Real world evidence on the effectiveness and safety of tofacitinib in ulcerative colitis in Lebanon.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of tofacitinib in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) in clinical practice in Lebanon.

Design: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study. The data were collected from hospital records.

Surgical repair of endoscopy-induced colonic perforations: a case-matched study of short-term morbidity and mortality.

Background: Our aim was to describe the clinical outcomes of surgical interventions performed for the management of colonoscopy-related perforations and to compare these outcomes with those of matched colorectal surgeries performed in elective and emergency settings.

Methods: We included patients with endoscopic colonic perforation who underwent surgical intervention from the 2014-2017 National Surgery Quality Improvement Program participant use data colorectal targeted procedure file. The primary outcome in this study was short term surgical morbidity and mortality.

Development and Validation of a Novel 1-year Mortality Risk Score That Includes the Use of Antithrombotic in Patients With Overt Gastrointestinal Bleeding.

Goals And Background: We aimed to develop a novel 1-year mortality risk-scoring system that includes use of antithrombotic (AT) drugs and to validate it against other scoring systems in patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB).

Study: We developed a risk-scoring system from prospectively collected data on patients admitted with GIB between January 2013 and August 2020, who had at least 1- year of follow-up. Independent predictors of 1-year mortality were determined after adjusting for the following confounders: the age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) (divided into 4 groups: CCI-0=0, CCI-1=1 to 3, CCI-2=4 to 6, CCI-3 ≥7), need for blood transfusion, GIB severity, need for endoscopic therapy, and type of AT.

Prevalence of Laryngopharyngeal Symptoms in Patients With Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Refractory to Medical Therapy Undergoing Esophagogastroduodenoscopy.

Objective: Casting more information on the link between GERD and LPR by investigating the prevalence of laryngopharyngeal symptoms in patients with severe GERD refractory to medical treatment.

Design: Prospective Study METHODS: Fifty patients with typical GERD symptoms presenting for EGD were recruited. All patients filled the GERD-Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQL) questionnaire and were screened for LPR using the Reflux Symptom Score questionnaire.

Impact of sedation type on adenoma detection rate by colonoscopy.

Background & Aims: Endoscopic detection of polyps and adenomas decreases the incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer. The available data concerning the relationship between the sedation type and adenoma detection rate (ADR) or polyp detection rate (PDR) is inconclusive. The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of conscious vs.

Increased rebleeding and mortality in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding treated with anticoagulant drugs compared to antiplatelet drugs.

Background/aim: We determined the effect of antiplatelet and anticoagulant agents on rebleeding and mortality in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding.

Methods: This was a prospective study of patients admitted with gastrointestinal bleeding between 2013 and 2018. Outcomes were compared among patients on antiplatelet agents only, anticoagulant drugs only, combination therapy, and none.

Timing of cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis impacts surgical morbidity and mortality: an NSQIP database analysis.

The aim of this study is to identify the optimal timing for cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis. Patients undergoing cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis from the National Surgery Quality Improvement Program database between 2014 and 2016 were included. The patients were divided into 4 groups, those who underwent surgery at days 0, 1, 2, or 3+ days.

Bowel wall thickening on computed tomography scan: Inter-observer agreement and correlation with endoscopic findings.

Background And Study Aims: Bowel wall thickening (BWT) on computed tomography (CT) has been frequently reported by radiologists. There are no clear guidelines regarding the level of thickening that is correlated with definite pathology. Radiologists usually rely on their overall subjective impression, and studies on inter-observer agreement (IOA) are lacking.

Gender differences in liver fibrosis among patients younger than 50 years: A retrospective cohort study.

Background & Aims: Liver fibrosis is a metabolic disease associated with several factors, mainly age, gender, immune suppression, viral hepatitis, alcohol and metabolic diseases. Here, we are assessing the gender impact on liver status in NAFLD patients younger than 50 years.

Methods: All males younger than 50 years and premenopausal females diagnosed with NAFLD were included in this study.

Short-term surgical morbidity and mortality of distal pancreatectomy performed for benign versus malignant diseases: a NSQIP analysis.

Background/aim: Distal pancreatectomy (DP) accounts for 25% of all pancreatic resections. Complications following DP occur in around 40% of the cases. Our aim is to analyze short-term surgical outcomes of DP based on whether the indication for resection was benign or malignant pathology, as well as the effect of the surgical approach, open versus laparoscopic on morbidity and mortality.

Fibroscan and low-density lipoprotein as determinants of severe liver fibrosis in diabetic patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Background: Fibroscan is an effective and noninvasive tool to quantify fibrosis and steatosis in liver diseases including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Type-2-diabetes is a known risk factor for worse prognosis in NAFLD. In this study, we compare liver status in NAFDL diabetic and nondiabetic patients, identify potential risk factors, and determine the usefulness of Fibroscan in this population.

Intragastric balloon treatment of obesity: Long-term results and patient satisfaction.

Background/aims: Intragastric balloon (IGB) treatment of obesity is a minimally invasive outpatient procedure that has been shown to help weight loss in some patients. The aim of this study is to analyze the long-term results regarding the effectiveness, tolerability, and patient satisfaction in a cohort of patients undergoing the IGB insertion.

Materials And Methods: Using a retrospective cohort study design, patients who had their IGB inserted/removed between the years 2009 and 2016 were contacted by phone and asked to answer a short questionnaire.

Validation of day 1 drain fluid amylase level for prediction of clinically relevant fistula after distal pancreatectomy using the NSQIP database.

Background: The role of postoperative day 1 drain fluid amylase level in predicting clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula is under investigation. In a previous multicenter study conducted on 338 patients undergoing distal pancreatectomy, day 1 drain fluid amylase level has been correlated to the development of a clinically relevant pancreatic fistula and an amylase value of 2,000 U/L was found to be most predictive of the development of clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula. Our objective was to validate the previously established cutoff level for drain fluid amylase on postoperative day 1 after distal pancreatectomy as a predictor for clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula using a different patient population from the National Surgery Quality Improvement Program database.

Site specific diagnostic yield of endoscopic biopsies in Gastrointestinal Graft-versus-Host Disease: A tertiary care Center experience.

Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) graft versus host disease (GVHD) occurs in up to 40% of patients undergoing allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). However, the optimal endoscopic approach is still unclear and the area of the GI tract with the highest diagnostic yield is still a topic of debate.

Objective: We compared the diagnostic yield of different anatomic site biopsies in the diagnosis of GI GVHD and assessed the correlation of endoscopic findings with histopathology.

Ear Involvement in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Review of the Literature.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a multisystemic disease. The ear is a rare but recognized site of extraintestinal manifestations of IBD. In external ear, the more common manifestations of IBD are pyoderma gangrenosum, metastatic Crohn's disease and relapsing polychondritis and the treatment includes corticosteroids and anti-TNF agents.

Patient-Physician Communication in the Era of Mobile Phones and Social Media Apps: Cross-Sectional Observational Study on Lebanese Physicians' Perceptions and Attitudes.

Background: The increased prevalence of virtual communication technology, particularly social media, has shifted the physician-patient relationship away from the well-established face-to-face interaction. The views and habits of physicians in Lebanon toward the use of online apps and social media as forms of patient communication have not been previously described.

Objective: The aim of this study is to describe the views of Lebanese physicians toward the use of social media and other online apps as means of patient communication.

Costs of Crohn's Disease According to Severity States in France: A Prospective Observational Study and Statistical Modeling over 10 Years.

Background: To describe the medico-economic characteristics of Crohn's disease (CD), we implemented a multicenter study in France.

Methods: From 2004 to 2006, disease severity states, direct (hospital and extra hospital) and indirect costs were prospectively collected over 1 year in patients with CD naive from anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (infliximab) at inclusion. Economic valorization was performed from the French Social Insurance perspective, and a statistical modeling over 10 years was performed.

A Single Mass Forming Colonic Primary Mantle Cell Lymphoma.

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a subtype of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) comprising around 7% of adult NHL. It is characterized by a chromosomal translocation t(11:14) and overexpression of Cyclin D1. The incidence of secondary gastrointestinal tract involvement in MCL ranges from 10 to 28% in various series.

Isolated fever induced by mesalamine treatment.

Adverse reactions to mesalamine, a treatment used to induce and maintain remission in inflammatory bowel diseases, particularly ulcerative colitis, have been described in the literature as case reports. This case illustrates an unusual adverse reaction. Our patient developed an isolated fever of unexplained etiology, which was found to be related to mesalamine treatment.