Celiac disease and myointimal proliferation: a possible correlation?

Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disorder of the small bowel that occurs in genetically predisposed people of all ages, from middle infancy, and is caused by a reaction to gliadin, a gluten protein. Some patients are diagnosed with symptoms related to the decreased absorption of nutrients or with various symptoms which, although statistically linked, have no clear relationship with the malfunctioning bowel. Classic symptoms of CD include diarrhea, weight loss, and fatigue; bowel symptoms may be limited or even absent. In this article we describe the case of a young woman with CD who presents with myointimal proliferation. However multiple cases of vessel thrombosis have been reported in patients with CD. Despite the fact that no definitive relationship between these diseases could be explained, we think this association must be remembered especially in cases of young and tenuous women with these vascular abnormalities

Evaluation of gastric emptying and gastrointestinal symptoms in dyspeptic patients before and after hydropinic therapy

Dispepsy is one of the most diffuse syndromes in general population. The high number of subjects affected from this pathology and the very annoying symptomatology does so as that the pharmaceutical costs of antacids and of prokinetics are very high. Aim of the study is to assess if a hydropinic therapy is able to facilitate digestive processes of the dispeptic patients accelerating gastric emptying. The 30 recruited subjects, 20 patients and 10 healthy volunteers, have answered to test about their symptoms and have executed a 13C octanoic acid breath test in order to estimate the gastric emptying to a basal time, and 30 days after supplementation of mineral water, 1.5 liters/day, for 21 days. At the end of the study, both the time of gastric emptying and the gastrointestinal symptoms improved after the hydropinic therapy, demonstrating that a supplementazione with mineral water can induce a benefit in the dispeptics subjects

Cholelitiasis: state of the art

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Update on small intestinal stem cells

Among somatic stem cells, those residing in the intestine represent a fascinating and poorly explored research field. Particularly, somatic stem cells reside in the small intestine at the level of the crypt base, in a constant balance between self-renewal and differentiation. Aim of the present review is to delve into the mechanisms that regulate the delicate equilibrium through which intestinal stem cells orchestrate intestinal architecture. To this aim, special focus will be addressed to identify the integrating signals from the surrounding niche, supporting a model whereby distinct cell populations facilitate homeostatic vs injury-induced regeneration

C-13-methacetin breath test in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

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Association between familial mediterranean fever and retroperitoneal fibrosis: retroperitoneal fibrosis regression after colchicine therapy

Retroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF) is a disease characterized by inflammatory fibrotic processes affecting the retroperitoneal structures. Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is an autosomal recessive disorder, characterized by fever and attacks of sterile serositis. Colchicine is the only suitable drug for prevention of acute episodes. We describe a case of association between RPF and FMF in a 48-year-old male, in whom therapy with colchicine, besides preventing acute episodes, allowed RPF regression. To date the association between FMF and RPF and the use of colchicine therapy alone for RPF has not been described