Microscopic colitis related to food supplement containing turmeric: a review of 3 cases.

Microscopic colitis is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the colon characterized by microscopic changes in the intestinal lining. Turmeric, a commonly used spice, is generally regarded as beneficial for digestive and articular health thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties. No cases of microscopic colitis under a food supplement containing turmeric has been previously described in the literature.

Over 90% of cases of Microscopic Colitis can be diagnosed by performing a short colonoscopy.

Aims: To determinate the topographical distribution of key diagnostic histological features of lymphocytic colitis (LC) and collagenous colitis (CC) and to establish what correlations may exist between the histological findings and the causes and severity of MC.

Patients And Methods: Patients with MC were included in a prospective multicentre French study from September 2010 to October 2012. MC was diagnosed by performing total colonoscopy with multiple biopsies of the rectum and colon collected in separate jars and analyzed separately for each site (descending and sigmoid colon, transverse colon, ascending colon).

Microscopic colitis or functional bowel disease with diarrhea: a French prospective multicenter study.

Objectives: To describe the characteristics of a cohort of patients with microscopic colitis (MC; lymphocytic (LC) or collagenous (CC) colitis) and to compare them with patients with functional bowel disorder with diarrhea (FBD-D).

Methods: Between September 2010 and June 2012, patients fulfilling the following inclusion criteria were prospectively included in 26 centers in France: (i) having at least three bowel movements daily with change in stool consistency; (ii) duration of abnormal bowel habit >4 weeks; and (iii) normal or near-normal colonoscopy. Each patient underwent a colonoscopy and colonic biopsies.

Macroscopic endoscopic lesions in microscopic collagenous colitis: double case report and review of the literature.

Collagenous colitis is a cause of chronic diarrhea of incompletely elucidated origin, defined by normal laboratory tests, a normal endoscopic appearance of colonic mucosa and specific microscopic inflammatory features on colonic biopsies. We report two cases of macroscopic endoscopic lesions observed in patients suffering from chronic diarrhea, whose biopsies confirmed a diagnosis of collagenous colitis and who were successfully treated in that setting, achieving clinical and endoscopic remissions. By means of a literature review, we summarize what is known about collagenous colitis.

Acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding in cirrhosis: changes and advances over the past two decades.

Background And Aims: Few studies have compared two or more cohorts of cirrhotic patients admitted for upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) several decades apart. Our aim was to compare epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic and prognostic characteristics of UGIB (whatever the source) in two cohorts of cirrhotic patients admitted to the emergency room of the same general hospital 2 decades apart.

Methods: One-hundred cases of UGIB in cirrhotic patients consecutively admitted between 1984 and 1990 (cohort A) were compared with 100 similar cases admitted between 2004 and 2009 (cohort B).

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding: what has changed during the last 20 years?

Aim Of The Study: The purpose of this study was to assess the clinical, epidemiological, therapeutic and prognostic changes observed in patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) during the last two decades.

Methods: Two cohorts of 200 patients with UGIB consecutively recruited during the period 1984-1987 (cohort A) then during the period 2004-2006 (cohort B) were compared.

Results: Median age was 61.

Epidemiology of coeliac disease.

In this article we review recent worldwide epidemiological data of coeliac disease (CD). An emphasis is made on adult figures as there is reduction of infants cases that is counterbalanced by the increase of CD in older children or adults. We review data from Europe, USA, South America, Australia, Asia and Africa.

[Screening for hepatocarcinoma in a cohort with cirrhosis mainly of alcoholic origin].

Objectives: To assess the feasibility and efficiency of the screening for hepatocarcinoma in a cohort of cirrhoseis mainly of alcoholic origin.

Patients And Methods: 293 patients with cirrhosis, among them 186 (63.5%) from alcoholic origin, were included in a surveillance programme for hepatocarcinoma by carrying out liver ultrasonography and alpha-foetoprotein dosage every 6 months.

Impact of hepatitis C virus infection on the aetiology of cirrhosis and hepatocarcinoma in three affiliated hospitals in southern Belgium.

In a consecutive series of 411 patients with cirrhosis attending the outpatient liver clinics of 3 general hospitals located in the southern part of Belgium, hepatitis C virus infection accounted for 20% of the cases, far behind alcohol (63%). However, in a consecutive series of 57 hepatocarcinoma superimposed on cirrhosis, hepatitis C virus infection was the main aetiological factor accounting for 44% of the cases.

[lymphocytic colitis associated with lansoprazole treatment].

We report two cases of lymphocytic colitis with severe diarrhea in patients treated by lansoprazole for six weeks. Complete remission occurred rapidly after lansoprazole withdrawal.

Surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma: compliance and results according to the aetiology of cirrhosis in a cohort of 141 patients.

Surveillance for early detection of hepatocarcinoma (HCC) in patients with cirrhosis is widely accepted. In a cohort of 141 patients with cirrhosis collected during the year 1995, we conducted a surveillance program by performing liver ultrasonography and blood alpha-foetoprotein measurement every 6 months. The median follow-up was 34 months.

Thromboembolism in inflammatory bowel disease.

Thromboembolism represents a severe complication of inflammatory bowel disease occurring in young patient, with active disease. Deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism are the most frequent thromboembolism manifestations. Arterial complications and unusual sites for thromboembolism are more rare.

Hypoxic hepatitis: a difficult diagnosis when the cardiomyopathy remains unrecognized and the course of liver enzymes follows an atypical pattern. A report of two cases.

In a clinical setting of cardiac or circulatory failure, the diagnosis of hypoxic (ischaemic) hepatitis is easy and can be elicited on mere clinical and biochemical features. We report two cases of hypoxic hepatitis where cardiomyopathy remained unrecognized at admission due to the lack of conventional signs of congestive heart failure and where the increase in liver enzymes activities followed an atypical pattern, characterized by only moderate elevation of serum aminotransferases activities, low ASAT/ALAT ratio and elevated ALAT/LDH ratio. This atypical pattern not suggestive of hypoxic hepatitis, could be explained by a delay between the onset of hypoxic injury of the liver and admission to hospital.

Severe nontyphoidal salmonellosis probably in relation with omeprazole treatment: report of 2 cases.

We report 2 cases of severe nontyphoidal salmonellosis (Salmonella enteritidis), occurring 4 and 5 weeks after starting a treatment with Omeprazole (20 mg a day). No other member of the families was sick, and none of the 2 patients took any meals outside home during the two weeks preceding the first symptoms. Gastric hypochlorhydria is a major risk factor for Salmonella enteritidis, and several cases of severe infection have been described with this condition.

[Can the L/A ratio identify acute alcoholic pancreatitis?].

Early distinction between acute alcoholic pancreatitis is important, because of possible emergency endoscopic sphincterotomy in case of biliary pancreatitis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of L/A ratio in the diagnosis of acute alcoholic pancreatitis. From 1990 to end 1993, 133 patients with acute pancreatitis were reviewed.

[Primary osteosarcoma of the left auricle. Report of a case].

We observed a fatal case of cardiac tumor obstructing the left atrium. Death occurred after massive hemoptysis. At autopsy, the histological diagnosis was primary cardiac osteosarcoma with metastases in the adrenal gland.

Endoscopic laser therapy for small villous adenomas of the duodenum.

Six patients with seven small, nonampullary duodenal villous or tubulovillous adenomas, two of which showed mild dysplasia, were treated by laser photocoagulation. The mean size of the tumors was 19 +/- 16 mm. Both argon and Nd-YAG lasers were used.

High-dose cytosine arabinoside and amsacrine or mitoxantrone in relapsed and refractory acute myeloid leukaemia: a prospective randomized study.

52 patients with refractory or relapsed acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) were randomly assigned to receive a combination of high-dose cytosine arabinoside (HD Ara-C), 3 g/m2/d and either mitoxantrone (MTX), 7 mg/m2/d (5 mg if older than 60 yr) or m-amsacrine (AMSA), 120 mg/m2/d (90 mg if older than 60 yr) for 5 d. The overall response rate was 50% and did not differ significantly in the two groups (46% for AMSA and 56% for MTX, p = 0.415).