Serum osteoprotegerin, RANKL, and Dkk-1 levels in adults with Langerhans cell histiocytosis.

Context: Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare disease of unknown etiology with a strong evidence of immunological dysfunction secondary to cytokine dysregulation.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate serum receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand (RANKL), osteoprotegerin (OPG), and Dickkopf-1 (Dkk-1) levels in adult patients with LCH at various stages of the disease.

Design: This was a cross-sectional study in an adult LCH cohort followed for 12.

Bax and Bcl-2 protein expression in gastric precancerous lesions: immunohistochemical study.

Background And Aims: Bcl-2 protein prolongs cell survival in the face of classical apoptotic stimuli, and is considered to be a suppressor of apoptosis. Bax plays a key role in apoptosis by accelerating cell death after an apoptotic stimulus. The aim of our study was to determine the roles of the Bax proapoptotic gene and the Bcl-2 antiapoptotic gene in the carcinogenesis of gastric cancer.

Budd-Chiari syndrome and portal vein thrombosis due to right atrial myxoma.

Budd-Chiari syndrome is a rare disorder characterized by hepatic venous outflow obstruction. Atrial myxomas account for 35% to 50% of primary cardiac tumors and are usually located in the left atrium. We describe a patient who presented with hepatic inferior vena cava and portal vein thrombosis due to a large myxoma of the right atrium.

Esomeprazole versus omeprazole for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection: results of a randomized controlled study.

Background: Esomeprazole has higher oral bioavailability and increased antimicrobial activity against Helicobacter pylori than omeprazole.

Goals: To compare 7 days esomeprazole with 7 days of omeprazole based triple therapies for the eradication of H. pylori, and to assess whether the administration of higher dose of esomeprazole leads to improved eradication rates.

A case of gallstone ileus with an unusual impaction site and spontaneous evacuation.

Gallstone ileus is an unusual cause of colonic obstruction. The formation of a fistula between the gall bladder and the bowel wall may allow a gallstone to enter the intestinal tract. Plain abdominal films, abdominal ultrasound and abdominal computed tomography aid in the diagnosis.

Combined carcinoid-adenocarcinoma tumour of the anal canal.

The concurrence of carcinoid admixed with adenocarcinoma in the gastrointestinal tract is an unusual phenomenon that has been reported in the oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, appendix, colon and rectum. These mixed or 'composite' tumours seem to be derived from a multipotential stem cell capable of bidirectional differentiation and have a worse prognosis than ordinary adenocarcinoma. Chromogranin-A staining has increased the diagnostic yield for detecting these tumours and provides information for perioperative management and long-term prognosis.

Can somatostatin prevent post-ERCP pancreatitis? Results of a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Acute pancreatitis is the most common complication of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), occurring in 1-10% of patients. Several substances have been used, with negative results, in an attempt to prevent this complication.

Methods: We performed a double-blind randomized trial in 372 consecutive patients undergoing diagnostic or therapeutic ERCP to evaluate the role of somatostatin in preventing post-ERCP pancreatitis.

Buried bumper syndrome with a fatal outcome, presenting early as gastrointestinal bleeding after percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy placement.

Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG) has gained wide acceptance among patients who require prolonged tube-feeding support. A rather unusual complication of PEG placement is migration of the internal bumper through or into the abdominal wall. This was first described in 1988 and is called the buried bumper syndrome (BBS).

Acute pancreatitis due to pravastatin therapy.

Context: Few data exist about the incidence of drug-induced pancreatitis in the general population. Drugs are related to the etiology of pancreatitis in about 1.4-2% of cases.