Limitations of endoscopic haemostasis by ethanol injection and surgical management for bleeding peptic ulcer

Abstract Two hundred and fifty-three patients with bleeding peptic ulcer underwent therapeutic endoscopy using local ethanol injection and were evaluated to determine the need for surgery and outcome. Permanent endoscopic haemostasis was achieved in 178 (70.4%) cases. Pulsatile arterial bleeding in ulcers and shock on admission (respectively, P < 0.01, P < 0.05) were significantly more frequent in patients with unsuccessful endoscopic treatment. Postoperative stay was significantly longer ( P < 0.05) for patients with bleeding peptic ulcer than for patients requiring surgery for intractable ulcer without bleeding. Surgery was recommended if three attempts at endoscopic treatment did not achieve permanent haemostasis. The need for more than three such treatment sessions and the presence of a large excavated ulcer with an exposed vessel in an elderly patient were considered to indicate the necessity for surgery. Surgical procedures to which the operator is accustomed and intensive management were recommended for emergency cases to optimize the likelihood of survival.     

Liver abscess that developed after a long interval of transcatheter arterial embolization followed by formation of hepatoduodenal fistula

A 55‐year‐old male patient with hepatocellular carcinoma underwent transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE). He became febrile and experienced pain at the right hypochondrial region 323 days later, which led to the discovery of a liver abscess that fistulated into the duodenal bulb. There have been no reports on the fistulation of liver abscesses into the digestive system following TAE. Rhodococcus equi was isolated as a causative agent, which distinguished the case further.     

Deficiency of Testosterone Associates with the Substrate of Atrial Fibrillation in the Rat Model

Background: Since the prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) increases progressively with aging, especially in men, we hypothesized that testosterone might affect the occurrence of AF.
Methods and Results: We examined the electrophysiological properties of the atria in isolated-perfused hearts of sham-operated male (SM), female (SF), orchiectomized male with and without administration of testosterone (ORCH-T and ORCH), and ovariectomized female (OVX) Sprague-Dawley rats. An electrophysiological study revealed that repetitive atrial responses induced by electrical stimuli significantly increased in ORCH rats without changes in other electrophysiological properties and were abolished by administration of testosterone. To investigate the underlying mechanisms, we evaluated the expression level of calcium-handling proteins. In ORCH rats, the immunoreactive protein level of ryanodine receptor type 2 (RyR2) and sodium–calcium exchanger significantly increased as compared with SM and ORCH-T rats without alterations in the level of FK506-binding protein (FKBP12.6), sarcoendoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase, and phospholamban. Immunoprecipitation analysis demonstrated decreased binding of FKBP12.6 to RyR2 in ORCH rats, which was prevented by testosterone. In contrast, the expression levels of these proteins showed no significant differences between SF and OVX rats.
Conclusion: Deficiency of testosterone was arrhythmogenic in rat atria possibly through less binding of FKBP12.6 to RyR2, which could induce feasible calcium leakage from the sarcoendoplasmic reticulum. These results would explain, at least in part, the increase in the prevalence of AF in accordance with the decline of testosterone particularly in elderly men.     

Assessment of Angiographic Coronary Calcification and Plaque Composition in Virtual Histology Intravascular Ultrasound

Objectives

We assessed the relation between coronary plaque composition and angiographic calcification by using virtual histology intravascular ultrasound (VH‐IVUS).

Background

The plaque vulnerability according to angiographic calcification is unclear.

Methods

Subjects were 140 consecutive patients (145 lesions) undergoing VH‐IVUS before percutaneous coronary intervention. Subjects were divided into 4 groups: no calcification group (n = 27), spotty group (n = 65) that had calcium deposits under 90° in grayscale IVUS, intermediate group (n = 37) had calcium deposits with 90° or more and under 180°, and extensive group (n = 16) had calcium deposits with 180° or more.

Results

The number of VH thin‐cap fibroatheromas in spotty group was significantly larger than no calcification group, intermediate group, and extensive group (0.66 ± 0.71 vs 0.22 ± 0.42 [P < 0.01], 0.32 ± 0.48 [P < 0.05], 0.13 ± 0.34 [P < 0.01], respectively). Spotty group without angiographic calcification had significantly larger %necrotic core than with angiographic calcification (24.5 ± 6.7% vs 19.9 ± 7.2%, P < 0.05). Intermediate group without angiographic calcification had significantly larger necrotic core area than with angiographic calcification (2.5 ± 0.9 mm² vs 1.7 ± 0.9 mm², P < 0.05). Extensive group with angiographic calcification had significantly larger %dense calcium than without angiographic calcification (18.3 ± 4.0% vs 13.4 ± 4.4%, P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Lesions with spotty calcification was highly vulnerable in VH‐IVUS. Spotty or intermediate plaque calcification without angiographic calcification was more vulnerable than those with angiographic calcification. Extensive plaque calcification with angiographic calcification had more dense calcium than those without angiographic calcification.

     

Chronic expanding hematoma in the psoas muscle

We report an unusual case of chronic expanding hematoma in the psoas muscle. A 53-year-old man was admitted for evaluation of a mass shadow in the left lower lung field on chest X-rays. He had also been suffering from dull left back pain. A computed tomography scan showed a cystic lesion with a rim enhancement in the left retroperitoneal space. Mixed signal intensity in a mosaic pattern was seen on a T2-weighted magnetic resonance image. We could not rule out a suspicion of a neoplastic intratumoral hemorrhage. Due to increased pain and the definite diagnosis, surgery was performed. Histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of chronic expanding hematoma. The expansion process is thought to be due to the irritant effects of blood and its breakdown products, which cause repeated exudation and bleeding from capillaries in the granulation tissues.     

Functional and phenotypical activation of leucocytes in inflamed human colonic mucosa

Infiltrating leucocytes are activated to generate reactive oxygen species or to produce several molecules in inflamed colonic mucosa. To clarify the phenotypical and functional properties of activating cells in colitic mucosa, 23 patients with ulcerative colitis and 13 controls were studied using a combined method for determining in situ nitroblue tetrazolium reducing activity and immunohisto-chemical characterization. Antibodies 25F9 (anti-macrophage), EG2 (anti-eosinophil cationic protein), MAC387 (anti-calprotectin, expressed by activated myeloid-histiocytes lineage), and MAC-1 (anti-CD11b) were used. The proportion of EG2, calprotectin, and CD11b-positive cells were significantly increased in inflamed mucosa. The proportion of EG2, calprotectin, and CD11b-positive cells significantly correlated with the histological degree of inflammation. Proportion of EG2-positive cells but not calprotectin nor CD11b-positive cells was significantly correlated with nitroblue tetrazolium reducing activity. Aggregated cells reducing nitroblue tetrazolium seen in severely inflamed mucosa were found to be EG2 positive. Most of the calprotectin-positive cells were 25F9 negative. In addition to activation of neutrophils and macrophages, eosinophil activation has been shown to be involved in inflamed colonic mucosa.     

Prognosis of ulcerative colitis differs between patients with complete and partial mucosal healing,which can be predicted from the platelet count

AIM: To determine the difference in clinical outcome between ulcerative colitis (UC) patients with Mayo endoscopic subscore (MES) 0 and those with MES 1.METHODS: UC patients with sustained clinical remission of 6 mo or more at the time of colonoscopy were examined for clinical outcomes and the hazard ratios of clinical relapse according to MES. Parameters, including blood tests, to identify predictive factors for MES 0 and slight endoscopic recurrence in clinically stable patients were assessed. Moreover, a receiver operating characteristic curve was generated, and the area under the curve was calculated to indicate the utility of the parameters for the division between complete and partial mucosal healing. All P values were two-sided and considered significant when less than 0.05.RESULTS: A total of 183 patients with clinical remission were examined. Patients with MES 0 (complete mucosal healing: n = 80, 44%) were much less likely to relapse than those with MES 1 (partial mucosal healing: n = 89, 48%) (P < 0.0001, log-rank test), and the hazard ratio of risk of relapse in patients with MES 1 vs MES 0 was 8.17 (95%CI: 4.19-17.96, P < 0.0001). The platelet count (PLT) < 26 × 10⁴/μL was an independent predictive factor for complete mucosal healing (OR = 4.1, 95%CI: 2.15-7.99). Among patients with MES 0 at the initial colonoscopy, patients of whom colonoscopy findings shifted to MES 1 showed significant increases in PLT compared to those who maintained MES 0 (3.8 × 10⁴/μL vs -0.6 × 10⁴/μL, P < 0.0001).CONCLUSION: The relapse rate differed greatly between patients with complete and partial mucosal healing. A shift from complete to partial healing in clinically stable UC patients can be predicted by monitoring PLT.