PEG use in patients with squamous cell carcinoma.

I read with great interest the paper by Sousa M. Tumor seeding of the fistula tract should be suspected in patients with a previous history of esophageal or nasopharynx squamous cell carcinoma who have undergone a Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG) with a persistent gastrocutaneous fistula. Especially after the use of an OTSC.

Accuracy of ASGE criteria for the prediction of choledocholithiasis.

I read with interest the article "Accuracy of ASGE criteria for the prediction of choledocholithiasis" by Nárvaez et al. Patients with suspicion of choledocholithiasis (CL) were categorized according to the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) recommendations. Those patients classified into high or intermediate-probability for CL underwent an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) without any further non-endoscopic biliary imaging modalities.

Efficacy of PPI, levofloxacin and amoxicillin in the eradication of Helicobacter pylori compared to conventional triple therapy at a Venezuelan hospital.

Background And Study Aims: Helicobacter pylori is the main cause of gastritis, gastroduodenal ulcers and gastric cancer. In the past two decades, the recommended treatment for its eradication as a first-line regimen is the standard triple therapy consisting of a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), amoxicillin and clarithromycin or metronidazole. However, the effectiveness of this traditional regime, which initially was 90%, progressively declined in many parts of the world and is currently 57-73%.