World journal of gastroenterology : WJG
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World J. Gastroenterol. · Oct 2020
Comparative study between bowel ultrasound and magnetic resonance enterography among Egyptian inflammatory bowel disease patients.
Bowel ultrasound and magnetic resonance enterography (MRE) are decisive medical imaging modalities for diagnosing and locating bowel lesions with its extramural extent and complications. They assess the degree of activity, help clinicians to identify patients in need of surgery, and can be used for patient follow-up. ⋯ In comparison to MRE, bowel ultrasound is a useful, non-invasive, and feasible bedside imaging tool for the detection of inflammation, detection of complications, and follow-up of IBD patients when performed by the attending physician.
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The first cases of a novel corona virus infection were reported in Wuhan China in December of 2019, followed by the declaration of an international pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020. Early reports of the virus, now known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, and its clinical disease coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has shown higher rates of morbidity and mortality in the elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions. Of particular concern is the safety of those with compromised immune systems. ⋯ As such, the risk of COVID-19, virus related outcomes, and appropriate management of IBD patients during the global pandemic is of immediate concern to gastroenterologists worldwide. There has been a rapid accumulation of clinical data and expert opinion on the topic. This review will highlight the latest source information on clinical observation/outcomes of the IBD population and provide a concise summary of the most up to date perspectives on IBD management in the age of COVID-19.
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World J. Gastroenterol. · Sep 2020
Golgi protein-73: A biomarker for assessing cirrhosis and prognosis of liver disease patients.
Reliable biomarkers of cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), or progression of chronic liver diseases are missing. In this context, Golgi protein-73 (GP73) also called Golgi phosphoprotein-2, was originally defined as a resident Golgi type II transmembrane protein expressed in epithelial cells. As a result, GP73 expression was found primarily in biliary epithelial cells, with only slight detection in hepatocytes. However, in patients with acute or chronic liver diseases and especially in HCC, the expression of GP73 is significantly up-regulated in hepatocytes. So far, few studies have assessed GP73 as a diagnostic or prognostic marker of liver fibrosis and disease progression. ⋯ GP73 alone appears efficient for detecting cirrhosis and superior to APRI determination. In combination with APRI, its diagnostic performance can be further improved. Most importantly, the simple GP73 measurement proved promising for predicting a worse outcome of patients with both viral and non-viral chronic liver diseases.
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World J. Gastroenterol. · Aug 2020
ReviewCOVID-19 pandemic: Pathophysiology and manifestations from the gastrointestinal tract.
The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by a newly identified β-coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has emerged as a dire health problem, causing a massive crisis for global health. Primary method of transmission was firstly thought to be animal to human transmission. However, it has been observed that the virus is transmitted from human to human via respiratory droplets. ⋯ Viral RNA has also been detected in stool and blood samples, indicating the possibility of liver damage, which has been reported in COVID-19 patients. The presence of chronic liver disease appears to be a risk factor for severe complications and a poorer prognosis, however data from these cases is lacking. The aim of this review is firstly, to briefly update what is known about the origin and the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, but mainly to focus on the manifestations of the GI tract and their pathophysiological background, so that physicians on the one hand, not to underestimate or disregard digestive symptoms due to the small number of patients exhibiting exclusively this symptomatology and on the other, to have SARS-CoV-2 on their mind when the "gastroenteritis" type symptoms predominate.
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World J. Gastroenterol. · Aug 2020
Clinical characteristics and risk factors for liver injury in COVID-19 patients in Wuhan.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a worldwide pandemic. We investigated the clinical characteristics and risk factors for liver injury in COVID-19 patients in Wuhan by retrospectively analyzing the epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory data for 218 COVID-19 patients and identifying the risk factors for liver injury by multivariate analysis. ⋯ Male sex and high D-dimer level and neutrophil percentage may be important predictors of liver injury in patients with COVID-19.