Publications by authors named "Helena Saba"
Background: While bidirectional endoscopy is recognized as the standard approach for investigating iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in men older than 45 and postmenopausal women, evidence supporting the application of this approach in younger men and premenopausal women is scarce in the absence of symptoms. Our primary aim is to identify the diagnostic yield of bidirectional endoscopy in men younger than 45 and premenopausal women, and describe the clinical characteristics of those with significant endoscopic and pathology-proven findings.
Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review including patients younger than age 45 with IDA who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and/or colonoscopy at the Brooklyn VA Hospital between 2009 and 2023.
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigates the prevalence of inherited cancer susceptibility variants in patients with pancreatic cancer and nonpancreatic periampullary cancers, emphasizing that both groups show similar rates of these variants.
- - A total of 608 patients were analyzed, revealing that 7.7% carried significant germline variants, with 89% linked to major cancer susceptibility genes and a notable majority having a family cancer history.
- - The findings support the recommendation for germline susceptibility testing in all patients with periampullary cancers, not just those with pancreatic cancer.
Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) presents a significant challenge in clinical practice, particularly with the rising popularity of herbal and dietary supplements (HDS) in the United States. Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifolia Jack), a Southeast Asian herb, has garnered attention for its purported health benefits, including enhancing testosterone levels. Here, we present a case of a 47-year-old male with acute liver injury following Tongkat Ali use, the first reported case of its kind in the literature.
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- The study explores how levels of the carbohydrate antigen CA19-9 and a related glycan, DUPAN-2, can aid in diagnosing pancreatic cancer, particularly highlighting differences based on genetic variants in fucosyltransferase (FUT) enzymes.
- It involved analyzing genetic data from 938 individuals to determine how these variants affect serum levels of DUPAN-2 and CA19-9, with findings suggesting improved diagnostic sensitivity for early-stage pancreatic cancer.
- The conclusion emphasizes the potential of combining genetic testing with tumor markers to enhance diagnostic accuracy for pancreatic cancer, showing promising results when using a combination of FUT, CA19-9, and DUPAN-2 tests.
Article Synopsis
- Cancer antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) is a key marker used to monitor pancreatic cancer but varies based on genetic factors from fucosyltransferase (FUT) variants, influencing its reference ranges in patients.
- The study evaluated preoperative CA19-9 levels in 449 pancreatic cancer patients, analyzing how these levels and FUT variants correlate with survival outcomes.
- Results indicated that higher CA19-9 levels were linked to worse outcomes in patients with higher FUT groups, while a variant-based CA19-9 test enhanced prediction of treatment response and recurrence after surgery.*
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how regular use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) impacts the microbiomes of pancreatic and duodenal tissues, especially in relation to pancreatic cancer risk.
- It analyzes microbiome profiles from 103 patients, revealing that PPI users have a significantly altered duodenal microbiome, with notable enrichment of Firmicutes and Streptococcus species.
- The research highlights differences in microbiome diversity between the pancreas head and body/tail, finding that PPI use is linked to changes in both duodenal and pancreatic tissue microbiome profiles, although more pronounced effects were noted in the duodenum.
Purpose: CA19-9 synthesis is influenced by common variants in the fucosyltransferase (FUT) enzymes FUT3 and FUT2. We developed a clinical test to detect FUT variants, and evaluated its diagnostic performance for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).
Experimental Design: A representative set of controls from the Cancer of the Pancreas Screening study was identified for each FUT functional group.
Individuals at increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer, including those with a significant family history of the disease and those with pancreatic cancer susceptibility gene variants, can benefit from pancreas surveillance. Most pancreatic cancers diagnosed during surveillance are early-stage and such patients can achieve long-term survival. Determining who should undergo pancreas surveillance is still a work-in-progress, but the main tools clinicians use to estimate an individual's risk of pancreatic cancer are patient's age, the extent of their family history of pancreatic cancer, and whether or not they have a pancreatic cancer susceptibility gene mutation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStrongyloides is a unique nematode in its ability to cause a secondary hyperinfection and disseminated disease several years following initial contact. The prevalence of Strongyloides infection has been rising; it is currently considered a global disease, which presents with a broad spectrum of clinical signs and symptoms among patients. This case report focuses on a 67-year-old Caribbean female presenting with severe weight loss, vomiting, early satiety, and mild anemia who was subsequently diagnosed with strongyloidiasis on the basis of a duodenal biopsy pathology report obtained via esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD).
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