Diagnostic yield of push-type enteroscopy in relation to indication

Background—Push-type enteroscopy, a recent methodfor investigating the small intestine, is currently undergoingassessment. Its diagnostic yield varies in the studies reported to date.
Aim—To assess the diagnostic value of push-typeenteroscopy according to indication.
Patients and methods—From January 1994 toSeptember 1995, 152 consecutive patients (mean age 34 years) underwentpush-type enteroscopy (jejunoscopy, n=93; retrograde ileoscopy, n=17;and double way enteroscopy, n=42). The indications were: unexplained iron deficiency anaemia or macroscopic gastrointestinal bleeding (n=76), radiological abnormalities of the small intestine (n=23), chronic diarrhoea and/or malabsorption syndrome (n=18), abdominal pain(n=12), and miscellaneous (n=23). All patients had undergone previousnegative aetiological investigations.
Results—The jejunum and ileum were exploredthrough 120 cm (30-160 cm) and 60 cm (20-120 cm). Digestivebleeding: lesions of the small bowel were found in 6% of the patientswith isolated iron deficiency anaemia and 20% of patients with patentdigestive haemorrhage. Radiological abnormalities of the smallintestine: push-type enteroscopy provided a diagnosis or modified theinterpretation of radiological findings in 18/23 cases (78%). Chronicdiarrhoea and/or malabsorption: push-type enteroscopy yieldedexplanatory findings in four cases (22%). Abdominal pain: push-typeenteroscopy provided no diagnosis.
Conclusion—In this series, push-type enteroscopywas of particular value in investigating patients with radiologicalabnormalities of the small intestine. It was of some value in theexploration of patent digestive haemorrhage or chronic diarrhoea, butnot of abdominal pain. Its value was limited in the exploration of irondeficiency anaemia.

Keywords:enteroscopy; gastrointestinal bleeding

     

Managements of recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplantation: A systematic review

AIM: To investigate the efficacy(survival) and safety of treatments for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) in liver transplantation(LT) patients.METHODS: Literature search was performed on available online databases without a time limit until January 2015. Clinical studies describing survival after HCC recurrence in LT patients were retrieved for a fulltext evaluation. A total of 61 studies were selected: 13 case reports, 41 retrospective case series, and 7 retrospective comparative studies.RESULTS: Based on all included studies, the mean HCC recurrence rate was 16% of all LTs for HCC. A total of 1021 LT patients experienced HCC recurrence. The median time from LT to HCC recurrence was 13 mo(range 2-132 mo). The majority of patients(67%) presented with HCC extra-hepatic recurrences, involving lung, bone, adrenal gland, peritoneal lymph nodes, and rarely the brain. Overall survival after HCC recurrence was 12.97 mo. Surgical resection of localized HCC recurrence and Sorafenib for controlling systemic spread of HCC recurrence were associated with the higher survival rates(42 and 18 mo, res-pectively). However, Sorafenib, especially when combined with m TOR, was frequently associated with severe side effects that required dose reduction or discontinuation CONCLUSION: Management of recurrent HCC in LT patients is challenging and associated with poor prognosis independently of the type of treatment.     

MC1R gene variants and non-melanoma skin cancer: a pooled-analysis from the M-SKIP project

Background:

The melanocortin-1-receptor (MC1R) gene regulates human pigmentation and is highly polymorphic in populations of European origins. The aims of this study were to evaluate the association between MC1R variants and the risk of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), and to investigate whether risk estimates differed by phenotypic characteristics.

Methods:

Data on 3527 NMSC cases and 9391 controls were gathered through the M-SKIP Project, an international pooled-analysis on MC1R, skin cancer and phenotypic characteristics. We calculated summary odds ratios (SOR) with random-effect models, and performed stratified analyses.

Results:

Subjects carrying at least one MC1R variant had an increased risk of NMSC overall, basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC): SOR (95%CI) were 1.48 (1.24–1.76), 1.39 (1.15–1.69) and 1.61 (1.35–1.91), respectively. All of the investigated variants showed positive associations with NMSC, with consistent significant results obtained for V60L, D84E, V92M, R151C, R160W, R163Q and D294H: SOR (95%CI) ranged from 1.42 (1.19–1.70) for V60L to 2.66 (1.06–6.65) for D84E variant. In stratified analysis, there was no consistent pattern of association between MC1R and NMSC by skin type, but we consistently observed higher SORs for subjects without red hair.

Conclusions:

Our pooled-analysis highlighted a role of MC1R variants in NMSC development and suggested an effect modification by red hair colour phenotype.     

Coronary artery disease and arterial hypertension: clinical, angiographic and follow-up data

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate how the presence of arterial hypertension affects coronary atherosclerosis and prognosis in patients with, or at high risk of, ischaemic heart disease. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of clinical records and follow-up data. SETTINGS: Single referral centre for ischaemic heart disease. SUBJECTS: All consecutive patients (n = 1700, 38% with hypertension) undergoing coronary angiography for the evaluation of ischaemic heart disease during 1983-92. RESULTS: On angiography, the likelihood of having three-vessel disease was higher amongst hypertensives (odds ratio = 1.41; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.08-1.85) after adjustment for age, sex, and angina symptoms. The sum of all visible stenoses (an index of overall atherosclerotic involvement) was 19% higher in hypertensives (262 +/- 204 vs. 220 +/- 194 units, P < 0.005). By multivariate analysis, the presence of hypertension made a modest (+ 28 units), albeit statistically significant, independent contribution to the total atherosclerosis score. On follow-up (median = 96 months), cardiovascular mortality was slightly higher in the hypertensive patients than in the normotensive group (P < 0.05 in a Kaplan-Meier analysis), but a proportional hazard analysis adjusting for age and gender showed no significant independent contribution of hypertension. Hypertensive patients, however, remained at higher risk of non-fatal myocardial infarction following discharge (adjusted odds ratio = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.03-1.46; P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In this referral population, hypertension is a risk factor for presence of three-vessel disease. Distribution, severity and extension of coronary stenosis are similar to those of normotensive patients, and prognosis is only marginally affected.     

Characteristics of the SAGE database: a new resource for research on outcomes in long-term care. SAGE (Systematic Assessment of Geriatric drug use via Epidemiology) Study Group

BACKGROUND: Because there is a lack of databases specific to long-term care, standardized assessments of nursing home residents are seen as a potential new resource for studying an important but neglected population. We describe the design and principal population characteristics of the first integrated database combining detailed clinical information and administrative claims data. METHODS: We studied nearly 300,000 residents admitted between 1992 and 1994 to all Medicare/Medicaid certified nursing homes of five U.S. states (Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, New York, and South Dakota). The database crosslinks: (a) Resident Data: over 350 items (demographic, diagnostic, clinical, and treatments) collected with the Minimum Data Set; (b) Drug Data: brand name, dosage route, and frequency of administration for all drugs consumed by each resident; (c) Medicare Data: eligibility and inpatient hospital claims; (d) Facilities Data: structural and staffing information on nursing homes; and (e) Country Data: information on population, health professions and facility data, and economic parameters. RESULTS: Ninety-two percent of the residents were aged 65 years and older. Residents were predominantly white (85%) and female (72%). The average number of medical diagnoses was above three, and residents were receiving an average of six medications. Sixty-five percent of residents had at least one hospital claim following the initial assessment, most commonly related to cardiovascular diseases and metabolic disorders. Fifty-five percent of the facilities were for-profit and 33% were of small size. Quality indicators and staffing level varied significantly by state. CONCLUSIONS: The SAGE (Systematic Assessment of Geriatric drug use via Epidemiology) database provides a unique resource to study the relation between treatments received and outcomes experienced, particularly functional and health services outcomes, that have not been possible before in very old, frail people.     

Impact of a new assessment system, the MDS-HC, on function and hospitalization of homebound older people: a controlled clinical trial

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of a new assessment system, the Minimum Data Set for Home Care (MDS-HC), on the functional status and hospitalization rates of frail, community-dwelling older people. DESIGN: Single-blind randomized trial with 1-year follow-up. SETTING: Bergamo, Italy. PARTICIPANTS: All 187 subjects who were eligible for home care services delivered by two Health Districts between September 1998 and April 1999. INTERVENTION: Random allocation to an intervention group undergoing MDS-HC assessment or to a control group receiving conventional geriatric assessment with Barthel, Lawton and Brody, and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scales. MEASUREMENTS: Hospitalization, health services use and costs, and variations in functional status. RESULTS: Survival analysis indicated that the intervention group was admitted to the hospital later and less often than were controls (relative risk = 0.49, 95% confidence interval = 0.56-0.97). Health services were used to the same extent, but intervention subjects used more in-home help services. Total costs for the intervention group were 21% lower than for the control group. The adjusted mean scores of the activities of daily living index (51.7+/-36.1 vs 46.3+/-33.7; P = .05) and MMSE (19.9+/-8.9 vs 19.2+/-10.7; P = .03) were significantly improved in the intervention group as compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The MDS-HC assessment instrument may provide a cost-saving approach to reducing institutionalization and functional decline in older people living in the community.     

Brain stem acoustic evoked potentials recorded from the human mesencephalon.

Near field brain stem evoked potentials (NF-BAEPs) were recorded by means of an intraparenchymatous electrode placed in the right mesencephalon, during a stereotactic-guided biopsy of a tumor. The traces were compared with far field BAEPs (FF-BAEPs) obtained intraoperatively with scalp electrodes. The findings suggest a peripheral origin of wave II, a bilateral source of wave III and a main contralateral source of wave IV, while wave V seems to take origin mainly from the homolateral upper brain stem. Some intraparenchymatous activities do not project to the scalp. The possible impairments of NF-BAEP due to the presence of the tumor and the challenges of unidimensional single electrode recording are discussed.