Metabolic outcomes 1 year after gastric bypass surgery in obese people with type 2 diabetes

&lt;i&gt;Objective:&lt;/i&gt; To assess metabolic outcomes in obese people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in the first year following gastric bypass surgery. &lt;i&gt;Subjects and Methods:&lt;/i&gt; Forty-nine obese patients with T2D who had undergone gastric bypass surgery 12 or more months previously were identified. Body weight and glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA&lt;sub&gt;1c&lt;/sub&gt;) pre-operatively and 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively, changes to glucose-lowering therapies, and blood pressure (BP) and total and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol pre-operatively and 12 months postoperatively were recorded. The primary outcome measure was change in HbA&lt;sub&gt;1c&lt;/sub&gt;; secondary outcomes included changes in BP and lipid profile. &lt;i&gt;Results:&lt;/i&gt; The mean pre-operative body weight was 141.4 kg, the body mass index 49.4 and HbA&lt;sub&gt;1c&lt;/sub&gt; 8.1%. The mean postoperative percentage of excess body weight loss at 3, 6 and 12 months was 39.0, 53.9 and 71.1 with reduction in HbA&lt;sub&gt;1c&lt;/sub&gt; to 6.6, 6.2 and 5.8%, respectively (p &lt; 0.0001). Remission of diabetes (HbA&lt;sub&gt;1c&lt;/sub&gt; &lt;6.5%) occurred in 12 of 18 patients (67%) at 3 months, 20 of 27 (74%) at 6 months and 21 of 25 (84%) at 12 months; of 41 patients under glucose-lowering treatment, 26 (63%) achieved complete withdrawal of treatment and 7 (17%) had their doses reduced. The mean of differences between baseline and 12-month measurements of systolic BP was 10.5 mm Hg (p = 0.021) and the total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio 0.9 (p &lt; 0.002). &lt;i&gt;Conclusion:&lt;/i&gt; Our study confirmed the finding of previous studies that gastric bypass surgery in obese people with T2D results in significant weight loss, and improved glycaemic, BP and lipid profiles. Bariatric surgery should be regarded as an effective therapeutic intervention in this patient population.</jats:p

Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis misting for control of Aedes in cryptic ground containers in North Queensland, Australia

In Australia, dengue is not endemic, although the vector mosquito Aedes aegypti is established in far north Queensland (FNQ). Aedes albopictus has recently invaded the Torres Strait region, but is not established on mainland Australia. To maintain dengue-free, public health departments in FNQ closely monitor introduced dengue infections and confine outbreaks through rigorous vector control responses. To safeguard mainland Australia from Ae. albopictus establishment, pre-emptive strategies are required to reduce its breeding in difficult to access habitats. We compare the residual efficacy of VectoBac WDG, Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti) formulation, as a residual treatment when misted across a typical FNQ bushland using a backpack mister (Stihl SR 420 Mist Blower) at two dose rates up to 16 m. Semi-field condition results, over 16 weeks, indicate that Bti provided high mortality rates (> 80%) sustained for 11 weeks. Mist application penetrated 16 m of dense bushland without efficacy decline over distance

Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti) Provides Residual Control of Aedes aegypti in Small Containers

We examined the use of megadoses of VectoBac WG for residual control of Aedes aegypti in 2-L plastic buckets. Doses of 10×, 20×, and 50× the recommended rate of 8 mg/L provided ≥ 90% control for 8, 8, and 23 weeks, respectively. There was no significant difference in mortality between dry (neat) or aqueous mixture of VectoBac WG. Pretreatment of dry containers up to 8 weeks before flooding did not significantly decrease efficacy through 11 success weeks. Thus, megadoses of dry formulations of Bti can be used for residual control of Ae. aegypti in small containers. Furthermore, these doses use small amounts of product (0.08–0.4 g/L) that is more practical to measure than the minute amounts (0.008 g/L) required by the recommended rate, and cost US$2.18 to treat 50 Cairns yards containing an average total of 80 containers. This method could also be used to control Aedes albopictus