Effect of blood on rapid urease testing of gastric mucosal biopsy specimens.

BACKGROUND: The effect of blood on rapid urease tests is uncertain. We assessed the effect of soaking gastric biopsy specimens in blood on the results of both agar gel (CLOtest) and strip (Pyloritek) rapid urease tests. METHODS: One hundred patients undergoing endoscopy had four adjacent biopsy specimens taken from normal appearing mucosa in the antrum. Two biopsies were soaked in blood for 1 minute; one specimen was placed on a CLOtest and one on a Pyloritek. The other two biopsy specimens were placed on CLOtest and Pyloritek without soaking in blood. The same process was performed with four adjacent biopsy specimens from the gastric body. CLOtests were read at 1, 4, and 24 hours; Pyloritek results were read at 1 hour. RESULTS: The number of positive tests for the blood-soaked and standard biopsy specimens were comparable at all times for both rapid urease tests. Discordant results between the blood-soaked and standard specimens were seen in 17 of 400 test comparisons (4%): in 8 of these only the blood-soaked specimen was positive, and in 9 only the standard specimen was positive. CONCLUSIONS: "Contamination" of biopsy specimens with blood does not alter rapid urease test results.

A study at 10 medical centers of the safety and efficacy of 48 flexible sigmoidoscopies and 8 colonoscopies during pregnancy with follow-up of fetal outcome and with comparison to control groups.

To analyze the risks versus benefits of flexible sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy to the pregnant female and fetus, we conducted a multiyear, retrospective study at 10 hospitals of 46 patients undergoing 48 sigmoidoscopies and 8 patients undergoing 8 colonoscopies during pregnancy. Sigmoidoscopy controls included two study control groups and the average American pregnancy outcomes. Sigmoidoscopy indications included hematochezia in 28, diarrhea in 10, abdominal pain in 4, and other in 3. Thirteen patients were in the first trimester of pregnancy, 18 were in the second trimester, and 15 were in the third trimester. Twenty-seven patients had a lesion diagnosed by sigmoidoscopy, including reactivated or newly diagnosed inflammatory bowel disease, bleeding internal hemorrhoids, and other colitidies. Twenty-two of 29 patients with rectal bleeding had a significant lesion identified by sigmoidoscopy. Sigmoidoscopy was significantly more frequently diagnostic for hematochezia than for other indications (p < 0.03, chi2). No endoscopic complications occurred to the pregnant patients. Excluding 4 voluntary abortions and 1 unknown pregnancy outcome, 38 (93%) of 41 pregnant females delivered healthy babies (study control rate = 93%; NS, Fisher's exact test). Mean live-born infant Apgar scores were 8.2+/-1.5 (SD) at 1 min and 9.0+/-0.2 at 5 min (control mean Apgar scores: 8.1+/-1.7 at 1 min and 8.8+/-1.0 at 5 min; NS, Student's t test). Three high-risk pregnancies ended with fetal demise at 8, 9, or 12 weeks after sigmoidoscopy, from causes unrelated to sigmoidoscopy. No fetal cardiac abnormalities were detected by fetal cardiac monitoring during two sigmoidoscopies. Eight pregnant females underwent colonoscopy, without complications. Pregnancy outcomes included six healthy babies delivered at full term, one voluntary abortion, and one fetal demise in a high-risk pregnancy 4 months after colonoscopy from causes unrelated to colonoscopy. This study suggests that sigmoidoscopy does not induce labor or result in congenital malformations, that sigmoidoscopy is not contraindicated during pregnancy, and that sigmoidoscopy may be beneficial in pregnant patients with significant lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Colonoscopy during pregnancy should be considered for life-threatening lower gastrointestinal bleeding or when the only alternative is surgery.

A study of eight medical centers of the safety and clinical efficacy of esophagogastroduodenoscopy in 83 pregnant females with follow-up of fetal outcome with comparison control groups.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze risks versus benefits of esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) during pregnancy to the fetus and pregnant female. METHODS: Retrospective study of 83 consecutive pregnant patients who underwent EGD admitted to eight university teaching hospitals during a study period of up to 14 yr, with follow-up of fetal outcome. Controls included: 48 pregnant females matched for EGD indications who did not undergo EGD (pregnant controls), 83 nonpregnant females undergoing EGD matched for age and EGD indication (EGD controls), and national pregnancy outcome rates (national controls). RESULTS: EGD indications included acute GI bleeding in 37, vomiting and abdominal pain in 17, vomiting in 14, abdominal pain in 11, and other in four. The mean week of gestation was 19.8 +/ 8.9 EGD was diagnostic in 65 patients. The diagnostic yield of EGD was 95% for acute GI bleeding and ranged from 50 to 82% for the other indications (significantly different rates, odds ratio = 9.3, p < 0.001, odds ratio confidence interval = 2.22-45.5). Esophagitis was found in 62+ of patients with a diagnostic EGD. No significant endoscopic complications occurred. EGD did not induce labor. Excluding six voluntary abortions and three unknown pregnancy outcomes, 70 (95%) of 74 patients delivered healthy babies (pregnant control rate = 94%, national control rate = 98.4%, all not significant, Fisher's exact test). Moreover, the four poor outcomes (three stillbirths and one involuntary abortion) occurred in high risk pregnancies and were unrelated to EGD temporally or etiologically. No other infant had a congenital malformation noted in the neonatal nursery. Nine (12.7%) of the live born infants had a low birth weight (pregnant control rate = 8.5%, national control rate = 7.0%, all not significant, kappa 2). Mean Apgar scores of live born infants were 7.7 +/ 1.6 at 1 min and 9.0 +/ 0.6 at 5 min (pregnant control scores = 7.6 +/ 2.0 at 1 min and 8.5 +/ 1.1 at 5 min; national control mean scores = 8.0 +/ 1.4 at 1 min and 9.0 +/ 0.9 at 5 min; all not significant, Student's t test). In three cases with fetal cardiac monitoring, EGD did not induce abnormal fetal heart rates (preendoscopy rate = 143.3 +/ 5.8 beats/min, postendoscopy rate = 148.0 +/ 10.6 beats/min). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, EGD did not induce labor or result in congenital malformations. EGD is not contraindicated during pregnancy. EGD is beneficial in pregnant patients with upper GI bleeding.

Multicenter, multiyear study of safety and efficacy of flexible sigmoidoscopy during pregnancy in 24 females with follow-up of fetal outcome.

Our objectives were to analyze the risks versus benefits of flexible sigmoidoscopy to the pregnant female and fetus. We retrospectively studied 24 consecutive pregnant patients admitted to four university hospitals during seven years who underwent 26 flexible sigmoidoscopies. Sigmoidoscopy indications included hematochezia in 11, diarrhea in 12, abdominal pain in 7, constipation in 2, and occult rectal bleeding in 1. Seven patients were in the first trimester of pregnancy, nine were in the second trimester, and eight were in the third trimester. Sigmoidoscopy provided helpful clinical information in all patients. Twelve patients had a lesion diagnosed by sigmoidoscopy, including reactivation of Crohn's colitis, reactivation of ulcerative colitis, infectious colitis, nonspecific colitis, bleeding internal hemorrhoids, pseudomembranous colitis, anastomotic ulcer, and newly diagnosed Crohn's colitis. In particular, nine of 11 patients with rectal bleeding had a lesion identified by sigmoidoscopy. No endoscopic complications occurred to any pregnant female. Two pregnant patients underwent repeat sigmoidoscopy without complications. Fetal outcome was ascertained in all but one pregnancy. Eighteen pregnant females delivered healthy infants (16 at full term, two at 35 or 36 weeks). Their mean Apgar scores were 8.8 +/- 0.4 SD at 1 min, and 9.0 +/- 0.4 SD at 5 min. One diabetic and hypertensive female suffered an involuntary abortion nine weeks after sigmoidoscopy, which appeared unrelated to the sigmoidoscopy. Four pregnancies were voluntarily aborted. This study suggests that flexible sigmoidoscopy does not induce labor or result in congenital malformations, that sigmoidoscopy is not contraindicated during pregnancy, and that sigmoidoscopy should be considered in medically stable pregnant patients with significant gastrointestinal bleeding.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Low-dose prazosin in patients with muscle cramps during hemodialysis.

Sympathetic nervous system response to volume stress is more marked in patients with frequent hemodialysis-associated skeletal muscle cramps than in most patients who cramp infrequently. Accordingly, we conducted a double-blind, randomized, and balanced trial in which five patients with frequent hemodialysis-associated cramps were given either placebo or a prazosin dose (ranging from 0.25 to 1.0 mg) at the start of 16 dialysis sessions. These low doses of prazosin appeared to reduce cramp frequency in four of the five patients, and patient-stratified multiple logistic regression analysis indicated an aggregate 58% reduction in cramp frequency (p = 0.030). On the other hand, prazosin therapy was associated with an increased incidence of hypotension that required therapeutic intervention both during (p = 0.033) and after (p = 0.010) hemodialysis. Our findings support the hypothesis that sympathetic activation plays a pathogenetic role in hemodialysis-associated skeletal muscle cramps and suggest that pharmacologic attenuation of this response may be of therapeutic benefit.

AIDS-associated cryptosporidiosis with gastric stricture and a therapeutic response to paromomycin.

AIDS-associated cryptosporidiosis has been associated with severe, watery diarrhea and with multifocal biliary stricture. Gastric involvement has not been reported prominently. We report here the case of a 28-yr-old AIDS patient who developed typical watery diarrhea, followed by subtotal gastric obstruction secondary to antral stricturing. Biopsy of the stricture revealed severe inflammation and marked cryptosporidial infestation. Extensive workup excluded causes of stricture. He was empirically treated with paromomycin, with a surprisingly positive therapeutic response and clinical resolution of obstruction. Antral stricture may be another manifestation of cryptosporidial infection in AIDS. Paromomycin deserves further evaluation as an agent for treatment of this infection.

A multicenter, multiyear study of the safety and clinical utility of esophagogastroduodenoscopy in 20 consecutive pregnant females with follow-up of fetal outcome.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the risks versus benefits of panendoscopy to the pregnant female and fetus. METHODS: Retrospective study of 20 consecutive pregnant patients admitted to three university teaching hospitals during 7 1/2 yr who underwent panendoscopy. RESULTS: Indications for panendoscopy included hematemesis in eight, vomiting and abdominal pain in five, vomiting in four, abdominal pain in two, and melena without hematemesis in one. Six patients were in the first trimester of pregnancy, eight were in the second trimester, and six were in the third trimester. Fourteen patients (70%) had a lesion diagnosed by panendoscopy, including esophagitis in seven, duodenal ulcer in two, gastritis in three, and Mallory-Weiss tear in two. In particular, all nine patients (100%) with gastrointestinal bleeding had a lesion identified by esophagogastroduodenoscopy. No significant endoscopic complications occurred. Panendoscopy did not induce labor in any patient. Fetal outcome was ascertained in 19 (95%) of the pregnancies. Seventeen infants were delivered at full term. Two were delivered at 33 and 35 weeks of gestation. No infant had a congenital malformation noted in the neonatal nursery. The mean infant Apgar scores were 8.2 +/- 1.3 (SD) at 1 min, and 9.1 +/- 0.3 (SD) at 5 min. CONCLUSIONS: In this study of 20 pregnancies, panendoscopy did not induce labor or result in congenital malformations. Panendoscopy is not absolutely contraindicated during pregnancy. Panendoscopy appears to be beneficial in medically stable pregnant patients with significant gastrointestinal bleeding. Panendoscopy should be performed with monitoring by electrocardiography and pulse oximetry after stabilization of vital signs, which may require transfusion of blood products and supplemental oxygen administration.

Renal cell carcinoma presenting as polymyalgia rheumatica. Resolution after nephrectomy.

Renal cell carcinoma can present as a variety of paraneoplastic, nonmetastatic conditions, including vasculitis. We describe a patient who presented with the polymyalgia rheumatica syndrome but did not respond to a trial of prednisone. An asymptomatic, nonmetastatic renal cell carcinoma was found during this patient's evaluation. Nephrectomy led to resolution of the systemic complaints. Malignancy, in this case, renal cell carcinoma, can present as polymyalgia rheumatica and resolve after surgical removal of the underlying tumor.

Risk of hepatitis B infection among Egyptians infected with Schistosoma mansoni.

Three hundred twenty-four individuals in a farming village located in the Nile Delta of Egypt were serially tested for hepatitis markers and Schistosoma mansoni to determine whether there is an increased risk of hepatitis B in persons infected with schistosomiasis. One-half of the subjects had stools positive for S. mansoni. Thirty-seven percent of the individuals had been infected with hepatitis B, and 3% were chronic HBsAg carriers. No statistical association was found between S. mansoni infection and hepatitis B infection, including chronic hepatitis B. Although there was no evidence of an association between these 2 pathogens, larger nonhospital based studies are needed to resolve this question.