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Background Liver transplantation is the only curative option for patients with decompensated cirrhosis; however, many patients die while awaiting transplantation. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF) has shown promising results in improving outcomes in patients with advanced liver disease. We evaluated the efficacy of GCSF in patients with decompensated cirrhosis in an open-labeled randomized-controlled trial. Methods Consecutive patients with decompensated cirrhosis were randomized to receive either GCSF 300 μg twice daily for 5 days plus standard medical therapy (SMT) (GCSF+SMT group) or SMT alone (SMT alone group). Outcomes were assessed at 6 months from randomization. Results A total of 126 patients [median age: 53 (range: 31-76) years, 85% men] received GCSF+SMT and 127 patients received SMT alone. Baseline characteristics were similar in both the groups. The 5-day GCSF therapy did not lead to any significant adverse effects. At 6 months, in the GCSF+SMT group, 17 patients had died and nine were lost to follow-up, whereas in the SMT-alone group, 30 patients had died and 11 were lost to follow-up. By intention-to-treat analysis, cumulative survival was significantly higher in the GCSF+SMT group (79 vs. 68%; P=0.025). Also, significantly more patients (66%) showed improvement or stability in the Child-Turcotte-Pugh score at 6 months in the GCSF+SMT group compared with the SMT-alone group (51%, P=0.021). Conclusion GCSF therapy improves survival and clinical outcome in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. It may be useful in patients awaiting transplantation to prevent worsening during the waiting period. Further studies are needed to explore whether repeated periodic GCSF courses can further increase the survival and decrease the need for liver transplantation.Clinical trial registered at https://clinicaltrials.gov vide NCT02642003.

Introduction: Chronic Pancreatitis (CP) is a progressive inflammatory disorder characterised by recurrent episodes of severe abdominal pain. Experimental studies demonstrated protective effects of statins in pancreatic fibrosis. Aim: To assess impact of simvastatin therapy on the severity of pain in patients with idiopathic CP or recurrent acute pancreatitis. Materials and Methods: This prospective, single centre and open-label study included patients with idiopathic CP and recurrent acute pancreatitis, depending upon inclusion and exclusion criteria. Patients were treated with either simvastatin (40 mg per day) (Group-A; n=25) or standard therapy (protonpump inhibitor and antioxidant therapy) (Group-B; n=25). Severity of the pain was assessed using a Visual Analogue Score (VAS) at the start of treatment and at 12-month of treatment. Results: Between June 2017 and August 2017, a total of 50 patients, age ranging from 18 years to 54 years, were included in the study. The study population predominantly included male patients (n=38). The intensity of pain in patients of Group-A reduced significantly (p=0.0001) from 8 (range 6-10) at baseline to 2 (range 0-9) after 12 months of the treatment. There was significant reduction in the intensity of pain in Group-B also {7 (range 6-10) at baseline vs. 5 (range 0-7); p=0.0001}. However, the reduction of VAS score was significantly higher in Group-A as compared to Group-B at 12-month follow-up {6 (range-1-8) vs. 3 (range 0-6); p=0.032}. Conclusion: Simvastatin treatment improved severity of pain in patients with CP or recurrent acute pancreatitis at 12-month follow-up. However, large randomised trials are needed to replicate these findings.

Background Non-selective beta-blockers (NSBBs) are recommended for prophylaxis of first variceal bleeding in patients of cirrhosis with large esophageal varices. However, the data is conflicting whether NSBBs can also prevent growth of small esophageal varices to large size. Aim To perform a meta-analysis of the randomized clinical trials comparing NSBBs with placebo for prevention of development of large esophageal varices in patients of cirrhosis with small esophageal varices. Methods The PubMed, EMBASE, Science Direct, and Cochrane library databases were searched for relevant papers. A meta-analysis was performed using risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence interval (CI) as the effect sizes. Results Overall, 314 trials were initially retrieved from the database searches, of which five randomized controlled trials were included in the meta-analysis. The incidence of development of large varices (RR = 0.91, 95%CI: 0.29–2.86; P = 0.87) was similar between NSBB and placebo groups. However, the heterogeneity among studies was significant (P Conclusion The results of this meta-analysis indicate that NSBBs are not effective in preventing growth of small varices and may lead to significant adverse effects. Hence, NSBBs should not be recommended for cirrhotic patients with small varices.

Eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorder (EGID) is a spectrum of gastrointestinal disorders with eosinophilic infiltration of gut without any known cause for such tissue eosinophilia. Eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders can be sub grouped as eosinophilic esophagitis, eosinophilic gastroenteritis, and eosinophilic colitis. The least frequent manifestation of EGIDs is eosinophilic colitis. We present a case of 51-year-old male patient who presented with chronic painless large bowel diarrhea with a rare diagnosis of eosinophilic colitis.