Primary malignant melanoma of the colon and the importance of an adequate anatomopathological analysis.

Primary malignant melanoma of the colon is an extremely rare tumor due to the absence of melanoblasts in this segment of the digestive tract. We report the case of a patient presenting an ulcerated lesion with a neoplastic appearance in the dentate line during a coloscopy. After chemotherapy and radiotherapy, surgical amputation was performed. The study of the surgical specimen described an invasive malignant melanoma located in the submucosa without involvement of the overlying epithelium or the muscularis propria, nor vascular or lymph node invasion, and with tumor free margins. The patient was presented to the melanoma committee, which determited follow up in consultations. This case strengthens the importance of a good anatomopathological study to prevent delays in diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

Drug-induced liver injury associated to red yeast rice.

Hepatotoxicity is defined as a liver injury induced by a drug or a non-pharmacological agent like herbal medications or dietary supplements. Red yeast rice is rich in monacolin K, which has the same chemical structure as lovastatin, reason why it has been used for the management of hiperlipidemia. A 62 years old woman presented to the emergency service with 38.5ºC fever, coluric orine and loss of weight in the previous 3 weeks. The patient was taking RYR since the week before to the initial symptoms. Mixed hepatocellular and cholestatic acute hepatitis was diagnosed. Autoimmune liver serology resulted positive. Total DILI RECAM Score was 8 (highly probable DILI). Conservative treatment with exclusion of RYR was decided and during follow-up bilirubin and transaminases gradually dropped off. It has been reported a few cases of hepatitis associated to the use of RYR, promoted by a toxic or immunogenic metabolite. Cross-reactions may justify positive autoantibodies so hepatotoxicity should not be discard as a diagnose.

Dynamic Changes in Non-Invasive Markers of Liver Fibrosis Are Predictors of Liver Events after SVR in HCV Patients.

Objectives: The course of progressive liver damage after achieving sustained virological response (SVR) with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) remains undetermined. We aimed to determine risk factors associated with the development of liver-related events (LREs) after SVR, focusing on the utility of non-invasive markers. Methods: An observational, retrospective study that included patients with advanced chronic liver disease (ACLD) caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV), who achieved SVR with DAAs between 2014 and 2017. Patients were followed-up until December 2020. LREs were defined as the development of portal hypertension decompensation and the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Serological markers of fibrosis were calculated before treatment and one and two years after SVR. Results: The study included 321 patients, with a median follow-up of 48 months. LREs occurred in 13.7% of patients (10% portal hypertension decompensation and 3.7% HCC). Child-Pugh [HR 4.13 (CI 95% 1.74; 9.81)], baseline FIB-4 [HR 1.12 (CI 95% 1.03; 1.21)], FIB-4 one year post-SVR [HR 1.31 (CI 95% 1.15; 1.48)] and FIB-4 two years post-SVR [HR 1.42 (CI 95% 1.23; 1.64)] were associated with portal hypertension decompensation. Older age, genotype 3, diabetes mellitus and FIB-4 before and after SVR were associated with the development of HCC. FIB-4 cut-off values one and two years post-SVR to predict portal hypertension decompensation were 2.03 and 2.21, respectively, and to predict HCC were 2.42 and 2.70, respectively. Conclusions: HCV patients with ACLD remain at risk of developing liver complications after having achieved SVR. FIB-4 evaluation before and after SVR may help to predict this risk, selecting patients who will benefit from surveillance.

A rare gastrointestinal tumor: primary gastric melanoma.

Primary gastric melanoma is an exceptional tumour with less than 20 cases described in the literature, as its origin is not entirely clear as the presence of melanocytes in the stomach has not been demonstrated. Symptomatology is non-specific, which prevents its early detection, and it is diagnosed in late stages. We present the case of a patient who was admitted to our hospital for vomiting in coffee grounds with analytical and haemodynamic repercussions. Urgent gastroscopy revealed a gastric lesion suspicious for malignancy, which was histologically confirmed as gastric melanoma. The therapeutic approach to these tumours is complex and they have a very poor prognosis.

Ensayo clínico aleatorizado, doble ciego, controlado con placebo sobre la utilidad del probiótico Lactobacillus reuteri en la terapia de erradicación cuádruple con bismuto de la infección por Helicobacter pylori / Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial on the usefulness of probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri in bismuth-containing quadruple eradication therapy for infection with Helicobacter pylori

Introducción: el objetivo principal de este estudio fue evaluar la reducción de los síntomas gastrointestinales de pacientes con terapia de erradicación cuádruple con bismuto, complementada con cepas de Lactobacillus reuteri (DSM 17938 y ATCC PTA 6475), frente a un placebo.Materiales y métodos: ensayo clínico aleatorizado, doble ciego, de brazos paralelos y controlado con placebo. Los pacientes recibieron en primera línea el régimen erradicador basado en subcitrato de bismuto potásico, metronidazol, clorhidrato de tetraciclina (cápsulas tres en uno) y omeprazol 40 mg dos veces al día durante diez días, más un comprimido (probiótico o placebo) durante treinta días. En el seguimiento se evaluaron los síntomas gastrointestinales mediante una escala de valoración (GSRS) y los eventos adversos a los 0, 14, 28 y 56 días.Resultados: se incluyeron un total de 80 pacientes desde febrero de 2018 a mayo de 2019 en un solo centro. El tratamiento erradicador fue eficaz en el 85 % de los pacientes, sin diferencias entre los dos brazos de tratamiento. En el grupo que recibió el probiótico, el dolor abdominal se redujo en el 42 % de los pacientes, en comparación con el 19 % del grupo de control (OR: 0,27; IC 95 %: 0,13-0,58; p < 0,001), y la distensión abdominal se redujo un 25 %, frente a un 17 % en el grupo de control (OR: 0,24; IC 95 %: 0,19-0,84; p < 0,001).Conclusiones: el tratamiento con L. reuteri consiguió reducir solo el dolor y la distensión abdominal. Se necesitan más estudios para determinar la contribución de los probióticos como terapia adyuvante en la erradicación de H. pylori. (AU)

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial on the usefulness of probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri in bismuth-containing quadruple eradication therapy for infection with Helicobacter pylori.

INTRODUCTION: the primary goal of this study was to compare gastrointestinal symptom reduction in patients on bismuth-containing quadruple eradication therapy supplemented with Lactobacillus reuteri strains (DSM 17938 and ATCC PTA 6475) or placebo. MATERIALS AND METHODS: this was a randomized, double-blind, parallel-arm, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Patients received a first-line eradication regimen based on bismuth subcitrate potassium, metronidazole, tetracycline hydrochloride (three-in-one capsules) and omeprazole 40 mg twice a day for ten days, plus a probiotic or placebo tablet for 30 days. During follow-up, gastrointestinal symptoms were assessed using an evaluation scale (GSRS), and adverse events were collected at 0, 14, 28 and 56 days. RESULTS: a total of 80 patients were included from February 2018 to May 2019 at a single site. Eradication therapy was effective in 85 % of patients, with no differences between treatment arms. In the group receiving the probiotic, abdominal pain decreased in 42 % of patients, compared with 19 % in the control group (OR: 0.27; CI, 0.13-0.58; p < 0.001), and abdominal distension decreased in 25 % versus 17 % in the control group (OR: 0.24; IC, 0.19-0.84; p < 0.001); Conclusions: treatment with L. reuteri only reduced abdominal pain and distension. Further studies are needed to establish the role of probiotics as adjuvant therapy in H. pylori eradication.

Biliary stent migration as a rare cause of ileal perforation.

The incidence rate of biliary stent migration is 3-6 %; most cases are asymptomatic, with elimination of the piece in the feces.

Switch to subcutaneous infliximab during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: preliminary results.

A new subcutaneous formulation of the infliximab biosimilar CT-P13 has recently been developed for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), providing response rates similar to intravenous treatment. The use of this new formulation was requested, in an effort to limit patient attendance at intravenous infusion centers and to maintain biological treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this observational, retrospective and descriptive study was to assess CT-P13 efficacy and safety after switching from intravenous to a subcutaneous formulation in patients with IBD receiving maintenance therapy. This article shows preliminary results after six months of follow-up.

Comparison of the Mayo Endoscopy Score and the Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopy Index of Severity and the Ulcerative Colitis Colonoscopy Index of Severity.

Background and study aims: Endoscopy plays an essential role in managing patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), as it allows us to visualize and assess the severity of the disease. As such assessments are not always objective, different scores have been devised to standardize the findings. The main aim of this study was to assess the interobserver variability between the Mayo Endoscopy Score (MES), Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopy Index of Severity (UCEIS) and Ulcerative Colitis Colonoscopy Index of Severity (UCCIS) analyzing the severity of the endoscopic lesions in patients with ulcerative colitis. Patients and methods: This was a single-cohort observational study in which a colonoscopy was carried out on patients with UC, as normal clinical practice, and a video was recorded. The results from the video were classified according to the MES, UCEIS and UCCIS by three endoscopic specialists independently, and they were compared to each other. The Mayo Endoscopy Score (MES) was used to assess the clinical situation of the patient. The therapeutic impact was analyzed after colonoscopy was carried out. Results: Sixty-seven patients were included in the study. The average age was 51 (SD ±â€Š16.7) and the average MES was 3.07 (SD ±â€Š2.54). The weighted Kappa index between endoscopists A and B for the MES was 0.8; between A and C 0.52; and between B and C 0.49. The intraclass correlation coefficient for UCEIS was 0.92 among the three endoscopists (CI 95 %: 0.83-0.96) and 0.96 for UCCIS among the three endoscopists (CI 95 % 0.94-0.97). A change in treatment for 34.3 % of the patients was implemented on seeing the results of the colonoscopy. Conclusions: There was an adequate, but not perfect, correlation between the different endoscopists for MES, UCEIS, UCCIS. This was higher with the last two scores. Thus, there is still some subjectivity to be minimized through special training, on assessing the seriousness of the endoscopic lesions in patients with UC.

HCV microelimination strategies: An interventional study in diagnosed patients without access to the system.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) one-step diagnosis improves recovery in patients with active infection. However, patients with previous anti-HCV+ may be excluded. We aimed to identify and retrieve non-referred or lost-to-follow-up HCV-infected patients. All anti-HCV+ patients seen in our hospital between 2013 and 2018 were included. In the first phase, we identified anti-HCV+ patients who were not referred to the Gastroenterology Unit (GU) or lost-to-follow-up. In the second phase, recovered patients were invited for a one-step visit for liver evaluation. A total of 1330 anti-HCV+ patients were included: 21.7% had not been referred to GU, and 23.1% were lost-to-follow-up. In the second phase, 49.6% of patients were contacted, and 92.8% attended a medical consultation: 62.7% had active infection, 92.2% were treated, and 86.5% achieved SVR (ITT). We concluded that screening microbiological data and referring unidentified patients with active HCV infection directly to specialists is an effective tool in achieving HCV microelimination.

Double strangeness: a young male with intestinal obstruction secondary to gastrointestinal follicular lymphoma.

Primary follicular lymphomas (FL) of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract are very rare and constitute < 4 % of all non-Hodgkin's lymphomas at this location. We report our experience with primary FL of the GI tract.

Liver manifestations in COVID-19 and the influence of pre-existing liver disease in the course of the infection.

INTRODUCTION: patients with advanced chronic liver disease (CLD) may be at an increased risk of a severe course due to cirrhosis-associated immune dysfunction. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of CLD in COVID-19 patients and to analyze the course of the infection, compared with patients with non-liver disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: this was a retrospective single center study of all patients with a positive SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test from March 23rd to April 30th, 2020. Clinical and biochemical data of patients with and without CLD and COVID-19 were collected from the medical records. RESULT: four hundred and forty-seven patients with a SARS-CoV-2 positive PCR were included, 6.3 % had CLD; 69.7 % of patients with CLD were male, with a median age of 65.5 years and active alcohol consumption and smoking; 75 % had non-advanced liver fibrosis and most had non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The hospital admission rate (92.9 % vs 47.7 %, p < 0.001), concomitant comorbidities (diabetes 38.5 vs 16.5 %, p = 0.011; obesity 30.8 vs 8.5 %, p = 0.033; cancer 23.1 vs 5 %, p = 0.027; and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) 19.2 vs 9 %, p = 0.009) and concomitant antibiotics treatment (19.3 vs 5 %, p = 0.018) were higher in patients with CLD than in those without CLD. In-patient hospital mortality rates were similar in both groups (30.8 vs 19.6 %, p = 0.289). The presence of CLD was not associated with mortality (OR = 1.06; 95 % CI = 0.35-3.18; p = 0.924). However, patients with CLD and COVID-19 who were male, obese or under concomitant antibiotic treatment had the highest risk of mortality according to the univariate analysis. CONCLUSION: patients with CLD had a higher risk of hospital admission, with worse outcomes during the COVID-19 infection associated to other concomitant comorbidities and a suspicion of bacterial co-infection.