Epidemiology and risk factors of pediatric chest pain: a systematic review.

The epidemiology and associated risk factors of pediatric chest pain are not well described. Several studies report the prevalence of chest pain types among children and adolescents; however, detailed prospective studies that aim to determine continued morbidity, mortality, health-care seeking behaviors, continued medication use, and quality of life are lacking. A greater understanding of pediatric chest pain epidemiology and risk factors is required.

Future perspectives on infections associated with gastrointestinal tract diseases.

There are a vast number of infectious agents that are associated with gastrointestinal (GI) tract diseases. The epidemiology of GI diseases is changing, with a greater number of conditions increasing in incidence. Challenges exist with establishing cause-and-effect relationships because of the ubiquitous nature of these organisms and the milieu in which they exist.

Infectious causes of esophageal cancer.

There are very few data linking infectious agents and esophageal cancer. There are conflicting data for some viruses, notably human papillomavirus, but very few data for bacteria, parasites, fungi, or yeast. Esophageal cancer is increasing in Western countries and the reasons for this remain unknown.

Gastric metastasis in renal cell carcinoma: a case report and systematic review.

Background: Published report of cases of gastric metastases arising from renal cell carcinoma is a rare event and treatment of such patients can be difficult. Gastrectomy may be a surgical alternative; however, the prognosis for the majority of patients is very poor.

Methods: We report a rare case of a patient with a metastatic renal cell carcinoma that metastasized to the stomach.

Epidemiology of gallbladder cancer.

Gallbladder cancer is the most common biliary tract cancer. The highest incidence rates occur in Chile, which also has the highest mortality rates. This lethal gastrointestinal cancer has a predilection among adult women and older subjects of both sexes, and also among populations throughout central and Eastern Europe and certain racial groups, such as Native American Indians.

Dysphagia as a cause of chest pain: an otolaryngologist's view.

Dysphagia is an important alarm symptom, commonly associated with chest pain; it is often associated with reflux disease, xerostomia, or tumors of the head and neck. However, simple diagnoses such as aspiration of a foreign body can be overseen and may result in major complications, such as perforation and mediastinitis. It is thus of crucial importance that a thorough gastrointestinal, cardiac, and radiologic examination precede a rigid esophagoscopy by an otolaryngologist.

Prevalence and epidemiology of gastrointestinal symptoms among normal weight, overweight, obese and extremely obese individuals.

Until recently, the epidemiology of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms had not been adequately studied in relation to increasing body mass index. To date there are only a few studies in the literature, and thus the relationship between obesity and specific GI symptoms is poorly understood. Future studies that incorporate different ethnicities from varied geographic locations are urgently required.

Relationship between alcohol consumption and active Helicobacter pylori infection.

Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a cause of chronic gastritis and maybe responsible for functional dyspepsia in a subset of patients. Many risk factors, such as alcohol consumption and smoking, may contribute to the colonization and infection of H.

Smoking and The Simpsons.

Objective: To determine the frequency of smoking on The Simpsons television show, and the relationship with the sex and age groups of characters shown smoking, and with positive, negative and neutral connotations associated with instances of smoking.

Design And Setting: Content analysis (performed from January to October 2008) of instances of smoking that appeared in the first 18 seasons of The Simpsons television show, which aired from 1989 to 2007.

Main Outcome Measures: Frequency, impact (positive, negative, neutral) of instances of smoking; and frequency associated with age (child or adolescent versus adult characters), sex and types of characters on the show.

Traditional Chinese medicinal herbs in the treatment of patients with esophageal cancer: a systematic review.

Traditional Chinese medicines are sometimes used as an adjunct to radiotherapy or chemotherapy for esophageal cancer. These medicines may have a benefit on the survival and quality of life of patients who have advanced esophageal cancer. Evidence from current studies appears weak due to methodological limitations.

Epidemiology of esophageal cancer.

The epidemiology of esophageal cancer has radically changed in the last fifty-years in the Western world. Changes in the predominant type of squamous cell carcinoma to adenocarcinoma, disparities between different ethnicities, and the exponential increase in incidence rates of adenocarcinoma have established esophageal cancer as a major public health problem requiring urgent attention.

Esophageal cancer: a historical perspective.

The history of esophageal cancer dates back to ancient Egyptian times, circa 3000 bc. Since then, the progress in the diagnosis and treatment of esophageal cancer has been steady. Over the last few centuries there have been advancements in the visualization and removal of these lesions, but with no real overall impact on survival rates.

Use of corticosteroids in acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Controversy remains as to whether low-dose corticosteroids can reduce the mortality and morbidity of acute lung injury (ALI) or the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) without increasing the risk of adverse reactions. We aimed to evaluate all studies investigating prolonged corticosteroids in low-to-moderate dose in ALI or ARDS.

Data Sources: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Current Content, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and bibliographies of retrieved articles.

Rectal bleeding: epidemiology, associated risk factors, and health care seeking behaviour: a population-based study.

Purpose: Rectal bleeding is considered an important sign of colonic disease, particularly colorectal cancer. The epidemiology of rectal bleeding in the community is poorly understood. Moreover, there is little information as to whether individuals seek health care for this problem.

Spinal epidural lipomatosis--a brief review.

Spinal epidural lipomatosis (SEL) is a rare disorder characterized by overgrowth of fat in the extradural space, causing compression of the neural elements. It is frequently associated with the administration of exogenous steroids or elevation of endogenous steroids. We present two patients, both with epidural lipamotosis of idiopathic origin.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): risk factors, and impact on quality of life-a population-based study.

Background: We aimed to determine the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and associated risk factors, and assess quality of life (QoL) in relation to the frequency and severity of reflux symptoms.

Methods: A random sample of 1000 residents of Western Sydney were mailed a validated self-report questionnaire. GERD symptoms, risk factors, psychologic distress, QoL, and demographics were measured.

Community subgroups in dyspepsia and their association with weight loss.

Objective: A link between dyspepsia symptoms and weight loss is controversial. We aimed to determine whether or not weight loss is a marker of dyspepsia.

Methods: Independent community-based cross-sectional studies.

A case of chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction secondary to primary visceral myopathy.

Background: A 13-year-old girl presented to the emergency room at her local hospital with an acute onset of vomiting, severe abdominal pain and distension. There was evidence of small-bowel obstruction on plain abdominal x-ray. Throughout the girl's adolescent years she was admitted to hospital numerous times for recurrent abdominal symptoms and underwent multiple sequential laparotomies.