Objective Intragastric balloon (IGB) therapy is a low-invasion treatment for obesity. Recently, a lowcarbohydrate diet has shown effectiveness for encouraging weight loss, but whether or not a low-carbohydrate diet improves the efficacy of IGB therapy remains unclear. Therefore, we examined the effectiveness of a low-carbohydrate diet compared with a calorie-restricted diet in combination with IGB therapy. Methods A prospective study was conducted on 51 patients who had undergone IGB therapy from October 2012 to December 2017. Overall, 31 of the 51 patients were included in this study (12-month assessment after IGB placement). These 31 cases consisted of 18 IGB plus low-carbohydrate diet and 13 IGB plus calorierestricted diet. We compared the two groups with respect to body weight loss as outcomes. Results At 12 months after IGB placement, the body weight was significantly lower than that observed at baseline in both the IGB plus low-carbohydrate diet group (baseline 101.9±25.8 kg, 12 months 88.2±21.9 kg) (p<0.0001) and the IGB plus calorie-restricted diet group (baseline 103.5±17.0 kg, 12 months 89.1±6.2 kg) (p<0.005). The percentage of excess weight loss in the IGB plus low-carbohydrate diet group was slightly higher than that in the IGB plus calorie-restricted diet group, but there was no significant difference between the 2 groups at 12 months after IGB placement (IGB plus low-carbohydrate 49.9±60.0%, IGB plus calorierestricted diet 33.1±27.0%).
ConclusionOur study demonstrated that both a low-carbohydrate diet and a calorie-restricted diet were effective interventions for weight reduction in combination with IGB therapy.
The case of a 10-week-old boy with a solitary mastocytoma is reported. The lesion, noticed at birth, was located in an area extending from the dorsum of the left hand to the proximal phalanx of the ring and little fingers. It appeared as a coin-sized, flattened dome-shaped, round tumor with occasional blistering. The web between the two fingers was free of cutaneous changes. The diagnosis was confirmed by the histological characteristics: a densely mastocytic infiltration into the dermis. The present case of solitary mastocytoma, referred to as "mast cell nevus", is unique because of its previously undescribed divided form.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.