Endoscopic Ultrasound in Gastric Cancer.

Gastric cancer remains one of the most common causes of cancer death worldwide. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) plays a key role in the diagnosis and staging of gastric cancer. EUS can allow for in-depth cancer staging by detailing tumor size, depth of invasion in the gastric wall, presence of metastatic lymphadenopathy, and detection of liver metastases.

Influence of Pharmaceutical Direct-to-Consumer Advertisement on Medical Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease-An Outpatient Survey-Based Study.

Background: The management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has become much more complex as our understanding of the disease pathology has improved and as new novel therapeutic options come into play. A factor that has not been studied in the management of this disease is the role that Direct-To-Consumer Advertisement (DTCA) plays in patients' decisions regarding their treatment options. Here we investigate the very role this mode of television advertisement has on influencing our patients.

The impact of corticosteroid use on inpatients with inflammatory bowel disease and positive polymerase chain reaction for Clostridium difficile.

Background/aims: Optimal management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with concomitant Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is controversial, especially when CDI diagnosis is made by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, which may reflect colonization without infection.

Methods: We performed a multicenter review of all inpatients with IBD and PCR diagnosed CDI. Outcomes included length of stay, 30- and 90-day readmission, colectomy during admission and within 3 months, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, CDI relapse and death for patients who received corticosteroid (CS) after CDI diagnosis versus those that did not.

Setting minimum standards for training in EUS and ERCP: results from a prospective multicenter study evaluating learning curves and competence among advanced endoscopy trainees.

Background And Aims: Minimum EUS and ERCP volumes that should be offered per trainee in "high quality" advanced endoscopy training programs (AETPs) are not established. We aimed to define the number of procedures required by an "average" advanced endoscopy trainee (AET) to achieve competence in technical and cognitive EUS and ERCP tasks to help structure AETPs.

Methods: American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE)-recognized AETPs were invited to participate; AETs were graded on every fifth EUS and ERCP examination using a validated tool.

Competence in Endoscopic Ultrasound and Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography, From Training Through Independent Practice.

Background & Aims: It is unclear whether participation in competency-based fellowship programs for endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) results in high-quality care in independent practice. We measured quality indicator (QI) adherence during the first year of independent practice among physicians who completed endoscopic training with a systematic assessment of competence.

Methods: We performed a prospective multicenter cohort study of invited participants from 62 training programs.

A Patient with Nafcillin-Associated Drug-Induced Liver Failure.

Nafcillin-induced acute liver injury is a rare and potentially fatal complication that has been known since the 1960s but inadequately studied. At this time, the only proven treatment is early discontinuation of the drug. Because of the high prevalence of nafcillin class antibiotic use in the United States, it is important for clinicians to have a high clinical suspicion for this diagnosis.

Potential benefit of hormonal therapy for non-uterine soft tissue sarcoma (STS) - a case report and literature review.

The expression of hormone receptors (HR) is considered a good prognostic marker in uterine sarcoma. Hormonal therapy is widely employed in the therapy of HR positive breast and gynecologic cancers, however, there is little information concerning hormonal therapy in HR positive extrauterine sarcoma. A 55-60 year age group female presented with an estrogen receptor positive metastatic retroperitoneal leiomyosarcoma (LMS).

Quantification of external urethral sphincter and bladder activity during micturition in the intact and spinally transected adult rat.

The goal of this study was to determine the effect of chronic mid-thoracic spinal cord transection on the time course of external urethral sphincter (EUS) and bladder activity associated with micturition events in the rat. Adult female Sprague-Dawley rats, either spinally intact or transected (T(9)-T(10)), were anesthetized with urethane and set up for continuous flow urodynamic recording of bladder intravesical pressure (BP) and EUS electromyography (EMG). Spinal transections were performed under isoflurane anesthesia 1-8 weeks prior to the terminal experiment.

Multiple lymphomatous polyposis associated with small lymphocytic lymphoma: a unique presentation.

Multiple lymphomatous polyposis (MLP) is a rare extra-nodal manifestation of lymphoma. In most cases, MLP is associated with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). We report a 66-year-old male diagnosed with small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL)/chronic lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL), who showed evidence of rectal bleeding.