The prevalence of helicobacter pylori among dyspeptic patients in an earthquake-stricken area

OBJECTIVES: Helicobacter pylori is a gram-negative, spiral-shaped, urease-producing bacterium with multiple unipolar flagella. Humans are a major reservoir for H. pylori; however, there are no data on the prevalence of H. pylori among dyspeptic patients who have experienced natural disasters. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of H. pylori in dyspeptic patients who survived a recent natural disaster and to compare the data between the pre-disaster and post-disaster periods. METHODS: Between December 2011 and February 2012 (∼ one month following an earthquake), 209 dyspeptic patients who underwent gastroscopy were included in the study. For microorganism identification, gastric biopsy materials from the 209 disaster survivors with dyspeptic complaints were tested for urease activity in a medium containing urea and a pH indicator. The obtained results were compared with pre-disaster data from dyspeptic patients in the same city during the corresponding period of the previous year. Furthermore, the current H. pylori prevalence was evaluated among 139 dyspeptic patients between January 2014 and May 2014. RESULTS: We found a significantly higher prevalence of H. pylori in disaster survivors with dyspepsia compared with dyspeptic patients in the pre-disaster period (

A Dilemma in Staging of Esophageal Cancer: How Should We Stage ypT0 N2 M0 Esophageal Cancer after Neoadjuvant Therapy?

Background. Since neoadjuvant treatment in esophageal cancer began to become popular, a complete pathological response at the primary tumour site has been commonly reported. An issue of conflict is whether complete response in the esophageal lumen means that the esophagus is completely tumour-free. Another important issue is whether lymph nodes that are retrieved from pathologically complete response cases are also tumour-free or not. There is a gap in the esophageal cancer staging system for ypT0 N2 M0 tumours that have received neoadjuvant therapy. Here, we will discuss the problem about staging of esophageal cancer associated with neoadjuvant therapy. Case. A female aged 40 years complaining of dysphagia was diagnosed as having locally advanced thoracic esophageal cancer. Neoadjuvant therapy decision was taken by oncology committee. Six weeks after neoadjuvant therapy, with a curative intention, minimal invasive surgery was performed. The pathology report was as follows. “There were no neoplastic cells in the suspected area of the esophageal mucosa upon examination with all staining. There was no cancer at resection margins. Four metastatic lymph nodes were infiltrated with squamous cell cancer.” Conclusion. Despite the growing use of neoadjuvant treatment in locally advanced esophageal cancer in world, we do not have a protocol for the evaluation of these patients’ pathology reports. We believe that new studies and new ideas are needed to resolve this dilemma associated with neoadjuvant therapy

The prevalence and impact of brucellosis in patients with hepatitis delta virus infection: inside the Brucella outbreak with cirrhosis

Introduction: Hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection is a serious health problem leading to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Despite evidence that zoonotic infections are associated with end-stage liver disease, brucellosis in patients with delta hepatitis related to liver disease has not been well characterized. So, we examined this relationship using recent hospital-based data. Material and methods : We analyzed data from 96 delta hepatitis patients (mean age: 52.5 ±12.8 years; 50 male; 52 cirrhotics) and 117 (mean age: 50.4 ±7 years; 60 male) control subjects who were selected from patients with splenomegaly. The Brucella Wright test in connection with blood culture was used to detect active Brucella infection. Demographic features, laboratory data, results of ultrasonographic examination of the abdomen and Wright agglutination titers were compared between groups. Results : There were 9 (9%) patients with active brucellosis in delta hepatitis patients. Compared to the control group, there was a statistically significant difference between groups in terms of having active brucellosis (9 vs. 2 patients; p < 0.001). Higher MELD scores were also associated with active Brucella infection (p < 0.005). Conclusions : Patients with chronic hepatitis D related cirrhosis (CHD-C) were at risk of developing brucellosis requiring hospitalization. Higher Wright titers among patients with more advanced liver disease may reflect a unique phenomenon that requires further investigation to determine underlying causative factors

Delta hepatitis-related thyroid disease: a unique phenomenon

Introduction: Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection is a serious health problem worldwide. Thyroid disturbances represent a major limitation to the efficacy of interferon treatment targeting chronic HDV (C-HDV) infection. Moreover, pre-treatment thy-roid diseases may be influenced by interferon therapy. Despite this, the characteristic features of the thyroid diseases in C-HDV patients remain poorly characterised. Aim: To determine the prevalence of thyroid diseases and evaluate the impact of delta hepatitis on thyroid function tests

Is computerised tomography better than fibreoptic gastroscopy for early detection of gastric varices?

Introduction : Video endoscopic diagnosis of gastric varices is particularly limited, owing to the deep submucosal or subserosal location of the varices and the normal appearance of the overlying mucosa. Aim: We present and emphasise the value of computerised tomography (CT) examination in the early detection of gastric varices (GVs). Material and methods : In this retrospective study, a total of 216 consecutive patients with cirrhosis were evaluated at the Turkiye Yuksek Ihtisas Training and Research Hospital between September 2008 and March 2011. Results : One hundred and thirty patients with cirrhosis were enrolled in the study. The mean age of the male (88 cases) patients was 59.45 ±2.42 years, and the mean age of the female (42 cases) patients was 56.29 ±1.14 years. Computerised tomography identified oesophageal varices (EVs) in 103/130 patients, and endoscopy identified EVs in 103/130 patients. Computerised tomography identified GVs in 86/130 patients, and endoscopy identified GVs in 26/130 patients. After endoscopic elastic band ligation (EBL), CT identified GVs in 22/26 patients, and endoscopy identified GVs in 7/26 patients. Conclusions : Gastric varices lie in the submucosa, deeper than EVs, and distinguishing GVs from gastric rugae may be difficult with video endoscopy. This study demonstrated that CT is a sensitive method for early detection of GVs and has been used previously in the evaluation of GVs

Delta hepatitis-related thyroid disease: a unique phenomenon

Introduction: Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection is a serious health problem worldwide. Thyroid disturbances represent a major limitation to the efficacy of interferon treatment targeting chronic HDV (C-HDV) infection. Moreover, pre-treatment thyroid diseases may be influenced by interferon therapy. Despite this, the characteristic features of the thyroid diseases in C-HDV patients remain poorly characterised

Rectal perforation as a result of self-administration of retrograde enema in an elderly dementia patient

WOS: 000305512700028PubMed: 22712810

Serum vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 levels in patients with esophageal squamous cell cancer

AIM: Esophageal cancer is one of the most aggressive tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. In this study, we quantified the serum vascular endothelial growth factor-3 (VEGFR-3) expression in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) to evaluate the role of VEGFR-3 in ESCC