Background: Acute pancreatitis is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity. Most acute pancreatitis scoring systems have no pathophysiologic basis when evaluating severity. Such a limitation led to an interest in measuring intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) as a method to predict outcomes in patients with acute pancreatitis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTherap Adv Gastroenterol
February 2024
Objective: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most studied chemoprophylaxis for post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis (PEP). While previous systematic reviews have shown NSAIDs reduce PEP, their impact on moderate to severe PEP (MSPEP) is unclear. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to understand the impact of NSAIDs on MSPEP among patients who developed PEP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNontarget embolization is a rare complication that may occur after a patient undergoes transarterial chemoembolization as a localized treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. This phenomenon can occur because of variations in arterial blood supply to the liver and ultimately can lead to ischemic complications in unintended locations. We describe a case of nontarget embolization during transarterial chemoembolization causing ischemic colitis because of anatomic variation in the origin of the right hepatic artery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground & Aims: Although transient bacteremia is common during dental and endoscopic procedures, infections developing during sterile diseases like acute pancreatitis (AP) can have grave consequences. We examined how impaired bacterial clearance may cause this transition.
Methods: Blood samples from patients with AP, normal controls, and rodents with pancreatitis or those administered different nonesterified fatty acids (NEFAs) were analyzed for albumin-unbound NEFAs, microbiome, and inflammatory cell injury.
Background: Despite the increased use of total pancreatectomy with islet autotransplantation (TPIAT), systematic evidence of its outcomes remains limited.
Aim: To evaluate the outcomes of TPIAT.
Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases from inception through March 2019 for studies on TPIAT outcomes.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary tumor of the liver resulting in approximately 800,000 deaths annually. A growing body of research investigating statin use and HCC risk has shown conflicting results. We aim to evaluate the current evidence of statin impact on HCC risk.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The Covid-19 pandemic led to challenging discussions between oncology clinicians and patients regarding additional risks posed by SARS-CoV-2 infection whilst receiving systemic anti-cancer therapies (SACT). We assess the potential factors affecting discontinuation of adjuvant early breast cancer treatment during the pandemic.
Methods: Data were collected on all patients with early breast cancer undergoing adjuvant SACT, between 16 March and 17 April 2020 at a single UK cancer centre.
We compared three hospitalized patient cohorts and conducted mechanistic studies to determine if lipotoxicity worsens COVID-19. Cohort-1 (n = 30) compared COVID-19 patients dismissed home to those requiring intensive-care unit (ICU) transfer. Cohort-2 (n = 116) compared critically ill ICU patients with and without COVID-19.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose Of Review: Gain insight on the effect of some recently studied nutrients and nutritional markers on the COVID-19 disease course.
Recent Findings: In vitro studies indicate that SCFAs do not interfere with SARS-CoV-2 infectivity. Observational studies indicate that eating processed or red meat three or more times per week had overall higher risk of pneumonia.
Background: Hypoalbuminemia (HA) is common in HF, however, its pathophysiology and clinical implications are poorly understood. While multiple studies have been published in the past decade investigating the role of serum albumin in HF, there is still no consensus on the prognostic value of this widely available measure. The objective of this study is to assess the prognostic role of albumin in heart failure (HF) patient.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObesity sometimes seems protective in disease. This obesity paradox is predominantly described in reports from the Western Hemisphere during acute illnesses. Since adipose triglyceride composition corresponds to long-term dietary patterns, we performed a meta-analysis modeling the effect of obesity on severity of acute pancreatitis, in the context of dietary patterns of the countries from which the studies originated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfect Control Hosp Epidemiol
November 2020
Objective: Recently, oral vancomycin prophylaxis (OVP) has been suggested for the prevention of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the efficacy and safety of this approach.
Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.
Bile acids (BA), with their large hydrophobic steroid nucleus and polar groups are amphipathic molecules. In bile, these exist as micelles above their critical micellar concentration (CMC). In blood at low concentrations, these exist as monomers, initiating cellular signals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Capsule endoscopy (CE) is a non-invasive imaging modality designed to evaluate various small bowel pathologies. Failure to reach the cecum within the battery lifespan, termed incomplete examination, may result in inadequate testing and possibly delayed therapy. Several studies have attempted to evaluate the association between CE completion and opioid use.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Ringer's lactate may improve early systemic inflammation during critical illnesses like severe acute pancreatitis, which are associated with hypocalcemia. Ringer's lactate is buffered and contains lactate and calcium. We, thus analyzed extracellular calcium or lactate's effects on the mechanisms, intermediary markers, and organ failure in models mimicking human disease with nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) elevation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAcute esophageal necrosis, commonly known as black esophagus, is a serious clinical condition that requires prompt diagnosis and management to improve morbidity and mortality. We present a 47-year-old woman who had this potentially lethal condition. The patient initially presented with hematemesis, and esophagogastroduodenoscopy at presentation showed diffuse esophageal ulcerations, erosions, and necrosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) can complicate chronic pancreatitis (CP) and interfere with management. Its predisposing factors in CP and treatment response are unknown. In this review, we evaluated factors affecting disease burden.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrimary gastrointestinal lymphoma is the most common type of extra-nodal lymphoma, representing about 30%-50% of all extra-nodal involvement. The stomach is the most common site, with the colon and rectum accounting for a minority of occurrences. Primary colorectal lymphoma is uncommon, representing only 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Biliary strictures are a common complication among donation after cardiac death (DCD) liver transplantation (LT) recipients and may require multiple endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) procedures. We evaluated the risk factors associated with development of biliary strictures in DCD LT recipients.
Methods: DCD LT recipients who underwent transplantation from 2012 to 2017 were divided into 2 groups: (a) those with anastomotic or non-anastomotic biliary strictures who required ERCP ("stricture group") and (b) those who did not require ERCP or had cholangiograms without evidence of biliary strictures ("non-stricture group").
Background & Aims: Acute pancreatitis (AP) of different etiologies is associated with the activation of different signaling pathways in pancreatic cells, posing challenges to the development of targeted therapies. We investigated whether local pancreatic hypothermia, without systemic hypothermia, could lessen the severity of AP induced by different methods in rats.
Methods: A urethane balloon with 2 polyurethane tubes was placed inside the stomach of rats.