Digestive and liver disease : official journal of the Italian Society of Gastroenterology and the Italian Association for the Study of the Liver
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Review Meta Analysis Comparative Study
Somatostatin, somatostatin analogues and other vasoactive drugs in the treatment of bleeding oesophageal varices.
Somatostatin and its analogues have been compared with a variety of other treatments for the treatment of variceal bleeding in cirrhotic patients. Meta-analyses of studies comparing somatostatin or octreotide with vasopressin or terlipressin have shown that somatostatin is somewhat superior to vasopressin and equivalent to terlipressin in controlling bleeding and has significantly fewer side effects; no difference in mortality was observed. Octreotide was somewhat better than vasopressin and terlipressin in controlling bleeding, with similar mortality. ⋯ Nine trials have compared endoscopic therapy with therapeutic regimens combining endoscopic treatment with somatostatin, octreotide or vapreotide. Meta-analysis show that the combined regimens increase the 5 days bleeding control rate of endoscopic treatments by over 20%, although there is no difference in mortality. Comparisons of somatostatin and octreotide with combined regimens of sclerotherapy + somatostatin and sclerotherapy + octreotide have shown that the combined regimens were better than drug treatments alone in controlling bleeding and preventing early rebleeding, while complications were significantly less frequent with drug therapy.
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A general characteristic of GEP endocrine tumours is that vast majority produce and secrete a multitude of peptide hormones and amines. The rarity of these types of tumours, their possible episodic expression and the variable clinical symptoms, are the reasons why patients are often diagnosed late in the advanced stages of the disease. For these reasons, the patients with advanced metastatic disease should be treated aggressively with medical and surgical therapies aimed at reducing both symptoms and complications through strategies that reduce tumour bulk and block hormonal effects. ⋯ Biotherapy, with interferon and somatostatin analogs has been demonstrated to have a significant antitumor effect and causes an improvement of symptoms in patients with functioning neuroendocrine tumours. Furthermore, these drugs produce a notable improvement in the quality of life. Radioactive targeting therapy is the most promising new treatment modality for patients who have SST receptor positive tumours.
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Comparative Study
Helicobacter pylori and perforated peptic ulcer prevalence of the infection and role of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
To study the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in patients with perforated peptic ulcer, to compare it with the prevalence in patients with uncomplicated ulcer, and to assess the role of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in this prevalence. ⋯ The mean prevalence of H. pylori infection in patients with perforated peptic ulcer is, overall, of only about 60%, which contrasts with the 90-100% figure usually reported in non-complicated ulcer disease. However, the most important factor associated with H. pylori-negative perforated peptic ulcer is non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use, and if this factor is excluded, prevalence of infection is almost 90%, similar to that found in patients with non-perforating ulcer disease.
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Clinical Trial
Empirical Helicobacter pylori "rescue" therapy after failure of two eradication treatments.
Even with the current most effective Helicobacter pylori treatment regimens, approximately 20% of patients do not eradicate the infection. Several "rescue" therapies have been recommended, but they still fail to eradicate H. pylori in approximately 20-30% of the cases. Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy of different rescue therapies prescribed to patients in whom two consecutive H. pylori eradication regimens had failed. ⋯ It seems that performing culture even after a second eradication failure may not be necessary, as it is possible to construct an overall strategy to maximise H. pylori eradication, based on the different possibilities of empirical treatment.
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Intestinal failure impairs nutritional status and survival expectance. Though intestinal adaptation and enteral independence may be achieved, artificial nutrition is needed in about half of the patients. ⋯ Actuarial survival rate of patients with intestinal failure quotes 88 and 78% at 3 and 5 years, respectively. It is influenced by the length of remnant intestine, age at the start of home parenteral nutrition, enteral independence and, to some extent at least, by the primary disorder. Enteral independence can be achieved in time by about 40% of the patients with intestinal insufficiency, but for home parenteral nutrition-dependent cases, intravenous feeding can be stopped in less than one out of five patients during a median 3-year period.