Development of a herbal mouthwash containing a mixture of essential oils and plant extracts and testing of its antimicrobial efficiency against the planktonic and biofilm-enclosed cariogenic bacterium .

A herbal mouthwash containing essential oils of holy basil and mountain tea, extracts of St John's wort and European goldenrod (Bucovia™) and cetylpyridinium chloride, was developed and tested for its efficiency against biofilm formation by , together with its eradicating activity against already preformed (48 h with saccharose) streptococcal biofilm. The minimum inhibitory (MIC) and bactericidal concentrations (MBC) of the final formulation, as well as of its individual components, were initially determined. The results revealed that the mouthwash needed to be applied at two-times its MIC (0.

Pneumatic dilation for functional helix stenosis after sleeve gastrectomy: long-term follow-up (with videos).

Background: A large number of patients who undergo laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy present with surgical complications. Stenosis, in particular, occurs in .7%-4% of cases.

Double Pigtail Stent Insertion for Healing of Leaks Following Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass. Our Experience (with Videos).

Background: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is complicated by a leak in 0-4.3% of cases. Treatment by fully covered stents has been reported to be associated with some life-threatening complications.

Prognostic value of C-reactive protein levels in patients with cirrhosis.

I dentifying cirrhosis with a poor short-term prognosis remains crucial for improving the allocation of liver grafts. The purpose of this study was to assess the prognostic value of a model combining the variation of C-reactive protein (CRP) levels within 15 days, the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, and the presence of comorbidities in patients with decompensated cirrhosis with a Child-Pugh score > B7 and to test the relevance of this model in patients with compensated cirrhosis. We collected data for cirrhotic patients without hepatocellular carcinoma, extrahepatic malignancy, human immunodeficiency virus infection, organ transplantation, seen between January 2010 and December 2011.

Improved survival of cirrhotic patients with variceal bleeding over the decade 2000-2010.

Background And Objective: Advances in the management of variceal bleeding (VB) have been highlighted recently. We aimed at assessing whether changing the management of VB has improved the outcome (mortality and rebleeding rates).

Methods: The files of two cohorts (n=57, 2000-2001 and n=64, 2008-2009) of patients referred to our university center were reviewed after a cross-searching using two coding systems.

Loss of hepatitis B surface antigen in a real-life clinical cohort of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

Background & Aims: Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) clearance is the main indicator of viral cure in patients infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV). We sought to identify the parameters associated with HBsAg loss in a well-characterized real-life clinical cohort of chronically HBV-infected patients.

Methods: Patients with chronic HBV infection were prospectively included, classified according to the disease stage, and followed up to determine parameters associated with HBsAg clearance.

Endoscopic Internal Drainage with Enteral Nutrition (EDEN) for treatment of leaks following sleeve gastrectomy.

Background: Endoscopic treatment of gastric leaks (GL) following sleeve gastrectomy (SG) involves different techniques; however, standard management is not yet established. We report our experience about endoscopic internal drainage of leaks using pigtail stents coupled with enteral nutrition (EDEN) for 4 to 6 weeks until healing is achieved.

Methods: In 21 pts (18 F, 41 years), one or two plastic pigtail stents were delivered across the leak 25.

Plasma copeptin, a possible prognostic marker in cirrhosis.

Background & Aim: Copeptin, secreted stoichiometrically with vasopressin, demonstrated its prognostic role in various diseases other than cirrhosis.

Methods: We investigated the association between severity of cirrhosis and plasma concentrations of copeptin, and the prognostic value of copeptin in 95 non-septic cirrhotic patients (34 Child-Pugh A, 29 CP-B, 32 CP-C), 30 septic patients with a Child-Pugh >8 ('group D'), and 16 healthy volunteers. Patients were followed for at least 12 months to assess the composite endpoint death/liver transplantation.

Endoscopic placement of fully covered self expanding metal stents for management of post-operative foregut leaks.

Background: Fully covered self-expanding metal stent (SEMS) placement has been successfully described for the treatment of malignant and benign conditions. The aim of this study is to evaluate our experience of fully covered SEMS placement for post-operative foregut leaks.

Materials And Methods: Retrospective analysis was done for indications, outcomes and complications of SEMS placed in homogeneous population of 15 patients with post-operative foregut leaks in our tertiary-care centre from December 2008 to December 2010.

A sessile (diminutive) polyp within a sigmoid diverticulum--EMR or observe?

Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) is a well-established technique for excision of colo-rectal polyps, which can be technically challenging when the polyp is inside a diverticulum, as colonic perforation may easily occur due to the lack of muscular coats. Here we report, to our knowledge, the first case of sessile (diminutive) polyp inside a diverticulum being successfully removed entirely by EMR.