[Acute liver failure due to food supplements]. / Acuut leverfalen na gebruik van voedingssupplementen.

BACKGROUND: Acute liver failure resulting from the use of food supplements is rare. However, due to the rapid rise in the use of food supplements, the incidence of liver damage is increasing. CASE DESCRIPTION: We describe the cases of two women with menopausal symptoms who developed liver failure shortly after starting to take food supplements containing plant extracts. Both women consequently underwent a liver transplant. CONCLUSION: Food supplements are not regarded as medicines, but fall under regulations pertaining to foodstuffs. This means they can be put on the market without their safety having first been checked. The old Dutch saying 'if it doesn't do any good, it won't do any harm' is certainly not applicable here. Is it time for a new law?

Cholecystectomy Risk in Crohn's Disease Patients After Ileal Resection: a Long-term Nationwide Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: The risk of gallstone disease necessitating cholecystectomy after ileal resection (IR) in Crohn's disease (CD) patients is not well established. We studied the incidence, cumulative and relative risk of cholecystectomy after IR in CD patients, and associated risk factors. METHODS: CD patients with a first IR between 1991 and 2015 were identified in PALGA, a nationwide pathology database in the Netherlands. Details on subsequent cholecystectomy and IR were recorded. Yearly cholecystectomy rates from the general Dutch population were used as a reference. RESULTS: A cohort of 8302 (3466 (41.7%) males) CD patients after IR was identified. During the 11.9 (IQR 6.3-18.0) years median follow-up, the post-IR incidence rate of cholecystectomy was 5.2 (95% CI 3.5-6.4)/1000 persons/year. The cumulative incidence was 0.5% at 1 year, 2.4% at 5 years, 4.6% at 10 years, and 10.3% after 20 years. In multivariable analyses, female sex (HR 1.9, CI 1.5-2.3), a later calendar year of first IR (HR/5-year increase, HR 1.27, CI 1.18-1.35), and ileal re-resection (time-dependent HR 1.37, CI 1.06-1.77) were associated with cholecystectomy. In the last decade, cholecystectomy rates increased and were higher in our postoperative CD population than in the general population (relative incidence ratio 3.13 (CI 2.29-4.28; p < 0.0001) in 2015). CONCLUSIONS: Although higher in females, increasing in recent years, and higher than in the general population, the overall risk of cholecystectomy in CD patients following IR is low and routine prophylactic measures seem unwarranted.

Use of immunohistochemical biomarkers as independent predictor of neoplastic progression in Barrett's oesophagus surveillance: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: The low incidence of oesophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) in Barrett's oesophagus (BE) patients reinforces the need for risk stratification tools to make BE surveillance more effective. Therefore, we have undertaken a systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies on immunohistochemical (IHC) biomarkers in BE to determine the value of IHC biomarkers as neoplastic predictors in BE surveillance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, CENTRAL, Pubmed publisher, and Google scholar. All studies on IHC biomarkers in BE surveillance were included. ORs were extracted and meta-analyses performed with a random effects model. RESULTS: 16 different IHC biomarkers were studied in 36 studies. These studies included 425 cases and 1835 controls. A meta- analysis was performed for p53, aspergillus oryzae lectin (AOL), Cyclin A, Cyclin D and alpha-methylacyl-CoA racemase. Aberrant p53 expression was significantly associated with an increased risk of neoplastic progression with an OR of 3.18 (95% CI 1.68 to 6.03). This association was confirmed for both non-dysplastic BE and BE with low-grade dysplasia (LGD). Another promising biomarker to predict neoplastic progression was AOL, with an OR of 3.04 (95% CI 2.05 to 4.49). DISCUSSION: Use of p53 IHC staining may improve risk stratification in BE surveillance. Aberrant p53 expression in BE patients appeared to be associated with a significantly increased risk of neoplastic progression for both non-dysplastic and LGD BE patients.