Acute Liver Injury as a Manifestation of Secondary Syphilis.

In the United States, the incidence of new cases of syphilis has been rising. The number of cases of primary and secondary syphilis has continued to increase almost every year over the past 2 decades. Secondary syphilis has a variety of clinical manifestations.

Gastric Outlet Obstruction due to Malposition of Gastrostomy Tube: A Rare and Commonly Misdiagnosed Condition.

Nearly all disease processes worsen with malnutrition. However, providing adequate and optimal nourishment can be challenging in individuals who are not able to eat. Insertion of a gastrostomy tube is a well-established method for providing enteral access for long-term nutritional support.

Gastric Diverticulum: A Comprehensive Review.

Background: Gastric diverticula (GD) are outpouchings of the stomach wall that typically form in the fundus. They are the least common gastrointestinal diverticula, and are very rare anatomic abnormalities overall.

Summary: Although most GD are asymptomatic and are usually discovered incidentally during routine diagnostic testing, they can present with variable symptoms.

Crohn's Disease Manifesting as a Duodenal Obstruction: An Unusual Case.

We describe a case of a 31-year-old man who presented with a 3-year history of worsening upper abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting: symptoms that were resistant to medical treatment and unexplained despite a thorough diagnostic evaluation. Then, an upper gastrointestinal series with small bowel follow-through showed proximal duodenal dilation and distal decompression of the duodenum, suggestive of a partial duodenal obstruction. An abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a transition point in the distal duodenum.

Reducing the Unintended Dislodgement of Gastrostomy Tubes in a Long-Term Acute Care Hospital: A QA/QI Pilot Study.

Background: Since their introduction in 1980, gastrostomy tubes have become effective means of providing both short-term and long-term enteral access and nutritional support. These feeding tubes are ubiquitous in many health care facilities that care for the elderly, but carry high rates of unintended dislodgement - a complication that, if not detected promptly, is associated with substantial morbidity and health care costs. This study determined the dislodgment rate of gastrostomy tubes at 90 days in a cohort of 221 patients and tested the hypothesis that the implementation of a concise protocol to care for patients' gastrostomy tubes would reduce these unintended dislodgements.

Drug-Induced Autoimmune Hepatitis in a Patient Treated with Minocycline: A Rare Adverse Effect.

Drug-induced autoimmune hepatitis is an acute and potentially severe adverse effect, which has been reported following the long-term use of minocycline. The condition's typical biochemical findings include an elevated antinuclear antibody titer, hypergammaglobulinemia with elevated levels of serum immunoglobulin G, and, sometimes, positive anti-smooth muscle antibodies. Characteristically, transaminase levels are very elevated, while markers of cholestasis and bilirubin levels are mildly increased, and histological features are very similar to those observed in sporadic autoimmune hepatitis.

Spontaneous Expulsion per Rectum of a Colorectal Polyp: A Rare and Unusual Case.

Colorectal polyps are growths that form on the epithelium of the colon and rectum. While their prevalence varies considerably from region to region, they are common in adults. In fact, among asymptomatic, average-risk individuals at 50 years of age, the prevalence of colorectal polyps averages roughly 10% in sigmoidoscopy studies and more than 25% in colonoscopy studies.

Gastric Ulcer from the Pressure of a Gastrostomy Tube: A Rare Cause of Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding.

Gastrostomy tube placement is a well-known procedure for obtaining permanent enteral access and providing long-term nutritional support. Although it is usually well tolerated, a diverse array of complications can occur. A rare, and often unrecognized, complication of gastrostomy tube placement is upper gastrointestinal bleeding secondary to a gastric ulcer caused by pressure from a gastrostomy tube bumper or balloon.

Chronic Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction in Systemic Sclerosis: An Uncommon Presentation.

Chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIPO) is an uncommon disorder characterized by the presence of bowel dilatation and abnormal motility. It is an important cause of chronic intestinal failure in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Although intestinal pseudo-obstruction is an infrequent reason for hospitalization in these patients, it has been correlated with high in-hospital mortality compared to SSc patients hospitalized for other reasons as well as patients with intestinal pseudo-obstruction arising from other causes.

: A Startling Discovery during Screening Colonoscopy.

Intestinal parasitic infections are a major public health issue across the world and particularly in rural and urban areas of tropical and subtropical countries. Those at increased risk include inhabitants of poor and disadvantaged regions, which are more likely to have inadequate environmental sanitation, insufficient water supply, greater contact rates with reservoirs of infection, limited health literacy, and socioeconomic disparities. Of the intestinal nematodes (roundworms) that parasitize the human gastrointestinal tract, is the largest in terms of size.