World journal of gastroenterology : WJG
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World J. Gastroenterol. · Feb 2013
Endoscopic stent therapy in patients with chronic pancreatitis: a 5-year follow-up study.
This study analyzed clinical long-term outcomes after endoscopic therapy, including the incidence and treatment of relapse. ⋯ 57% of patients exhibited long-term benefits after endoscopic therapy. Therefore, endoscopic therapy should be the treatment of choice in patients being inoperable or refusing surgical treatment.
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Diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy can successfully be performed by applying moderate (conscious) sedation. Moderate sedation, using midazolam and an opioid, is the standard method of sedation, although propofol is increasingly being used in many countries because the satisfaction of endoscopists with propofol sedation is greater compared with their satisfaction with conventional sedation. Moreover, the use of propofol is currently preferred for the endoscopic sedation of patients with advanced liver disease due to its short biologic half-life and, consequently, its low risk of inducing hepatic encephalopathy. ⋯ Safe sedation in special clinical circumstances, such as in the cases of obese, pregnant, and elderly individuals, as well as patients with chronic lung, renal or liver disease, requires modification of the dose of the drugs used for sedation. In the great majority of patients, sedation under the supervision of a properly trained endoscopist remains the standard practice worldwide. In this review, an overview of the current knowledge concerning sedation during digestive endoscopy will be provided based on the data in the current literature.
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World J. Gastroenterol. · Jan 2013
ReviewUpdate on adrenal insufficiency in patients with liver cirrhosis.
Liver cirrhosis is a major cause of mortality worldwide, often with severe sepsis as the terminal event. Over the last two decades, several studies have reported that in septic patients the adrenal glands respond inappropriately to stimulation, and that the treatment with corticosteroids decreases mortality in such patients. Both cirrhosis and septic shock share many hemodynamic abnormalities such as hyperdynamic circulatory failure, decreased peripheral vascular resistance, increased cardiac output, hypo-responsiveness to vasopressors, increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines [interleukine(IL)-1, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha] and it has, consequently, been reported that adrenal insufficiency (AI) is common in critically ill cirrhotic patients. ⋯ The prevalence of AI in cirrhotic patients varies widely according to the stage of the liver disease (compensated or decompensated, with or without sepsis), the diagnostic criteria defining AI and the methodology used. The effects of corticosteroid therapy on cirrhotic patients with septic shock and AI are controversial. This review aims to summarize the existing published information regarding AI in patients with liver cirrhosis.
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World J. Gastroenterol. · Jan 2013
Case ReportsEmphysematous cholecystitis with massive gas in the abdominal cavity.
Emphysematous cholecystitis is a rare variant of acute cholecystitis with a high mortality rate. The combination of emphysematous cholecystitis and pneumoperitoneum is also rare. We herein describe a case of emphysematous cholecystitis with massive gas in the abdominal cavity. ⋯ We then diagnosed the patient with emphysematous cholecystitis with perforation, and performed cholecystectomy. A pathological examination of the resected gallbladder revealed necrosis in the mucosa and thinning of the wall. Cultures of the ascites detected Clostridium perfringens, a gas-producing microorganism.
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World J. Gastroenterol. · Jan 2013
Case ReportsCdx2 expression and its promoter methylation during metaplasia-dysplasia-carcinoma sequence in Barrett's esophagus.
To examine how the expression of caudal type homebox transcription factor 2 (Cdx2) is regulated in the development of malignancy in Barrett's esophagus. ⋯ Cdx2 expression is restored irrespective of the methylation status of its promoter. Apparent positive immunohistochemical results can be a molecular mark for gene silencing memory.