The Clinical and Metabolic Effects of Intragastric Balloon on Morbid Obesity and Its Related Comorbidities

Obesity is becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide, and its metabolic sequelae lead to a significant burden on healthcare resources. Options for the management of obesity include lifestyle modification, pharmacological treatment, surgery, and endoscopic bariatric therapies (EBTs). Among these, EBTs are more effective than diet and lifestyle modification and are less invasive than bariatric surgery. In recent years, there have been significant advances in technologies pertaining to EBTs. Of all the available EBTs, there is a significant amount of clinical experience and published data regarding intragastric balloons (IGBs) because of their comparatively long development period. Currently, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved three IGBs, including Orbera (Apollo Endosurgery, Austin, TX, USA), ReShape Duo (ReShape Medical, San Clemente, CA, USA), and Obalon (Obalon Therapeutics, Carlsbad, CA, USA). The aim of this review is to summarize the available literature on the efficacy of IGBs in weight loss and their impact on obesity-related metabolic diseases.

Clinical characteristics of coronavirus disease 2019 patients with diarrhea in Daegu

Background/Aims@#Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can reportedly cause gastrointestinal symptoms. Therefore, we investigated the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients with diarrhea. @*Methods@#We included 118 COVID-19 patients admitted to a single hospital from February 20 to March 31, 2020. Medical records with clinical characteristics, laboratory data, treatment course, and clinical outcomes were compared based on the presence or absence of diarrhea. Prognostic factors for disease severity and mortality in COVID-19 were also assessed. @*Results@#Among patients, 54 (45.8%) had diarrhea, whereas seven (5.9%) had only diarrhea. The median age of patients with diarrhea was 59 years (44 to 64), and 22 (40.7%) were male. Systemic steroid use, intensive care unit admission, septic shock, and acute respiratory distress syndrome were less frequent in the diarrhea group than in the non-diarrhea group. No significant differences were observed in total hospital stay and mortality between groups. On multivariate analysis, age (odds ratio [OR], 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01 to 1.12; p = 0.044), diabetes (OR, 3.00; 95% CI, 1.25 to 20.47; p = 0.042), and dyspnea (OR, 41.19; 95% CI, 6.60 to 823.16; p < 0.001) were independent risk factors for septic shock. On Cox regression analysis, diabetes (hazard ratio [HR], 4.82; 95% CI, 0.89 to 26.03; p = 0.043) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (HR, 16.58; 95% CI, 3.10 to 88.70; p = 0.044) were risk factors for mortality. @*Conclusions@#Diarrhea was present in 45.8% of patients and was a common symptom of COVID-19. Although patients with diarrhea showed less severe clinical features, diarrhea was not associated with disease severity or mortality.

Long-term survival after concurrent chemoradiation therapy for esophageal cancer with tracheal invasion

No abstract available.

Clinical Outcomes in Ischemic Colitis: According to the Colonoscopic Extent and Feature / 대한소화기학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Ischemic colitis (IC) usually occurs in the elderly population and has a various clinical presentations from mild to severe forms. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical outcomes according to the involved sites and colonoscopic findings in IC. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 77 patients who had diagnosed with IC between January 2000 and July 2010. The clinical outcomes were compared according to numbers of the involved segments, location and endoscopic findings. RESULTS: Mean age of the patients was 70+/-11 years and male to female ratio was 1:1.26. Hematochezia (67.5%) and abdominal pain (63.6%) were the most common associated symptoms. The colonoscopic examination was performed at mean 4.6+/-3.7 days after the symptom onset. The most common involved segment was the sigmoid colon (72.7%). Duration of fasting, antibiotics therapy, hospital stay and mortality were significantly increased in the patients group with more involved segments (p<0.001, p=0.004, p<0.001, p<0.001, respectively). Duration of antibiotics therapy and hospital stay were significantly longer in the right colon involvement group (p=0.038, p=0.002, respectively). The time taken until the alleviation of symptoms and the white blood cells count were significantly longer and higher in the ulcer or gangrenous group (p=0.001, p=0.022, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Evaluating the involved sites, the degree and severity of mucosal damage by colonoscopy may be important in predicting the clinical course and prognosis of the patients with IC. Early detection, careful monitoring and prompt treatment are crucial especially in the patients with ulcer or necrosis in colonscopic findings.

Clinical Significance of the Large Intestinal Wall Thickening Detected by Abdominal Computed Tomography / 대한소화기학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Bowel wall thickening on CT has been reported to reflect colorectal carcinoma and colitis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical significance of the large intestinal wall thickening on CT. METHODS: Between January 2006 and August 2010, medical records of 815 patients who underwent endoscopy after CT scans within 1 month were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: A total of 233 patients were included. The wall thickening was actually associated with abnormal endoscopic findings in 81.1% of the cases. The accuracy rate on diagnosis between CT and endoscopy was 63.5%. The discrepancy in diagnosis was higher in cases with left colon abnormality and short segment lesion. Abdominal pain was significantly more common in cases suspected malignancy on CT compared with colitis (p=0.047). Most of the malignancy diagnosed on CT involved the left side colon and most of the colitis involved the entire colon (p<0.001). The length of lesion was below 5 cm in 86.5% of the malignancy. Malignancy was more common in patients aged over 50 years with hemoglobin below 12 g/dL. The CT findings significantly suggestive of malignancy were lymph node enlargement and length of lesion below 5 cm (p=0.027 and p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The large intestinal wall thickening on CT was limited in the differential diagnosis of malignancy and colitis. Additional endoscopic evaluation is needed in patients with bowel wall thickening associated with lymph node enlargement and short segment lesion on CT in order to exclude malignancy.

Anorectal and gastric peripheral T-cell lymphoma, unspecified in a non-AIDS patient

Anorectum is a rare location for malignant lymphoma. Involvement of is rare even for the lymphoma associated with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), and AIDS has a relatively increased frequency of anorectal lymphoma. Most lymphomas in AIDS patients are of a B-cell origin, and T-cell lymphoma of the gastrointestinal tract is extremely rare. We report here on a case of anorectal and gastric peripheral T-cell lymphoma, unspecified (PTCLu) in a non-AIDS patient. A previously healthy 29-year-old man presented with hematochezia and tenesmus that he had suffered with for the previous 2 months. Sigmoidoscopy showed anal and rectal submucosal tumor. Multiple round-shaped, flat and elevated lesions were noted on the gastric antrum and body as well. He underwent excisional biopsy for the anal mass and the diagnosis was PTCLu. Biopsies of the gastric lesions gave the same diagnosis. There was no lymphoma involved in the bone marrow. At admission, no antibodies against human immunodeficiency virus were detected. He underwent systemic chemotherapy and upfront autologous stem cell transplantation.

A Case Report of Disseminated Extranodal Marginal Zone B-Cell Lymphoma of MALT Manifested by Solitary Pulmonary Nodule / 결핵및호흡기질환

Extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT lymphoma) is usually indolent. Although it was reported recently that about 20-30% cases of MALT lymphoma presented with a disseminated disease at diagnosis, it was described as a disease localized at diagnosis and remaining stable for a prolonged period. However, only a few cases of MALT lymphoma involved the lung and gastrointestinal tract all at once. We report a case of a 73-year-old man with disseminated MALT lymphoma. He presented with non-productive cough, initial chest radiograph showed a nodule in the right lower lobe. The diagnosis of stage IV MALT lymphoma was made by CT scan, video-assisted thoracoscopic excisional biopy, gastrofiberscopic biopsy and bone marrow biopsy. The lymphoma involved the lung, stomach and bone marrow at the time of diagnosis. Because he refused chemotherapy, he discharged after Helicobacter pylori eradication without chemotherapy. Regular follow-up examination did not show any evidence of disease progression over 22 months.

Normal anthropometric values and standardized templates of Korean face and head

No abstract available.

Clinical experiences of thumb reconstruction

No abstract available.