Safety of Immunomodulators and Anti-TNF Therapy in Pregnancy.

OPINION STATEMENT: Biologics have proved to be extremely effective therapies for active, difficult to treat ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Given that active disease appears to be what drives worse outcomes in conception and pregnancy, understanding of the potential risks of continued biologic therapy during pregnancy is important. Knowledge of the mechanisms of placental transfer helps clinicians explain to patients the timing of potential cessation of therapy, and the ongoing data collection from the efforts of the Crohn's and Colitis Pregnancy Registry have helped immensely to move this field forward. The body of evidence for use of thiopurines as well has supported their continued use during pregnancy in patients, despite their category D rating. Family planning and counseling have come a long way with our efforts in understanding that the real enemy is active inflammation, not the therapies we use to treat it.

Idiopathic gastroparesis: case report and literature review of diagnostic and treatment modalities.

Gastroparesis is a disorder characterized by a delay in gastric emptying of a meal in the absence of a mechanical gastric outlet obstruction. The most common etiologies include diabetes, postsurgical and idiopathic. Idiopathic Gastroparesis is at least as common as diabetic Gastroparesis in most case series. Diagnosis of Gastroparesis is based on the presence of symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, postprandial abdominal fullness, and on an objectively determined delay in gastric emptying. The true prevalence of Gastroparesis is unknown. Gastric emptying can be assessed by scintigraphy and stable isotope breath tests. Management of Gastroparesis consists of dietary and lifestyle measures, possible pharmacological interventions (prokinetics, antiemetics, intrapyloric botulinum toxin injection) and/or interventions that focus on adequate nutrient intake either through a nasoduodenal tube, percutaneous gastrostomy, or jejunostomy. New advances in drug therapy and gastric electrical stimulation techniques have been introduced and might provide new hope to patients. Presented here is an interesting case of idiopathic Gastroparesis along with its management and review of the literature.

Thinking beyond the obvious: hepatotoxicity secondary to idiosyncratic depakote toxicity.

Depakote-induced hepatotoxicity has been well established as an adverse effect, and periodic monitoring of drug level is often required. Depakote-induced hepatotoxicity mostly occurs at supratherapeutic drug level. Rarely, an idiosyncratic response is triggered, and hepatotoxicity can occur at the therapeutic drug level mostly in chronic users. Here, we describe a rare case of idiosyncratic depakote-induced hepatotoxicity. A 25-year-old female with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, seizure disorder, and Dandy Walker Syndrome presented with an unwitnessed seizure and altered mental status. The patient's medication list included zonisamide, depakote, and synthroid. She was noted to be lethargic, disoriented, nonverbal, but awake. An arterial blood gas examination showed severe anion gap metabolic acidosis. Blood work was consistent with hepatitis, hyperammonemia, thrombocytopenia, and coagulopathy. The Depakote level was therapeutic. Head computed tomography and liver ultrasound results were not significant. After ruling out all other causes and seeing improvement of parameters after the drug was discontinued, idiosyncratic depakote toxicity was diagnosed. Based on the patient's rapid improvement; idiosyncratic valproate toxicity was confirmed. This case signifies the importance of recognizing, diagnosing, and treating depakote toxicity in chronic users who have no other explanation for their symptomatology.