Albumin and Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Score in Neoadjuvant Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy for Esophageal Cancer: Comparison With Prognostic Nutritional Index.

Background/aim: Neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) for esophageal cancer is often overwhelming due to its toxic effects. This study aimed to establish a prognostic indicator based on pretreatment albumin and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NLR) ratio score (ANS) in comparison to the Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) in patients with esophageal cancer.

Patients And Methods: A total of 123 patients who received neoadjuvant CCRT for esophageal cancer were prospectively and consecutively recruited between August 2016 and December 2017 from three medical institutes in Taiwan.

Utility of Palliative Prognostic Index in Predicting Survival Outcomes in Patients With Hematological Malignancies in the Acute Ward Setting.

Background: The palliative prognostic index (PPI) predicts the life expectancy of patients with terminally ill cancer in hospice settings. This study aimed to evaluate PPI as a prognostic tool for predicting the life expectancy of patients with hematological malignancies admitted to the acute ward.

Methods: A total of 308 patients with hematological malignancies admitted to the hematological ward at a medical center between January 2016 and December 2017 were consecutively enrolled.

Endoscopic ultrasound-directed transgastric ERCP (EDGE): a retrospective multicenter study.

Background: Endoscopic ultrasound-directed transgastric endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP; EDGE) is an alternative to enteroscopy- and laparoscopy-assisted ERCP in patients with Roux-en-Y gastric bypass anatomy. Although short-term results are promising, the long-term outcomes are not known. The aims of this study were: (1) to determine the rates of long-term adverse events after EDGE, with a focus on rates of persistent gastrogastric or jejunogastric fistula; (2) to identify predictors of persistent fistula; (3) to assess the outcomes of endoscopic closure when persistent fistula is encountered.

Predicting Postoperative Events in Patients With Gastric Cancer: A Comparison of Five Nutrition Assessment Tools.

Background/aim: We compared the adequacy of five nutrition assessment tools with respect to their predictive value in patients with locally advanced gastric cancer (GC) receiving radical surgery.

Patients And Methods: Five nutrition assessment tools-Glasgow prognostic score (GPS), malnutritional universal screening tool (MUST), nutritional risk screening, patient generated subjective global assessment (PG-SGA), and prognostic nutritional index (PNI)-were assessed preoperatively for stage III GC patients. The correlation between postoperative events and nutritional status was further analyzed.

Beta-sitosterol-induced Acute Pancreatitis: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

While drug-induced pancreatitis from corticosteroids has been well described in the medical literature, the exact mechanism is unclear. We present the first reported case of drug-induced pancreatitis from beta-sitosterol, a naturally occurring plant sterol structurally similar to cholesterol, obtained primarily through Western diet and supplementation. A 57-year-old male with a history of situs inversus and benign prostatic hyperplasia presented from an outside facility with a two-day history of worsening epigastric pain radiating to the right upper quadrant.

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided drainage of pancreatic walled-off necrosis using 20-mm versus 15-mm lumen-apposing metal stents: an international, multicenter, case-matched study.

Backgrounds: Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided placement of lumen-apposing metal stents (LAMSs) has gained popularity for the treatment of pancreatic walled-off necrosis (WON). We compared the 20-mm and 15-mm LAMSs for the treatment of symptomatic WON in terms of clinical success and adverse events.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective, case-matched study of 306 adults at 22 tertiary centers from 04/2014 to 10/2018.

Use of Lumen-Apposing Stents for the Treatment of Postsurgical Fluid Collections: A Case Series and a Review of Literature.

Lumen-apposing metal stents (LAMS) use in gastrointestinal endoscopy has been on the rise for various indications for the last few years. Currently, LAMS is a well-established treatment for post-pancreatitis peri-pancreatic fluid collections and walled-off necrosis (WON), but it is still not a standard of care in the treatment of post-surgical fluid collections (PSFC). Most of the earlier studies for treatment of PSFC utilized double pigtail plastic stents (DPS).

Leaky Ca2+ release channel/ryanodine receptor 2 causes seizures and sudden cardiac death in mice.

The Ca2+ release channel ryanodine receptor 2 (RyR2) is required for excitation-contraction coupling in the heart and is also present in the brain. Mutations in RyR2 have been linked to exercise-induced sudden cardiac death (catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia [CPVT]). CPVT-associated RyR2 mutations result in "leaky" RyR2 channels due to the decreased binding of the calstabin2 (FKBP12.