Ruminococcus gnavus bacteremia: Literature review and a case report associated with acute flare of ulcerative colitis in an immunocompromised patient.

We present a case of bacteremia caused by Ruminococcus gnavus in an immunocompromised patient. R. gnavus is a Gram-positive strict anaerobe bacterium that forms chains. The bacteremia has been associated with an acute flare of ulcerative colitis. Anaerobic bacteremia is becoming increasingly frequent in patients with compromised gastrointestinal barrier. The role of the human microbiota and its alterations in the pathogenesis of immune-related diseases is an expanding area of interest. R. gnavus has been identified as a microorganism that may be responsible for the development of these diseases. The contribution of anaerobic bacteria to the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is discussed, and cases reported up until 2023 were reviewed.

ß-Endorphins are not responsible for delayed gastric emptying of digestible solids after exercise in professional cyclists. A preliminary study.

OBJECTIVE: It has been reported that professional cyclists had an accelerated solid gastric emptying which decreased by increasing the exercise intensity. That could be explained by a predominance of stress-dependent motility inhibitors such gastrointestinal hormones, neurotransmitters and or the predominance of the gastric inhibitory vagal motor circuit. The aim of this preliminary study was to evaluate the role of ß-endorphins, inhibitors of gastric motility, in these findings. METHODS: Gastric emptying of solids marked with Tc99 while resting and plasmatic levels of ß-endorphins were evaluated in 27 healthy controls and 19 professional cyclists (day 1). Besides, gastric emptying of solids was also assessed in cyclists when they reached 50% (day 1) and 75% (day 2) of the maximum oxygen consumption (low and high, respectively), during exercise on the cycle-ergometer. The third day, naloxone was administered in cyclists in order to block the ß-endorphins receptors and gastric emptying was measured when they reached 75% of the maximum oxygen consumption. RESULTS: Basal ß-endorphin levels were lower in cyclists vs controls (p<0.05) and they increased with the exercise intensity (p<0.001). There were no significant differences in gastric emptying of solids with or without naloxone when 75% of the maximum oxygen consumption was reached. CONCLUSIONS: The inhibitory effect of the exercise in the gastric emptying of solids does not seem to be secondary to the action of ß-endorphins, that leaves the gastric inhibitory vagal motor circuit a more likely predominant role.

Hematochezia secondary to hemosuccus pancreaticus due to a pseudoaneurysm associated with a pancreatic pseudocyst.

The patient had a history of recurrent acute necrotizing pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis and a pancreatic pseudocyst with an associated pseudoaneurysm in the superior mesenteric artery. He presented mesogastric pain, nausea, 187 U/l amylase and 242 U/l lipase. A hemorrhagic appearance inside the pseudocyst and lumen of the common bile duct was seen on ultrasound.

When the routine gets complicated: Gastric and splenic perforation by a nasogastric tube.

Every invasive procedure carries some kind of risk, however rutine it may be. We present a case of a male patient which suffers a gastric and splenic perforation by a nasogastric tube, solved by means of surgery.

Temporomandibular joint dislocation after an upper endoscopy: a complication to consider.

After observing a case of a temporomandibular joint dislocation after an upper endoscopy, we carried out a literature review to find out how frequent it is and suggest the sedation as a possible risk factor to such complication.

Digestive involvement in a patient with Lambert-Eaton syndrome.

We present the case of a 50-year-old male diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, secondary to thymoma or Lambert-Eaton syndrome during the study of repeated vomiting. Gastrointestinal symptoms persisted despite the treatment of the thymoma. He suffered from sigma volvulus that required sigmoidectomy 9 years after diagnosis. Neuromuscular junction disorders are not characterized by gastrointestinal involvement, as in our case. They have previously sporadically been related to intestinal motility dysfunction.

Enteroscopy in the diagnosis of melanoma metastases.

We present abdominal computed tomography and enteroscopy images of a 48-year-old male patient with a previous melanoma who presented with epigastric pain. The pain was not controlled with medical management. Abdominal computed tomography and a histological study of biopsies form enteroscopy confirmed the diagnosis of metastatic melanoma. The gastrointestinal involvement of melanoma is usually metastatic. Symptomatic gastrointestinal involvement occurs in less than 5% of melanomas, although postmortem analyses have reported up to 70%. The clinical presentation is variable and usually presents as abdominal pain. The diagnosis of small intestinal involvement of melanoma is a challenge due to its poor accessibility. The enteroscopy has a fundamental role as it allows a direct visualization and biopsies to be taken for histological study.