The Effect of Intestinal Permeability and Endotoxemia on the Prognosis of Acute Pancreatitis

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Early intestinal mucosal damage plays an important role in severe acute pancreatitis (AP). Previous studies have shown that intestinal permeability (IP), serum endotoxin and cytokines contribute to the early intestinal barrier dysfunction in AP. This study explored the predictive capacity of IP, endotoxemia and cytokines as prognostic indicators in AP patients. METHODS: Eighty-seven AP patients were included in the study. The patients were classified into three groups according to the Balthazar computed tomography severity index (CTSI). We compared the biochemical parameters, including IP, serum endotoxin level and cytokine level among the three groups. The associations of IP with serum endotoxin, cytokines, CTSI, and other widely used biochemical parameters and scoring systems were also examined. RESULTS: IP, serum endotoxin, interleukin (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha had a positive correlation with the CTSI of AP. Endotoxin, IL-6, TNF-alpha, CTSI, the Ranson/APACHE II score, the duration of hospital stay, complications and death significantly affect IP in the AP patients. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that IP with subsidiary measurements of serum endotoxin, IL-6 and TNF-alpha may be reliable markers for predicting the prognosis of AP. Further studies that can restore and preserve gut barrier function in AP patients are warranted.

Clinical impacts of hazardous alcohol use and obesity on the outcome of entecavir therapy in treatment-naive patients with chronic hepatitis B infection

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical impacts of obesity and hazardous alcohol use on the outcome of entecavir (ETV) therapy in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. METHODS: The medical records of 88 treatment-naive patients who were diagnosed with CHB and received ETV between March 2007 and September 2009 were analyzed retrospectively. Body mass index (BMI) values and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores were obtained at 6 months after the initiation of ETV (0.5 mg daily) treatment. RESULTS: A BMI of 25 kg/m2 or more was recognized as an indicator of obesity, and a total AUDIT score of 8 or more was recognized as an indicator of hazardous alcohol use. Of the cohort, 24 patients (27.3%) were obese and 17 (19.3%) were hazardous alcohol users. The rate of seroconversion, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) normalization, and hepatitis B virus (HBV)-DNA negativity (<300 copies/mL) at 3, 6, and 12 months of treatment did not differ significantly between the normal-BMI and high-BMI groups. Moreover, the rate of seroconversion and HBV-DNA negativity at 3, 6, and 12 months of treatment did not differ significantly between the nonhazardous and hazardous alcohol users. However, the frequency of ALT normalization at 12 months was significantly lower among hazardous alcohol users (91.5% vs. 70.6%; P=0.033). CONCLUSIONS: Obesity and hazardous alcohol drinking have no significant impact on the outcome of ETV treatment. However, the ALT normalization rate at 12 months after initiation of ETV treatment was significantly lower among the hazardous alcohol users.

Gastroduodenal Intussusception Due to Pedunculated Polypoid Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor / 대한소화기학회지

The gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is a mesenchymal tumor of the digestive tract showing differentiation along the line of interstitial cell of Cajal. The most GISTs in the stomach generally show the appearance of submucosal tumors. It is rare for GISTs to appear as a pedunculated polypoid lesion on endoscopy. We experienced a case of a 51-year-old man who had a pedunculated polypoid GIST. He was admitted to our hospital for nausea, vomiting, melena and severe anemia (hemoglobin 3.4 g/dL, hematocrit 10.8%). An upper endoscopy showed gastroduodenal intussusception due to a pedunculated polypoid mass. This report presents a rare case of endoscopically proven gastroduodenal intussusceptions due to pedunculated polypoid GIST in the stomach.

A case of acute renal failure associated with non-fulminant acute hepatitis A / 대한내과학회지

Acute hepatitis A is generally a mild, self-limiting disease of the liver. Acute renal failure is extremely rare in patients with acute non-fulminant hepatitis A. Acute tubular necrosis is the most common form of renal injury found in such patients. The 27 years old male patient visited our hospital with complaint of fatigue, nausea and vomiting. He was diagnosed with acute renal failure associated with acute non-fulminant hepatitis A. The renal biopsy demonstrates tubulointerstitial nephritis with focal tubular necrosis on light microscopy. We report here on a case of acute renal failure associated with non-fulminant hepatitis A, and we include a review of the literature.

A case of lymphoplasmacytic sclerosing pancreatitis with pancreatic adenocarcinoma / 대한내과학회지

Lymphoplasmacytic sclerosing pancreatitis (LPSP) is a rare entity that has been described under many different names; LPSP is an autoimmune form of chronic pancreatitis. LPSP may simulate a neoplastic process both clinically and radiologically. We report a case of LPSP with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. A 70-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for evaluation of pancreatic duct dilatation. The CA 19-9 level was normal and the antinuclear antibody titer was negative. An abdominal CT revealed a low density nodule, 8 mm in size, in the body of the pancreas with parenchymal atrophy and mild dilatation of the main pancreatic duct in the body and tail portion. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreaticography demonstrated a stricture of the main pancreatic duct in the body of the pancreas and mild dilatation of the upstream duct. She underwent subtotal pancreatectomy and splenectomy. The results of the pathologic examination of the resected tissue included pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma with pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia in the background of lymphoplasmacytic sclerosing pancreatitis.

The association of sex hormones and the metabolic syndrome in apparently healthy Korean male adults / 대한내과학회지

BACKGROUND: Recent studies report an association of decreased testosterone levels with type 2 diabetes mellitus, insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, dyslipidemia and metabolic syndrome. However, studies on correlations of testosterone with dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome in Koreans are scarce. We analyzed the relationship between levels of sex hormones and metabolic syndrome, lipid profiles and insulin resistance in Korean adult males. METHODS: A total of 289 males were selected among the participants in a medical health check-up from June to July 2003 at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital Health Promotion Center. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the Modified National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel (NCEP-ATP) III. The serum total testosterone level was measured using a radioimmunoassay and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) was measured using a radioimmunometric assay. RESULTS: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 15.6% and the total testosterone level showed a significant correlation with the levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting insulin, and uric acid even after adjustment for age and body mass index (BMI). Serum SHBG showed a significant correlation with diastolic blood pressure, uric acid, triglyceride, fasting insulin and insulin resistance indices. In logistic regression analysis in which age, drinking history, and smoking status were adjusted, decreased total testosterone and SHBG levels as well as increased estradiol levels showed significant correlations with an increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSION: This study shows that decreased total testosterone and SHBG levels and an increased estradiol level were significantly correlated with increased metabolic syndrome prevalence and dyslipidemia in healthy Korean male adults. Further studies are suggested for the association of sex hormone replacement and the changes in the metabolic status.

Jejunal Diverticular Bleeding Diagnosed by Double-Balloon Enteroscopy: A Case Report and Review of Literatures / 대한소화기학회지

Jejunal diverticula is a rare disease and an unusual cause of obscure gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Obscure gasterointestinal bleeding is difficult to treat because the bleeding site cannot be identified by routine endoscopy and contrast studies. A wireless capsule endoscopy is not invasive and can visualize the entire small bowel. However, this method has limitations of incapability of taking biopsies and performing endoscopic interventions such as polypectomy or stent insertion. The double-balloon enteroscopy is being used frequently for the diagnosis and management of various small bowel diseases. We report a case of proximal jejunal diverticular bleeding diagnosed by double-balloon enteroscopy and treated with angiographic embolization.