoms in patients with normal gastric emptying.

LAS VEGAS -- A diet heavy in carbohydrates might tip the scales in favor of a cascade of factors that lead to esophageal cancer, according to a study reported here.

MILAN, Italy -- Two major players in the Italian kitchen -- bread and pasta -- may increase the risk of renal cell carcinoma, according to a large study here.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Breast reconstruction surgery in extremely obese women is associated with a high rate of complications, reported researchers here.

An 89-year-old woman is seen for a rash on her back of 2 days' duration. Has Broca aphasia and dense right hemiparesis from an old stroke; remains highly communicative without words, and interactive, in the nursing home where she lives. Long-standing diabetes mellitus and hypertension contributed to the stroke and to marked peripheral arterial disease.

SEATTLE -- Surgery to correct obstructive sleep apnea (uvulopalatopharyngoplasty) is more likely to have complications if the condition is severe, a concurrent retrolingual procedure is done, BMI is high, or there are medical comorbidities, found a VA study.

NEW YORK -- Survivors of childhood cancer may face futures fraught with vastly greater chronic and life-threatening health risks than those of their siblings, according to a large retrospective study.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A daily trip to the scale may help dieters maintain their weight loss over the long term, researchers said.

A 65-year-old man consults his primary care physician because of concern about nonpruritic yellowish lesions on his eyelids. He says they have been present for the past few years but have recently become more numerous.

ENDIBURGH, Scotland -- Fitness helps keep minds agile as time goes by, according to European studies.

PHILADELPHIA -- Psoriasis appears to be an independent risk factor for myocardial infarction, especially for younger patients with severe disease, researchers reported.

SAN ANTONIO -- Children with high blood pressure are more likely to snore and have other sleep disordered breathing problems than normotensive peers, researchers reported here.

NEW YORK -- A Mediterranean-style diet -- spare on red meat and heavy on fruits, vegetables, and olive oil -- may help to fend off Alzheimer's disease, reported researchers here.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Weight, height, and race independently influence prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, and each may distort the risk of prostate cancer, researchers here reported.

GLASGOW, Scotland -- For overweight preschoolers, an extra dose of physical activity was not enough to shed the pounds, found researchers here.

BOSTON -- Quaffing Coke, Pepsi, and their carbonated cola cousins, including decaf and diet versions, is associated with lower bone mineral density in older women, researchers here reported.

BETHESDA, Md. -- Obesity and smoking, when combined, add up to as much as a fivefold increase in the risk of early all-cause mortality.

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Approximately a third of U.S. boys and girls, ages 12 to 19, failed to meet cardiovascular fitness standards, with overweight and sedentary lifestyles taking much of the blame, according to a national survey.

A 65-year-old woman presented to her primary care physician with a 3-month history of worsening cough, now productive of copious blood-tinged secretions. She also reported a recent onset of fever and dyspnea. She denied any chest pain, chills, night sweats, and weight loss.

BOSTON -- Mothers who gained weight between pregnancies increased their risk for maternal and perinatal complications during the second pregnancy, according to a large Swedish study.

LODZ, Poland -- In open Roux-en-Y gastric bypass polypropylene mesh used to hold the incision closed prevents hernias despite extreme obesity, researchers here reported.

BALTIMORE -- Acute diverticulitis is not as rare an occurrence in younger adults as commonly believed, particularly for obese men.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Many patients haven't a clue about the meaning of the dietary information in food labels, researchers here reported.

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Diabetes is a strong predictor of acute organ failure and early death for obese or non-obese patients alike, eclipsing even obesity without diabetes, researchers here reported.

NEW ORLEANS -- Coronary artery disease patients younger than 55 reap a greater benefit from formal cardiac rehab and exercise training than those who are older, found a study here.

CHICAGO -- For "super-obese" patients, biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch appears to achieve better weight loss than Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, researchers said.

BOSTON -- The use of a GnRH agonist for local or regional prostate cancer is associated with an increased risk of diabetes, coronary heart disease, heart attack, and sudden cardiac death, according to researchers here.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Contrary to popular wisdom, obese mothers do not push food on their children with more gusto than mothers of normal weight, a study here suggested.

ATLANTA -- About one in three residents of Louisiana, Mississippi, and West Virginia are obese, which makes these the fattest states in the U.S.

ATLANTA -- About one in three residents of Louisiana, Mississippi, and West Virginia are obese, which makes these the fattest states in the U.S.