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BackgroundMental capacity to consent to treatment in anorexia nervosa is a neglected area in clinical decision-making.AimsTo examine clinical and neuropsychological parameters associated with diminished mental capacity in anorexia nervosa.MethodAn explorative study was conducted in 70 adult female patients with severe anorexia nervosa. Mental capacity to consent to treatment was assessed by experienced psychiatrists. Further measurements included the MacCAT-T (to assess mental capacity status), a range of clinical measures (body mass index (BMI) and comorbidity) and neuropsychological tests assessing decision-making, central coherence and set-shifting capacity.ResultsDiminished mental capacity occurs in a third of patients with severe anorexia nervosa and is associated with a low BMI, less appreciation of illness and treatment, previous treatment for anorexia nervosa, low social functioning and poor set shifting.ConclusionsAssessment of diminished mental capacity in anorexia nervosa requires careful evaluation of not only BMI, but also the degree of appreciation of illness and treatment, history and the tendency to have a rigid thinking style.

This study presents an investigation of adult effective dose (E) per unit Kerma-Area Product (KAP) in Modified Barium Swallow Study (MBSS) examinations. PC program for X-ray Monte Carlo (version 2.0.1) was used to calculate patient organ doses during MBSS examinations, which used combined to generate effective dose. Normalized patient doses were obtained by dividing the effective dose (mSv) by the incident KAP (Gy·cm2). Five standard projections were studied and the importance of X-ray beam size and in patient size (body mass index) were investigated. Lateral projections had an average E/KAP conversion factor of 0.19 ± 0.04 mSv/Gy·cm2. The average E/KAP was highest for upper gastrointestinal (GI) anterior-posterior projections (0.27 ± 0.04 mSv/Gy·cm2) and lowest for upper GI posterior-anterior projections (0.09 ± 0.03 mSv/Gy·cm2). E/KAP always increased with increasing filtration and/or X-ray tube voltage. Reducing the X-ray beam cross-sectional area increased the E/KAP conversion factors. Small patients have the E/KAP conversion factors that are twice those of a standard adult. Conversion factors for effective dose of adult patients undergoing MBSS examinations must account for X-ray beam projection, beam quality (kV and filtration), image size and patient size.

Background Foundation Year One (FY1) doctors are often the first medical staff responders at in-hospital cardiac arrests. The study objectives were to assess the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills of FY1 doctors at a Belfast teaching hospital and to highlight factors that influence their performance. Methods A group of FY1 doctors working in a Belfast teaching hospital were asked to participate in this study. These junior doctors were regularly on-call for acute medical emergencies including cardiac arrest. Participants were instructed to perform two, 3 minute sessions of CPR on a skills reporter manikin. Each session was separated by a 5 minute rest period, one session using a compression-to-ventilation ratio of 15:2 and the other using a ratio of 30:2. Performance was gauged both objectively, by measuring the depth of chest compressions, and subjectively by a panel of 5 Advanced Life Support (ALS) instructors who reviewed the tracings of each CPR session. Results Overall, 85% of medical FY1's working in the hospital participated in the study. Objective results determined that males performed significantly better than their female counterparts using both the 15:2 and 30:2 ratios. The male FY1 doctors performed equally well using both 15:2 and 30:2 ratios, in comparison to female doctors who were noted to be better using the 15:2 ratio. Individuals with a Body mass index (BMI) greater than the mean for the group, performed significantly better than those with a lower BMI when using the 30:2 ratio. BMI was an important factor and correlated with chest compression depth. Females with a low BMI performed less well when using a ratio of 30:2. Overall, expert opinion significantly favoured the 15:2 ratio for the FY1 doctor group. Conclusion CPR performance can be influenced by factors such as gender and BMI, as such the individual rescuer should take these into account when determining which compression to ventilation ration to perform in order to maximise patient outcome. This study showed that males and those females with a BMI of >24 performed satisfactory CPR when using the recommended Resuscitation Council guidelines. Females with a BMI

Aims Achalasia is a rare incurable neuromuscular disorder of the oesophagus. A number of treatment options are available. We reviewed our results of laparoscopic cardiomyotomy over a 30 month period. Methods 18 patients with manometric features of achalasia underwent surgery between 2004 and 2006. Pre and postoperative weight and dysphagia scores were recorded (maximum score 45=normal, 0=complete dysphagia). Change in the Body Mass Index (BMI) was measured. Other symptoms (heartburn, epigastric pain, regurgitation, odynophagia and sleep disturbance) were scored on a 0–4 scale of increasing severity. Results At mean follow up of 16.2 months the mean dysphagia score was significantly improved from 7.5 to 33.9 (p

BACKGROUND: Most studies on bariatric surgery outcomes are performed as clinical trials or reflect the clinical experience in single centers. The status of bariatric surgery in Germany has been examined with the cooperation of clinics and hospitals at the Institute of Quality Assurance in Surgery at the Otto-von-Guericke University of Magdeburg (Germany) since January 1, 2005. METHODS: In this prospective multicenter observational study, the data obtained for all primary bariatric procedures, including all repeated operations, performed on consecutive patients with morbid obesity at participating hospitals from 2005 to 2007 were prospectively collected using an internet online data registry. Perioperative characteristics such as the spectrum of diagnostic measurements, type of surgical procedures, and short-and long-term out comes were investigated. RESULTS: During the study period 3,123 surgical procedures were performed. In 2005 and 2006, gastric banding (GB) was the operation performed most frequently, followed by the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGBP). In 2007, a RYGBP was carried out in 42.1% of all bariatric procedures. Among all patients, 74.4% were female. The mean BMI ranged from 48.5 kg/m(2) in 2005 to 48.0 kg/m(2) in 2007. Follow-up data after 12 months were available for 63.8% of the patients operated in 2005 and 2006. The mortality was 0.1% (30 days) and 0.16% (overall). CONCLUSION: As indicated by the worldwide trend, there is an ongoing change from GB to sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and malabsorptive procedures. The BMI of German bariatric surgical patients is substantially higher than that of patients from most other countries. There were no differences in overall outcomes during follow-up as compared to published studies.

Die Kriterien zur Indikation fÜr ein Gastric Banding (GB) oder einen Bypass sind in den bekannten Leitlinien nur unscharf definiert und orientieren sich meist am BMI der Patienten. In der vorliegenden Arbeitwerden neben dem BMI auch die Rolle von hormonalen Mediatoren, die mit der morbiden Adipositasverbunden sind, die KomplikationstrÄchtigkeit und die Langzeitresultatedes GB dem laparoskopischen Gastric Bypass gegenÜbergestellt, um gegebenenfalls Grenzen des GB aufzuzeigen. Laparoscopic Gastric Banding - Where Are the Limits? The criteria for the indication of gastric banding (GB) or bypass in morbidly obese patients are poorly defined in the available guidelines and usually rely on the BMI of the patients. In this study, the role of the BMI and of hormonal mediators associated with morbid obesity are outlined. Furthermore, the complications and long-termresults of GB are analyzed and compared with laparoscopic gastric bypass in order to define the limits of GB.

Background: To assess whether the premorbid dietary intake of fatty acids, cholesterol, glutamate or antioxidants was associated with the risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods: Patients referred to our clinic during 2001–2002, who had definite, probable or possible ALS according to El Escorial criteria, without a familial history of ALS, were asked to participate in a case–control study (132 patients and 220 healthy controls). A food-frequency questionnaire was used to assess dietary intake for the nutrients of interest. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed with adjustment for confounding factors (sex, age, level of education, energy intake, body mass index and smoking). Results: A high intake of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and vitamin E was significantly associated with a reduced risk of developing ALS (PUFA: odds ratio (OR) = 0.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.2 to 0.7, p = 0.001; vitamin E: OR = 0.4, 95% CI = 0.2 to 0.7, p = 0.001). PUFA and vitamin E appeared to act synergistically, because in a combined analysis the trend OR for vitamin E was further reduced from 0.67 to 0.37 (p = 0.02), and that for PUFA from 0.60 to 0.26 (p = 0.005), with a significant interaction term (p = 0.03). The intake of flavonols, lycopene, vitamin C, vitamin B 2 , glutamate, calcium or phytoestrogens was not associated with the risk of developing ALS. Conclusion: A high intake of PUFAs and vitamin E is associated with a 50–60% decreased risk of developing ALS, and these nutrients appear to act synergistically.