Recent Data on Irritable Bowel Syndrome from some Central and East European Countries.

.

Efficacy of budesonide in collagenous colitis Evaluation of: Miehlke S, Madisch A, Kupcinskas L, et al. Budesonide is more effective than mesalamine or placebo in short-term treatment of collagenous colitis. Gastroenterology 2014;146(5):1222-1230 e1222.

INTRODUCTION: Collagenous colitis (CC) is a less common colonic disease with variable prevalence and undulating course. Among the available therapies, budesonide was demonstrated to induce a rapid and sustained remission in many cases, but little is known about the comparative efficacy of other treatments, such as mesalamine. AREAS COVERED: Evaluation of a randomized study assessing the efficacy and safety of budesonide over mesalamine in patients with CC. EXPERT OPINION: Data from the study showed that budesonide was significantly superior to placebo and to mesalamine and further supports the recommendation of the current guidelines on the use of budesonide in CC. However, other forms of mesalamine may further be evaluated for this disease.

Diet and irritable bowel syndrome.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Recent papers highlight the role of the diet in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but very few population-based studies have evaluated this. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of IBS in the general urban population and to evaluate the type of diet associated with IBS symptoms. METHODS: A randomized sample of subjects (n=300) from a general urban population in Romania selected from family doctors' patient lists was invited for interview in the doctor's office. Selected subjects were evaluated for the diagnosis of IBS using Rome III criteria and for their eating habits and diet using a food frequency questionnaire. Socio-demographic factors and general medical history were also included in the interview together with standard weight measurements. Results from logistic regression were presented as odd ratios and 95 % confidence intervals. RESULTS: From the selected sample, 193 subjects (80 males, 113 women, mean age 50.8 +/- 16.2) agreed to participate (rate 64.3%). Prevalence of IBS was 19.1 % (19.4% for females and 18.7 % for males). IBS was associated with older age (1.05, 1.02-1.08, p <0.001) and past history of digestive diseases (5.0, 2.0-12.7, p<0.01). IBS subjects eat significantly more frequently canned food (23.74, 3.17-177.7, p<0.01), processed meat (4.7, 1.6-14.1, p<0.01), pulses (legumes) (4.0, 1.3-16.3, p<0.01), whole cereals (8.7, 2.0-37.8, p<0.01), confectionary (5.7, 1.8-23.2, p<0.01), fruit compotes (canned or not) (7.4, 2.5-23.1, p<0.001) and herb teas (4.0, 1.3-16.3, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study updates prevalence data and reveals a possible association between diet and irritable bowel syndrome.

Prognosis of colorectal cancer: clinical, pathological and therapeutic correlation.

INTRODUCTION: Significant progress in the knowledge of carcinogenesis and natural history of colorectal carcinoma (CRC), especially in polyp-cancer sequention and time for transition, are important prerequisites for a new approach to diagnosis. Surgical resection is the mainstay therapy for colorectal cancer, and pathologic assessment of the resected specimen provides data for assessment of outcome and rationale for adjuvant therapy. A pathology report includes TNM stage, tumor type, histologic grade, status of resection margins, and vascular invasion. AIM: The purpose of this paper was to highlight the pathological features and their correlations with postoperative evolution and prognosis of this cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data was collected using the database system of the Emergency County Hospital of Craiova, Romania. A total of 302 patients from January 2003 to December 2005 were included. RESULTS: The average survival for the entire group was 44.35 ± 28.94 months, and the D'Agostino-Pearson test for batch distribution showed abnormal distribution with two peaks, separated by a group of five patients who survived between 37 and 8 months. Fifty-one (38.05%) patients presented a median survival of 73.54 ± 10.47 months. CONCLUSIONS: Factors that contribute to a favorable prognosis in CRC are vegetant gross tumors and papillary microscopic forms, G1 and G2 degree of differentiation and disease diagnosed in stages I and II.

[Gastrointestinal stromal tumor in the cecum--a rare cause of ileo-cecal-colic invagination]. / Tumora stromala gastrointestinala (GIST) cu localizare cecala--cauza rara de invaginatie ileo-ceco-colica.

The gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are the rares mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract (1-3% of all gastrointestinal neoplasias). The frequency of their location on the rectocolic site is quoted with the values lower than 10% of all GIST. The authors present a patient case 55 years aged, who presented a gastrointestinal stromal tumor cecal located. This tumor determined the invagination of the cec into the ascendent colon and then into transverse colon drawing the last ileal ansa and leading to an ileo-cecal-colic invagination, without development of a occlusive syndrome. We performed a computed tomography and an irigography. These investigations showed the complications of the case, but it could not find out a cause of the invagination. We discuss in our article the problem regarding find out the type of the tumor and its origin too. We also discuss about the therapy, etiopathogeny, evolution and prognosis of the GIST.

[A rare cause of upper digestive tract bleeding--pancreatic papillary adenocarcinoma]. / Hemoragie digestiva superioara de cauza rara--adenocarcinom papilifer pancreatic.

Authors present a rare case of upper digestive bleeding, the etiology of which is represented by a pancreatic papillary adenocarcinoma placed in the body and tail of the pancreas, with bleeding through the Oddi's sphincter, which causes difficult problems of medical and surgical diagnosis and treatment. The patient was known with acute cholecysto-pancreatitis of lithiasic cause, which has been surgically cured in 1977, being under treatment in the last years for the pancreatic injury which had been chronic pancreatitis and for hyperglycemia. The laboratory explorations emphasized a severe anaemia which was identified through upper digestive endoscopy (intermittent active bleeding from the major papilla) confirmed by echo and CT exam (heterogeneously body tissue of 10/8 cm diameter, involving the body and the tail of the pancreas). The medical treatment was complex, including proteic, hematologic, acido-basic, balance of hyperglycemia, and was followed by the surgical intervention consisting in body and tail pancreatico-splenectomy, followed by a postsurgical abscess, which required drainage. The surgical evolution was favorable. 6 months after leaving the hospital, the patient was admitted to medical diseases clinic with the diagnosis of deep right ileofemoral thrombophlebitis, duodenal acute ulcer and acute pneumonia of average right lobe, causing difficult problems of medical treatment. On this pathologic background, the diabetic failure also appears and the echo exam showing multiple secondary hepatic and peritoneal metastatic determinations. In medical literature we only met 13 similar communications, problems of diagnosis and treatment being very much alike to those presented.

[Osler's hereditary angioneurotic edema as rare but possible cause of false surgical acute abdomen]. / Edemul angioneurotic ereditar Osler--cauza rara de fals abdomen acut chirurgical.

The authors are presenting one case of Osler's hereditary angioneurotic oedema, rare genetic disease with dominant autosomal transmission linked to the 11-th chromosome, with clinical aspects resembling to those of surgical acute abdomen, with difficult diagnostic problems. The treatment consist in: fresh plasma administration, antihistaminic drugs and anabolic steroids. The simple laparotomy under general anaesthesia by orotraheal intubation being very dangerous. The patients with Osler's hereditary angioneurotic oedema must be followed-up by the allergology services and educated regarding the disease and it's risks to avoid diagnostic errors with following negative consequences.

Endoscopic clips -- what are they good for?

Several methods have been developed for the treatment of upper gastrointestinal bleedings, a condition associated with high mortality rates. In recent years new studies have been published reporting the use of endoscopic clips mainly for digestive bleeding. Our paper reviews recent publications, focusing mainly on present indications, such as: digestive bleeding, conservative treatment of perforations of the digestive tract, repair of anastomotic leaks, marking of digestive tumours, endoprosthestesis anchoring and assisting papilla cannulation.

Meat grinders and molecular epidemiology: two supermarket outbreaks of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection.

Between 23 June and 15 July 1994, 21 cases (19 primary and 2 secondary) of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection were identified in the Bethel, Connecticut, area. Three pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns from 15 isolates (I, n = 13; II, n = 2; and III, n = 1) were observed. A case-control study that excluded secondary cases and patients with PFGE II and III patterns (n = 16) demonstrated that consumption of food from one supermarket was associated with illness (15/16 cases vs. 31/47 geographically matched controls, odds ratio [OR] undefined, lower 95% confidence interval OR = 1.45, P = .018). No one food was associated with illness. Inspection of the supermarket revealed deficiencies in hygiene and meat handling practices. The 2 cases with PFGE II ate raw beef and raw lamb from a second supermarket. These outbreaks demonstrate the value of PFGE in supporting epidemiologic investigations and the potential for outbreaks arising from retail outlets.

[Aetiological aspects of uveitis (author's transl)]. / Aspects étiologiques des uvéites.

An analysis of the probable aetiology of 222 cases of uveitis. In order of frequency the aetiology was: infectious focis 31%, rheumatism 28%, tuberculosis 7.6%, streptococci 4%, viral 3.6%, rickettsia 1.3%, syphilis, brucellosis in 0.5%. In 22.1% of cases the aetiology was not established. In young subjects the majority consisted of bacterial and viral infections particularly streptococcal. In adults the most frequent aetiology was rheumatic and in the elderly foci of infection.