Performance of EUS-FNB in solid pancreatic masses: a lesson from 463 consecutive procedures and a practical nomogram.

The study's main goal was the diagnostic adequacy of pancreatic endoscopic ultrasonographic (EUS) fine-needle biopsy (FNB) and associated predictive factors. The secondary objective was to define the diagnostic accuracy of EUS-FNB in the diagnosis of pancreatic masses and pancreatic malignancies. None of the studies reported the diagnostic adequacy and accuracy of EUS. We retrospectively identified patients with solid pancreatic lesions that underwent EUS-FNB between 2013, and 2018. We calculated diagnostic adequacy and related factors. Using definitive histology on the surgically resected specimen as the gold standard, we calculated diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of EUS-FNB. We identified a total of 463 procedures. Diagnostic specimens were adequate in 436 procedures (94.1%), while 27 biopsies provided insufficient samples (5.9%). The multivariate analysis showed that lesion size and needle caliper were the only factors influencing diagnostic adequacy. The use of a biopsy needle (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.30-0.1.63, P 0.400) did not improve sample adequacy. We calculated sensitivity (100%), specificity (93.2%), diagnostic accuracy (93.2%), positive predictive value (97.1%), and negative predictive value (100%) using resected specimen as the gold standard. We found no significant complications. EUS-FNB is a reliable technique for the histological characterization of solid pancreatic masses.

Colonoscopy-related colonic ischemia.

Colonoscopy is a risk factor for colon ischemia. The colon is susceptible to ischemia due to its minor blood flow compared to other abdominal organs; the etiology of colon ischemia after colonoscopy is multifactorial. The causative mechanisms include splanchnic circulation impairment, bowel preparation, drugs used for sedation, bowel wall ischemia due to insufflation/barotrauma, and introduction of the endoscope. Gastroenterologists must be aware of this condition and its risk factors for risk minimization, early diagnosis, and proper treatment.

Treatment or Prophylaxis against Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Patients with Rheumatic Disease Undergoing Immunosuppressive Therapy: An Update.

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) flares or reactivations are serious causes of morbidity or mortality in rheumatologic patients undergoing immunosuppressive therapy. The recent insights in the pathogenesis of rheumatic diseases led to the use of new immunosuppressive therapies indicated in case of failure, partial response, or intolerance of conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. Based on these premises, this review examines and discusses the main rheumatologic treatments that could require the initiation of prophylactic treatment or close monitoring of occult HBV infection in patients beginning antiviral therapy at the first signs of HBV reactivation, or antiviral treatment in chronic HBV-infected patients. We searched for relevant studies published in the last five years. Studies suggested that the presence of HBV infection is common in rheumatic patients and HBV reactivation during these immunosuppressant treatments is quite frequent in these kinds of patients. Therefore, before starting an immunosuppressive therapy, patients should be screened for HBsAg, anti-HBs, and anti-HBc and, on the basis of markers positivity, they should be carefully characterized for HBV infection phases. In conclusion, screening of HBV infection in patients undergoing immunosuppressive therapy with subsequent HBV monitoring, prophylaxis or treatment consistently reduces the risk of clinical consequences.

Imaging Software-Based Sarcopenia Assessment in Gastroenterology: Evolution and Clinical Meaning.

Sarcopenia is gaining attention as a negative prognostic factor in different fields of medicine, including chronic liver failure. However, the assessment of sarcopenia in patients with liver diseases is often neglected due to unawareness of reliable tools and methods and thus is limited to research studies. Cross-sectional imaging is a diffuse diagnostic tool and is commonly performed in patients with chronic liver failure. The last advancements in radiology image analysis using dedicated software allow an easy and standardized method to assess skeletal muscle volume. Several measures can be obtained from cross-sectional imaging analysis to evaluate sarcopenia in patients affected by chronic liver disease. We aimed to review the recent advances in imaging-based sarcopenia assessment, in particular in patients with chronic liver diseases. As a result, we found that the skeletal muscle index (SMI) seems to be a reliable method to assess sarcopenia in cirrhotic patients. Even if further studies are needed to validate proper cut-offs for each clinical endpoint, physicians are invited to consider the assessment of sarcopenia in the work-up of patients with chronic liver disease.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma Recurrence after Hepatitis C Virus Therapy with Direct-Acting Antivirals. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality among patients with cirrhosis. The risk of HCC recurrence after a complete response among patients treated with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) has not been fully elucidated yet. AIM: To assess the risk of HCC recurrence after DAA therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV). METHODS: A systematic review across PubMed, Scopus and Scholar up to November 2020, including full-text studies that assessed the pattern of HCC recurrence after DAA therapy for HCV. Random-effect meta-analysis and univariable metaregression were applied to obtain pooled estimates for proportions and relative risk (RR) and variables influential for the outcome, respectively. RESULTS: Thirty-one studies with 2957 patients were included. Overall, 30% (CI, 26-34%) of the patients with a history of HCC experienced HCC recurrence after DAA therapy, at mean time intervals ranging from 4 to 21 months. This result increased when going from European studies (23%, CI, 17-28%) to US studies (34%, CI, 30-38%), to Egyptian studies (37%, CI, 27-47%), and to Asian studies (33%, CI, 27-40%). Sixty-eight percent (CI, 45-91%) of recurrent HCCs developed within 6 months of follow-up since DAA treatment, among the eight studies providing stratified data. Among the studies providing head-to-head comparisons, the HCC recurrence risk was significantly lower after DAA therapy than IFN (RR, 0.64; CI, 0.51-0.81), and after DAA therapy than no intervention (RR, 0.68; CI, 0.49-0.94). CONCLUSIONS: The recurrence of HCC after DAA is not negligible, being higher soon after the end of treatment and among non-European countries. DAA therapy seems to reduce the risk of HCC recurrence compared to an IFN regimen and no intervention.

Longitudinal evaluation of liver stiffness and outcomes in patients with chronic hepatitis C before and after short- and long-term IFN-free antiviral treatment.

Background: New direct-acting antiviral drugs can eradicate hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in over 90% of patients and can even reduce the risk of complications in advanced fibrosis/cirrhosis. The aims of this study were to evaluate (1) changes in fibrosis during and after antiviral treatment and (2) incidence of hepatocarcinoma and mortality in various fibrosis stages.Methods: This is a longitudinal monocentric prospective study. Blood and instrumental examinations were evaluated at baseline, at the end of therapy, and 1 and 2 years following treatment.Results: Two hundred and ninety-six patients with chronic HCV were evaluated, of whom 115 were experienced, 181 were treatment-naïve, and 2 had previous hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and were therefore excluded from the study. At baseline, stiffness values were 13.46 ± 9.97 kPa. Out of the 294 HCV patients enrolled, 100 had lymphoproliferative disorders and were evaluated separately. This group of patients showed stiffness values pertaining to the F0-F2 group (mean stiffness values were 6.07 ± 1.68 kPa). All other patients showed stiffness values pertaining to the F3-F4 group (mean stiffness values were 17.93 ± 10.23). No statistically significant difference was found between stiffness at baseline compared to the end of treatment (EOT), while significant differences were found between the baseline, 1 year (p = .05), and 2 year follow-ups (p < .01). Significant differences were found between baseline and EOT, as well as 1 and 2 years after the end of treatment (p < .001) in the F3-F4 group. Four out of 140 patients with baseline cirrhosis developed HCC during the post-treatment follow-up, 1 of whom died.Conclusions: Non-invasive methods provide important prognostic information, particularly concerning the observed regression of fibrosis and could be extremely useful for monitoring patients with long life expectancies after direct-acting antiviral treatment.

The Relationship Between the Serotonin Metabolism, Gut-Microbiota and the Gut-Brain Axis.

BACKGROUND: Serotonin (5-HT) has a pleiotropic function in gastrointestinal, neurological/psychiatric and liver diseases. The aim of this review was to elucidate whether the gut-microbiota played a critical role in regulating peripheral serotonin levels. METHODS: We searched for relevant studies published in English using the PubMed database from 1993 to the present. RESULTS: Several studies suggested that alterations in the gut-microbiota may contribute to a modulation of serotonin signalling. The first indication regarded the changes in the composition of the commensal bacteria and the intestinal transit time caused by antibiotic treatment. The second indication regarded the changes in serotonin levels correlated to specific bacteria. The third indication regarded the fact that decreased serotonin transporter expression was associated with a shift in gut-microbiota from homeostasis to inflammatory type microbiota. Serotonin plays a key role in the regulation of visceral pain, secretion, and initiation of the peristaltic reflex; however, its altered levels are also detected in many different psychiatric disorders. Symptoms of some gastrointestinal functional disorders may be due to deregulation in central nervous system activity, dysregulation at the peripheral level (intestine), or a combination of both (brain-gut axis) by means of neuro-endocrine-immune stimuli. Moreover, several studies have demonstrated the profibrogenic role of 5-HT in the liver, showing that it works synergistically with platelet-derived growth factor in stimulating hepatic stellate cell proliferation. CONCLUSION: Although the specific interaction mechanisms are still unclear, some studies have suggested that there is a correlation between the gut-microbiota, some gastrointestinal and liver diseases and the serotonin metabolism.