Search

Paola Di Carlo,1 Nicola Serra,2 Francesco D’Arpa,3 Antonino Agrusa,3 Gaspare Gulotta,3 Teresa Fasciana,1 Vito Rodolico,1 Anna Giammanco,1 Consolato Sergi4,51Department of Sciences for Health Promotion, Mother & Child Care, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy; 2Statistic Unit, Department of Public Health, University of Naples ‘Federico II’, Naples, Italy; 3Department of General Surgery and Emergency, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy; 4Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada; 5Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Stollery Children’s Hospital, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, CanadaBackground: The gut microbiota play an essential role in protecting the host against pathogenic microorganisms by modulating immunity and regulating metabolic processes. In response to environmental factors, microbes can hugely alter their metabolism. These factors can substantially impact the host and have potential pathologic implications. Particularly pathogenic microorganisms colonizing pancreas and biliary tract tissues may be involved in chronic inflammation and cancer evolution.Purpose: To evaluate the effect of bile microbiota on survival in patients with pancreas and biliary tract disease (PBD).Patients and Methods: We investigated 152 Italian patients with cholelithiasis (CHL), cholangitis (CHA), cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), gallbladder carcinoma (GBC), pancreas head carcinoma (PHC), ampullary carcinoma (ACA), and chronic pancreatitis (CHP). Demographics, bile cultures, therapy, and survival rates were analyzed in cohorts (T1 death

The duodenal injuries occur in the 3-5% of blunt abdominal traumas. The isolated intramural duodenal hematoma is a very rare lesion. An early diagnosis and an adequate therapy are crucial because a delay, beyond 24 hours, increases the mortality from the 11% to 40%. However, diagnosis is often hindered by a lack of specific symptoms. We report a case of a 21 years-old man with an intestinal obstruction from isolated intramural duodenal hematoma occurred after a blunt abdominal trauma in a sport competition. The patient was treated conservatively with total parenteral nutrition, gastric decompression and intravenous PPIs. The progressive spontaneous resolution of the hematoma was checked with periodical endoscopies. The discharge occurred after three weeks with no early complications. No late complications occurred at one-year follow-up. The endoscopy is a good and safe tool in the management of this intestinal obstructions with the possibility of conservative or interventional treatment.

Pancreatitis is the most frequent complication of the ERCP; in unselected patients the incidence is 3.5%, reaching 25%, and is mild-moderate in 90%. A stratification of patients into low or high risk is important to provide adequate information to patients and to decide when refer them to tertiary centers; moreover, many prophylactic measures have been proposed over years. Our aim was to select risk factors for PEP and compare them with current literature in order to propose adequate preventive strategies.It was analyzed the occurrence of Post-ERCP Pancreatitis in a series of 492 consecutives patients treated with ERCP by two expert interventional endoscopists. The possible risk factors were evidenced by a multivariate analysis, were states our proposals for Post-ERCP Pancreatitis prevention and compared them to the current literature.We observed 14 PEP (2.8%), 6 mild, 4 moderates and 4 severe. The multivariate analysis evidenced as risk factors the high number of attempts of cannulation and the pancreatic injection of contrast medium and found a protective role for pre-cut sphincterotomy. Our mortality rate was 0.4%.The guide-wire cannulation technique and, in selected cases, the pre-cut permit to minimize the number of cannulation attempts and to increase the success rate of primary cannulation; we promote their use to reduce PEP occurrence.La pancreatite rimane ad oggi la maggiore complicanza dell’ERCP nonostante numerose misure tese alla sua prevenzione siano state proposte negli anni. La sua incidenza è del 3.5% e raggiunge in alcune serie di casi anche il 25%; solitamente è lieve-moderata nel 90%. La stratificazione dei pazienti in base al grado di rischio è necessaria per destinare i casi più complessi a centri di terzo livello presenti nel territorio; per far questo, un’analisi dei possibili fattori di rischio è stata originariamente proposta da Freeman ed è poi stata modificata dall’ESGE sulla base dei contributi dei singoli centri, con importanti modifiche. Il presente studio analizza l’incidenza di pancreatite post- ERCP in un centro di terzo livello analizzando, sulla scorta dei fattori di rischio proposti, l’aderenza dei dati. Negli anni 2012-2013, 492 pazienti sono stati sottoposti ad ERCP da due esperti endoscopisti. Secondo le classificazioni di Freeman e Cotton sono state osservate 14 PEP (2.8%), di cui 6 lievi, 4 moderate e 4 severe. È stata condotta un’analisi multivariata che ha evidenziato come fattori di rischio l’elevato numero di tentativi di incannulamento della via biliare e l’iniezione di mezzo di contrasto nel dotto pancreatico; sono risultati fattori protettivi l’early pre-cut e il fallimento della procedura con la sua interruzione. Nella discussione sono state inoltre brevemente analizzate le varie misure profilattiche, quali il posizionamento di protesi pancreatiche e l’utilizzo dei FANS. È interessante notare come i nostri risultati rafforzino gli ultimi orientamenti nel management dell’ERCP, circa l’utilizzo della tecnica di incannulamento filo-guidato e del pre-cut; questi infatti riducono il numero di tentativi di incannulamento ed il conseguente trauma alla papilla promuovendo un incannulamento biliare selettivo e prevenendo l’iniezione di mezzo di contrasto nel dotto pancreatico. Nonostante la pancreatite sia un’ineludibile complicanza dell’ERCP, reputiamo che questi accorgimenti tecnici possono essere utili nel prevenire la sua insorgenza.

AimsTo evaluate the contribution of light microscopy to detecting Candida spp infection in patients with complicated intra-abdominal infections (IAIs) admitted for acute abdomen to a quality assurance (QA)-certified surgical emergency ward.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective study (2008–2012) of 809 abdominal intraoperative or biopsy tissue specimens obtained from patients admitted with acute abdomen and microbiological samples positive for Candida spp. Demographic data, mortality, comorbidities, specimen type, microscopy results, special histological staining performed, antimicrobial therapy were collected and analysed. Any comments at the multidisciplinary team meeting was recorded in minutes of and approved.ResultsSixty-six patients with complicated IAIs due to Candida spp were identified (39 male, 27 female, mean±SD age 75±20 years). Candida albicans was isolated in 35 cases and Candida non-albicans spp in 31 cases. Candida spp were isolated from blood in 50% of all selected microbiological specimens. Patients were stratified according to Candida spp (albicans vs non-albicans), underlying cancer disease and no previous antimicrobial administration, and a positive correlation with C. albicans isolation was found (p=0.009 and p=0.048, respectively). Out of 41 cases with microscopic evaluation, we identified yeast forms, pseudohyphae or both, indicative of Candida spp, in 23. Identification of Candida spp in histological specimens was higher in C. albicans cases than in C. non-albicans cases (73% vs 37.5%). Microscopy allowed prompt treatment of all patients.ConclusionsLight microscopy still has great diagnostic significance, being a solid QA step. It provides rapid information and clues in patients who may harbour impaired defence mechanisms, concurrent chronic conditions and/or cancer.

Endoscopy plays a very important role in the management of Crohn’s disease (CD). It is an extremely important diagnostic tool in the period of symptoms onset, allowing the evaluation of the activity and of the extent of the disease; moreover, it is very useful in follow-up giving an evaluation of the response to the medical therapy, a detection of recurrences following surgery, and providing an oncological screening. Several procedures like traditional colonoscopy, single- and double-balloon enteroscopy, endocapsule examination, and endoscopic ultrasound are today available. CD can be diagnosed with endoscopy by a skilled gastroenterologist in the setting of a suggestive clinical presentation.

Chronic constipation that is unresponsive to laxative treatment is a severe illness, but children unresponsive to laxatives have been successfully treated with an elimination diet. We report the first cases of refractory chronic constipation caused by food hypersensitivity in adults. Four patients with refractory constipation who were unresponsive to high doses of laxatives were put on an oligo-antigenic diet and underwent successive double-blind, placebo-controlled, food challenges (DBPFC). Routine laboratory tests, immunological assays, colonoscopy, esophago-gastroduodenoscopy and rectal and duodenal histology were performed. While on an elimination diet, bowel habits normalized in all patients and a DBPFC challenge triggered the reappearance of constipation. In comparison with another 13 patients with refractory constipation unresponsive to the elimination diet, observed over the same period, the patients with food-hypersensitivity-related constipation had the following characteristics: longer duration of illness (p B /0.03), lower body mass index (p B /0.03), higher frequency of self-reported food intolerance (p B /0.01), higher frequency of nocturnal abdominal pain and anal itching (p B / 0.01). In patients with food hypersensitivity, hemoglobin concentrations and peripheral leukocytes were lower than those in controls (p B /0.03). The duodenal and rectal mucosa histology showed lymphocyte and eosinophil infiltration, and the duodenal villi were flattened in two cases. In adult patients, refractory chronic constipation may be caused by food hypersensitivity and an elimination diet is effective in these subjects.

Although anti-endomysial antibodies (EmA) have been found in the supernatants of cultured intestinal mucosa from patients with coeliac disease (CD), in no study has the clinical reliability of this new diagnostic tool been investigated. Our aims were to evaluate the clinical usefulness of the in vitro production of EmA in CD diagnosis in consecutive patients with suspected CD, and to evaluate the reliability of the in vitro challenge in CD patients on a gluten-free diet (GFD).For the former aim, consecutive patients who were due to undergo intestinal biopsy for suspected diagnosis of CD were enrolled: according to the final diagnosis, these patients were divided into two groups: Group 1 comprised 91 newly diagnosed CD patients (40 males; age range 7 months to 84 years), Group 2 included 100 subjects with diseases other than CD (44 males; age range 9 months to 76 years). For the latter aim, we also studied 21 CD patients on a gluten-free diet after 16-123 months (8 males; age range 3-51 years), with normal intestinal architecture (Group 3) and 22 patients who served as controls (12 males; age range 4-60 years) with gastroesophageal reflux disease-like symptoms (Group 4). All patients underwent determination of serum anti-gliadin (AGA) and EmA antibodies, histology evaluation of the intestinal biopsies and EmA assay in the supernatants of in vitro gliadin-challenged duodenal mucosa.EmA assay in the supernatants showed a sensitivity and specificity of 96% and 100%, respectively; these were not significantly different from those observed for serum EmA (88% and 99%, respectively). However, EmA assay in the supernatants was useful in CD patients with mild intestinal histology lesions (infiltrative/hyperplastic type): in this subgroup it was positive in 9/12 of cases, but serum EmA was positive in only 2/12. As regards the reliability of the in vitro gliadin challenge, EmA production in supernatants was recorded only in 10/21 CD patients on a gluten-free diet. The patients with a positive in vitro challenge had a higher number of intra-epithelial lymphocytes than patients with a negative challenge.1) EmA assay in the medium of cultured intestinal biopsy can detect gluten-sensitive enteropathy, characterized by an infiltrative/hyperplastic histological pattern, which is often associated with negative serum EmA. 2) The in vitro challenge in CD patients on a gluten-free diet detects EmA production in the culture medium only in half of the cases and other studies must be performed to evaluate whether EmA production after in vitro challenge can be considered a reliable test for confirming CD diagnosis.

A 21-year-old man was admitted 36 hours after a blunt abdominal trauma occurred during a sporting competition. He complained of colic epigastric abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. He was hemodynamically stable; blood counts and metabolic panel were normal. Abdominal CT showed an intestinal obstruction caused by an 8 x 6 x 11 cm hematoma on the right lateral duodenal wall without signs of active bleeding (Figure 1). He underwent gastric decompression and started total parenteral nutrition and intravenous pump inhibitors. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) performed 48 hours after the diagnosis showed an extrinsic compression by a bluish obstruction in the first part of the duodenum resembling an extraparietal hematoma (Figure 2). After 5 days, repeat EGD revealed a massive parietal hematoma in the posterior wall of the duodenal bulb. Two weeks later, an endoscopic ultrasound to evaluate the possibility of endoscopic drainage showed a delimitation of the lesion below the third layer of the duodenal wall, surrounded by the remaining layers (Figure 3). Endoscopic drainage was not performed, and the patient was managed conservatively. Three weeks later, EGD showed complete reabsorption of the hematoma; a soft oral diet was started (Figure 4). On follow-up, the patient was asymptomatic.

Invasive mycoses are life-threatening opportunistic infections that have recently emerged as a cause of morbidity and mortality following general and gastrointestinal surgery. Candida species are the main fungal strains of gut flora. Gastrointestinal tract surgery might lead to mucosal disruption and cause Candida spp. to disseminate in the bloodstream. Here we report and discuss the peculiar clinical and morphological presentation of two cases of gastrointestinal Candida albicans lesions in patients who underwent abdominal surgery. Although in the majority of cases reported in the literature, diagnosis was made on the basis of microbiological criteria, we suggest that morphological features of fungi in histological sections of appropriate surgical specimens could help to detect the degree of yeast colonization and identify patients at risk of developing severe abdominal Candida infection. Better prevention and early antifungal treatments are highlighted, and relevant scientific literature is reviewed.

Background Knowledge of the etiology of pyogenic liver and pancreatic abscesses is an important factor in determining the success of combined surgical and antibiotic treatment. Literature shows geographical variations in the prevalence and distribution of causative organisms, and the spread of Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-producing bacteria is an emerging cause of abdominal infections. Case presentation We herein describe two cases of intra-abdominal abscesses due to monomicrobial infection by Klebsiella pneumoniae Sequence Type 258 producing K. pneumoniae carbapenemase 3 (KPC-Kp). In case 1, a 50-year-old HIV-negative Italian woman with chronic pancreatitis showed infection of a pancreatic pseudocystic lesion caused by KPC-Kp. In case 2, a 64-year-old HIV- negative Italian woman with pancreatic neoplasm and liver metastases developed a liver abscess due to KPC after surgery. Both women were admitted to our hospital but to different surgical units. The clonal relationship between the two isolates was investigated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). In case 2, the patient was already colonized at admission and inter-hospital transmission of the pathogen was presumed. A long-term combination regimen of colistin with tigecycline and percutaneous drainage resulted in full recovery and clearance of the multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogen. Conclusions Timely microbiological diagnosis, the combined use of new and old antibiotics and radiological intervention appeared to be valuable in managing these serious conditions. The emergence and dissemination of MDR organisms is posing an increasing challenge for physicians to develop new therapeutic strategies and control and prevention frameworks.

In a bacterium like Helicobacter pylori, which is characterized by a recombinant population structure, the associated presence of genes encoding virulence factors might be considered an expression of a selective advantage conferred to strains with certain genotypes and, therefore, a potentially useful tool for predicting the clinical outcome of infections. However, differences in the geographical and ethnic prevalence of the H. pylori virulence-associated genotypes can affect their clinical predictive value and need to be considered in advance. In this study we carried out such an evaluation in a group of patients living in Sicily, the largest and most populous island in the Mediterranean Sea. cagA, vacA, babA2, hopQ, oipA, sabA, and hopZ were the H. pylori virulence-associated genes assayed; their presence, expression status or allelic homologs were detected in H. pylori DNA samples and/or isolated strains, obtained by gastric biopsy from 90 Sicilian patients with chronic gastritis, inactive (n = 37), active (n = 26), or active with peptic ulcer (n = 27). Genotypes cagA (+), vacAs1, vacAm1, babA2 (+), and hopQ I, I/II were identified in 51.8, 80.4, 35.2, 47.3, and 67.7% of the different samples respectively. Only these genotypes were associated with each other and with the active form of chronic gastritis, irrespective of the presence of a peptic ulcer. In our isolates their prevalence was more similar to values observed in the north of Italy and France than to those observed in Spain or other Mediterranean countries that are closer and climatically more similar to western Sicily.