Gastrointestinal amyloidosis in Australian indigenous patients.

This study documents the symptoms, racial distribution, pathological findings and outcomes of patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal amyloidosis in Alice Springs Hospital. In a 4 year retrospective survey. 9 patients, all indigenous, 7F/2M, had biopsy proven gastrointestinal amyloidosis. Four out of four patients tested were found to have AA amyloidosis. Presenting symptoms included diarrhoea, bloody in some, vomiting and abdominal pain. All but one had diabetes mellitus, type 2. Multiple infections were common and most patients had low serum albumin and transferrin concentrations but high serum ferritin concentrations. Five of the patients died, and the gastrointestinal symptoms of the remaining 4 remitted. Gastrointestinal amyloidosis should be included in the differential diagnosis of indigenous patients presenting with chronic diarrhoea, vomiting or abdominal pain. It carries a grave prognosis, is probably secondary to chronic infections but is potentially reversible.

Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in 160 patients with Barrett's oesophagus or Barrett's adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The role of Helicobacter pylori infection in the development of Barrett's oesophagus and its complications is uncertain. The aim of the present study was to determine the importance of H. pylori infection in this disease by comparing the frequency of oesophageal and gastric H. pylori infection in a group of patients with Barrett's oesophagus or adenocarcinoma, with the frequency of infection in a control group without Barrett's disease. METHODS: The study group included 160 patients (123 male, 37 female; mean age: 61.2 years) who were classified (according to the highest grade pathological lesion in the oesophagus) as having Barrett's intestinal metaplasia (IM; 88 patients), Barrett's oesophagus with low-grade dysplasia (LGD; 28 patients), high-grade dysplasia (HGD; five patients), Barrett's indefinite for dysplasia (n = 4), and Barrett's adenocarcinoma (33 patients). A total of 91 of these patients had gastric antral specimens available for study. The control group consisted of 214 consecutive, prospectively enrolled symptomatic patients (122 male, 92 female; mean age: 57.2 years) who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and in whom Barrett's oesophagus or Barrett's adenocarcinoma was not found. A modified Warthin-Starry method was used to detect H. pylori infection. RESULTS: Oesophageal H. pylori infection was found in eight of 160 (5%) patients with Barrett's oesophagus or Barrett's adenocarcinoma. Holicobacter pylori organisms in the oesophagus were found only on non-intestinalized cardiac or oxyntocardiac mucosa. All patients with oesophageal H. pylori infection and an antral biopsy available for study had antral H. pylori infection. Gastric antral H. pylori infection was significantly less prevalent in patients in the Barrett's study group (15/91, 16.5%) than in the non-Barrett's control group (67/214, 31.3%; Fisher's exact test, P = 0.01). Patients from the control group with an endoscopic diagnosis of duodenal ulcer, gastric ulcer, gastritis, or duodenitis had a significantly higher prevalence of infection compared with the Barrett's group, but there was no difference in the infection prevalence in patients in the Barrett's group and patients with reflux oesophagitis, hiatal hernia, no endoscopic abnormality, or any other diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Oesophageal H. pylori infection is uncommon in patients with Barrett's IM, dysplasia, or adenocarcinoma, and may be restricted to non-intestinalized columnar epithelium. Gastric H. pylori infection may have a protective effect for the development of Barrett's oesophagus.

Effect of immersion of biopsy forceps in formalin on tissue urease activity.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: It is routine practice to wash biopsy forceps that have been immersed in formalin solution before taking gastric biopsies to test for urease activity as formalin is thought to inactivate the urease enzyme. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of pre-immersion of biopsy forceps in formalin solution on the ability to detect Helicobacter pylori urease activity in biopsies obtained with the same forceps. METHODS: Two hundred consecutive patients undergoing gastroscopy who had macroscopic evidence of possible H. pylori infection had an initial antral biopsy taken using sterile forceps for determining biopsy urease activity. The same forceps were then used to obtain an antral biopsy for histological examination. The forceps were then used, without washing off any adherent formalin solution, to obtain a further antral biopsy for urease testing. RESULTS: The concordance rate for urease tests, with or without formalin exposure, was 100% (95% confidence interval (CI) 98.2-100%). Fifty-six of 200 patients (28%) were found to have urease-positive biopsies. Of these, 52/56 (92.9%) had identifiable H. pylori on histopathology. One hundred and forty-four of 200 patients (72%) were found to have urease-negative biopsies. Of these, seven (4.9%) had identifiable H. pylori on histopathology. Six of seven (85.7%) had only a small number of organisms identified. The sensitivity and specificity for the urease test compared with the histopathology as a reference standard was 88.1% (95% CI 79.9-96.4%) and 97.2% (95% CI 94.4-99.9%), respectively. CONCLUSION: Immersion of biopsy forceps in formalin did not reduce the ability to detect urease activity in gastric biopsies taken subsequently.

What's new in colorectal cancer screening?

There is now good evidence from case control studies and randomized controlled trials that screening average-risk subjects for colorectal cancer using faecal occult blood tests reduces mortality. There is limited data indicating that screening sigmoidoscopy can also achieve this. There is no evidence yet that screening by colonoscopy or double contrast barium enema can reduce mortality. Calculations of cost-effectiveness suggest that all of the above strategies should be economically worthwhile but there is no convincing evidence to suggest that one strategy is markedly more cost-effective than the others. Further data on several aspects of screening are required before any decisions are made on which form(s) of screening should be offered nationwide.

Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater.

Sarcomatoid carcinomas (carcinosarcomas) are rare lesions in the gastrointestinal tract, where they are most commonly found in the esophagus. We present the first reported case of a sarcomatoid carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater. The tumor was composed of intermixed carcinomatous (adenocarcinoma plus squamous cell carcinoma) and sarcomatous elements. Cytokeratin immunoreactivity was demonstrated focally in the sarcomatoid component, although in other areas there was positive staining for desmin and smooth muscle actin. The possible histogenesis of such lesions is briefly discussed.

Cleansing ability and tolerance of three bowel preparations for colonoscopy.

PURPOSE: This study was undertaken to determine whether different regimens using sodium phosphate (NaPh) solutions resulted in better bowel cleansing than polyethylene glycol-salt (PEG) solutions and, if so, why. Side-effects and patient acceptability of the different regimens were also investigated. METHODS: A total of 486 patients requiring colonoscopy were randomly assigned to one of three preparations in a single-blind prospective study. The preparations were as follows: Group A, 3 liters of PEG solution taken at 2 p.m. the day before examination; Group B, 45 ml of NaPh solutions taken at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. the day before examination; or Group C, 45 ml of NaPh taken at 6 p.m. the day before and at 6 a.m. on the morning of, examination. Cleanliness of the bowel was assessed blindly, and patients were questioned about side-effects and preferences for NaPh vs. PEG. RESULTS: Numbers, ages, and gender distribution of patients in the three groups did not differ significantly from each other. Cleanliness scores for the three groups were 3.34 +/- 0.97, 3.22 +/- 0.85, and 4.11 +/- 0.67 (Group C vs. Groups A and B, P < 0.0005; Group A vs. Group B, P > 0.30). Predominance of material in the right side of the colon was found in 13.7, 29.8, and 4.2 percent of Groups A, B, and C, respectively. In the three groups, nausea alone occurred in 3.8, 13.7, and 16.3 percent of patients; vomiting occurred in 0.6, 7.4, and 5.4 percent of patients; and dryness/thirst occurred in 1.9, 17.4, and 20.4 percent of patients, respectively. A total of 80.6 and 82.6 percent of those in Groups B and C who had previously had PEG expressed a preference for taking NaPh (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The regimen of Group C is significantly better than the regimens of Groups A or B in bowel cleansing. Regimens of Groups A and B did not differ in efficacy of cleansing. It is the timing of taking NaPh in the regimen of Group C rather than its composition that is responsible for its superior cleansing ability compared with PEG. Overnight deposition of small intestinal material in the right colon is partly responsible for the inferior cleansing ability of regimens that involve taking the solution on the day before colonoscopy. Despite a higher incidence of minor side-effects from NaPh than from PEG, a significantly higher proportion of patients preferred NaPh.

Antigen recognition during progression from acute to chronic infection with a cagA-positive strain of Helicobacter pylori.

We have previously published two reports on acute infection with Helicobacter pylori, one of an adult male and one of a family of four. In the present study, we have isolated H.pylori from each of twin boys in the family and compared these by use of random amplified polymorphic DNA PCR. In addition, we have monitored the antibody response over time of the family and the adult male by Western blotting (immunoblotting) with two different strains of H. pylori as the antigen and by use of a commercial kit. The acutely infected twin boys were infected by an identical strain of H. pylori. The twin boys responded to antigens of 19, 26.5, and 29 kDa 30 days after the initial diagnosis, with recognition of 43-to 49-, 66-, 69-, and 87-kDa antigens by day 63. One twin responded to the CagA antigen on day 63, whereas the other responded on day 857. Antibody to the CagA antigen was not detected by use of the infecting strain, UNSW-RU1. Investigation of UNSW-RU1 revealed the presence of cagA. In two acutely infected adults (one, the father of the boys), the initial response to a 45-kDA antigen was later followed by responses to 19-, 29-, 49-, 60-, 77-, and 84-kDa antigens. Sera from the twins' younger sister, born 17 months after the twins acute episode, indicated that she also had become infected. This report supports intrafamilial transmission of H. pylori. Initial antibody responses in the children were to small-molecular-size antigens; in the adults, the initial responses were to larger-molecular-size antigens. The pattern of the serological response differs according to the antigen used. This has implications in regard to international data comparisons.

The estimation of sensitivity and specificity in colorectal cancer screening methods.

The sensitivity and specificity of three screening tests for colorectal cancer were evaluated using latent class analysis. This type of analysis is useful in situations where screening tests are performed on each person and follow-up diagnostic test results are not available for individuals with negative test results. Traditional methods of evaluation, which assume these individuals to be disease free, may be biased under these circumstances. In addition to providing the parameter estimates, the latent class technique gives standard errors and permits significance tests for differences in sensitivity and specificity. It was found that the radial immunodiffusion technique was significantly more sensitive (p less than 0.001) than either the rehydrated or nonrehydrated Hemoccult II tests for detecting occult blood in patients with cancer or adenoma. While comparable to the rehydrated Hemoccult II test in terms of specificity, the radial immunodiffusion technique was significantly less specific (p less than 0.01) than the nonrehydrated Hemoccult test. Similar results were observed when restricting the analysis to cancer only.

Acute presentation of Campylobacter pylori gastritis.

A 46-yr-old male was admitted to hospital with profuse vomiting, epigastric pain, and an infiltrative gastric lesion. Evidence is presented supporting the proposition that the symptoms were the product of an acute inflammatory response in the stomach induced by the bacterium Campylobacter pylori. The progress of the patient was monitored over a 2-yr period by endoscopic examination and serology for C. pylori. A significant rise in IgG antibody to C. pylori was seen only at 14 wk.

Improved screening for colorectal cancer by immunological detection of occult blood.

A radial immunodiffusion technique for detecting faecal haemoglobin and the Hemoccult II kit used with and without rehydration of the faecal sample were compared in a screening programme for bowel cancer, in which 1328 subjects took part. A positive result was obtained in 170 (13%) subjects. Nineteen of the 153 subjects investigated were found to have colorectal carcinomas and 52 had polyps (40 with adenomas). Radial immunodiffusion and Hemoccult II with and without rehydration detected bleeding in, respectively, all 19, 15, and 11 subjects with colorectal carcinoma. Hemoccult II with and without rehydration detected only seven and six, respectively, of 11 Duke's stage A carcinomas, whereas all 11 were detected with the immunological test. Hemoccult II with and without rehydration and radial immunodiffusion detected bleeding from adenomas in, respectively, 22, 14, and 34 of the 40 subjects. False positive results occurred in 55 out of 1302 subjects by Hemoccult II with rehydration, in 28 out of 1304 by Hemoccult II without rehydration, and in 50 out of 1304 by the immunological technique; true positive results were defined as bleeding from carcinomas and adenomas. Immunological detection of occult blood in faecal samples seems to show more adenomas and carcinomas (particularly early lesions) than the Hemoccult II kit and has a rate of false positive results that is acceptably low.

Tricyclic antidepressant overdose. A review.

Significant advances in diagnosis and management of tricyclic antidepressant overdose have occurred in recent years. This article reviews epidemiologic, pharmacologic, and therapeutic information to provide a systematic approach to these potentially life-threatening overdoses. The tricyclics are discussed as a group, with individual drugs specified when established differences exist.