Helicobacter pylori: types of diseases, diagnosis, treatment and causes of therapeutic failure

Acute upper gastrointestinal lesions have a multifactorial etiology but, regardless of the cause, they are related to mucosal barrier destruction. Since Helicobacter pylori induces a superficial chronic gastritis with the infiltration of neutrophils in the mucosa, it was speculated that Helicobacter pylori infection could also cause bleeding lesions. The diagnosis, the proper treatment and the revaluation of its effectiveness actually represent the prophylaxis of some diseases such as peptic ulcer, gastric lymphoma or mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) and gastric cancer. These diseases and their severe complications are life-threatening for the patient. Periodic renewal of the treatment and knowing the real causes of Helicobacter pylori resistance to various antibiotics must always be understood by the clinician. Although Helicobacter pylori treatment fails in about 20% of cases, moral support of the patient by the clinician, information about possible evolutional complications of Helicobacter pylori infection, and periodic evaluation of the patient during therapy, are important tools on which the therapeutic success depends

Challenges in Dental Imaging – Edge and Texture Analysis in Caries Detection

One of the most frequent diseases all over the world is represented by dental caries, hence it is of utmost importance to detect them as early as possible, in order to prevent massive tooth decay. Next to clinical examination, radiographic images are essential in identifying caries, especially for lesions located on the contact surface between the posterior teeth. Incipient caries are difficult to identify, sometimes even for specialists, so segmentation and detection through various image processing techniques may be useful. This paper presents an analysis of edge and texture parameters in X-rays containing caries, based on Sobel and Canny operators, Gabor filters and local binary pattern (LBP) operator. Our study set consisted in 80 X-rays from Bitewing Radiography Caries Detection Challenge 2015. Final results align with literature results and confirm the fact that caries segmentation in X-rays is a difficult task, with an average of less than 35% edge pixels correctly identified and poor results for texture segmentation; they also motivate us to refine our work in search of new algorithms and methods for caries segmentation and detection

Hepatocellular Carcinoma - Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) currently ranks as the third most common cause of death. As the primary malignancy of the liver is directly related to an underlying liver condition, its incidence and profile are expected to change soon. While effective prevention programs and antiviral therapies for hepatitis B and C will lower the incidence of HCC, emerging socioeconomic issues will deliver new at-risk populations. Moreover, diagnostic techniques and protocols have undergone significant advancements. Reliance on contrast enhanced ultrasound has been re-evaluated, imaging methods being considered as sufficient diagnostic tools. Molecular characterization remains desirable, since chemotherapeutic agents still have limited applicability. In light of recent diagnostic advancements and novel therapeutic solutions, it is our belief that a comprehensive update on recent paradigm shifts and interesting upcoming developments is highly needed

Endoscopy - Novel Techniques and Recent Advancements

Endoscopic techniques are widely used for screening, diagnostic and therapeutic maneuvers in all groups of patients and for a large spectrum of complaints. The availability of basic iterations of endoscopic techniques made screening programs for various diseases viable in most parts of the world, while the advent of modern techniques opens new perspectives for rapid and correct diagnosis. Going beyond normal human vision, innovative techniques opened the prospect of in-situ pathology. Endoscopic ultrasound has made incredible progress in recent years. Reaching the smaller orifices by endoscopy was a major step forward in the surveillance of previously inaccessible lesions. Investigatory techniques were complemented by advances in therapy, with novel applications in many major areas of medicine

Oncological-Therapy-Associated Liver Injuries

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) represents a large group of hepatic disease caused by various treatments, including oncological agents. The liver is an important organ with a role in drug metabolization and excretion and may be affected when oncologic treatment is initiated. The most common liver disease patterns induced by oncologic therapy are steatosis and steatohepatitis, focal nodular hyperplasia, pseudocirrhosis, acute hepatitis, hepatic necrosis, immune-mediated hepatitis, cholestasis, fibrosis and cirrhosis, sinusal obstructive syndrome. In rare cases, chemotherapy treatment is associated with a high-risk hepatic adenoma or hepatocellular carcinoma development. It was demonstrated that the majority of chemotherapy classes can induce these effects on the liver, for example, alkylating agents, antimetabolites, and antitumor antibiotics, but also immunotherapy agents can be involved. The majority of patients that receive oncological treatment who developed liver injury as adverse reactions are identified by symptoms and/or blood test abnormalities. Imaging techniques may be helpful in the diagnosis of oncological-therapy-associated liver injuries, for example, focal nodular hyperplasia, pseudocirrhosis, and sinusal obstructive syndrome. If liver disease occurs as an adverse effect of these agents, the recommendation to stop or continue the administration of oncologic treatment with close monitoring relies upon the risk and benefits of this medication