A new philosophy in esophageal reconstruction with colon. Thirty-years experience

The author reports a personal series of 347 patients with colon interposition grafting as an esophageal substitute, the majority of them carried out for corrosive pharyngoesophageal strictures (284) followed by malignancy (54). A personal philosophy is exposed, based on increased flexibility in the choice of the type of colic interposition depending on the pattern of blood supply. This mobile policy called 'balanced operation' is opposed to the classic rigid approach based on the use of a single procedure of esophagocoloplasty. The author's choice is the ileocecum with long ileal loop (65 cm), favoring preservation of the ileocecal valve, and conferring an antireflux mechanism. In particular cases the cecum may be removed and an ileal graft carried out. If this arrangement is not feasible one should slide toward the left in a clockwise direction performing a left colon interposition (iso- or antiperistaltic). Overall mortality was of 16 cases (4.6%). Morbidity is analyzed and different particular arrangements like continuous colic loop, superlong graft, Roux-en-Y procedure are described. A general outline of pharyngeal reconstruction in corrosive strictures is presented.     

Acitretin (Neotigason?) A review of pharmacokinetics and teratogenicity and hypothesis on metabolic pathways

Acitretin was introduced as a replacement for etretinate, the ethyl ester of acitretin. Acitretin is eliminated at a much faster rate than etretinate. Although both drugs are teratogens, the replacement was important especially as it allowed for a much shorter post-medication period in which pregnancy should be precluded. Recent findings showed the presence of etretinate in the plasma of acitretin-treated patients. This article gives a review of known metabolic pathways of the retinoids and tries to elucidate the possible conversion of acitretin into etretinate after acitretin ingestion.     

Effect of the somatostatin analogue lanreotide on meal-stimulated portal blood flow in patients with liver cirrhosis

BACKGROUND: Lanreotide, a new long-acting somatostatin analogue, has been shown to inhibit the meal-stimulated increase of splanchnic blood flow in healthy volunteers. To date, similar data in patients with liver cirrhosis have not been available. We have examined the effect of lanreotide compared with placebo on meal-stimulated portal blood flow in patients with liver cirrhosis using Doppler ultrasound. METHODS: 20 cirrhotic patients (placebo n = 12, lanreotide n = 8) with proven portal hypertension were studied after an overnight fast. Lanreotide, at a dose of 100 microg/h, was infused intravenously over 7 h after a 1-hour basal period. In parallel to the intravenous infusion, a liquid test meal (Ensure plus, 1.5 kcal/min) was perfused for 7 h through an intraduodenal tube at a rate of 3 ml/min. Blood pressure, heart rate and portal vein blood flow (PVF, ml/min, Doppler technique) were determined at regular intervals. RESULTS: Baseline PVF amounted to 725 +/- 182 ml/min in the placebo and to 917 +/- 252 ml/min in the lanreotide group (n.s.). The meal-stimulated increase in PVF was blunted by lanreotide (AUC, % x min): 62,709.6 +/- 6,817 (placebo) vs. 45,237 +/- 2,507 (lanreotide), p < 0.05. Lanreotide also blunted the postprandial increase in heart rate for the first 2 h of meal perfusion. CONCLUSIONS: Because of potent inhibition of postprandial splanchnic hyperemia in patients with liver cirrhosis, lanreotide may be useful in the treatment of complications of portal hypertension.     

Inhibition of Interleukin-1β by Canakinumab and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease

Background

Inflammation contributes to chronic kidney disease (CKD), in part mediated through activation of interleukin (IL)-1β by the NLRP3 inflammasome within the kidney. This process also likely contributes to the accelerated atherosclerosis associated with nephropathy.

Complications and mortality after percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy in geriatrics: a prospective multicenter observational trial

BackgroundGenerally, the high short-term mortality after percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) in geriatric patients is attributed to the severity of their underlying diseases. However, the procedure-related mortality in this group is unknown.MethodsThis prospective multicenter observational study gathered information about 197 geriatric patients treated with PEG insertion, including the indication for PEG insertion and the prevalence of postprocedure complications and analyzed how these factors related to mortality.ResultsDysphagia (64%) and insufficient food intake (76%) were the most frequent indications for PEG insertion. Severe complications after PEG insertion occurred in 9.6% of patients. Mortality was 9.6% in hospital, as well as 18.4% at 1 month. Six months after PEG placement, with 81 patients lost to follow-up, mortality was 51.9%. Hospital mortality was significantly higher in patients with severe complications caused by PEG insertion (47.4% vs 5.6%; P < .001). A regression analysis that corrected for confounding factors revealed that severe complications in general (HR 6.9; 95% CI: 2.6–18.1; P < .001), peritonitis (HR 33.1; 95% CI: 3.7–293.2; P = .002), and severe wound infections (HR 6.9; 95% CI: 1.9–24.9; P = .003) were each independently associated with hospital mortality. Considering the prevalence of procedure-related complications and their association with early mortality after PEG insertion, the procedure-related mortality rate in geriatric patients was at least 2% in this study.ConclusionAlthough the prevalence of complications after PEG in this study of multimorbid geriatric patients is within the expected range, the procedure-related mortality is higher than expected.