Stone ingestion causing obstructed inguinal hernia with perforation

We report a rare case of obstructed right inguinal hernia caused by ingested stones. A 2 year-old boy from Northern Thailand was transferred to our hospital with low-grade fever, vomiting, and acute painful swelling at his right hemiscrotum for one day. The physical examination revealed marked enlargement with inflammation in his right hemiscrotum. The radiological findings showed huge number of stones in the right  hemiscrotum. At surgery, the content of hernia sac was ascending colon, which was full of hard masses. With the help of additional lower transverse abdominal incision, the obstructed segment was successfully reduced and revealed a perforation. Most of the stones were removed through the  perforation. The colonic wound was  primarily repaired and both incisions were primarily closed. Although he developed post-operative wound  infection, the boy had uneventfully  recovered. The psychological exploration in this “stone pica” revealed no other psychological disorders.Key words: Inguinal hernia, pica, stone ingestio

Human Intestinal Ischemia-Reperfusion–Induced Inflammation Characterized : Experiences from a New Translational Model

Human intestinal ischemia-reperfusion (IR) is a frequent phenomenon carrying high morbidity and mortality. Although intestinal IR-induced inflammation has been studied extensively in animal models, human intestinal IR induced inflammatory responses remain to be characterized. Using a newly developed human intestinal IR model, we show that human small intestinal ischemia results in massive leakage of intracellular components from ischemically damaged cells, as indicated by increased arteriovenous concentration differences of intestinal fatty acid binding protein and soluble cytokeratin 18. IR-induced intestinal barrier integrity loss resulted in free exposure of the gut basal membrane (collagen IV staining) to intraluminal contents, which was accompanied by increased arteriovenous concentration differences of endotoxin. Western blot for complement activation product C3c and immunohistochemistry for activated C3 revealed complement activation after IR. In addition, intestinal IR resulted in enhanced tissue mRNA expression of IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α, which was accompanied by IL-6 and IL-8 release into the circulation. Expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 was markedly increased during reperfusion, facilitating influx of neutrophils into IR-damaged villus tips. In conclusion, this study for the first time shows the sequelae of human intestinal IR-induced inflammation, which is characterized by complement activation, production and release of cytokines into the circulation, endothelial activation, and neutrophil influx into IR-damaged tissue

Necrotizing enterocolitis: Controversies and challenges

Necrotizing enterocolitis is a devastating intestinal disease that affects ~5% of preterm neonates. Despite advancements in neonatal care, mortality remains high (30–50%) and controversy still persists with regards to the most appropriate management of neonates with necrotizing enterocolitis. Herein, we review some controversial aspects regarding the epidemiology, imaging, medical and surgical management of necrotizing enterocolitis and we describe new emerging strategies for prevention and treatment