Assessing the Impact of a Structured Capsule Endoscopy Training Program Using a New Validated Assessment Tool.

Background And Aim: We aimed to develop and validate a simple capsule endoscopy (CE) training assessment tool, the Capsule Endoscopy Training Assessment (CETA), and prospectively use it to analyze the learning progression achieved by participants in our CE training program.

Methods: Over a 3-year period, all participants in our CE training program completed pre-training and post-training CETA, ranging between 0% and 100%, and encompassing theoretical questions and interpretation of segmented CE videos. We compared the mean differences in overall, theoretical, and practical pre-training and post-training CETA, and assessed the influence of previous endoscopic experience (upper gastrointestinal endoscopy [UGE], colonoscopy, device-assisted enteroscopy [DAE] and CE) using generalized linear models.

Recurrence rate after piecemeal endoscopic mucosal resection of <20 mm non-pedunculated colorectal lesions: should we worry about the risk?

Introduction: There is scarce data focused on recurrence neoplasia rate (RR) after piecemeal endoscopic mucosal resection (pEMR) of 10-19 mm non-pedunculated colorectal lesions (NPL). We aimed to analyze the RR after pEMR of 10-19 mm NPL, identify risk factors for its development and compare it with RR after pEMR of ≥ 20 mm NPL.

Methods: Retrospective cohort-study including all ≥10 mm NPL resected by pEMR in our center between 2018-2022 with an early repeat colonoscopy (ERC).

Gastric dysplasia in random biopsies: the influence of infection and alcohol consumption in the presence of a lesion.

Background: Gastric dysplasia in the absence of an endoscopically defined lesion is rare, usually either a false positive diagnosis or a previously unidentified precancerous lesion during esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD).

Aims: Evaluate factors associated with the presence of an endoscopically visible lesion during follow-up in patients with histologic diagnosis of gastric dysplasia in random biopsies.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study including patients referred to our institution for gastric dysplasia in random biopsies during Index EGD.

Prognostic impact of red blood cell distribution width in chronic heart failure patients with left ventricular dysfunction.

Aims: Red blood cell (RBC) distribution width (RDW) measures RBC variations in size. Higher RDW values have been associated with poor outcome in acute heart failure (HF). We aimed to assess the prognostic impact of the RDW in chronic HF.

Lung ultrasound and diuretic therapy in chronic heart failure: a randomised trial.

Background: Lung congestion is frequent in heart failure (HF) and is associated with symptoms and poor prognosis. Lung ultrasound (LUS) identification of B-lines may help refining congestion assessment on top of usual care. Three small trials comparing LUS-guided therapy to usual care in HF suggested that LUS-guided therapy could reduce urgent HF visits.

Predictors of clinical outcomes of hospitalized patients with Covid-19: focusing on pre-existing liver disease.

Chronic liver disease is associated with immune system dysfunction, which can lead to a greater risk of infections. Our goal was to assess the impact of chronic liver disease in Covid-19 outcome in hospitalized patients and to identify predictors of the infection's severity. A retrospective case-control study of adult patients hospitalized in Hospital da Senhora da Oliveira-Guimarães, between March 15th 2020 and March 15th 2021, was performed.

Serratia marcescens Endocarditis: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Serratia marcescens is a rarely implicated agent in endocarditis. We describe a case of a patient that underwent aortic and mitral valve replacement for Streptococcus agalactiae endocarditis. Four months later, he was readmitted with an ischemic stroke and fever.

Prognostic impact of neurohormonal modulation in very old patients with chronic heart failure.

Background: A gap in evidence exists concerning the survival-benefit of neurohormonal blockade in older patients with chronic heart failure (HF). The purpose of our study was to investigate the neurohormonal modulation therapy in older HF patients.

Methods: We retrospectively analysed data on chronic HF patients with systolic dysfunction from January 2012 to May 2018 at a central tertiary academic hospital in Porto, Portugal.

Pleural empyema due to : A rare yet severe complication of a previously undiagnosed cancer patient.

() has been increasingly recognized as an emerging opportunistic pathogen causing invasive fungal infection, mainly in immunosuppressed patients. We report the case of a previously undiagnosed lung cancer patient with a pleural empyema due to .

Acquired Hemophilia A associated with bullous pemphigoid: A rare combination.

Acquired Hemophilia A (AHA) is a rare autoimmune disorder, caused by the development of circulating autoantibodies against coagulation factor VIII (FVIII). AHA is associated with bullous pemphigoid in 2% of patients. We report a case of a 74-year-old man admitted with anemia and a tense subcutaneous and muscular hematoma in the right thigh.

Non-ketotic hemichorea-hemiballismus presenting as generalised tonic-clonic convulsive state in uncontrolled diabetes.

We report the case of a 70-year-old diabetic woman who presented to the emergency department with multiple seizure episodes and coma, prompting the need for sedation and mechanical ventilation. She was transferred to our institution for neurosurgical evaluation as the initial CT scan identified hyperdense lesions in the left basal ganglia, interpreted as acute intracranial haemorrhage. On admission, laboratory tests were mostly normal except for blood glucose of 413 mg/dL.

Jejunal intussusceptions due to metastatic malignant melanoma: a case report.

Intussusception is an infrequent cause of mechanical bowel obstruction in adults and surgical resection is warranted in most cases. Small bowel is a common site of recurrence from cutaneous melanoma but early diagnosis is still a challenge. Acute peritonitis, haemorrhage and obstruction are known clinical presentations.

Asymptomatic Hyperinsulinaemic Hypoglycaemia.

Unlabelled: Hypoglycaemia is rare in apparently well patients without drug-treated diabetes mellitus and warrants evaluation and management when Whipple's triad is present. Even in the absence of Whipple's triad, when repeatedly low values of plasma glucose are documented, the presence of endogenous hyperinsulinism should be investigated. The authors describe a case of endogenous hypoglycaemic hyperinsulinism, its diagnosis and treatment and the challenges of determining its aetiology.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome: News from an Old Disorder.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorder, which can affect all members of a society, regardless of age, sex, race or socioeconomic status. Because of its high prevalence and chronic nature, it represents a significant economic burden. In fact, these patients have a relevant impairment of their quality of life, which limits their work productivity and daily social activities, especially when it is associated with other disorders, such as anxiety and depression.

A rare case of diarrhea and ascites.

Background: Eosinophilic enterocolitis is a rare condition included in the spectrum of the eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders. Diagnosis is based on clinical presentation combined with an increase infiltration of eosinophils in the gastrointestinal tract, in the absence of other secondary causes of eosinophilic infiltration.

Case Presentation: We report a case of a 22-year-old male with eosinophilic enterocolitis presenting with malabsorption syndrome (diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss), bowel wall thickening, and ascites.

Chemoembolization of Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Drug-Eluting Polyethylene Glycol Embolic Agents: Single-Center Retrospective Analysis in 302 Patients.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of transarterial chemoembolization with polyethylene glycol (PEG) drug-eluting embolic agents in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Materials And Methods: A single-center retrospective study of 302 patients (258 men; 85.4%) with HCC treated during a 20-month period was conducted.