Chemoprophylaxis to Prevent Deep Venous Thrombosis in Patients Hospitalized for Pancreatitis: Beneficial or Harmful?

Introduction:  Vascular complications in pancreatitis generally occur in the form of hemorrhage or thrombosis. Pancreatitis resulting in splanchnic thrombosis has been well studied, but the cause of this correlation has not been studied in the current era of increasing anticoagulant use for deep venous thrombosis (DVT) prophylaxis. Hemorrhagic pancreatitis and peri-pancreatic bleeding are also known phenomena encountered in relation to pancreatitis, but these risks are not well established in the setting of chemical prophylaxis for DVT.

A Case of Profound Secretory Diarrhea Revealing 2 Primary Neuroendocrine Tumors.

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are unusual neoplasms with a diverse spectrum of clinical presentations. There is a lack of literature on cases of 2 primary histologically distinct NETs. We report a case of a 40-year-old man who presented with chronic diarrhea.

Abdominal Cerebrospinal Fluid Pseudocyst as a Complication of Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Placement.

The abdominal cavity has long been used for absorption of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in patients with hydrocephalus. Although the procedure is quite common, there are complications that can potentially arise following ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt insertion. Here, we report a case of a 39-year-old female patient in which a large abdominal pseudocyst was developed as a complication of VP shunt placement.

Rectal malakoplakia.

Malakoplakia is a rare chronic granulomatous disease with potential to affect multiple organs. Gastrointestinal involvement is considered one of the most common locations outside of the urinary tract. Herein, we present the case of a man who presented to our clinic with painless hematochezia.

Corrigendum to "A Rare Case of New-Onset Ulcerative Colitis following Initiation of Secukinumab".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2019/2975631.].

Histologic and Endoscopic Similarity between Nodular Gastric Antral Vascular Ectasia and Gastric Hyperplastic Polyps Potentially Causing Treatment Delays.

Introduction: Gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) is the underlying cause for 4% of nonvariceal upper GI bleeding. Nodular GAVE and gastric hyperplastic polyps have similar appearance on upper GI endoscopy (EGD) as well as histology, which could delay specific targeted therapy. We herein, through this case, would like to highlight that high clinical suspicion is required to diagnose nodular GAVE.

A Rare Case of New-Onset Ulcerative Colitis following Initiation of Secukinumab.

Secukinumab is an IgG monoclonal antibody widely used for treatment of ankylosing spondylitis, psoriasis, and psoriatic arthritis. Recently, there has been increasing controversy regarding potential adverse effects of the drug especially in those with underlying inflammatory bowel disease. We present the case of a young male patient who developed severe new-onset ulcerative colitis following initiation of secukinumab for psoriasis, with excellent response and rapid resolution of symptoms with infliximab.

Primary Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma of the Descending Colon.

Primary non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the gastrointestinal tract is rare with an incidence of 10-15% of all non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases and 1-4% of all gastrointestinal tumors. The most common sites of involvement include the stomach, small intestines, colon and rectum. Primary colorectal lymphoma is extremely rare representing only 0.

: An Unusual Link to a Lower Gastrointestinal Bleed.

is a highly virulent pathogen which is associated with colorectal malignancy, hematological malignancy, immunosuppression, diabetes mellitus and cyclical neutropenia. Presentation may include disseminated clostridial infection in the form of septicemia, gas gangrene, and mycotic aortic aneurysms. We report the case of a 62-year-old female presenting with necrotizing fasciitis of her left thigh and subsequently developing rectal bleeding.

Cytomegalovirus Colitis Mimicking Rectal Carcinoma in a Young Immunocompetent Patient.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is often seen in immunocompromised patients. Rarely, immunocompetent patients may present with CMV as a self-limiting, flu-like illness, though a few cases of significant organ-specific complications have been reported in these patients. We report a case in which a previously healthy man presented with hematochezia and an obstructing rectal mass thought to be rectal adenocarcinoma.

Wedge and needle liver biopsies show discordant histopathology in morbidly obese patients undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery.

Background: Controversy exists over whether or not single-needle liver biopsies are sufficient to compare histological parameters in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Aims: To identify sampling variability, we biopsied four liver specimens per patient, based on biopsy size (needle vs wedge) and location (left vs right lobe), immediately prior to bariatric Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery.

Methods: Ten prospectively enrolled, morbidly obese patients underwent 40 laparoscopy-guided biopsies; two needle and two wedge from each of 16 left and 16 right liver lobes.

Digital quantification is more precise than traditional semiquantitation of hepatic steatosis: correlation with fibrosis in 220 treatment-naïve patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Background: Steatosis, as associated with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), has been considered a risk factor for development of fibrosis.

Aims: Our aims were to determine if correlations existed between the degree of steatosis and fibrosis in treatment-naïve CHC patients, and to compare the accuracy of digital image analysis with semiquantification (manual assessment) to quantify hepatic steatosis.

Methods: We studied 220 treatment-naïve, liver biopsy-proven CHC patients, including a serial biopsy sub-cohort of 37 patients with a mean interval of 3.

Diagnostic accuracy of serum hyaluronic acid, FIBROSpect II, and YKL-40 for discriminating fibrosis stages in chronic hepatitis C.

Objectives: Noninvasive serum markers of liver fibrosis are being used as an alternative to liver biopsy. Currently available tests distinguish, with accuracy, only absent/minimal fibrosis (Ishak stages 0-1) and advanced fibrosis/cirrhosis (Ishak stages 4-6), but not intermediate fibrosis (Ishak stages 2-3). Our aim was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of hyaluronic acid (HA), FIBROSpect II (FS-II), and YKL-40 (chondrex, human cartilage glycoprotein-39) in various clinically important categories of fibrosis, and further correlate these serum markers with digital quantification of fibrosis (DQF) and Ishak stages.