Gastroenterology Commons^™

A Case Of Cmv Colitis Seen In Dress, Anam Malik Md, Reema M. Vaze Md, Ricky Buckshaw Do, Eric Nellis Md, Hiral N. Shah Md

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Evaluating The Role Of Fecal Microbiota Transplant In The Treatment Of Clostridium Difficile Infection, Anh Dao Le, Olivia Henton, Shane Bogusz, Brian Heilbronner, Jessica Hinson

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) therapy is an increasingly prevalent treatment option for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). Clostridium difficile infection is an aggressive and potentially fatal disease state, and antibiotic therapy often fails to resolve the disease state effectively. Clostridium difficile infection occurs most commonly subsequent to the use of antimicrobial agents that disrupt the natural bacterial flora of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Since disease state pathophysiology operates in this way, researchers have experimented with ways to restore GI flora to a natural state in which nonpathogenic bacteria can proliferate. Probiotic agents do not impose an acute enough response to recreate …

What Is The Smartpill®?, Christina Ciccone, Pul Lee, Kimberly Loughlin, David Koh

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

The SmartPill® is a new, noninvasive technology to evaluate the gastrointestinal tract. It is a nondigestible capsule that migrates through the gastrointestinal tract to measure pH, pressure, and temperature. It was approved by the FDA in 2006 for the evaluation of colonic transit time in patients with chronic constipation and to evaluate gastric transit time in patients with suspected gastroparesis. Other currently used gastrointestinal monitoring systems have some disadvantages, and the SmartPill® is suggested as an alternative. The SmartPill® has also been used for research purposes in various studies and has the potential to be used in diagnosis and monitoring …

The Role Of A Home Health Care Pharmacist-Medication Management For Patients With Feeding Tubes, Lydia Suchecki, Sabrina Hamman, Rachel Muhlenkamp, Eyob D. Adane

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Home health care is a method of medical care that patients receive inside their home under the supervision of a collaborative team of physicians, nurses, pharmacists and sometimes other health care professionals. Home health provides patients with the same standard of care that they would be receiving in a nursing home or hospital. However, the treatment and continued monitoring at home reduces health care costs and makes the patient feel more comfortable. Pharmacists analyze, resolve and prevent medication-related problems in home health care in order to minimize hospitalizations and improve patient quality of life. Pharmacist involvement with other health care …

Potential Use Of Dopamine And Dopamine Agonists As Angiogenesis Inhibitors In The Treatment Of Cancer, Benjamin Finley, Katherine Liu, Daniel Powell, Jamie Kellner, David H. Kinder

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

In recent years, there have been numerous developments in monoclonal antibodies used as anticancer drugs with a focus on reducing the ability of cancers to metastasize and produce new vasculature. These agents are called angiogenesis inhibitors and although these agents have been proven effective in treating certain types of cancers, production and administration of monoclonal antibodies comes at a steep cost with a severe side effect profile. Under normal physiologic conditions, angiogenesis is an important mechanism to create new blood vessels from preexisting vessels, usually occurring in adults. Tumor cells can hijack the angiogenesis pathway to produce new distant tumors …

Crohn's Disease: Management, Emerging Therapies And The Role Of The Pharmacist, Sarah Turley, Tiffany Kneuss, Lydia Suchecki, Alison Steinbrunner, Kristen Timperman

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Crohn's disease is a relapsing-remitting disorder of the gastrointestinal tract caused by a mixture of genetic and environmental factors. Pharmacologic treatment of Crohn's disease is patient-specific, and regimens vary widely between individuals. Drug regimens are typically based on 5-aminosalicylate therapy and may include a combination of steroids, histamine 2 receptor antagonists, proton pump inhibitors, immunomodulators, antibiotics, biologic agents and other medications aimed at symptom relief. A new medication, vedolizumab, is currently in phase III clinical trials awaiting U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for use in Crohn's disease. Vedolizumab is an alpha-integrin inhibitor, which is anticipated to have a …

Celiac Disease: Current And Investigational Therapies And The Role Of The Pharmacist, Sarah Turley, Gabriella Gegenheimer, Emily Blum, Erin Petersen

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Celiac disease is a genetically-linked autoimmune disease which affects the gastrointestinal tract. It is an inflammatory reaction to ingested gluten-containing substances that produces the most frequent symptoms of abdominal pain, bloating and intermittent or chronic diarrhea. Diagnosis can be made by blood testing for specific IgA autoantibodies and a confirmation duodenal biopsy to look for the characteristic scalloping and villous atrophy that occurs in response to the inflammation. A gluten-free diet, until recently, was the only treatment available and continues to be the mainstay of treatment. Newer adjunct therapies to dietary management include larazotide acetate, peptidases, the use of parasite …

Primary Hyperparathyroidism Can Generate Recurrent Pancreatitis And Secondary Diabetes Mellitus – A Case Report, Nicoleta Mîndrescu, Georgeta Văcaru, Emil Ștefănescu, Loreta Guja, Rucsandra Elena Dănciulescu Miulescu

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Introduction. Acute or recurrent pancreatitis may be a complication of primary hyperparathyroidism and patients with previous episodes of pancreatitis may develop secondary diabetes mellitus. Case report. We describe the clinical case of a 52-year old Caucasian man diagnosed with chronic recurrent pancreatitis in 2007. The first episode of acute pancreatitis occurred in 2002, followed by another 4 episodes in 2004 and 2007. In 2004, papilosfincterectomy was implemented with a stent mount that was removed one month later. In 2005, the patient underwent a surgical intervention for the diagnosis of chronic lithiasis, and cholecystectomy was performed. Additional investigations on the etiology …

Can Intraoperative Manometry Influence The Outcome Of The Surgical Treatment Of Achalasia?, Lucian Alecu, Iulian Slavu, Adrian Tulin, Daniela Mihaila, Robert Ivascu, Liliana Mirea

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Introduction. Achalasia is defined as incomplete or even absent relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter secondary to the chronic degeneration of unspecified etiology of the myenteric nerve plexus. Material and method. The retrospective study extended over 1 year. The collected variables were: age, sex, type of surgical intervention, intraoperative manometry results, and postoperative complications. Results. We identified 8 patients. The mean operative time was 100 minutes. The use of manometry determined an increase in time of 30 to 40 minutes. Manometry was successfully achieved in all cases, although in one case the sensor could not pass through the lower esophagus, …

Laparoscopic Resection Of Gastric Gists. Where Do We Stand Now? A Single-Centered Experience, Iulian Slavu, Lucian Alecu, Adrian Tulin, Dana L. Stanculeanu, Cornelia Nitipir

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Introduction. Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) represent a rare type of gastrointestinal neoplasms. Resection with negative margins has been established as a mainstay treatment, but laparoscopic resections are still open to debate. Material and method. This retrospective study was conducted at a single institution, with data collected over 2 years (01.01.2017-01.01.2019). The variables examined were age, tumor location with regard to the gastric wall, the results of the intraoperative endoscopy, intraoperative and postoperative complications, the surgical technique, and histopathological reports. Results. We identified 12 relevant cases, of which 8 were females and 4 males. The average tumor diameter was 2.3 cm. …

The Evaluation Of Liver Fibrosis Regression In Chronic Hepatitis C Patients After The Treatment With Direct-Acting Antiviral Agents – A Review Of The Literature, Olga H. Orasan, George Ciulei, Sorina C. Coste, Bianca A. Cibu, Adela V. S Taut, Simina F. Tarmure, Iulia O. Pfingstgraf, Teodora G. Alexescu, Ionela E. Popovici, Flaviu Mureșan, Fabian Ovidiu, Vasile Negrean, Angela Cozma

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

The second-generation of direct-acting antiviral agents are the current treatment for chronic viral hepatitis C infection. To evaluate the regression of liver fibrosis in patients receiving this therapy, liver biopsy remains the most accurate method, but the invasiveness of this procedure is its major drawback. Different non-invasive tests have been used to study changes in the stage of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic viral hepatitis treated with the second-generation of direct-acting antiviral agents: liver stiffness measurements (with transient elastography or acoustic radiation force impulse elastography) or different scores that use serum markers to calculate a fibrosis score. We prepared …

Association Of Histologic Disease Activity With Progression Of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease., David E Kleiner, Elizabeth M Brunt, Laura A Wilson, Cynthia Behling, Cynthia Guy, Melissa Contos, Oscar Cummings, Matthew Yeh, Ryan Gill, Naga Chalasani, Brent A Neuschwander-Tetri, Anna Mae Diehl, Srinivasan Dasarathy, Norah Terrault, Kris V Kowdley, Rohit Loomba, Patricia Belt, James Tonascia, Joel E Lavine, Arun J Sanyal

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Importance: The histologic evolution of the full spectrum of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and factors associated with progression or regression remain to be definitively established.

Objective: To evaluate the histologic evolution of NAFLD and the factors associated with changes in disease severity over time.

Design, Setting, and Participants: A prospective cohort substudy from the Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network (NASH CRN) NAFLD Database study, a noninterventional registry, was performed at 8 university medical research centers. Masked assessment of liver histologic specimens was performed, using a prespecified protocol to score individual biopsies. Participants included 446 adults with NAFLD enrolled in …

A Rare Case Of Biliary Pancreatitis Caused By Ampullary Somatostatinoma In A 46-Year-Old Female, Michal Kloska Md, Phd, Reema M. Vaze Md, Ricky Buckshaw Do, Hiral N. Shah Md

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

69-Year-Old Male After Gastric Bypass With Choledocholithiasis Treated With Edge Procedure Complicated By Lams Dislocation, Michal Kloska Md, Phd, Reema M. Vaze Md, Ricky Buckshaw Do, Hiral N. Shah Md

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Drainage Of Pancreatic Fluid Collections Using Axios™ Electrocautery Enhanced Delivery System: A Retrospective Experience At A Large Quaternary Care Center, Michal Kloska Md, Phd, Valery Hrad Md, Soorya N. Aggarwal Do, Shashin Shah Md, Zachary Zator Md, Hiral N. Shah Md

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Umbilical Hernia Rupture Complicated By Enterocutaneous Fistula In 63-Years-Old Female With Decompensated Nash Cirrhosis, Michal Kloska Md, Phd, Matthew J. Sullivan Do, Adam Peyton Do, Waqas Adeel

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Targeting Transcription Factor Tcf4 By Γ-Mangostin, A Natural Xanthone., Balaji Krishnamachary, Dharmalingam Subramaniam, Prasad Dandawate, Sivapriya Ponnurangam, Pugazhendhi Srinivasan, Prabhu Ramamoorthy, Shahid Umar, Sufi Mary Thomas, Animesh Dhar, Seth Septer, Scott J. Weir, Thomas M. Attard, Shrikant Anant

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Given that colon cancer is the third most common cancer in incidence and cause of death in the United States, and current treatment modalities are insufficient, there is a need to develop novel agents. Towards this, here we focus on γ-Mangostin, a bioactive compound present in the Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) fruit. γ-Mangostin suppressed proliferation and colony formation, and induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of colon cancer cell lines. Further, γ-Mangostin inhibited colonosphere formation. Molecular docking and CETSA (Cellular thermal shift assay) binding assays demonstrated that γ-Mangostin interacts with transcription factor TCF4 (T-Cell Factor 4) at the β-catenin …

An Unusual Case Of Small Bowel Obstruction Secondary To Calcium Carbonate Use, Selsabeel Elyaman, Uma Gudur Md, Hady Khalifa, Alan Hamza, Andrew Seevaratnam Md

Gastroenterology

A Gastric Bezoar is defined as an accumulation of indigestible foreign material found in an individual’s GI tract. The incidence of gastric bezoar is 0.3% as reported by endoscopy studies. These formations usually consist of insoluble vegetable matter (phytobezoars), hair (trichobezoars), or medications (pharmacobezoar). In general, they can be asymptomatic for many years or cause nonspecific symptoms including abdominal pain, early satiety, and weight loss. However, in recent years, these have become increasingly problematic for the general population attributing to a variety of GI disturbances. We are reporting a case which revolves around a female patient with no history of …

Silymarin In Non-Cirrhotics With Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo Controlled Trial., Victor J. Navarro, Steven H. Belle, Massimo D'Amato, Nezam Adfhal, Elizabeth M. Brunt, Michael W. Fried, K. Rajender Reddy, Abdus S. Wahed, Stephen Harrison

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

The botanical product silymarin, an extract of milk thistle, is commonly used by patients to treat chronic liver disease and may be a treatment for NASH due to its antioxidant properties. We aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of higher than customary doses of silymarin in non-cirrhotic patients with NASH. This exploratory randomized double-blind placebo controlled multicenter Phase II trial tested a proprietary standardized silymarin preparation (Legalon®, Rottapharm|Madaus, Mylan) and was conducted at 5 medical centers in the United States. Eligible adult patients had liver biopsy within 12 months showing NASH without cirrhosis with NAFLD Activity Score (NAS) ≥4 …

Excision Repair Cross-Complementing Group-1 (Ercc1) Induction Kinetics And Polymorphism Are Markers Of Inferior Outcome In Patients With Colorectal Cancer Treated With Oxaliplatin., Devika Rao, Atrayee Basu Mallick, Titto Augustine, Cecilia Daroqui, Jeeshan Jiffry, Amartej Merla, Imran Chaudhary, Raviraja Seetharam, Arjun Sood, Srikanth Gajavelli, Santiago Aparo, Lakshmi Rajdev, Andreas Kaubisch, Jennifer Chuy, Abdissa Negassa, John M. Mariadason, Radhashree Maitra, Sanjay Goel

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

Background: ERCC1, a component of nucleotide excision repair pathway, is known to repair DNA breaks induced by platinum drugs. We sought to ascertain if ERCC1 expression dynamics and a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs11615 are biomarkers of sensitivity to oxaliplatin therapy in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).

Methods: Western blot and qPCR for ERCC1 expression was performed from PBMCs isolated from patients receiving oxaliplatin-based therapy at specified timepoints. DNA was also isolated from 59 biorepository specimens for SNP analysis. Clinical benefit was determined using progression free survival (PFS) for metastatic CRC.

Results: ERCC1 was induced in PBMC in response to …