Ongoing Transmission of HCV: Should Cesarean Section be Justified? Data Mining Discovery.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Over the past few decades, cesarean section (CS) rates are steadily increasing in most of the middle- and high-income countries. However, most of the pregnant women (particularly undergoing CS) are not screened for hepatitis C virus (HCV); hence, neonates born to HCV-positive mother could be a source of future HCV infection. In this study, the role of the CS and other surgical interventions in HCV transmission in Egypt, the highest endemic country of HCV-4, was investigated. METHODS: From January to June 2016, a prospective cohort study was conducted among 3,836 pregnant women in both urban and rural areas across Egypt for HCV screening in both mothers and neonates born to HCV-positive mother. All pregnant women were screened during third trimester or just before delivery, neonates born to HCV-positive mothers were evaluated within 24-h postdelivery to record vertical transmission cases. Data mining (DM)-driven computational analysis was used to quantify the findings. RESULTS: Among 3,836 randomized pregnant women, HCV genotype 4 was identified in 80 women (2.08%). Out of 80 HCV-infected women, 18 have experienced surgical intervention (22.5%) and 62 CS (77.5%). HCV vertical transmission was identified in 10 neonates, 10/80 (12.5%). CONCLUSION: Screening women who had experienced surgical intervention or CS during child bearing period and before pregnancy might prevent HCV mother-to-child transmission (MTCT). CS should be ethically justified to decrease global HCV transmission.

Prediction of HCV vertical transmission: what factors should be optimized using data mining computational analysis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Neonates born to hepatitis C virus (HCV)-positive mothers are usually not screened for HCV. Unscreened children may act as active sources for social HCV transmission, and factors contributing for vertical HCV transmitting still remained controversial and needed optimization. We aimed to investigate the factors contributing for vertical HCV transmission in Egypt; the highest HCV prevalence worldwide. METHODS: We prospectively followed the neonates born to HCV-positive mother in the child-bearing period, to identify mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) factors from January 2015 to March 2016. Data mining computational analysis was used to quantify the findings. RESULTS: Among 3000 randomized pregnant women, prevalence of HCV was 46/3000 (1.53%). HCV vertical transmission was identified in eight neonates (17.39%). Only high viral load identified at 975.000 IU was the predictor risk for MTCT. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatitis C virus in pregnancy has substantial risk for vertical HCV transmission: High viral load in HCV-positive women increases the risk of HCV transmission to neonates. Screening pregnant women during early stage of pregnancy and optimizing the HCV viral load in HCV-positive women might prevent vertical HCV transmission to neonates.

Bariatric Bypass Surgery to Resolve Complicated Childhood Morbid Obesity: Case Report Study.

Children obesity has become one of the most important public health problems in many countries worldwide. Although the awareness of childhood obesity as a modifiable health risk is high, but many societies do not prioritize this issue as a health care problem, which may lead to comorbidities and even premature death. Despite the rising interest in bariatric surgery for children, only laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is being considered in resolving childhood obesity who failed other dietary or drug therapies; however many of LSG procedures failed to reduce the weight in children or resulted in complications postsurgery.Here, we present a novel bariatric procedure to clue out a female child 13 years old presented with Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease-associated morbid obesity. The surgical bariatric technique applied both fundal resection and surgical bypass in pediatric obesity using the Elbanna novel bariatric technique.Bariatric surgical bypass may be considered in complicated-childhood cases who failed all other options.

The Value of U/S to Determine Priority for Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy in Emergency Room.

In countries endemic for liver and GIT diseases, frequent emergency department (ED) patients contribute to a disproportionate number of visits consuming substantial amount of medical resources. One of the most frequent ED visits is patients who present with hypovolemic shock, abdominal pain, or confusion with or without signs of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB). The use of conventional two-dimensional ultrasound (2D-U/S) may provide immediate and useful information on the presence of esophageal varices, gastrointestinal tumors, and other GIT abnormalities.The current study investigated the feasibility of using (2D-U/S) to predict the source of UGIB in ED and to determine patients' priority for UGE.Between February 2003 and March 2013, we retrospectively reviewed the profiles of 38,551 Egyptian patients, aged 2 to 75 years old, who presented with a history of GI/liver diseases and no alcohol consumption. We assessed the value of 2D-U/S technology in predicting the source of UGIB.Of 38,551 patients presenting to ED, 900 patients (2.3%), 534 male (59.3%) and 366 female (40.7%) developed UGIB. Analyzing results obtained from U/S examinations by data mining for emergent UGE were patients with liver cirrhosis (LC), splenomegaly, and ascites (42.6% incidence of UGIB), followed by LC and splenomegaly (14.6%), LC only (9.4%), and was only 0.5% who had no morbidity finding by 2D-U/S.Ultrasonographic instrumentation increases the feasibility of predictive emergency medicine. The area has recently not only gained a fresh impulse, but also a new set of complex problems that needs to be addressed in the emergency medicine setting according to each priority.

Colon in the chest: an incidental dextrocardia: a case report study.

Diaphragmatic injury is an uncommon traumatic injury (<1%). Although most diaphragmatic injuries can be obvious (eg, herniation of abdominal contents on chest radiograph), some injuries may be subtle and imaging studies can be nondiagnostic in many situations. Patients with diaphragmatic hernia either traumatic or nontraumatic may initially have no symptoms or signs to suggest an injury to the diaphragm.Here, we report a case of a 75-year-old woman diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome -associated dominant constipation, presented with shortness of breath, cough, expectoration, tachycardia, and chest pain. Dextrocardia was an incidental finding, diagnosed by electrocardiography, chest radiograph, and CT chest. Parts of the colon, small intestine, and stomach were within the thorax in the left side due to left diaphragmatic hernia of a nontraumatic cause. Acquired incidental dextrocardia was the main problem due to displacement of the heart to contralateral side by the GI (gastrointestinal) viscera (left diaphragmatic hernia).The patient was prepared for the laparoscopic surgical repair, using a polyethylene mesh 20 cm to close the defect, and the patient recovered with accepted general condition. However, 5 days postoperative, the patient passed away suddenly due to unexplained cardiac arrest.Intrathoracic herniation of abdominal viscera should be considered in patients presented with sudden chest pain concomitant with a history of increased intra-abdominal pressure.

Screening esophagus during routine ultrasound: medical and cost benefits.

OBJECTIVE: Cost-effectiveness analysis is an approach used to determine the value of a medical care option and refers to a method used to assess the costs and health benefits of an intervention. Upon the diagnosis of liver cirrhosis, the current guidelines recommend that all cirrhotic patients have to be screened for the presence of esophageal varices by endoscopy. In addition, patients with a positive family history of esophageal cancer are screened annually. These approaches place a heavy burden on endoscopy units, and repeated testing over time may have a detrimental effect on patient compliance. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Following the recommendations of a recent study entitled 'Detection of risky esophageal varices using two dimensional ultrasound: when to perform endoscopy', the intra-abdominal portion of the esophagus of 1100 patients was divided into a hepatic group, which included 650 patients, and a nonhepatic group, which included 450 patients, who presented with manifestations of liver diseases and gastrointestinal symptoms, respectively, and were examined using standard two-dimensional ultrasound (US) to evaluate cost effectiveness, standard issues, and medical benefits using conventional US. RESULTS: The overall effectiveness analysis of 1100 patients yielded a 41% cost standard benefit calculated to be $114,760 in a 6-month study. CONCLUSION: Two-dimensional US can play an important role in screening for esophageal abnormalities, thus saving money and time. The esophagus should be screened during routine conventional abdominal US.

Prior to the oral therapy, what do we know about HCV-4 in Egypt: a randomized survey of prevalence and risks using data mining computed analysis.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) affects over 180 million people worldwide and it's the leading cause of chronic liver diseases and hepatocellular carcinoma. HCV is classified into seven major genotypes and a series of subtypes. In general, HCV genotype 4 (HCV-4) is common in the Middle East and Africa, where it is responsible for more than 80% of HCV infections. Although HCV-4 is the cause of approximately 20% of the 180 million cases of chronic hepatitis C worldwide, it has not been a major subject of research yet. The aim of the current study is to survey the morbidities and disease complications among Egyptian population infected with HCV-4 using data mining advanced computing methods mainly and other complementary statistical analysis. Six thousand six hundred sixty subjects, aged between 17 and 58 years old, from different Egyptian Governorates were screened for HCV infection by ELISA and qualitative PCR. HCV-positive patients were further investigated for the incidence of liver cirrhosis and esophageal varices. Obtained data were analyzed by data mining approach. Among 6660 subjects enrolled in this survey, 1018 patients (15.28%) were HCV-positive. Proportion of infected-males was significantly higher than females; 61.6% versus 38.4% (P=0.0052). Around two-third of infected-patients (635/1018; 62.4%) were presented with liver cirrhosis. Additionally, approximately half of the cirrhotic patients (301/635; 47.4%) showed degrees of large esophageal varices (LEVs), with higher variceal grade observed in males. Age for esophageal variceal development was 47±1. Data mining analysis yielded esophageal wall thickness (>6.5 mm), determined by conventional U/S, as the only independent predictor for esophageal varices. This study emphasizes the high prevalence of HCV infection among Egyptian population, in particular among males. Egyptians with HCV-4 infection are at a higher risk to develop cirrhotic liver and esophageal varices. Data mining, a new analytic technique in medical field, shed light in this study on the clinical importance of esophageal wall thickness as a useful predictor for risky esophageal varices using decision tree algorithm.

Medical management of patients after bariatric surgery: Principles and guidelines.

Obesity is a major and growing health care concern. Large epidemiologic studies that evaluated the relationship between obesity and mortality, observed that a higher body-mass index (BMI) is associated with increased rate of death from several causes, among them cardiovascular disease; which is particularly true for those with morbid obesity. Being overweight was also associated with decreased survival in several studies. Unfortunately, obese subjects are often exposed to public disapproval because of their fatness which significantly affects their psychosocial behavior. All obese patients (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m(2)) should receive counseling on diet, lifestyle, exercise and goals for weight management. Individuals with BMI ≥ 40 kg/m(2) and those with BMI > 35 kg/m(2) with obesity-related comorbidities; who failed diet, exercise, and drug therapy, should be considered for bariatric surgery. In current review article, we will shed light on important medical principles that each surgeon/gastroenterologist needs to know about bariatric surgical procedure, with special concern to the early post operative period. Additionally, we will explain the common complications that usually follow bariatric surgery and elucidate medical guidelines in their management. For the first 24 h after the bariatric surgery, the postoperative priorities include pain management, leakage, nausea and vomiting, intravenous fluid management, pulmonary hygiene, and ambulation. Patients maintain a low calorie liquid diet for the first few postoperative days that is gradually changed to soft solid food diet within two or three weeks following the bariatric surgery. Later, patients should be monitored for postoperative complications. Hypertension, diabetes, dumping syndrome, gastrointestinal and psychosomatic disorders are among the most important medical conditions discussed in this review.

Mortality prediction of nonalcoholic patients presenting with upper gastrointestinal bleeding using data mining.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Patients with acute upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding commonly present with hematemesis and/or melena. More studies are needed to confirm the ability to predict mortality, length of stay, and cost. Alcohol abuse may worsen variceal bleeding or portal hypertensive gastropathy in a patient with a history of liver disease. Coexisting alcoholism may influence patient management in the setting of peptic ulceration or existing malignancy. Consequently, the overall morbidities and mortalities may differ in alcoholic and nonalcoholic groups accordingly. Mortality prediction using data mining programs is helpful for detection of significant mortality-related factors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 152 files of patients presenting with upper GI bleeding, because of nonalcoholic causes, 100 males and 52 females aged 16-77 years old. Causes of upper GI bleeding were esophageal and/or gastric varices (51), portal hypertensive congestive gastropathy (6), gastric and/or duodenal ulcers (39), gastroesophageal reflux disease (20), gastritis and duodenitis (19), cancer (8), gastric polyps (3), blood diseases (2), Dieulafoy's lesion (2), and no aberrant cause of bleeding in two patients. RESULTS: The overall mortality was 29 patients (19.07%). The use of a descriptive model of the data mining program yielded the most significant mortality predictors. The overall accuracy was 92.08%. CONCLUSION: Chronic hepatitis C virus infection and NSAID-associated splenomegaly because of portal hypertension are significant predictors of mortality in nonalcoholic patients presenting with upper GI bleeding.

Endoscopic management of Dieulafoy's lesion using Isoamyl-2-cyanoacrylate.

Dieulafoy's lesion (DL) is a rare but important cause of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding that may be overlooked during diagnostic endoscopy. Mortality rates are similar to those of other causes for gastrointestinal bleeding. Diagnosis by upper endoscopy is the modality of choice during acute bleeding. In the absence of active bleeding, the lesion resembles a raised nipple or visible vessel. There are no guidelines regarding effective selective therapy for DL, when diagnosed, endoscopist experience is the major determinant of the treatment strategy. Following our strategy, an expert endoscopist with a skilled assistant should have a high rate of successful DL diagnosis when an obscured gastrointestinal lesion is suspected. Cyanoacryltes compounds have been used successfully in management of Gastric varices and DLs. To our knowledge, there have been no previous reports regarding use of isoamyl-2-cyanoacrylate (AMCRYLATE(®); Concord Drugs Ltd., Hyderabad, India) as an effective therapy for gastric DL without serious complications. In our case study, Isoamyl-2-cyanoacrylate (AMCRYLATE(®)) was effective and safe for treating DL. Surgical wedge resection of the lesion should be considered as a therapeutic option if endoscopic therapy fails.