Reduced cortical thickness in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure due to non-alcoholic etiology.

Background: Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a form of liver disease with high short-term mortality. ACLF offers considerable potential to affect the cortical areas by significant tissue injury due to loss of neurons and other supporting cells. We measured changes in cortical thickness and metabolites profile in ACLF patients following treatment, and compared it with those of age matched healthy volunteers.

Amebic infection in humans.

Clinical human infections with the protozoa Entamoeba histolytica is still estimated to occur in 50 million people worldwide, of which approximately 100,000 die annually. Although most clinical symptoms are due to involvement of the large intestine, 1 % present with involvement of the liver in the form of a liver abscess, a potentially fatal condition. Distinguishing an invasive form (E.

Pneumatic dilation for achalasia cardia: reduction in lower esophageal sphincter pressure in assessing response and factors associated with recurrence during long-term follow up.

Background: Data on utility of post-pneumatic dilation (PD) lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure measurement in evaluating short and long-term efficacy of dilation, which tears the non-relaxing LES in achalasia, are scanty.

Methods: Post-PD LES pressure was measured in 72/98 patients with achalasia. The best cut-off pressure classifying responders and non-responders was determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.

Thiamine deficiency related microstructural brain changes in acute and acute-on-chronic liver failure of non-alcoholic etiology.

Background & Aims: Mammillary body atrophy in alcoholic liver disease usually indicates thiamine deficiency. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship among blood thiamine, mammillary bodies, major fiber bundle fractional anisotropy, and volume changes with diffusion tensor tractography in patients with acute and acute-on-chronic liver failure of non-alcoholic etiology.

Methods: Blood thiamine, mammillary bodies, fiber bundle fractional anisotropy and volume of major fiber tracts were quantified from acute and acute-on-chronic liver failure patients and compared with healthy controls.

A review of factors predicting outcome of pneumatic dilation in patients with achalasia cardia.

Pneumatic dilation (PD) is an effective treatment for achalasia cardia. Outcome of PD, however, varies among different studies. Recently, some groups started considering laparoscopic myotomy to be competitive to PD in treatment of achalasia considering dreaded complication like perforation following the latter therapeutic approach.

Serum proinflammatory cytokines correlate with diffusion tensor imaging derived metrics and 1H-MR spectroscopy in patients with acute liver failure.

Hyperammonemia and inflammation are major contributing factors in the development of cerebral edema (CE) in acute liver failure (ALF). Aim of this study was to look for the relationship between proinflammatory cytokines with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) derived metrics and (1)H-MR spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) derived Glutamate/Glutamine (Glx). Fourteen patients with ALF and 14 age/sex matched controls were included in this study.