The mechanistic basis of metabolic response to surgery and postoperative insulin resistance in patients having abdominal surgery

Postoperative insulin resistance (POIR) is a hallmark feature in patients having major abdominal surgery. Surgical stress may induce changes in metabolic pathways that perturb glucose homeostasis, resulting in stress hyperglycaemia. The studies described in the present thesis set out to examine the evidence behind (1) the ‘Enhanced Recovery After Surgery’ pathway (2) preoperative carbohydrate drinks (CHO), in attenuating the surgical stress response and (3) to investigate the mechanistic basis of metabolic response to surgery and the development of postoperative insulin resistance in patients having major abdominal surgery. Meta-analysis of randomised studies in patients having major abdominal surgery showed that ERAS pathway was associated with a significant reduction in length of hospital stay and postoperative complications. Meta-analysis of randomised studies using CHO was also associated with reduced length of stay and decreased POIR in support of reduced fasting times and CHO, before surgery. The study in patients having major abdominal surgery showed that surgical trauma was associated with increased skeletal muscle interleukin-6 and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase isoform-4 (PDK4) mRNA and protein expression. Increased PDK4 was associated with a concomitant reduction in pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) activity that controls the rate of muscle carbohydrate oxidation in mitochondria, and contributed to impaired glucose tolerance and decreased mitochondrial ATP production postoperatively. One hypothesis is that by maximising the contribution of carbohydrate derived oxidative ATP regeneration by activating the PDC with the synthetic PDK4 inhibitor dichloroacetate (DCA) and/or by increasing muscle glucose uptake using CHO may reverse the changes in carbohydrate oxidation seen postoperatively. The results from the study showed that administration of either CHO or CHO with DCA attenuates the impairment of CHO oxidation and the development of POIR, induced by surgical stress. Furthermore, DCA increased mitochondrial CHO oxidation above that achieved by CHO alone, which waned by 48 hours after surgery

The mechanistic basis of metabolic response to surgery and postoperative insulin resistance in patients having abdominal surgery

Postoperative insulin resistance (POIR) is a hallmark feature in patients having major abdominal surgery. Surgical stress may induce changes in metabolic pathways that perturb glucose homeostasis, resulting in stress hyperglycaemia. The studies described in the present thesis set out to examine the evidence behind (1) the ‘Enhanced Recovery After Surgery’ pathway (2) preoperative carbohydrate drinks (CHO), in attenuating the surgical stress response and (3) to investigate the mechanistic basis of metabolic response to surgery and the development of postoperative insulin resistance in patients having major abdominal surgery. Meta-analysis of randomised studies in patients having major abdominal surgery showed that ERAS pathway was associated with a significant reduction in length of hospital stay and postoperative complications. Meta-analysis of randomised studies using CHO was also associated with reduced length of stay and decreased POIR in support of reduced fasting times and CHO, before surgery. The study in patients having major abdominal surgery showed that surgical trauma was associated with increased skeletal muscle interleukin-6 and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase isoform-4 (PDK4) mRNA and protein expression. Increased PDK4 was associated with a concomitant reduction in pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) activity that controls the rate of muscle carbohydrate oxidation in mitochondria, and contributed to impaired glucose tolerance and decreased mitochondrial ATP production postoperatively. One hypothesis is that by maximising the contribution of carbohydrate derived oxidative ATP regeneration by activating the PDC with the synthetic PDK4 inhibitor dichloroacetate (DCA) and/or by increasing muscle glucose uptake using CHO may reverse the changes in carbohydrate oxidation seen postoperatively. The results from the study showed that administration of either CHO or CHO with DCA attenuates the impairment of CHO oxidation and the development of POIR, induced by surgical stress. Furthermore, DCA increased mitochondrial CHO oxidation above that achieved by CHO alone, which waned by 48 hours after surgery

Safety and efficacy of antibiotics compared with appendicectomy for treatment of uncomplicated acute appendicitis: meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Objective To compare the safety and efficacy of antibiotic treatment versus appendicectomy for the primary treatment of uncomplicated acute appendicitis. Design Meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Population Randomised controlled trials of adult patients presenting with uncomplicated acute appendicitis, diagnosed by haematological and radiological investigations. Interventions Antibiotic treatment versus appendicectomy. Outcome measures The primary outcome measure was complications. The secondary outcome measures were efficacy of treatment, length of stay, and incidence of complicated appendicitis and readmissions. Results Four randomised controlled trials with a total of 900 patients (470 antibiotic treatment, 430 appendicectomy) met the inclusion criteria. Antibiotic treatment was associated with a 63% (277/438) success rate at one year. Meta-analysis of complications showed a relative risk reduction of 31% for antibiotic treatment compared with appendicectomy (risk ratio (Mantel-Haenszel, fixed) 0.69 (95% confidence interval 0.54 to 0.89); I2=0%; P=0.004). A secondary analysis, excluding the study with crossover of patients between the two interventions after randomisation, showed a significant relative risk reduction of 39% for antibiotic therapy (risk ratio 0.61 (0.40 to 0.92); I2=0%; P=0.02). Of the 65 (20%) patients who had appendicectomy after readmission, nine had perforated appendicitis and four had gangrenous appendicitis. No significant differences were seen for treatment efficacy, length of stay, or risk of developing complicated appendicitis. Conclusion Antibiotics are both effective and safe as primary treatment for patients with uncomplicated acute appendicitis. Initial antibiotic treatment merits consideration as a primary treatment option for early uncomplicated appendicitis

Major elective abdominal surgery acutely impairs lower limb muscle pyruvate dehydrogenase complex activity and mitochondrial function

© 2020 The Author(s) Background & aims: This post hoc study aimed to determine whether major elective abdominal surgery had any acute impact on mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) activity and maximal mitochondrial ATP production rates (MAPR) in a large muscle group (vastus lateralis -VL) distant to the site of surgical trauma. Methods: Fifteen patients undergoing major elective open abdominal surgery were studied. Muscle biopsies were obtained after the induction of anesthesia from the VL immediately before and after surgery for the determination of PDC and maximal MAPR (utilizing a variety of energy substrates). Results: Muscle PDC activity was reduced by >50% at the end of surgery compared with pre-surgery (p < 0.05). Muscle MAPR were comprehensively suppressed by surgery for the substrate combinations: glutamate + succinate; glutamate + malate; palmitoylcarnitine + malate; and pyruvate + malate (all p < 0.05), and could not be explained by a lower mitochondrial yield. Conclusions: PDC activity and mitochondrial ATP production capacity were acutely impaired in muscle distant to the site of surgical trauma. In keeping with the limited data available, we surmise these events resulted from the general anesthesia procedures employed and the surgery related trauma. These findings further the understanding of the acute dysregulation of mitochondrial function in muscle distant to the site of major surgical trauma in patients, and point to the combination of general anesthesia and trauma related inflammation as being drivers of muscle metabolic insult that warrants further investigation. Clinical trial registration: Registered at (NCT01134809)

Perioperative Probiotics or Synbiotics in Adults Undergoing Elective Abdominal Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

This meta-analysis of 34 randomized controlled trials reporting on 2723 participants has shown that perioperative administration of either probiotics or synbiotics was well tolerated and significantly reduced the risk of infectious complications following elective abdominal surgery. However, there were no differences in non-infectious complications or mortality between the intervention and control groups

The effects of resistance exercise training on macro- and micro-circulatory responses to feeding and skeletal muscle protein anabolism in older men

The anabolic effects of dietary protein on skeletal muscle depend on adequate skeletal muscle perfusion, which is impaired in older people. This study explores fed state muscle microvascular blood flow, protein metabolism and exercise training status in older men. We measured leg blood flow (LBF), muscle microvascular blood volume (MBV) and muscle protein turnover under post-absorptive and fed state (i.v. Glamin to double amino acids, dextrose to sustain glucose ∼7–7.5 mmol l−1) conditions in two groups: 10 untrained men (72.3 ± 1.4 years; body mass index (BMI) 26.5 ± 1.15 kg m2) and 10 men who had undertaken 20 weeks of fully supervised, whole-body resistance exercise training (RET) (72.8 ± 1.4 years; BMI 26.3 ± 1.2 kg m2). We measured LBF by Doppler ultrasound and muscle MBV by contrast-enhanced ultrasound. Muscle protein synthesis (MPS) was measured using [1, 2-13C2] leucine with breakdown (MPB) and net protein balance (NPB) by ring-[D5] phenylalanine tracers. Plasma insulin was measured via ELISA and indices of anabolic signalling (e.g. Akt/mTORC1) by immunoblotting from muscle biopsies. Whereas older untrained men did not exhibit fed-state increases in LBF or MBV, the RET group exhibited increases in both LBF and MBV. Despite our hypothesis that enhanced fed-state circulatory responses would improve anabolic responses to nutrition, fed-state increases in MPS (∼50–75%; P < 0.001) were identical in both groups. Finally, whereas only the RET group exhibited fed-state suppression of MPB (∼–38%; P < 0.05), positive NPB achieved was similar in both groups. We conclude that RET enhances fed-state LBF and MBV and restores nutrient-dependent attenuation of MPB without robustly enhancing MPS or NPB

Acute cocoa flavanol supplementation improves muscle macro- and microvascular but not anabolic responses to amino acids in older men

The anabolic effects of nutrition on skeletal muscle may depend on adequate skeletal muscle perfusion, which is impaired in older people. Cocoa flavanols have been shown to improve flow-mediated dilation, an established measure of endothelial function. However, their effect on muscle microvascular blood flow is currently unknown. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore links between the consumption of cocoa flavanols, muscle microvascular blood flow and muscle protein synthesis (MPS) in response to nutrition in older men. To achieve this objective leg blood flow (LBF), muscle microvascular blood volume (MBV) and MPS were measured under postabsorptive and postprandial (I.V glamin, dextrose to sustain glucose ~7.5 mmol·l-1) conditions in 20 older men. Ten of these men were studied with no cocoa flavanol intervention and a further 10 were studied with the addition of 350 mg of cocoa flavanols at the same time as nutrition began. Leg [femoral artery] blood flow was measured by Doppler ultrasound, muscle MBV by contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) using DefinityTM perflutren contrast agent and MPS using [1, 2-13C2] leucine tracer techniques. Our results show that although older individuals do not show an increase in LBF or MBV in response to feeding, these absent responses are apparent when cocoa flavanols are given acutely with nutrition. However this restoration in vascular responsiveness is not associated with improved MPS responses to nutrition. We conclude that acute cocoa flavanol supplementation improves muscle macro- and microvascular responses to nutrition, independently of modifying muscle protein anabolism

Pharmacological enhancement of leg and muscle microvascular blood flow does not augment anabolic responses in skeletal muscle of young men under fed conditions

Skeletal muscle anabolism associated with postprandial plasma aminoacidemia and insulinemia is contingent upon amino acids (AA) and insulin crossing the microcirculation-myocyte interface. In this study, we hypothesized that increasing muscle microvascular blood volume (flow) would enhance fed-state anabolic responses in muscle protein turnover. We studied 10 young men (23.2 ± 2.1 yr) under postabsorptive and fed [iv Glamin (∼10 g AA), glucose ∼7.5 mmol/l] conditions. Methacholine was infused into the femoral artery of one leg to determine, via bilateral comparison, the effects of feeding alone vs. feeding plus pharmacological vasodilation. We measured leg blood flow (LBF; femoral artery) by Doppler ultrasound, muscle microvascular blood volume (MBV) by contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and breakdown (MPB; a-v balance modeling), and net protein balance (NPB) using [1,2-13C2]leucine and [2H5]phenylalanine tracers via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Indexes of anabolic signaling/endothelial activation (e.g., Akt/mTORC1/NOS) were assessed using immunoblotting techniques. Under fed conditions, LBF (+12 ± 5%, P < 0.05), MBV (+25 ± 10%, P < 0.05), and MPS (+129 ± 33%, P < 0.05) increased. Infusion of methacholine further enhanced LBF (+126 ± 12%, P < 0.05) and MBV (+79 ± 30%, P < 0.05). Despite these radically different blood flow conditions, neither increases in MPS in response to feeding (0.04 ± 0.004 vs. 0.08 ± 0.01%/h, P < 0.05) nor improvements in NPB (−4.4 ± 2.4 vs. 16.4 ± 5.7 nmol Phe·100 ml leg−1·min−1, P < 0.05) were affected by methacholine infusion (MPS 0.07 ± 0.01%/h; NPB 24.0 ± 7.7 nmol Phe·100 ml leg−1·min−1), whereas MPB was unaltered by either feeding or infusion of methacholine. Thus, enhancing LBF/MBV above that occurring naturally with feeding alone does not improve muscle anabolism

SVDPACKC (Version 1.0) User&apos;s Guide

SVDPACKC comprises four numerical (iterative) methods for computing the singular value decomposition (SVD) of large sparse matrices using ANSI C. This software package implements Lanczos and subspace iteration-based methods for determining several of the largest singular triplets (singular values and corresponding left- and right-singular vectors) for large sparse matrices. The package has been ported to a variety of machines ranging from supercomputers to workstations: CRAY Y-MP, IBM RS/6000-550, DEC 5000100, HP 9000-750, SPARCstation 2, and Macintosh II/fx. This document (i) explains each algorithm in some detail, (ii) explains the input parameters for each program, (iii) explains how to compile/execute each program, and (iv) illustrates the performance of each method when we compute lower rank approximations to sparse term-document matrices from information retrieval applications. A user-friendly software interface to the package for UNIX-based systems and the Macintosh II/fx is als..