Young gastrointestinal angle: E-learning in gastroenterology: Future is now

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Hepatocellular carcinoma and synchronous liver metastases from colorectal cancer in cirrhosis: A case report.

A 68-year-old Caucasian man with hepatitis C virus-related cirrhosis was admitted to our Unit in February 2010 for a diagnostic evaluation of three centimetric hypoechoic focal liver lesions detected by regular surveillance ultrasound. The subsequent computer tomography (CT) led to a diagnosis of unifocal hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in VI hepatic segment, defined the other two nodules in the VI and VII segment as suspected metastases, and showed a luminal narrowing with marked segmental circumferential thickening of the hepatic flexure of the colon. Colonoscopy detected an ulcerated, bleeding and stricturing lesion at the hepatic flexure, which was subsequently defined as adenocarcinoma with a moderate degree of differentiation at histological examination. Finally, ultrasound-guided liver biopsy of the three focal liver lesions confirmed the diagnosis of HCC for the nodule in the VI segment, and characterized the other two lesions as metastases from colorectal cancer. The patient underwent laparotomic right hemicolectomy with removal of thirty-nine regional lymph nodes (three of them tested positive for metastasis at histological examination), and simultaneous laparotomic radio-frequency ablation of both nodule of HCC and metastases. The option of adjuvant chemotherapy was excluded because of the post-surgical onset of ascites. Abdomen CT and positron emission tomography/CT scans performed after 1, 6 and 12 mo highlighted a complete response to treatments without any radiotracer accumulation. After 18 mo, the patient died due to progressive liver failure. Our experience emphasizes the potential coexistence of two different neoplasms in a cirrhotic liver and the complexity in the proper diagnosis and management of the two tumours

WHATSAPP MESSENGER AS A REAL-TIME TOOL FOR A LONG-DISTANCE ACTIVITY OF A MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Introduction: Communication between doctors is traditionally conducted by written clinical charts. Mobile health is becoming an integral part of modern medical systems, improving accessibility and quality of medical care. Recent papers suggest that an increasing number of doctors are using in their clinical practice mobile tools to communicate clinical informations (1, 2). The aim of our study was to verify the adoption of WhatsApp Messenger in everyday clinical practice to obtain a real-time multidisciplinary collaboration among medical centers located in different areas of the city. Materials and Methods: In January 2016 a WhatsApp Messenger group was created among 25 specialists: 9 urologists, 9 oncologists, 3 urology residents, 3 radiotherapists and 1 general practitioner. A general coordinator and a group coordinator for each specialty was monthly appointed. The participants were invited to interact within the group clinical cases of genitourinary tumors of particular complexity requiring a multidisciplinary approach. All the chats were registered. A preliminary analysis of the activity of the group was planned after the first 10 entered patients. An evaluation questionnaire was sent after 6 months to evaluate the level of appreciation. The questionnaire was composed of a first section investigating the appreciation among the members of the group and a second section analyzing the impact in their everyday clinical practice of whatsapp multidisciplinary consultation. Results: In 10 (91%) out of 11 patients the WhatsApp consultation was completed, one case was not of oncological interest. An average of 8 (range=2-13) specialists joined the chat for each patient. An average of 17.6 (range: 4-43) interventions for each clinical case was recorded. On the average, 27%, 54% and 19% of the interventions for each clinical case were provided by oncologists, urologists and radiotherapists respectively. In 9 (81.8%) cases a final agreement on the patient's management was reached. At the evaluation questionnaire in a scale 1-10, the average rating score of appreciation was 7.8 (range=4-10). Relevant suggestions to improve the Whatsapp Messenger consultation were obtained and will be considered for future application the ameliorate the tool. Discussion: WhatsApp is a useful alternative and powerful complementary communication tool because of its capability to rapidly transfer large amount of clinical and radiological data. In our experience this new approach for multidisciplinary consultations improved collaboration among different specialist in different areas of the city through an easier and more informal change of opinions. In difficult and complex cases a rapid multidisciplinary approach allowed to offer the patient a personalized and tailored therapy management. GSTU Foundation. 1Sidhoum N, Dast S, Abdulshakoor A, Assaf N, Herlin C and Sinna R: WhatsApp: Improvement tool for surgical team communication. J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg 69: 1562-1563, 2016. 2 Gould G and Nilforooshan R: WhatsApp Doc? BMJ Innov 2(3): 109-110, 201

Performance and Safety of EUS Ablation Techniques for Pancreatic Cystic Lesions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Pancreatic cystic lesions (PCL) represent an increasingly diagnosed condition with significant burden to patients’ lives and medical resources. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) ablation techniques have been utilized to treat focal pancreatic lesions. This systematic review with meta-analysis aims to assess the efficacy of EUS ablation on PCL in terms of complete or partial response and safety. Methods: A systematic search in Medline, Cochrane and Scopus databases was performed in April 2023 for studies assessing the performance of the various EUS ablation techniques. The primary outcome was complete cyst resolution, defined as cyst disappearance in follow-up imaging. Secondary outcomes included partial resolution (reduction in PCL size), and adverse events rate. A subgroup analysis was planned to evaluate the impact of the available ablation techniques (ethanol, ethanol/paclitaxel, radiofrequency ablation (RFA), and lauromacrogol) on the results. Meta-analyses using a random effects model were conducted and the results were reported as percentages with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). Results: Fifteen studies (840 patients) were eligible for analysis. Complete cyst resolution after EUS ablation was achieved in 44% of cases (95%CI: 31–57; 352/767; I2 = 93.7%), and the respective partial response rate was 30% (95%CI: 20–39; 206/767; I2 = 86.1%). Adverse events were recorded in 14% (95%CI: 8–20; 164/840; I2 = 87.2%) of cases, rated as mild in 10% (95%CI: 5–15; 128/840; I2 = 86.7%), and severe in 4% (95%CI: 3–5; 36/840; I2 = 0%). The subgroup analysis for the primary outcome revealed rates of 70% (95%CI: 64–76; I2 = 42.3%) for ethanol/paclitaxel, 44% (95%CI: 33–54; I2= 0%) for lauromacrogol, 32% (95%CI: 27–36; I2 = 88.4%) for ethanol, and 13% (95%CI: 4–22; I2 = 95.8%) for RFA. Considering adverse events, the ethanol-based subgroup rated the highest percentage (16%; 95%CI: 13–20; I2 = 91.0%). Conclusion: EUS ablation of pancreatic cysts provides acceptable rates of complete resolution and a low incidence of severe adverse events, with chemoablative agents yielding higher performance rates

Urban air pollution and emergency room admissions for respiratory symptoms: a case-crossover study in Palermo, Italy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Air pollution from vehicular traffic has been associated with respiratory diseases. In Palermo, the largest metropolitan area in Sicily, urban air pollution is mainly addressed to traffic-related pollution because of lack of industrial settlements, and the presence of a temperate climate that contribute to the limited use of domestic heating plants. This study aimed to investigate the association between traffic-related air pollution and emergency room admissions for acute respiratory symptoms.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>From January 2004 through December 2007, air pollutant concentrations and emergency room visits were collected for a case-crossover study conducted in Palermo, Sicily. Risk estimates of short-term exposures to particulate matter and gaseous ambient pollutants including carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide were calculated by using a conditional logistic regression analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Emergency departments provided data on 48,519 visits for respiratory symptoms. Adjusted case-crossover analyses revealed stronger effects in the warm season for the most part of the pollutants considered, with a positive association for PM₁₀(odds ratio = 1.039, 95% confidence interval: 1.020 - 1.059), SO₂(OR = 1.068, 95% CI: 1.014 - 1.126), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂: OR = 1.043, 95% CI: 1.021 - 1.065), and CO (OR = 1.128, 95% CI: 1.074 - 1.184), especially among females (according to an increase of 10 μg/m³in PM₁₀, NO₂, SO₂, and 1 mg/m³in CO exposure). A positive association was observed either in warm or in cold season only for PM₁₀.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our findings suggest that, in our setting, exposure to ambient levels of air pollution is an important determinant of emergency room (ER) visits for acute respiratory symptoms, particularly during the warm season. ER admittance may be considered a good proxy to evaluate the adverse effects of air pollution on respiratory health.</p

The rapid spread of SARS-COV-2 Omicron variant in Italy reflected early through wastewater surveillance

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant emerged in South Africa in November 2021, and has later been identified worldwide, raising serious concerns. A real-time RT-PCR assay was designed for the rapid screening of the Omicron variant, targeting characteristic mutations of the spike gene. The assay was used to test 737 sewage samples collected throughout Italy (19/21 Regions) between 11 November and 25 December 2021, with the aim of assessing the spread of the Omicron variant in the country. Positive samples were also tested with a real-time RT-PCR developed by the European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), and through nested RT-PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. Overall, 115 samples tested positive for Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant. The first occurrence was detected on 7 December, in Veneto, North Italy. Later on, the variant spread extremely fast in three weeks, with prevalence of positive wastewater samples rising from 1.0% (1/104 samples) in the week 5–11 December, to 17.5% (25/143 samples) in the week 12–18, to 65.9% (89/135 samples) in the week 19–25, in line with the increase in cases of infection with the Omicron variant observed during December in Italy. Similarly, the number of Regions/Autonomous Provinces in which the variant was detected increased fromone in the first week, to 11 in the second, and to 17 in the last one. The presence of the Omicron variant was confirmed by the JRC real-time RT-PCR in 79.1% (91/115) of the positive samples, and by Sanger sequencing in 66% (64/97) of PCR amplicons

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century