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Purpose: After bariatric surgery (BS) a significant minority of patients do not reach successful weight loss or tend to regain weight. In recent years, interest for the psychological factors that predict post-surgical weight loss has increased with the objective of developing interventions aimed to ameliorate post-surgical outcomes. In the present study, predictive models of successful or poor weight loss 12 months after BS were investigated considering pre-surgery level of psychopathological symptoms, dysfunctional eating behaviors and trait impulsivity at baseline (pre-surgery)., Methods: Sixty-nine patients with morbid obesity canditates for laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy were assessed regarding metabolic and psychological dimensions. Successful post-surgery weight loss was defined as losing at least 50% of excess body weight (%EWL)., Results: Logistic models adjusted for patient sex, age and presence of metabolic diseases showed that the baseline presence of intense psychopathological symptoms and low attentional impulsivity predict poor %EWL (< 50%), as assessed 12-month post-surgery., Conclusions: The present findings suggest that intensity of general psychopathology and impulsivity, among other psychological factors, might affect post-surgery %EWL. Conducting adequate psychological assessment at baseline of patients candidates for BS seems to be crucial to orient specific therapeutic interventions., Level of Evidence: Level III, case-control analytic study.

Background: Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) can be a useful adjunct to the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Its combination with chemotherapy is attractive for the possible radiosensitization effect and cytotoxicity on tumor cells in distant areas. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of CyberKnife SRS alone and combined with a "dose-dense" administration of temozolomide (TMZ) for recurrent GBM., Methods: Between July 2007 and July 2010, 23 patients underwent CyberKnife SRS. In 12 patients irradiation was combined with TMZ at 75 mg/m(2)/day for 21 days every 28 days. The median prescription dose in this group was 20 Gy (mean 20.7 ± 4 Gy) with a median number of fractions of 2. The median dose for the 11 patients who underwent SRS alone was 20 Gy (mean 19.9 ± 4.4 Gy; p = NS)., Results: The median survival was 12 months for patients who underwent SRS/TMZ and 7 months for those who received SRS alone (p < 0.01). The 6-month progression-free survival (PFS) of the SRS/TMZ group was 66.7% vs. 18% for those who underwent SRS alone (p = 0.03). The median time to progression (TTP) was 7 months for patients who underwent SRS/TMZ and 4 months for those who underwent SRS alone (p = 0.01). Corticosteroid dependency was developed by most patients; radionecrosis was evident in one patient (4.3%) receiving TMZ. Grade 3 hematological toxicity was recorded in >40% of patients receiving chemotherapy., Conclusions: The results suggest that Cyberknife re-treatments are relatively safe using selected dose/fraction schemes. The combination with TMZ improved patients' outcomes with OS and 6-month PFS that favorably compares with alternative treatments, but the incidence of major adverse effects was >40%. Further studies are warranted.