by James W. Saxton, JD; Maggie M. Finkelstein, JD;
and Susan Gallagher Camden, RN, MSN, PhD

All from Stevens & Lee, Lawyers and Consultants Read the rest of this article »

by Jacqueline Jacques, ND

Dr. Jacques is Chief of Scientific Affairs, Bariatric Advantage, Catalina Lifesciences, Inc., Irvine, California.

Introduction
Selenium, an essential trace mineral, is an important component of many enzymes and proteins in the human body. Selenium-dependant compounds act as antioxidants, regulate thyroid function, and play significant roles in immune function, detoxification, and muscle metabolism.

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by Jerome Lyn-Sue, MD; Kimberley Steele, MD; Michael A. Schweitzer, MD; Thomas Magnuson, MD; Anne Lidor, MD; Anirban Gupta, MD; and Patrick Okolo, MD.

All from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.

Introduction
Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is the most effective and most commonly performed bariatric surgical procedure in the United States.1 While improvements in surgical technique have significantly reduced postoperative complication rates, anastomotic leak continues to occur and remains an important cause of postoperative morbidity and mortality.2 Repair of an anastomotic leak may involve open or laparoscopic surgical re-exploration, which can contribute to the morbidity of this life-threatening complication.3 A transoral endoscopic approach, using a covered stent, has the potential to avoid further morbidity from a potentially difficult intra-abdominal attempt at repairing the hole. Covered stents have been used for esophageal anastomotic leaks following non-bariatric procedures with good success. Several reports have described the effective use of this therapy for such leaks, as well as for malignant esophageal fistulas.4,5 Read the rest of this article »