Treatment of primary aldosteronism: Where are we now?

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is an important cause of secondary hypertension, is being increasingly diagnosed and may account for more than 10% of hypertensive patients, both in primary care and in referral centers. Aldosterone excess is associated with adverse cardiovascular, renal and metabolic effects that are in part hypertension-independent. Laparoscopic adrenalectomy remains the mainstay of treatment for unilateral forms of PA, whereas medical treatment is recommended for bilateral forms of PA. However, a favourable surgical outcome depends on several factors and many patients are not suitable for this treatment. On the other hand, surgery in patients considered to have bilateral PA may contribute to better blood pressure control. In this review, established and novel strategies for the management of different types of PA are discussed.     

Hepatocellular adenoma: Where are we now?

Hepatocellular adenoma (HCA) is a benign hepatocellular neoplasm, commonly occurs in young women with a history of oral contraceptive use. Complications including hemorrhage and malignant transformation necessitate the need for a thorough understanding of the underlying molecular signatures in this entity. Recent molecular studies have significantly expanded our knowledge of HCAs. The well-developed phenotype-genotype classification system improves clinical management through identifying “high risk” subtype of HCAs. In this article, we attempt to provide updated information on clinical, pathologic and molecular features of each subtype of HCAs.     

The concept of spondyloarthritis: Where are we now?

The term spondyloarthritis (SpA) encompasses a group of diseases characterized by inflammation in the spine and in the peripheral joints, and other clinical features such as uveitis, dactylitis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, and association with human leukocyte antigen (HLA) B27. The spectrum of SpA encompasses axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and peripheral spondyloarthritis including psoriatic arthritis (PsA), reactive arthritis (ReA), and inflammatory bowel disease-associated arthritis. In recent years, there has been tremendous progress in understanding the natural history and pathogenetic mechanisms underlying SpA leading to the development of effective treatments. It has become imperative to identify the disease early, and accurately, to avail patients of effective treatments in a safe manner. The development of the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) classification criteria has been a welcome advance in this regard. This article provides a historical evolution of the concept of SpA, from the Rome Criteria to the ASAS criteria, current issues and barriers with the use of ASAS criteria, and the work that still needs to be done moving forward.     

Treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection: Where are we now?

Gastric cancer and Helicobacter pylori infection remain a burden in many Asian countries. In the face of rising antibiotic resistance, the eradication rate of standard triple therapy is declining in many Asian countries. We reviewed the updated epidemiology of gastric cancer, prevalence of H. pylori infection, and antibiotic resistance in Asia. We also reviewed the strategies to improve the efficacy of H. pylori eradication therapies, including the use of high dose proton pump inhibitor, four drug therapies (including bismuth quadruple, concomitant, and sequential therapy), susceptibility guided therapy, extending the treatment duration to 14 days, and development of effective rescue therapy. Four drug therapies are usually more effective than triple therapy when given in the same duration, except in areas with concomitantly high metronidazole resistance and low clarithromycin resistance. The efficacies of different four drug regimens appeared to be similar. However, trials from different geographic areas showed contradictory results, indicating that the optimal therapy should be decided according to the local prevalence of antibiotic resistance. We proposed a prediction model to calculate the efficacy of different regimens according to the prevalence of antibiotic resistance. More large randomized trials which provide information on the antibiotic resistance are urgently needed to build a more accurate and reliable model. It is hoped that we will be able to decide the optimal regimens by routine surveillance of antibiotic resistance.     

Exercise stress echocardiography: Where are we now?

Exercise stress echocardiography (ESE) is a widely used diagnostic test in cardiology departments. ESE is mainly used to study patients with coronary artery disease; however, it has increasingly been used in other clinical scenarios including valve pathology, congenital heart disease, hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathies, athlete evaluations, diastolic function evaluation, and pulmonary circulation study. In our laboratories, we use an established methodology in which cardiac function is evaluated while exercising on a treadmill. After completing the exercise regimen, patients remain in a standing position or lie down on the left lateral decubitus, depending on the clinical questions to be answered for further evaluation. This method increases the quality and quantity of information obtained. Here, we present the various methods of exercise stress echocardiography and our experience in many clinical arenas in detail. We also present alternatives to ESE that may be used and their advantages and disadvantages. We review recent advances in ESE and future directions for this established method in the study of cardiac patients and underline the advantage of using a diagnostic tool that is radiation-free.     

Serum biomarkers of fibrostenotic Crohn's disease: Where are we now?

Intestinal fibrosis and subsequent stricture formation are major clinical challenges in inflammatory bowel disease, resulting in an increased rate of operation and poor prognosis compared with those without. With the changing perception that intestinal fibrosis is irreversible to the point of view that it is reversible in recent years, various candidate serum biomarkers have been studied over the past decades, which may stratify patients based on their risks of developing stenosis and enable the detection of early stages of fibrosis. However, reliable and accurate biomarkers are still unavailable due to conflicting results and the lack of high‐quality evidence. In this review we summarized the serum biomarkers that have been proposed for intestinal fibrosis in recent years, which includes gene polymorphisms or variants, epigenetic markers, extracellular matrix components, growth factors, and antibodies, aiming to provide clues for future research.     

Combination therapy in dyslipidemia: Where are we now?

Lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease: each 1.0 mmol/L (38.7 mg/dL) reduction in LDL-C reduces the incidence of major coronary events, coronary revascularizations, and ischemic stroke by approximately 20%. Statins are a well-established treatment option for dyslipidemia, with LDL-C reduction in the range of 27–55%.     

Renovascular hypertension in 2007: Where are we now?

Hypertension in patients with renovascular disease poses a major clinical challenge. Renal arterial disease accelerates hypertension by activation of multiple pressor systems. Although younger individuals with fibromuscular lesions often respond well to angioplasty with minor associated risks, care must be taken in cases of complex vascular anomalies, such as renal artery aneurysms. More than 85% of patients referred for revascularization have atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis; most are older patients with preexisting hypertension, diabetes, and vascular disease. The benefits of stent revascularization in this group are controversial. Antihypertensive therapy works best with drugs that block the renin-angiotensin system; however, most patients require multiple agents. Detailed analysis of the literature and small prospective trials failed to identify major benefits with renal artery angioplasty as compared with intensive drug therapy. The CORAL study and others seek to randomly assign subjects with high-grade renovascular lesions to optimal medical management with and without stenting.     

Role of endoscopic ultrasound in vascular interventions: Where are we now?

From a mere diagnostic tool to an imperative treatment modality, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has evolved and revolutionized safer efficient options for vascular interventions. Currently it is an alternative treatment option in the management of gastrointestinal bleeding, primarily variceal type bleeding. Conventional treatment option prior to EUS incorporation had limited efficiency and high adverse events. The characterization and detail provided by EUS gives a cutting edge towards a holistically successful management choice. Data indicates that EUS-guided combination therapy of coil embolization and glue injection has the higher efficacy for the treatment of varices. Conversely, similar treatment options that exist for esophageal and other ectopic variceal bleeding was also outlined. In conclusion, many studies refer that a combination therapy of coil and glue injection under EUS guidance provides higher technical success with fewer recurrence and adverse events, making its adaptation in the guideline extremely favorable. Endo-hepatology is a novel disciple with a promising future outlook, we reviewed topics regarding portal vein access, pressure gradient measurement, and thrombus biopsy that are crucial interventions as alternative of radiological procedures. The purpose of this review is to provide an update on the latest available evidence in the literature regarding the role of EUS in vascular interventions. We reviewed the role of EUS in variceal bleeding in recent studies, especially gastric varices and novel approaches aimed at the portal vein.     

Second-line rescue treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection: Where are we now?

At present, the best rescue therapy for Helicobacter pylori(H. pylori) infection following failure of firstline eradication remains unclear. The Maastricht Ⅴ/Florence Consensus Report recommends bismuth quadruple therapy, or fluoroquinolone-amoxicillin triple/quadruple therapy as the second-line therapy for H. pylori infection. Meta-analyses have shown that bismuth quadruple therapy and levofloxacin-amoxicillin triple therapy have comparable eradication rates, while the former has more adverse effects than the latter. There are no significant differences between the eradication rates of levofloxacin-amoxicillin triple and quadruple therapies. However, the eradication rates of both levofloxacin-containing treatments are suboptimal. An important caveat of levofloxacin-amoxicillin triple or quadruple therapy is poor eradication efficacy in the presence of fluoroquinolone resistance. High-dose dual therapy is an emerging second-line therapy and has an eradication efficacy comparable with levofloxacinamoxicillin triple therapy. Recently, a 10-d tetracyclinelevofloxacin(TL) quadruple therapy comprised of a proton pump inhibitor, bismuth, tetracycline and levofloxacin has been developed, which achieves a markedly higher eradication rate compared with levofloxacin-amoxicillin triple therapy(98% vs 69%) in patients with failure of standard triple, bismuth quadruple or non-bismuth quadruple therapy. The present article reviews current second-line anti-H. pylori regimens and treatment algorisms. In conclusion, bismuth quadruple therapy, levofloxacin-amoxicillin triple/quadruple therapy, high-dose dual therapy and TL quadruple therapy can be used as second-line treatment for H. pylori infection. Current evidence suggests that 10-d TL quadruple therapy is a simple and effective regimen, and has the potential to become a universal rescue treatment following eradication failure by all firstline eradication regimens for H. pylori infection.     

Bronchoscopic interventions for severe emphysema: Where are we now?

Patients with severe emphysema have limited treatment options and only derive a small benefit from optimal medical treatment. The only other therapy to have significant clinical beneficial effect in emphysema is LVRS but the perceived risk and invasiveness of surgery has fuelled bronchoscopic approaches to induce lung volume reduction. There are multiple bronchoscopic methods for achieving volume reduction in severe emphysema: EBV, airway bypass procedure, endobronchial coils, thermal (vapour) sclerosis and chemical sclerosis (sealants). Optimal patient selection is key to successful patient outcomes. This review discusses bronchoscopic approaches for emphysema treatment which has progressed through clinical trials to clinical practice.     

Endoscopic ultrasound in chronic pancreatitis: Where are we now?

Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) is well suited for assessment of the pancreas due to its high resolution and the proximity of the transducer to the pancreas, avoiding air in the gut. Evaluation of chronic pancreatitis (CP) was an early target for EUS, initially just for diagnosis but later for therapeutic purposes. The diagnosis of CP is still accomplished using the standard scoring based on nine criteria, all considered to be of equal value. For diagnosis of any CP, at least three or four criteria must be...     

Evaluation of renal function in patients with cirrhosis: Where are we now?

In the clinical context of the patients with liver cirrhosis,accurate evaluation of the renal function is potentially crucial.Indeed,it can lead to early diagnosis of both acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease and to reliable characterization of the renal status of the patient before performing a liver transplantation.Despite some limitations,the assay of serum creatinine(SCr)is universally used to estimate glomerular filtration rate(GFR)because of its wide availability,its simplicity and because it is inexpensive.Nevertheless,several reports show that the value of this assay to estimate GFR is strongly challenged in cirrhotic patients,especially in patients with liver failure and/or severely impaired renal function.This has led to seek new alternatives to estimate more reliably the GFR in these patients.Although the reference methods,based on the utilization of exogenous markers,allow measuring GFR and thereby constitute the"gold standard"to evaluate renal function,they are not feasible in routine clinical practice.Several studies have shown that a cystatin C(CysC)based formula perform better than the SCr-based estimates in cirrhotic patients and the estimation of GFR by these formulas could therefore lead to optimize the management of the patients.A new estimate based on CysC has been recently developed using a large number of patients and the first results regarding the evaluation of its performance are promising,making this new formula the best candidate for a reference estimate of the renal function in cirrhotic patients.     

Mechanism of diabetic neuropathy: Where are we now and where to go?

Neuropathy is the most common complication of diabetes. As a consequence of longstanding hyperglycemia, a downstream metabolic cascade leads to peripheral nerve injury through an increased flux of the polyol pathway, enhanced advanced glycation end‐products formation, excessive release of cytokines, activation of protein kinase C and exaggerated oxidative stress, as well as other confounding factors. Although these metabolic aberrations are deemed as the main stream for the pathogenesis of diabetic microvascular complications, organ‐specific histological and biochemical characteristics constitute distinct mechanistic processes of neuropathy different from retinopathy or nephropathy. Extremely long axons originating in the small neuronal body are vulnerable on the most distal side as a result of malnutritional axonal support or environmental insults. Sparse vascular supply with impaired autoregulation is likely to cause hypoxic damage in the nerve. Such dual influences exerted by long‐term hyperglycemia are critical for peripheral nerve damage, resulting in distal‐predominant nerve fiber degeneration. More recently, cellular factors derived from the bone marrow also appear to have a strong impact on the development of peripheral nerve pathology. As evident from such complicated processes, inhibition of single metabolic factors might not be sufficient for the treatment of neuropathy, but a combination of several inhibitors might be a promising approach to overcome this serious disorder. (J Diabetes Invest, doi: 10.1111/j.2040‐1124.2010.00070.x, 2010)     

Sedation in gastrointestinal endoscopy: Where are we at in 2014?

Gastrointestinal endoscopies are invasive and unpleasant procedures that are increasingly being used worldwide. The importance of high quality procedures(especially in colorectal cancer screening), the increasing patient awareness and the expectation of painless examination, increase the need for procedural sedation. The best single sedation agent for endoscopy is propofol which, due to its’ pharmacokinetic/dynamic profile allows for a higher patient satisfaction and procedural quality and lower induction and recovery times, while ma-intaining the safety of traditional sedation. Propofol is an anesthetic agent when used in higher doses than those needed for endoscopy. Because of this important feature it may lead to cardiovascular and respiratory depression and, ultimately, to cardiac arrest and death. Fueled by this argument, concern over the safety of its administration by personnel without general anesthesia training has arisen. Propofol usage seems to be increasing but it’s still underused. It is a safe alternative for simple endoscopic procedures in low risk patients even if administered by non-anesthesiologists. Evidence on propofol safety in complex procedures and high risk patients is less robust and in these cases, the presence of an anesthetist should be considered. We review the existing evidence on the topic and evaluate the regional differences on sedation practices.     

Trends on gastrointestinal bleeding and mortality: Where are we standing?

Bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract and its management are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The predisposing factors that led to the occurrence of these hemorrhagic instances are largely linked to the life style of the affected persons. Designing a new strategy aimed at educating the publics and improving their awareness of the problem could effectively help in eradicating this problem with no associated risks and in bringing the mortality rates down to almost zero.