Medical Specialties Commons^™

Morbidity And Mortality Assessment In Acute Hepatitis-E, Lubna Kamani, Saeed Sadiq Hamid, Faisal Wasim Ismail, Syed Waqas Haider, Safia Awan, Ashfaq Ahmed, Wasim Jafri

Department of Medicine

Background: Hepatitis-E is an enterically transmitted virus causing acute hepatitis. Mostly it is a self-limiting clinical course, but can be life threatening in certain high risk groups. Pakistan is endemic for Hepatitis-E with limited published literature. The aim of this study is to evaluate the predictors of mortality in patients with acute Hepatitis-E.
Methods: We analyzed the medical records of 369 adult patients with Hepatitis-E infection admitted at Aga khan University Hospital, from January 1996 to December 2010. Details of their laboratory investigations, clinical course and complications such as FHF and mortality were noted. The outcome was compared, and determinants …

Hepatic Encephalopathy In Chronic Liver Disease: Predisposing Factors In A Developing Country, Fakhar Qazi, Shameem Behram Khan, Anam Umar

Section of Gastroenterology

Objective: To fi nd out the risk factors for developing Hepatic Encephalopathy in patients suffering from Chronic liver disease.

Background: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a neuropsychiatric disorder that is caused by liver damage. In its pathology, alterations in normal brain function are associated with an increase in blood ammonia, benzodiazepine like substances, products of neurotoxic fatty acids, and other gut derived toxins, which gain access to the brain as a result of liver dysfunction.

Study Design: Hospital based descriptive, cross sectional study.

Settings: Medical Unit 1, Ward- 5, Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre, Karachi.

Duration: July 2013 to December 2013. …

Endoscopic Mucosal Resection And Radiofrequency Ablation For Intramucosal Adenocarcinoma In The Background Of Barrett’S Esophagus: A Case Series, Bonnie Patek Do, Patrick Hickey Do, Hiral N. Shah Md, Shashin Shah Md

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Undifferentiated Carcinoma With Osteoclast-Like Giant Cells Of The Pancreatic Tail, Patrick Hickey Do, Ranjit R. Nair Md, Victoria A. Loven Md, Jeffrey Brodsky Md, Hiral N. Shah Md

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Accuracy Of Melena Identification On Physical Exam In Post Graduate Training – Implications Of Level Of Training, Medical Specialty, Rectal Exam Concordance And Appropriateness Of Therapy, Richard M. Wu, Md, Mph, Eugene Han, Md, Andrew Dargan, Md, Cecilia Kelly, Md, Mitchell Conn, Md, Mba

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

Introduction

Melena is commonly misidentified by young resident physicians.

The magnitude of this inaccurate physical exam has not been quantified.

Precise identification of melena may have important diagnostic and therapeutic implications.

Is It Time To Replace Propranolol With Carvedilol For Portal Hypertension?, Shahab Abid, Saadat Ali, Muhammad Asif Baig, Anam Akbar Waheed

Section of Gastroenterology

Beta-adrenergic receptor antagonists (beta-blockers) have been well established for use in portal hypertension for more than three decades. Different Non-selective beta-blockers like propranolol, nadolol, timolol, atenolol, metoprolol and carvedilol have been in clinical practice in patients with cirrhosis. Carvedilol has proven 2-4 times more potent than propranolol as a beta-receptor blocker in trials conducted testing its efficacy for heart failure. Whether the same effect extends to its potency in the reduction of portal venous pressures is a topic of on-going debate. The aim of this review is to compare the hemodynamic and clinical effects of carvedilol with propranolol, and attempt …

Bones Of Contention: Bone Mineral Density Recovery In Celiac Disease—A Systematic Review, Patricia Grace-Farfaglia

Nutrition Sciences Faculty Publications

Metabolic bone disease is a frequent co-morbidity in newly diagnosed adults with celiac disease (CD), an autoimmune disorder triggered by the ingestion of dietary gluten. This systematic review of studies looked at the efficacy of the gluten-free diet, physical activity, nutrient supplementation, and bisphosphonates for low bone density treatment. Case control and cohort designs were identified from PubMed and other academic databases (from 1996 to 2015) that observed newly diagnosed adults with CD for at least one year after diet treatment using the dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan. Only 20 out of 207 studies met the inclusion criteria. Methodological quality …

Characterization And Investigation Of Fungi Inhabiting The Gastrointestinal Tract Of Healthy And Diseased Humans, Mallory J. Suhr

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Gastrointestinal microbiome studies have failed to include fungi in total community analyses. As a result, their diversity and function in the gut is poorly understood. Recent work has begun to uncover the role intestinal fungi play in diet, immune system development, interactions with other microorganisms in the gut, and pathogenesis of diseases. Advances in sequencing technologies allow for the ability to profile the fungal gut microbiome (“mycobiome”) in healthy and diseased states. This thesis explores the mycobiome in 1) healthy humans with a vegetarian diet and 2) pediatric small bowel transplant recipients that develop fungal bloodstream infections.

The gut mycobiome …

Granular Cell Tumor Of The Common Hepatic Duct As An Unusual Cause Of Jaundice In A Hepatitis C Patient: Looking Beyond The Tip Of The Iceberg!, Tripti R. Chopade, Mbbs, Colin L. Smith, Md, Warren R. Maley, Md, Ali A. Siddiqui, Md, David A. Sass, Md

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

Introduction

Granular cell tumors (GCTs) are rare, benign mesenchymal tumors of Schwann cell origin. Since they were originally described by Abrikossoff in 1926,most GCTs have been described in the dermis, oral area, or subcutaneous tissue of the chest and arms. Only 5%-9% of reported cases have involved the gastrointestinal tract and fewer than 1% of cases have occurred in the biliary tract.Tumors involving the bile duct are difficult to distinguish radiographically from more common etiologies of biliary stricturing, and a tissue diagnosis is difficult to obtain endoscopically. Diagnosis and treatment is most often made via surgical resection.

Evaluation Of Tulane Virus As A Surrogate For The Study Of Human Norovirus, Sabastine Eugene Arthur

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Among all known causes of acute gastroenteritis, human noroviruses (HuNoV) are the primary cause (68%) of outbreaks and are associated with 78% of illnesses, 46% of hospitalizations, and 86% of deaths. The main obstacle to studying the pathogenesis of HuNoV is the lack of cell culture system and small animal model. Murine norovirus (MNV) and feline calicivirus (FCV) have been utilized as model surrogate viruses to study HuNoV. In this research, a more recent surrogate virus, Tulane virus (TV), was evaluated for physicochemical stability and environmental persistence. The primary goal was to determine the suitability of TV as a surrogate …

Refractory Case Of Esophageal Web In A Male Patient With Alcoholic Liver Disease, Bonnie Patek Do, Shashin Shah Md, Hiral N. Shah Md

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Albumin Administration In Patients With Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis At A Tertiary Hospital: A Retrospective Clinical Analysis, Padmavathi Mali, Rajan Kanth, Sudheer Muduganti

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose

Albumin is recommended for the treatment of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) in patients at high risk for mortality. We assessed adherence to guidelines for administration of albumin for SBP in clinical practice at a private tertiary care hospital.

Methods

A retrospective clinical analysis of all cases of SBP diagnosed at a tertiary referral center from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2012, was performed. Patients were identified electronically and manually validated. The appropriateness of albumin administration for treatment of SBP was assessed in all patients in whom mortality risk could be established and separately for patients who did or …

An Unlikely Cause Of Possible Hormone-Dependent Abdominal Pain In Young Fertile Females: A Case Series, Bonnie Patek Do, Hiral Shah Md, Shashin Shah Md

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Site-Specific Immunomodulator: A Novel Treatment For Crohn's Disease, Brian Bressler, Kevin P. Bethel, Ralf Kleef, Sophie L. Reynolds, Simon Sutcliffe, David W. Mullins, Hal Gunn

Dartmouth Scholarship

We investigated the mechanism of action, safety, and efficacy of the Site-Specific Immunomodulator (SSI) QBECO, a novel immunotherapy for Crohn’s disease (CD). Using human monocytic THP-1 cells, we demonstrate that SSI QBECO (derived from the common colon bacteria E. coli) activates macrophages to an M1 phenotype (associated with enhanced capacity to eliminate bacteria and activate innate immune responses). We assessed SSI QBECO in a compassionate use protocol of ten adult patients with active CD. Patients with moderate to severe clinical symptoms receiving conventional CD treatments and/or complementary therapies were included, except patients receiving anti-TNF medications. SSI QBECO was self-administered subcutaneously …

Interferon Lambda-3 Polymorphism And Response To Pegylated Interferon In Patients With Hepatitis D, Zaigham Abbas, Javed Yakoob, Muhammad A. Umer,, Minaam Abbas, Saeed Hamid

Section of Gastroenterology

Background: Specific single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) near the interferon lambda-3 (IFNλ3) gene (formerly interleukin 28B) influence the response to treatment with interferon in hepatitis C patients. We aimed to investigate such an influence in hepatitis D patients.
Methods: The study population consisted of hepatitis D patients who were previously treated with pegylated interferon for one year and who were spontaneous clearers of the virus post recent superinfection. The SNP of IFNλ3, rs12979860, was determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism protocol.
Results: The total number of patients was 64; median age was 30.5 years and 53 were male. The …

Female Gender In Esophageal Intramucosal Adenocarcinoma Treated With Endoscopic Mucosal Resection: A Case Series, Patrick Hickey Do, Shashin Shah Md, Hiral N. Shah Md

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Obesity And Metabolic Phenotypes (Metabolically Healthy And Unhealthy Variants) Are Significantly Associated With Prevalence Of Elevated C-Reactive Protein And Hepatic Steatosis In A Large Healthy Brazilian Population, Sameer Shaharyar, Lara Roberson, Omar Jamal, Adnan Younus, Shozab Ali, Arthur Agatston, Khurram Nasir Baptist Health Medical Group

All Publications

BACKGROUND:Among the obese, the so-called metabolically healthy obese (MHO) phenotype is thought to confer a lower CVD risk as compared to obesity with typical associated metabolic changes. The present study aims to determine the relationship of different subtypes of obesity with inflammatory-cardiometabolic abnormalities.METHODS:We evaluated 5,519 healthy, Brazilian subjects (43 ± 10 years, 78% males), free of known cardiovascular disease. Those with (MRF) were considered metabolically healthy, and those with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m(2) and/or waist circumference meeting NCEP criteria for metabolic syndrome as overweight/obese (OW). High sensitivity C reactive protein (hsCRP) was measured to assess underlying inflammation and hepatic steatosis …

Low Dose Albumin For The Prevention Of Renal Impairment Following Large Volume Paracentesis In Cirrhosis., Waqar Hussain, Abdullah Bin Khalid, Tayyab Usmani, Aiman Ghufran, Syed H Shah

Department of Medicine

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of low dose Albumin i.e. 4 grams per litre of ascitic fluid after large volume paracentesis (LVP) for the prevention of paracentesis induced circulatory dysfunction (PICD) related renal impairment in cirrhosis.

METHODS: Case records of all patients with cirrhosis who underwent LVP from January 12(th), 2011 till December 29(th), 2013 were reviewed. Patients were excluded if they had spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, creatinine >1.5 mg/dl, hepatoma or if volume of ascitic fluid removed was <5 litres. Data including age, gender, cause of cirrhosis, CTP score and volume of ascitic fluid drained were noted. In addition serum creatinine and serum sodium at baseline and one week post paracentesis were recorded.

RESULTS: Two hundred and fourteen patients with cirrhosis underwent LVP during the study period. One hundred and thirty nine patients met the …

Total Pancreatectomy With Islet Autologous Transplantation: The Cure For Chronic Pancreatitis?, Samuel J. Kesseli, Kerrington A. Smith, Timothy B. Gardner

Dartmouth Scholarship

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a debilitating disease that leads to varying degrees of pancreatic endocrine and exocrine dysfunction. One of the most difficult symptoms of CP is severe abdominal pain, which is often challenging to control with available analgesics and therapies. In the last decade, total pancreatectomy with autologous islet cell transplantation has emerged as a promising treatment for the refractory pain of CP and is currently performed at approximately a dozen centers in the United States. While total pancreatectomy is not a new procedure, the endocrine function-preserving autologous islet cell isolation and re-implantation have made the prospect of total …

Patient Considerations In The Management Of Ulcerative Colitis - Role Of Vedolizumab, M. Kothari, P. Mudireddy, A. Swaminath

Journal Articles

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a subtype of inflammatory bowel disease which causes inflammation of the large intestine and affects approximately 7.6-24.6 per 100,000 persons. The therapeutic goal for UC patients is inducing remission, maintaining remission, and ideally, obtaining mucosal healing. Vedolizumab, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in May 2014 for the treatment of moderate-to-severe UC and Crohn's disease, is a newly developed anti-integrin therapy. This review focuses on the preclinical development of vedolizumab and data from early trials, and details the results of the landmark trails that led to its approval in the USA with a specific …

Hepatic Manifestations Of Non-Steroidal Inflammatory Bowel Disease Therapy, R. Hirten, K. Sultan, A. Thomas, D. E. Bernstein

Journal Articles

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is composed of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis and is manifested by both bowel-related and extraintestinal manifestations. Recently the number of therapeutic options available to treat IBD has dramatically increased, with each new medication having its own mechanism of action and side effect profile. A complete understanding of the hepatotoxicity of these medications is important in order to distinguish these complications from the hepatic manifestations of IBD. This review seeks to evaluate the hepatobiliary complications of non-steroid based IBD medications and aide providers in the recognition and management of these side-effects.

Comparison Of The Diagnostic Yield And Outcomes Between Standard 8 H Capsule Endoscopy And The New 12 H Capsule Endoscopy For Investigating Small Bowel Pathology, M. Rahman, S. Akerman, B. Devito, L. Miller, M. Akerman, K. Sultan

Journal Articles

AIM: To evaluate the completion rate and diagnostic yield of the PillCam SB2-ex in comparison to the PillCam SB2. METHODS: Two hundred cases using the 8-h PillCam SB2 were retrospectively compared to 200 cases using the 12 h PillCam SB2-ex at a tertiary academic center. Endoscopically placed capsules were excluded from the study. Demographic information, indications for capsule endoscopy, capsule type, study length, completion of exam, clinically significant findings, timestamp of most distant finding, and significant findings beyond 8 h were recorded. RESULTS: The 8 and 12 h capsule groups were well matched respectively for both age (70.90 +/- 14.19 …

Clinical Markers Of Crohn's Disease Severity And Their Association With Opiate Use, M. Cheung, S. Khan, M. Akerman, C. K. Hung, K. Vennard, N. Hristis, K. Sultan

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: The safety of opiate use for patients with Crohn's disease (CD) has long been a concern. The recent Crohn's therapy, resource, evaluation, and assessment tool (TREAT) registry update has added to these concerns by demonstrating an association of opiate use with an increased risk of infection and death in CD. While the association is clear, the relationship of opiates to these negative outcomes is not. It is unknown whether opiates are a contributing factor to these negative outcomes or if their use is merely a marker of more severe disease. We hypothesized that opiate use is not harmful in …

Comparison Of Endoscopic Ultrasound Guided 22-Gauge Core Needle With Standard 25-Gauge Fine-Needle Aspiration For Diagnosing Solid Pancreatic Lesions, M. Berzosa, N. Villa, H. B. El-Serag, D. V. Sejpal, K. K. Patel

Journal Articles

Background and Objectives: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) is the standard modality for diagnosing pancreatic masses. We compared the diagnostic yield of a new EUS-guided 22-gauge core needle biopsy to a standard 25-gauge FNA in sampling the same pancreatic lesions during the same EUS. Patients and Methods: The main outcomes of the study were the sample adequacy of each method to provide a final pathological diagnosis, and the concordance in diagnosis between core and FNA specimens. The secondary outcomes were the sensitivity and specificity of the findings for each needle and the incremental yield of using both needles compared with …

Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis: A Series Of Five Clinical Cases In Adult Patients At A Single Institution With A Review Of The Literature, David Thomas, Nihar Shah Md, Hiren Patel, Tapan Pandya, Dron Gauchan, Michael Maroules

Gastroenterology

Context: Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis or the “Hemophagocytic Syndrome” is a spectrum of disorders of regulatory immunomodulatory pathways inciting phagocytosis of hematopoietic cells resulting in end-organ damage. The condition appears in both heritable and non-heritable forms from a multitude of possible environmental triggers, most notably infection. The condition often results in a fatal outcome without prompt diagnosis and treatment. Cases in children have been reported much more frequently and classically than in adult patients.

Case Report: In this case series we examined fi ve such cases in adult patients that were found at our institution in a window as small at 2 …

Enterogenous Cyst Of The Small Bowel Causing Intussusception In An Adult: Case Report And Review Of Literature, Nihar Shah Md, Therese Lizardo-Escaño, Hamid Shaaban, Gautamy Dhadham, Arya Karki, Robert Spira

Gastroenterology

Small bowel intussusception is a rare congenital disease entity, mostly manifesting before the age of two with abdominal pain and acute intestinal obstruction. In adults, colon intussusception is a rare event causing approximately 1% of all acute intestinal obstructions and they can occur idiopathically in adults or due to an intraluminal tumor mass. We report a case of an enterogenous cyst causing intussusception and iron deficiency anemia in an adult treated by surgical excision and resection of the small bowel.

Non-Invasive Parameters For The Detection Of Variceal Bleed In Patients Of Liver Cirrhosis, An Experience Of A Tertiary Care Hospital In Pakistan, Anam Umar, Fakhar Qazi, Rukhsana Abdul Sattar, Beena Umar

Section of Gastroenterology

Objective: Cirrhotic patients commonly undergo screening endoscopy for the existence of esophageal varices. The use of this invasive procedure which is expensive, poorly tolerable and generally not acceptable for the patients is increasing due to increasing number of patients with chronic liver disease and their enriched survival. In this study, our aim is to identify clinical, biochemical, and ultrasonography parameters which might noninvasively predict the presence of esophageal varices and risk of bleeding in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Material and Methods: Total 150 Patientsof chronic liver disease admitted in ward-5, JPMC(Sep 2011-Feb 2012) with a complaint of hematemesis or melena …

Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth In Post Oesophagectomy And Gastrectomy Patients, Melissa Dooley

Masters

A review of patients who underwent a hydrogen breath test for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, following an oesophagectomy or gastrectomy was carried out in the Gastrointestinal Function Unit, St. James’s Hospital, Dublin. The aim of this research was to look at the incidence of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth and create an optimal protocol for Hydrogen Breath Testing with the hope of improving patient compliance and reducing clinic waiting times. Factors such as lifestyle, multimodal therapy, tumour morphology, and gender were analysed in relation to positive Hydrogen Breath Test results in this patient group. Patients were selected following a referral from …

Promoting Colorectal Cancer Screening Among Haitian Americans, Steven S. Coughlin, Erica I. Lubetkin, Jennifer L. Hay, Renald Raphael, Selina A. Smith

Publications and Research

Background

Few studies have examined colorectal cancer screening among Haitian Americans, although striking disparities in colorectal cancer screening and mortality are well-documented among U.S. Blacks. Race, socioeconomic status, and place of birth are factors associated with colorectal cancer incidence and mortality patterns.

Methods

In this article, we summarize published studies on colorectal cancer screening among Haitian Americans, identified through bibliographic searches in PubMed and CINAHL through August 2015, and offer recommendations for further research.

Results

Only one qualitative study and three quantitative surveys have examined colorectal cancer screening among Haitian Americans. A qualitative study found important differences in perceptions of …

Implementation Of A Helicobacter Pylori Test And Treat Program In Rural Nepal Facilitated By A Nurse Practitioner Doctor Of Nursing Practice Comprehensive Project Report, Shelley Bloom

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

There are 30 million people in Nepal, 85% live in rural areas and have access to 15% of health care resources. This deficit in health care resources is supplemented by services provided by non-governmental organizations who organize short-term medical missions. At a rural Nepalese health post 45% of the patients complained of abdominal discomfort. As the prevalence of helicobacter pylori is 50-90% in Southeast Asia, the patients believed that they had helicobacter pylori.

In resource-poor communities, there is a gap between best practices and the care delivered. To decrease the gap in one rural Nepalese health post, a Nurse Practitioner …