Prediction of oesophageal varices in hepatic cirrhosis by simple serum non-invasive markers: Results of a multicenter, large-scale study

BACKGROUND; AIMS: Preliminary data suggest that non-invasive methods could be useful to assess presence of oesophageal varices (OV) in cirrhotic patients. We aimed to further investigate simple serum non-invasive markers for diagnosing and grading OV. METHODS: A retrospective set of 510 cirrhotics and a prospective set of 110 cirrhotics were enrolled consecutively in five centers. Platelets, AST-to-ALT ratio, AST-to-platelet-ratio index, Forns' index, Lok index, Fib-4, and Fibroindex were measured within 2 months from upper endoscopy, taken as a gold standard. Performance was expressed as sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values (PPV, NPV), accuracy, and area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS: A combination of Lok index (cutoff=1.5) and Forns' index (cutoff=8.8) had 0.80 AUC (0.76-0.84, 95% CI), and high NPV (>90%) to exclude clinically relevant OV, defined as large OV or small OV with red signs or in Child-Pugh C cirrhosis. By applying this combination, upper endoscopy would have been avoided in 1/3 of our cirrhotics. Large OV could be excluded with 96% NPV by Lok index (cutoff=1.5). A combination of Lok index (cutoff=0.9) and Forns' index (cutoff=8.5) predicted presence of any grade OV with good performance: 0.82 AUC (0.76-0.88, 95% CI), 88% PPV. CONCLUSIONS: Serum non-invasive markers may be useful as a first line tool to identify cirrhotic patients in which the risk of clinically relevant OV is trivial, and to reduce the number of upper endoscopies. However, we are still far from the possibility of replacing upper endoscopy by simple serum non-invasive markers in the vast majority of patients

Squamous Cell Carcinoma Originating from Adult Laryngeal Papillomatosis: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Background. The malignant transformation of laryngeal papillomatosis (LP) into squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) can occur in up to 4% of LP cases. The low-risk HPV types 6 and 11 are those that are most commonly related to LP; however, high-risk HPV types may be present. The present study reviews the literature on cases of malignant transformation of LP in adults and reports a clinical case. Case Report. A 47-year-old male patient exhibiting hoarseness for 4 months presented an exophytic lesion in the right palatine tonsil and a digitiform-like lesion in the right vocal fold. The biopsy revealed a well-differentiated SCC in the vocal cord, which showed a transition zone with a squamous papillomatous lesion. By using the chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) test, both lesions showed a positive result for high-risk HPV types 16 and 18 and negative for low-risk HPV types 6 and 11. The final diagnosis was SCC arising from LP. The patient underwent surgical treatment. After 36 months of follow-up, no signs of recurrence were observed. Results. The literature review revealed 25 cases of malignant transformation into SCC of LP with adult onset. Of these, only 9 cases were assessed by CISH and/or PCR for HPV identification, of which 7 were positive. The current study focuses on the eighth case, suggesting the involvement of the high-risk HPV types in its pathogenesis. Conclusions. LP is considered a benign lesion with the potential for malignant transformation, which reinforces the need for its early diagnosis and the constant monitoring of patients with LP

Omeprazole in the maintenance treatment of duodenal ulcer: Results after 6 months of 20 mg daily, 20 mg every other day, or 40 mg on weekends

An open, prospective, randomized, 6-month, clinical trial was performed on 198 patients with healed duodenal ulcers (DUs) to compare three omeprazole schedules for the prevention of ulcer relapse - 20 mg daily (group 1), 20 mg every other day (group 2), and 40 mg on Saturday and Sunday (group 3). Patients were followed up at 3-month intervals; endoscopy and laboratory screening (including basal serum gastrin measurement) were performed at baseline, after 6 months, and in the event of any symptomatic relapse. One-way analysis of variance, the chi-square test, and Student's t test on paired data were used for statistical analysis of the study data. Per protocol analysis (PPa) and a more restrictive analysis (Ra) considering all dropouts as treatment failures were also used. Patients were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: 67 to group 1, 69 to group 2, and 62 to group 3. Thirty-two patients dropped out of the study, 14 in group 1, 3 in group 2, and 15 in group 3. Confirmed ulcer relapse rates were 3.8% in group 1, 19.7% in group 2, and 23.4% in group 3 (PPa, P < 0.01). Ra rates were 23.9%, 23.2%, and 41.9%, respectively (P < 0.03). No severe side effects were recorded. Over a 6-month period, omeprazole 20 mg daily appeared to be the most effective maintenance treatment for healed DU. All three omeprazole schedules were well tolerated

Randomised controlled trial of mesalazine in IBS.

OBJECTIVE: Low-grade intestinal inflammation plays a role in the pathophysiology of IBS. In this trial, we aimed at evaluating the efficacy and safety of mesalazine in patients with IBS. DESIGN: We conducted a phase 3, multicentre, tertiary setting, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in patients with Rome III confirmed IBS. Patients were randomly assigned to either mesalazine, 800 mg, or placebo, three times daily for 12 weeks, and were followed for additional 12 weeks. The primary efficacy endpoint was satisfactory relief of abdominal pain/discomfort for at least half of the weeks of the treatment period. The key secondary endpoint was satisfactory relief of overall IBS symptoms. Supportive analyses were also performed classifying as responders patients with a percentage of affirmative answers of at least 75% or >75% of time. RESULTS: A total of 185 patients with IBS were enrolled from 21 centres. For the primary endpoint, the responder patients were 68.6% in the mesalazine group versus 67.4% in the placebo group (p=0.870; 95% CI -12.8 to 15.1). In explorative analyses, with the 75% rule or >75% rule, the percentage of responders was greater in the mesalazine group with a difference over placebo of 11.6% (p=0.115; 95% CI -2.7% to 26.0%) and 5.9% (p=0.404; 95% CI -7.8% to 19.4%), respectively, although these differences were not significant. For the key secondary endpoint, overall symptoms improved in the mesalazine group and reached a significant difference of 15.1% versus placebo (p=0.032; 95% CI 1.5% to 28.7%) with the >75% rule. CONCLUSIONS: Mesalazine treatment was not superior than placebo on the study primary endpoint. However, a subgroup of patients with IBS showed a sustained therapy response and benefits from a mesalazine therapy

Randomised controlled trial of mesalazine in IBS

Low-grade intestinal inflammation plays a role in the pathophysiology of IBS. In this trial, we aimed at evaluating the efficacy and safety of mesalazine in patients with IBS