Investigation of pulmonary involvement in inflammatory bowel disease in an experimental model of colitis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may also involve various extra-intestinal organs. Clinical studies have found asymptomatic/symptomatic pulmonary involvement in 1% to 6% of patients with IBD. The present study histopathologically investigated pulmonary involvement in an experimental model of colitis in order to demonstrate pulmonary tissue involvement in IBD and to expose potential etiological factors. It also explored the relation between inflammation and tissue concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α). METHODS: The study comprised 24 male Wistar albino rats. The rats were divided into four groups of six rats each. Acute colitis was induced in two separate groups using either the dextran sulphate sodium (DSS) or trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) method, while the other two groups were used as controls for each model of colitis. Wallace scoring was used for macroscopic assessment of colitis, and the lungs were histopathologically examined. Concentrations of VEGF and TNF-α in pulmonary tissue were measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. RESULTS: The number of animals that had alveolar hemorrhage was significantly higher in the TNBS-induced colitis and DSS-induced colitis groups compared to their own control groups (p = 0.015 and p = 0.015, respectively). VEGF and TNF-α concentrations in pulmonary tissues were significantly increased in both the TNBS colitis and DSS colitis groups compared to their own control groups (p = 0.002 and p = 0.004, respectively; and p = 0.002 and p = 0.002, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrated that significant and serious histopathological changes directly associated with colitis occur in the lungs in IBD.

Iodine status in Turkish populations and exposure to iodide uptake inhibitors.

Perchlorate, nitrate, and thiocyanate are competitive inhibitors of the sodium iodide symporter of the thyroid membrane. These inhibitors can decrease iodine uptake by the symporter into the thyroid gland and may disrupt thyroid function. This study assesses iodine status and exposure to iodide uptake inhibitors of non-pregnant and non-lactating adult women living in three different cities in Turkey (Istanbul, Isparta and Kayseri). We measured iodine and iodide uptake inhibitors in 24-hr urines collected from study participants (N = 255). All three study populations were mildly iodine deficient, with median urinary iodine (UI) levels of 77.5 µg/L in Istanbul, 58.8 µg/L in Isparta, and 69.8 µg/L in Kayseri. Perchlorate doses were higher in the study population (median 0.13 µg/kg/day), compared with a reference population (median 0.059 µg/kg/day), but lower than the U.S. EPA reference dose (0.7 µg/kg/day). Urinary thiocyanate levels increased with increasing exposure to tobacco smoke, with non-smokers (268 µg/L) significantly lower than light smokers (1110 µg/L), who were significantly lower than heavy smokers (2410 µg/L). This pilot study provides novel data indicating that study participants were moderately iodine deficient and had higher intakes of the iodide uptake inhibitor perchlorate compared with a reference population. Further investigation is needed to characterize the thyroid impact resulting from iodine deficiency coupled with exposure to iodide uptake inhibitors such as perchlorate, thiocyanate and nitrate.

Is gastroesophageal reflux contribute to the development chronic cough by triggering pulmonary fibrosis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Previous studies have shown that the prevalence of abnormal acid reflux in fibrotic lung disease patients is high, and in particular, patients with secondary pulmonary fibrosis show higher esophageal acid exposure than normal controls. There are also some findings that, in patients with pathological reflux, pulmonary fibrosis may develop. The aim of this study is to investigate if pulmonary fibrosis is involved in the pathogenesis of chronic cough due to Gastroesophageal Reflux. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective study was performed in twenty-one patients with chronic cough due to gastroesophageal reflux who was diagnosed as reflux esophagitis by upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, histology, and in ten healthy controls without GER or any lung disease. All participitants underwent laryngoscopic examination and gastroesophageal scintigraphy with late lung imaging. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid total and differential cell counts, T and B cell subsets, and the concentrations of IL- 1ß and TNF-α were measured. RESULTS: Reflux extending into the proximal esophagus was noted in 52.5%, and posterior laryngitis was present in 90.5% of the patients. No evidence of pulmonary aspiration was noted in the patients with reflux on scintigraphic examination. No significant difference was found between the GER and control groups in terms of cellular content, IL-1ß and TNF-α levels or mean T cell subsets and B cell counts in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Forced expiratory volume in one second, forced vital capacity FEV1/FVC, total lung capacity, and carbon monoxide diffusion capacity values were within normal limits in the gastroesophageal reflux group. CONCLUSION: Our findings do not support the hypothesis that gastroesophageal reflux leads to chronic cough by triggering alveolar epithelial injury and subsequent pulmonary fibrosis.

Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus.

Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus (PMME) comprises only 0.1-0.2% of all malignant esophageal tumors. PMME tumors are highly aggressive and metastasize early via hematogenic and lymphatic pathways. Treatment outcome is poor because the cancer has often advanced at the time of diagnosis. Inoperability, unsuccessful treatment with radiotherapy and chemotherapy in advanced tumors and metastases have contributed to its poor prognosis. Here, we present the endoscopic features, endoscopic ultrasonography findings and management of a PMME case.

From suspicion of liver metastases to the diagnosis of Wilson disease in a patient with seminoma.

Wilson disease is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by copper accumulation in the liver, brain, kidneys, and cornea due to inadequate biliary copper excretion. It should be considered especially in young patients who have findings of liver disease with unexplained etiology. Clinical presentation of the disease can be variable, and different types of parenchymal changes of the liver can be seen on imaging modalities. Multiple nodular lesions mimicking metastases can be detected. This condition can obligate physicians to screen for a malignant disease. Moreover, it may cause misdiagnosis as advanced stage of disease when coexistent with a malignancy. The coexistence of Wilson disease with some malignant diseases has been reported; however, coexistence with seminoma was not reported before. Approximately 40% of testicular cancers are pure seminoma. Liver metastases are rare in seminoma. In this article, a case of Wilson cirrhosis is reported. The patient was first followed with diagnosis of seminoma with suspicion of liver metastases.

Comparison of infusion or low-dose proton pump inhibitor treatments in upper gastrointestinal system bleeding.

BACKGROUND: The most effective schedule of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) administration following endoscopic hemostasis of bleeding ulcers remains uncertain. AIM: To compare the treatment effects of continuous infusion and low-dose esomeprazole therapies in patients with non-variceal upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. METHODS: This prospective clinical study compared continuous infusion of esomeprazole (80 mg bolus followed by 8 mg∕h continuous infusion for 72 h) and low-dose esomeprazole (40 mg twice daily IV) treatments in GI bleeding patients with peptic ulcer presenting a high risk of re-bleeding, who were administered a successful endoscopic homeostasis. The primary end point was the occurrence of re-bleeding during hospitalization and within one month of discharge. Secondary outcomes were defined as duration of hospitalization, need of transfusion, surgical treatment, and mortality rate. After 72 h, both groups were switched to oral esomeprazole therapy for one-month. RESULTS: A hundred thirty-two subjects were enrolled. Re-bleeding occurred in 11 (16.7%) patients in the infusion therapy group and in 12 (18.2%) patients in the low-dose group (P=0.819) within the first 72 h. No patient experienced re-bleeding in the first month following discharge. There was no statistical significant difference between the two groups in terms of transfusion need, durations of hospitalization, need for surgery and mortality rate. CONCLUSION: PPI infusion therapy following endoscopic hemostasis treatment was not found superior to low-dose PPI therapy in the terms of re-bleeding, need of surgery and mortality.

Comparison of 19- and 22-gauge needles in EUS-guided fine needle aspiration in patients with mediastinal masses and lymph nodes.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration is an established tissue-acquisition technique for mediastinal lesions. However, there are limitations to endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration of mediastinal masses in certain neoplasms and granulomatous diseases. Most studies have used 22-gauge aspiration and/or 19-gauge Tru-cut needles, and only limited data exist on larger-caliber aspiration needles. We aimed to compare prospectively the diagnostic yield of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration using 19- and 22-gauge aspiration needles in patients with mediastinal lesions of unknown origin. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Using a consecutive entry design, 57 patients with mediastinal mass or lymph node, in whom previous investigations, including bronchoscopy and computed tomography-guided biopsy, had not provided a final diagnosis, underwent endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy using 19-gauge or 22-gauge aspiration needle. Determination of the adequacy and cytopathologic interpretation of fine needle aspiration materials were done by two pathologists blinded to the clinical condition of the patient. Fine needle aspiration specimens were placed in four categories as: (1) nondiagnostic, (2) benign, (3) granulomatous disease, and (4) malignant. RESULTS: Among 57 patients [35 (61.4%) with mediastinal lymph nodes and 22 (38.5%) with pulmonary masses], adequate tissue was obtained in 52 (91.2%) of the cases (with a mean of 3.3 needle passes). Correct cytopathologic diagnoses were made based on the endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration specimens obtained by 19- and 22-gauge needles in 96% and 92% of the samples, respectively (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: As concerns endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration of mediastinal masses and lymph nodes, the diagnostic sensitivity of aspirated material obtained using 19- and 22-gauge fine needle aspiration needles was found to be comparable in our study.

Triple or quadruple tetracycline-based therapies versus standard triple treatment for Helicobacter pylori treatment.

BACKGROUND: Our aim was to compare lansoprazole-tetracycline-metranidazole (LTM) as first-line treatment with the classical lansoprazole-amoxicillin-clarithromycin (LAC) and bismuth-containing quadruple treatments. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This prospective, single-center, randomized study included 464 consecutive Helicobacter pylori-positive patients with dyspeptic symptoms. A total of 415 patients completed the study. The patients were allocated into 4 study groups using random sampling numbers as follows-LAC group: lansoprazole 30 mg twice daily, amoxicillin 1000 mg twice daily, and clarithromycin 500 mg twice daily for 14 days; BLTM group: bismuth subcitrate 300 mg 4 times a day, lansoprazole 30 mg twice daily, tetracycline 500 mg 4 times a day, and metronidazole 500 mg twice daily for 10 days; RBLTM group: ranitidine bismuth citrate 400 mg twice daily, lansoprazole 30 mg twice daily, tetracycline 500 mg 4 times a day, and metronidazole 500 mg twice daily for 10 days; and LTM group: lansoprazole 30 mg twice daily, tetracycline 500 mg 4 times a day, and metronidazole 500 mg twice daily for 10 days. RESULTS: The per protocol H. pylori eradication rate in LAC, BLTM, RBLTM, and LTM groups were 37 of 104 (35.6%), 56 of 102 (54.9%), 67 of 104 (64.4%), and 63 of 105 (60%), respectively. The intention-to-treat eradication rate was 37 of 113 (32.7%) in LAC, 56 of 119 (47.1%) in BLTM, 67 of 117 (57.3%) in RBLTM, and 63 of 115 (54.8%) in LTM group. The BLTM, RBLTM, and LTM treatment groups achieved a significantly better eradication rate than the LAC treatment group (P < 0.001). There was not any significant statistical difference between the groups of BLTM, RBLTM, and LTM. CONCLUSION: LTM treatment group achieved a significantly better eradication rate than the LAC treatment group. The success ratio of LTM therapy is comparable with quadruple bismuth-based treatments.

Hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus seroprevalence in rural areas of the southwestern region of Turkey.

OBJECTIVES: Most previous studies on the frequency of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) have analyzed data obtained from blood donors and risk groups. Few studies have been conducted in the field in rural and urban areas of Turkey. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of HBV and HCV and to investigate the association with risk factors. METHODS: Between January 2006 and March 2007, 2852 people aged 18 years and over were chosen in three districts using simple random sampling, and blood samples were drawn from them. The card test technique, which is highly sensitive, was applied to blood samples for the qualitative assessment of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), anti-hepatitis B surface antigen antibodies (anti-HBs), and anti-hepatitis C virus antibodies (anti-HCV). The ELISA technique was then applied only to positive samples for confirmation. In addition, participants answered survey questions on risk factors for infection with HBV and HCV. RESULTS: Our results showed that 71 (2.5%) were HBsAg-positive, 462 (16.2%) were anti-HBs-positive, and 29 (1.0%) were anti-HCV-positive. Further survey results showed that seropositivity increased with some of the risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: Studies on seropositivity that depend on field analyses reflect the true population more accurately. We conclude that such field studies and public education activities for hepatitis B and C are essential.

Gastroesophageal scintigraphy in the evaluation of adult patients with chronic cough due to gastroesophageal reflux disease.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the findings of gastroesophageal scintigraphy (GES) with late lung imaging in adult patients with chronic cough due to gastroesophageal reflux disease and a group of healthy participants. METHODS: Fifty-five patients with chronic cough with reflux symptoms, and a control group of 12 healthy participants were examined. All patients had reflux esophagitis documented by upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and histology. All participants underwent laryngoscopic examination and GES. The correlation between gastroesophageal reflux and several related variables was evaluated. RESULTS: Overall, 51 patients (92.7%) had positive GES findings for pathologic reflux; 19 (37.2%) of these patients had proximal reflux; and the remaining 32 (62.7%) had distal reflux. The frequency, duration, and percentage volume of gastric content of reflux episodes were significantly greater in patients with proximal reflux than in patients with distal reflux (P<0.0001). No statistically significant differences were seen between proximal reflux and distal reflux patients in terms of pulmonary function parameters, duration of cough, and reflux symptoms scores. However, severe grade (B and C) of esophagitis and the posterior laryngitis were more common in the patients with proximal reflux. Late lung imaging demonstrated evidence of pulmonary aspiration in only three of 51 (6%) patients. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that GES with late lung imaging objectively showed the presence of pathologic distal and/or proximal reflux, but rarely pulmonary aspiration, in the majority of chronic cough patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease. As the chronic cough patients with proximal reflux have more severe reflux characteristics, this examination may be effective in screening and following up these patients.

Clomiphene-induced acute pancreatitis without hypertriglyceridemia.

Acute pancreatitis may be caused by drugs. In the literature, there are more than 260 different drugs that have been blamed for causing pancreatitis. Among these drugs, only 1 case has been reported as clomiphene-induced acute pancreatitis. However, in this single case, there was concomitant hypertriglyceridemia. We report the case of a woman who developed 2 attacks of acute pancreatitis without hypertriglyceridemia while receiving treatment with clomiphene.

Prevalence of occult hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus infections in Turkish hemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are important causes of morbidity and mortality in maintenance hemodialysis patients. Although their exact prevalence is not known, HBV and HCV viral infections and occult viral hepatitis are frequent in these patients. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of occult HBV and HCV infections in maintenance hemodialysis patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and eighty-eight end-stage renal disease patients on maintenance hemodialysis (100 male, mean age 49+/-29 [16-80] years, and mean duration of hemodialysis 98+/-66 [12-228] months) were enrolled in this study. Serological markers for HBV and HCV were determined with immunoenzymatic assay (ELISA) by using commercial diagnostic kits (Access and BioRad, Beckman-Coulter). HCV-RNA (Cobas Amplicor HCV kit) and HBV-DNA (Artus GmbH HBV kit) were determined quantitatively by polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Among the patients screened, 25 (13.3%) had HBV infection alone and 38 (20.2%) had HCV infection alone, while seven (3.7%) had dual infection of both viruses. Serological markers for occult hepatitis B and occult hepatitis C were positive in five (2.7%) and nine (4.8%) of the patients, respectively. Isolated anti-HBc was positive in 12 (6.4%) of all patients, three (7.9%) of the patients with anti-HCV and two (40%) of the patients with occult hepatitis B. Isolated anti-HBc positivity was more frequent in patients with occult hepatitis B than in those without (40% [2/5] vs. 5.5% [10/183], p=0.002). None of the patients with HCV had occult hepatitis B. CONCLUSIONS: Both occult and non-occult forms of HCV infection are more prevalent than HBV infection in hemodialysis patients. Especially the patients with isolated anti-HBc positivity should be tested for probable occult hepatitis B infection.

Pulmonary function tests and high-resolution CT in the detection of pulmonary involvement in inflammatory bowel disease.

GOALS: To assess the pulmonary involvement detected by pulmonary function tests (PFT) and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients and to investigate the relationship of the pulmonary abnormalities with respiratory symptoms and bowel disease activity. METHODS: 23 patients with ulcerative colitis, 13 patients with Crohn disease and 14 control subjects took part in this prospective, controlled study. In all patients, detailed clinical information was obtained and extent and activity of the bowel disease were established. Each patient underwent PFT and HRCT scanning. RESULTS: A pulmonary function abnormality was present in 21 of 36 patients. In IBD patients, DLCO were significantly lower, but RV/TLC was significantly higher than those of controls. HRCT revealed air trapping, fibrosis, emphysema, bronchiectasis and alveolitis in 19 patients. One-third of the patients with PFT abnormality, and 42% of the patients with HRCT abnormality were respiratory symptom free. Approximately 80% of the patients with pulmonary involvement had active bowel disease. CONCLUSIONS: Pulmonary involvement is common in patients with IBD. A high degree of suspicion is necessary to detect the pulmonary abnormality in IBD, because considerably large proportions of the symptom free patients have abnormal findings on HRCT and PFT.