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The article discusses about Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), an intermittently progressive liver disease characterized by hypergammaglobulinemia, autoantibodies, and predominately periportal hepatitis. The article discusses the three subtypes of AIH which includes Type 1 which is characterized by the presence of ANA in young adults, Type 2 characterized by the presence of anti-LKM1 mainly in children, and Type 3 which is least characterized form of AIH with diagnosis approach and treatment.

Background: Preconditioning is injury-induced protection from subsequent insult. Recent data indicates that males have lower preconditioning thresholds compared to females. Therefore, we hypothesized that testosterone may mediate the lower preconditioning threshold observed in males. Materials and methods: Adult normal and castrated male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 4–5) were given intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of 125 or 500 μg/kg Salmonella typhimurium lipopolysaccharide (ETX) or 0.4 ml normal saline (NS). Another i.p. injection of 500 μg/kg ETX (injury dose) was given 24 h later. After 6 h, myocardial function was evaluated via the Langendorff perfusion model. Shams received only NS, while non-preconditioned rats (PC-) received NS followed by the 500 μg/kg ETX injury dose. Preconditioned rats received injections of 125 μg/kg ETX (PC +125) or 500 μg/kg ETX (PC +500), followed by the 500 μg/kg ETX injury dose. Results: Normal PC +125 and PC +500 males were preconditioned and maintained cardiac function similar to shams (P > 0.05). Castrated PC +125 and PC +500 males were also preconditioned and maintained cardiac function similar to castrated shams (P > 0.05). Conversely, both normal and castrated PC-males showed significantly decreased cardiac function compared to shams (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Endogenous testosterone does not mediate the lower preconditioning threshold in males. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Evolution of the management of Hepatitis C Virus in the last decade has progressed at a rapid rate. Further advances in this field and the slow progression of disease have created an opportunity for warehousing patients. This article presents a case history that warrants a decision to be made regarding immediate treatment or warehousing. This is followed by a review of the literature that guides such decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of an 18-year old woman diagnosed from collagenous gastritis. The woman was presented to the hospital with a 6 month history of severe dyspepsia, nausea, and vomiting. The patient was treated with 20 mg omeprazole twice a day and weekly administration of 1200 mg Venofer. The woman was put on maintenance with omeprazole and there is no recurrence of her symptoms and she also maintained her haemoglobin after the treatment.

The article introduces various reports published within the issue, including one about the condition of private gastroenterology practice in South Africa, one about small bowel ulcers and another on the clinical skills of gastroenterologists.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various articles within the issue on topics including inflammatory bowel diseases, liver diseases and meetings and conferences related to gastroenterology.

• Rapid tests in resource-scarce settings are a promising tool in COVID-19 diagnosis • Antibody testing was conducted on people with previous COVID-19 diagnoses, using five rapid assays • Overall sensitivity to SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies was below 70% in all assays • Sensitivity was reduced for those under 40 compared with those over 40 years of age • Gender, disease severity, and time since test did not have an effect on sensitivity Point-of-care serological assays are a promising tool in COVID-19 diagnostics but do have limitations. Our study evaluated the sensitivity of five rapid antibody assays and explored factors influencing their sensitivity in detecting SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG and IgM antibodies. Finger-prick blood samples from 102 participants, within 2–6 weeks of PCR-confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis, were tested for IgG and IgM using five rapid serological assays. The assay sensitivities were compared, and patient factors evaluated in order to investigate potential associations with assay sensitivity. Sensitivity ranged from 36% to 69% for IgG and 13% to 67% for IgM. Age was the only factor significantly influencing the likelihood of a detectable IgG or IgM response. Individuals aged 40 years and older had an increased likelihood of a detectable IgG or IgM antibody response by rapid antibody assay. Rapid serological assays demonstrate significant variability when used in a real-world clinical context. There may be limitations in their use for COVID-19 diagnosis among the young. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: What is palliative care and what are its essential elements? Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention, treatment and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial or spiritual. Under normal circumstances, the clinician's mandate is the restoration of a patient's health and well-being which begins with obtaining a medical history, the examination of the patient, the formulation of a probable diagnosis, investigation, the start of remedial therapy, the monitoring of the response, a review of laboratory or radiographic data and the confirmation of the diagnosis. This committee recommends the use of the SPICT tool where ART is unlikely to improve outcome, for example, end-stage cancer and irreversible end-organ failure, or where current or future ART is judged by the medical and palliative care team to be futile. Chronic pain, that is, pain lasting >= 3 months, is common in the HIV-infected population and is often the reason for a palliative care consultation.[31] Pain in HIV-infected South Africans is likely to accompany an identifiable clinical cause and the most valuable contribution the HIV and palliative care physician can make to pain management is to identify the cause and treat it. [Extracted from the article]