Prevalence of non-coeliac gluten sensitivity and assessment of the response to gluten-free diet in a cohort of patients with fibromyalgia.

Objectives: To establish the prevalence of non-coeliac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) in a cohort of fibromyalgia patients and to evaluate their clinical response to a six-week gluten-free diet (GFD), the improvement in their symptoms, the percentage of diet responders who did not fulfil the diagnostic criteria for NCGS and the baseline characteristics that were associated with diet response and diagnostic criteria fulfilment.

Methods: Uncontrolled prospective experimental study in a cohort of patients with fibromyalgia from a specialized hospital unit. The percentage of patients that fulfilled the Salerno Experts' Criteria, that responded to GFD, that improved their symptomatology and baseline characteristics associated with GFD response and diagnostic criteria fulfilment was analysed.

Endoscopic variceal ligation as primary prophylaxis for upper GI bleeding in children.

Background And Aims: Variceal hemorrhage can be a life-threatening adverse event of chronic liver disease. In contrast to the well-described guidelines for the management of portal hypertension (PH) in adults, there is limited evidence about the optimal prophylactic management of variceal bleeding in children. This study was carried out to assess the efficacy of endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) as primary prophylaxis to prevent upper GI bleeding in children with PH.

Long-term safety and effectiveness of levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel infusion.

Introduction: Levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) infusion has demonstrated to improve motor fluctuations. The aim of this study is to assess the long-term safety and effectiveness of LCIG infusion in advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with motor fluctuations and its effect in nonmotor symptoms.

Methods: Adverse events (AE) and their management, clinical motor, and nonmotor aspects were assessed up to 10 years.

Surgical Trauma Caused by Different Abdominal Access Routes-Comparison of Open Surgical, Laparoscopic, and NOTES Transgastric Techniques in a Porcine Model.

Background: Investigations indicate that natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) procedures induce a less pronounced postoperative inflammatory response than open or laparoscopic surgery, inflicting less trauma. In NOTES procedures, no skin incision is performed. We compare the inflammatory response added by the type of incision by measuring C-reactive protein (CRP) and tumors necrosis factor-alfa (TNF-α).

Adding banding ligation is effective as rescue therapy to prevent variceal rebleeding in haemodynamic non-responders to pharmacological therapy.

Background: It is unknown which is the best therapy to treat haemodynamic non-responders to pharmacological therapy after variceal bleeding.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of adding banding ligation to drugs to prevent variceal rebleeding in haemodynamic non-responders to drugs.

Methods: Fifty-three cirrhotic patients with variceal bleeding underwent a hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) measurement 5 days after the episode.

Effectiveness of combined pharmacologic and ligation therapy in high-risk patients with acute esophageal variceal bleeding.

Objectives: After an acute variceal bleeding, early decision for aggressive management of patients with worse prognosis may improve outcomes. The effectiveness of currently recommended standard therapy (drugs plus endoscopic ligation) for different risk subgroups and the validity of available risk criteria in clinical practice are unknown.

Methods: We analyzed data of 301 consecutive cirrhotic patients admitted with esophageal variceal bleeding.

Predicting early mortality after acute variceal hemorrhage based on classification and regression tree analysis.

Background & Aims: Available prognostic models for mortality after an acute variceal hemorrhage have limitations that restrict their clinical value. We assessed the performance of a novel prognostic approach based on classification and regression tree (CART) analysis.

Methods: Logistic regression (LR) and CART analyses were performed to identify prognostic models for mortality at 6 weeks in a single-center cohort of 267 consecutive patients with acute variceal bleeding.

Risk factors for recurrence of acute gastrointestinal bleeding from angiodysplasia.

Background And Aims: Recurrent bleeding from gastrointestinal (GI) angiodysplasia remains a therapeutic challenge. Identification of factors predicting poor outcome of haemorrhage from angiodysplasia would help us to select the patients who may likely benefit from further therapy. Thus, we analysed risk factors for recurrence of acute GI haemorrhage from angiodysplasia.

[Treatment of pain in chronic pancreatitis].

Abdominal pain is the most frequent symptom in patients with chronic pancreatitis. Between 70 and 90% of patients experience pain at some point in the course of their disease. In patients with alcoholic pancreatitis, pain is usually experienced at disease onset.

Capsule endoscopy versus computed tomographic or standard angiography for the diagnosis of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding.

Background And Aims: Capsule endoscopy (CE) is superior to push enteroscopy and small bowel barium radiography in detecting the source of obscure GI bleeding. We now compared whether CE has a superior diagnostic yield than CT angiography (CTA) or standard mesenteric angiography (ANGIO) in patients with obscure GI bleeding.

Methods: From June 2004 to October 2005, consecutive patients admitted for OGIB underwent both CTA and ANGIO, followed by CE, performed blindly by independent examiners within the next 7 days.

Hemodynamic response-guided therapy for prevention of variceal rebleeding: an uncontrolled pilot study.

The clinical usefulness of assessing hemodynamic response to drug therapy in the prophylaxis of variceal rebleeding is unknown. An open-labeled, uncontrolled pilot trial was performed to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of using the hemodynamic response to pharmacological treatment to guide therapy in this setting. Fifty patients with acute variceal bleeding underwent a hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) measurement 5 days after the episode.