Malignant Pericardial Effusion due to Colorectal Cancer in a Young Man.

A 28-year-old man presented with sudden-onset right lower quadrant abdominal pain and shortness of breath at rest. On examination, he had tachycardia with distant heart sounds and right lower quadrant tenderness. A computed tomography scan showed segmental thickening of the proximal ascending colon and ileum with proximal cecal distension. Echocardiogram confirmed large pericardial effusion with impending tamponade. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery was performed for pericardial fluid drainage from a pericardial window. The mediastinal lymph node biopsy revealed metastatic adenocarcinoma cells. A colonoscopy showed a large polypoidal mass in the ascending colon with biopsy confirming poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, thereby suggesting a possible lymphatic or hematogenous spread without liver or lung involvement.

Management and outcomes of hepatorenal syndrome at an urban academic medical center: a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVES: This study is aimed to evaluate the management of acute kidney injury (AKI) in our inner city, American hospital. We intended to ascertain whether or not there is prompt recognition of AKI in cirrhosis according to International Club of Ascites and acute kidney injury network criteria as well how effective we are at distinguishing among different causes of AKI. We aimed to calculated the mortality of hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) in our hospital, and to evaluate the adequacy of the established treatment of AKI at each stage of its algorithm. PATIENTS AND METHODS: ICD diagnostic codes were used to identify patients with liver cirrhosis and acute renal failure. A total of 725 patients met the search criteria. We excluded the patients without clinical or imaging evidence of ascites, heart failure, on hemodialysis, baseline creatinine more than 1.5 mg/dl and patients who died within 48 h of developing acute renal failure. 291 patients met the inclusion criteria. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 23.0 software with a two-sided significance level set at P value less than 0.05. RESULTS: Mean age was 55.7 ± 0.61 and baseline serum creatinine was 0.94 ± 0.14. 66.5% of patients were African American, 27.3%, Hispanic, and 4.3% White. The average rise in creatinine from baseline was 1.36 ± 0.08 mg/dl. 27.2% of patients met the diagnostic criteria of HRS. 92.3% of patients with HRS received intravenous fluids and 75.4% received intravenous albumin within 48 h of acute creatinine rise. The in-hospital mortality rate was 14.1, 23.3, and 41.5% for patients with pre-renal azotemia, ARF, and HRS, respectively (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that with present tools, there is significantly higher mortality in HRS despite guideline-based treatment. Biomarkers for early diagnosis of HRS are necessary to avoid delays in initiation of HRS treatment while establishing the diagnosis. As well, worldwide standardization of the treatment of HRS will be important if the outcome is to be improved.

Confounders in Adenoma Detection at Initial Screening Colonoscopy: A Factor in the Assessment of Racial Disparities as a Risk for Colon Cancer.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer is persistently highest in Black/African-Americans in the United States. While access to care, barriers to screening, and poverty might explain these findings, there is increased interest in examining biological factors that impact the colonic environment. Our group is examining biologic factors that contribute to disparities in development of adenomas prospectively. In preparation for this and to characterize a potential patient population, we conducted a retrospective review of initial screening colonoscopies in a cohort of patients. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed on initial average risk screening colonoscopies on patients (age 45-75 years) during 2012 at three institutions. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between potential risk factors and the detection of adenomas. RESULTS: Of the 2225 initial screening colonoscopies 1495 (67.2%) were performed on Black/African-Americans and 566 (25.4%) on Caucasians. Multivariable logistic regression revealed that older age, male sex, current smoking and teaching gastroenterologists were associated with higher detection of adenomas and these were less prevalent among Black/African-Americas except for age. Neither race, ethnicity, BMI, diabetes mellitus, HIV nor insurance were associated with adenoma detection. CONCLUSION: In this sample, there was no association between race and adenoma detection. While this may be due to a lower prevalence of risk factors for adenomas in this sample, our findings were confounded by a lower detection rate by consultant gastroenterologists at one institution. The study allowed us to rectify the problem and characterize patients for future trials.

Gastrointestinal Manifestations of Systemic Sclerosis.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare autoimmune disease characterized by fibroproliferative alterations of the microvasculature leading to fibrosis and loss of function of the skin and internal organs. Gastrointestinal manifestations of SSc are the most commonly encountered complications of the disease affecting nearly 90% of the SSc population. Among these complications, the esophagus and the anorectum are the most commonly affected. However, this devastating disorder does not spare any part of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), and includes the oral cavity, esophagus, stomach, small and large bowels as well as the liver and pancreas. In this review, we present the current understanding of the pathophysiologic mechanisms of SSc including vasculopathy, endothelial to mesenchymal transformation as well as the autoimmune pathogenetic pathways. We also discuss the clinical presentation and diagnosis of each part of the GIT affected by SSc. Finally, we highlight the latest developments in the management of this disease, addressing the severe malnutrition that affects this vulnerable patient population and ways to assess and improve the nutritional status of the patients.