ASMBS and ASGE issue white paper on endoscopic bariatric therapies (EBTs)

Societies explore role of endoscopy in treating obesity

2011-11-21

(Press-News.org) NOVEMBER 17, 2011 – The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) have issued a new white paper on the potential role of endoscopic bariatric therapies (EBTs) in treating obesity and obesity-related diseases like Type 2 diabetes. The white paper entitled, "A Pathway to Endoscopic Bariatric Therapies," appears online in both GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases (SOARD), the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). "The two societies formed a joint task force to identify opportunities where endoscopic treatments may play a role in improving patient outcomes and reducing costs," said Gregory G. Ginsberg, MD, FASGE, ASGE president and chair of the ASGE/ASMBS Task Force on EBT. "The white paper establishes the criteria for success as new technologies and procedures are developed." According to the white paper, several EBTs are currently in different stages of development and include a wide variety of methods to induce weight loss and reduce obesity-related diseases and conditions. EBTs are performed entirely through the gastrointestinal tract using thin flexible endoscopes and may offer patients an outpatient alternative to bariatric procedures including laparoscopic gastric bypass, adjustable gastric banding and sleeve gastrectomy. "Endoscopic therapy has the potential to be applied across the continuum of obesity and metabolic disease," said Bipan Chand, MD, chairman, ASMBS Emerging Technology and Procedure Committee, and co-chair of the ASGE/ASMBS Task Force. "However, it is generally expected that endoscopic modalities achieve weight loss superior to that produced by medical and intensive lifestyle interventions, have a favorable risk/benefit profile and have scientific evidence to support its use." The white paper addresses endoscopic bariatric therapy treatment classification, potential indications, and efficacy including: primary efficacy endpoints such as weight loss, definitions for weight loss, comparison of weight loss between therapies, threshold for weight loss, and study design; and secondary efficacy endpoints such as reduction in obesity-related co-morbidities, changes in quality of life, safety, durability and repeatability, adoption of EBTs in the context of global patient care, endoscopy unit considerations, training and credentialing, cost effectiveness, and government and industry relations. To read the full white paper, log on to GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy online at www.giejournal.org or see the November print issue; or see the ASMBS journal, Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases http://asmbs.org/soard/. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about one-third of U.S. adults (33.8 percent) are obese. Medical costs associated with obesity are about $147 billion or 10 percent of all medical spending, double what it was a decade ago. The ASMBS estimates there are 17 million people in the U.S. with morbid obesity (BMI of 40 or more, or a BMI of 35 or more with an obesity-related disease). Obesity is a disease that contributes to more than 30 other obesity related diseases and conditions that include Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, sleep apnea and certain cancers. Bariatric surgery has been shown to be the most effective and long lasting treatment for obesity and many related conditions. Studies have shown patients may lose 30 to 50 percent of their excess weight 6 months after surgery and 77 percent of their excess weight as early as one year after surgery. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) reported significant improvements in the safety of bariatric surgery over the last several years due in large part to improved laparoscopic techniques and the advent of bariatric surgical centers of excellence. The overall risk of death from bariatric surgery is about 0.1 percent and the risk of major complications is about 4 percent. ### About Endoscopy Endoscopy is performed by specially-trained physicians called endoscopists using the most current technology to diagnose and treat diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Using flexible, thin tubes called endoscopes, endoscopists are able to access the human digestive tract without incisions via natural orifices. Endoscopes are designed with high-intensity lighting and fitted with precision devices that allow viewing and treatment of the gastrointestinal system. Millions of endoscopic procedures are performed in the U.S. each year. It is a safe, effective and well-tolerated procedure. Sedation is commonly used to make the patient comfortable throughout the exam. About the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Since its founding in 1941, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) has been dedicated to advancing patient care and digestive health by promoting excellence in gastrointestinal endoscopy. ASGE, with nearly 12,000 members worldwide, promotes the highest standards for endoscopic training and practice, fosters endoscopic research, recognizes distinguished contributions to endoscopy, and is the foremost resource for endoscopic education. Visit www.asge.org and www.screen4coloncancer.org for more information and to find a qualified doctor in your area. About the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery The ASMBS is the largest organization for bariatric surgeons in the world. It is a non-profit organization that works to advance the art and science of bariatric surgery and is committed to educating medical professionals and the lay public about bariatric surgery as an option for the treatment of morbid obesity, as well as the associated risks and benefits. It encourages its members to investigate and discover new advances in bariatric surgery, while maintaining a steady exchange of experiences and ideas that may lead to improved surgical outcomes for morbidly obese patients. For more information on the ASMBS, visit www.asmbs.org. EA Finkelstein et al. "Annual Medical Spending Attributable To Obesity: Payer-And Service-Specific Estimates." Health Affairs. 2009. 29(5):w822-w831. http://healthaff.highwire.org/cgi/content/abstract/28/5/w822 RA Weiner. " Indications and Principles of Metabolic Surgery." U.S. National Library of Medicine. 2010; 81(4):379-94 AC Wittgrove et al. "Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass, Roux-en-Y: Technique and Results in 75 Patients With 3-30 Months Follow-up. "Obesity Surgery. 1996. 6:500-504. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Statistical Brief #23. Bariatric Surgery Utilization and Outcomes in 1998 and 2004. Jan. 2007. Flum et al. "Perioperative Safety in the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery." New England Journal of Medicine. 2009. 361:445-454. http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/361/5/445

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Astronomers use advanced equipment aboard Hubble to reveal galaxies' most elusive secrets

2011-11-21

AMHERST, Mass. – New, high-precision equipment orbiting Earth aboard the Hubble Space Telescope is now sending such rich data back to astronomers, some feel they are crossing the final frontier toward understanding galaxy evolution, says Todd Tripp, leader of the team at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Galaxies are the birthplaces of stars, each with a dense, visible central core and a huge envelope, or halo, around it containing extremely low-density gases. Until now, most of the mass in the envelope, as much as 90 percent of all mass in a galaxy, was undetectable ...

CorkSport Adds Mazdaspeed 3 Shifter Bushings and Mazdaspeed Short Shifter Plate to Product Catalog

2011-11-21

CorkSport, a leading manufacturer and reseller of Mazda aftermarket performance parts, is pleased to announce a new product line designed at enhancing shifting and providing positive gear changes on Mazdaspeed vehicles.The new line-up includes the CorkSport Mazdaspeed 3 Shifter Bushing Kit and the CorkSport Mazdaspeed 3 and Mazdaspeed 6 Short Shifter Plate. An easy upgrade that will eliminate side to side compliance and remove the slack on your shifter, the CorkSport Mazdaspeed Shifter Bushing replaces the rubber OEM shifter bushings with aluminum black anodized shifter ...

Autism Education Services Brings New Light to St. Vrain Valley Autism Programs

2011-11-21

Autism Education Services is excited to announce another autism education success story with our training program at St. Vrain Valley School District. Autism EDS was instrumental in defining the district's needs as well as developing and implementing their autism education program. St.Vrain School District (http://www.stvrain.k12.co.us/), located in Longmont, Colorado, is Colorado's ninth largest school district and serves 27,000 students each year. The district believes that special education is not simply a place where special needs students are sent, but rather a ...

Duke study offers 7 safeguards for hydraulic fracturing

2011-11-21

DURHAM, N.C. -- A new report by Duke University researchers offers several health and environmental measures for North Carolina lawmakers to consider as they debate legalizing horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing for natural gas. The study, which has been accepted for publication in the Duke Environmental Law and Policy Forum journal, looks at potential environmental hazards and how lawmakers in other states are factoring health and environmental risks into regulatory approaches targeting the natural gas extraction method. "If North Carolina legalizes shale ...

Four new American Chemical Society podcasts shine a light on solar energy

2011-11-21

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2011 -- The American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest scientific society, today released a series of audio podcasts highlighting the science and cutting-edge technology behind solar power. The podcasts, available without charge at http://www.acs.org/chemmatters, tell the story of how scientists and students are making progress in harnessing the abundant energy of the sun. Well-suited for classroom use, the first two episodes explain the chemistry behind solar power — a promising alternative to fossil fuels that could have a larger role ...

Vultures dying at alarming rate

2011-11-21

Vultures in South Asia were on the brink of extinction until Lindsay Oaks and Richard Watson, from The Peregrine Fund in the US, undertook observational and forensic studies to find out why the number of birds was falling so rapidly. They discovered the vultures were being poisoned by residues of an anti-inflammatory drug (diclofenac) used in cattle and other livestock, whose carcasses they feed on. The work is presented in a chapter of the new book, 'Wildlife Ecotoxicology - Forensic Approaches,' published by Springer. According to the authors: "The story is far from ...

Antarctica's Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains mystery solved

2011-11-21

National Science Foundation- (NSF) funded researchers may have at last answered a 50 year-old conundrum. They may now know how Antarctica's Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains were formed, which has been a question for scientists since their discovery in 1958. Researchers involved in a highly complex research deployment to the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains, a centerpiece of the 2007-2009 International Polar Year (IPY), conclude the mountains formed as a result of multiple tectonic events, rather than a single event. This week's journal Nature reports the findings. According ...

Trios Studio Launches New Online Jewelry Catalog

2011-11-21

Trios' Studio has launched their new online jewelry catalog on their custom design jewelry website, triosstudio.com, which features custom design, restyling of family jewelry, along with restorations, repair work, and wedding sets. In addition, Trios' offers uses eco-friendly metals and Fair Trade gemstones whenever and wherever possible. According to their website, Fair Trade is defined as "treating the earth, and the people who mine its gifts, with respect." This means providing fair pricing, a transparent supply chain, fair labor conditions for workers, ...

Notre Dame survey of African American Catholics offers important insights

2011-11-21

A new, unprecedented national survey of African American Catholics by University of Notre Dame researchers reveals several significant insights into individual religious engagement and identifies several notable demographic trends facing the church. The survey was sponsored by the National Black Catholic Congress and Notre Dame's Institute for Church Life and Office of the President. Notre Dame social scientists Darren W. Davis and Donald B. Pope-Davis, who coauthored the report, set out to test the validity of anecdotal accounts that African American Catholics were ...

Princeton release: Massive volcanoes, meteorite impacts delivered one-two death punch to dinosaurs

2011-11-21

A cosmic one-two punch of colossal volcanic eruptions and meteorite strikes likely caused the mass-extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous period that is famous for killing the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, according to two Princeton University reports that reject the prevailing theory that the extinction was caused by a single large meteorite. Princeton-led researchers found that a trail of dead plankton spanning half a million years provides a timeline that links the mass extinction to large-scale eruptions of the Deccan Traps, a primeval volcanic range in western ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Reducing antimicrobial resistance: accelerated efforts are needed to meet the EU targets

Gaming for the good!

Early adoption of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor in patients hospitalized with heart failure with mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction

New study finds atrial fibrillation common in newly diagnosed heart failure patients, and makes prognosis significantly worse

Quandela, the CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay and Université Paris Cité join forces to accelerate research and innovation in quantum photonics

Pulmonary vein isolation with optimized linear ablation vs pulmonary vein isolation alone for persistent AF

New study finds prognostic value of coronary calcium scores effective in predicting risk of heart attack and overall mortality in both women and men

Authoritative review makes connections between electron density topology, future of materials modeling and how we understand mechanisms of phenomena in familiar devices at the atomistic level