Ameboma: an unusual cause of gastrointestinal bleeding during severe leptospirosis.

BACKGROUND: Severe leptospirosis occurs mainly in a tropical environment and includes icterus, acute renal failure and hemorrhages. These bleedings, which are mainly a consequence of acute homeostatic disturbances, can also reveal simultaneous diseases. Coinfections with other tropical diseases have been previously reported during leptospirosis. To our knowledge, invasive amebiasis, which can induce gastrointestinal bleedings, has never been described in the course of severe leptospirosis. CASE PRESENTATION: In this report, we describe a case of a 60 year-old man living in Reunion Island (Indian Ocean, France) admitted to our intensive care unit for severe Leptospira interrogans serovar icterohaemorrhagiae infection with neurological, renal, liver and hematological involvement. Two lower gastrointestinal bleedings occurred 7 and 15 days after admission. The first episode was promoted by hemostatic disturbances while the second bleeding occurred during low-dose heparin therapy. Colonoscopy revealed a pseudo-tumoral inflammatory mass of the recto-sigmoid junction. Histological examination found trophozoites inside mucinous exudate suggestive of Entamoeba histolytica. Amoebic serology was strongly positive whereas careful detection of cysts or trophozoites on saline-wet mount was negative in three consecutive samples of stools. Amoxicillin followed by metronidazole therapy, combined with supportive care, led to an improvement in the clinical and biological patient's condition and endoscopic appearances. CONCLUSION: Clinicians should be aware that gastrointestinal bleeding during severe leptospirosis could not solely be the consequences of hemostatic disturbances. Careful endoscopic evaluation that may reveal curable coinfections should also be considered.

Adolescents' self-reported health status, behaviours and health issues addressed during routine school doctor consultations in Switzerland: an observational study.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to investigate the self-reported health status and behaviours of 7th-grade adolescents, associations with gender and educational track, as well as health issues addressed during routine school doctor consultations in Switzerland. METHODS: Data on health status and behaviours, specifically general well-being, stimulant and addictive substance use, bullying/violence, exercise, nutrition and health protection, and puberty/sexuality, were drawn from routinely collected self-assessment questionnaires from 1076 (of a total of 1126) students from 14 schools in the Swiss canton of Zug in 2020. Data on health issues addressed in school doctor consultations were collected by nine school doctors (for 595 individual consultations). Multilevel logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the association of gender and educational track with unfavourable health status or behaviours. RESULTS: Although 92% (n = 989) of the students reported being happy or satisfied overall, 21% (n = 215) often or almost always felt sad, and 5-10% had repeatedly been seriously physically hurt (n = 67), sexually harassed with words (n = 88) or experienced uncomfortable physical contact (n = 60). Female gender and a lower educational track were associated with unfavourable health status. In 90% (n = 533) of the school doctor consultations, at least one topic of disease prevention or health promotion was addressed, whereby the topics addressed depended strongly on the individual school doctors. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings revealed that unfavourable health status and behaviours were prevalent among adolescents but the health topics addressed in school doctor consultations were not tailored to students' self-reported health issues. A school-based approach that strengthens adolescents' health literacy and provides opportunities for patient-centred counselling has the potential to improve the current and future health of adolescents and, ultimately, adults. To realise this potential, it is essential for school doctors to be sensitised and trained to address students' health concerns. Emphasis should be placed on the importance of patient-centred counselling, the high prevalence of bullying, and gender and educational differences.

Routine surveillance endoscopy before and after sleeve gastrectomy?

There is no consensus when it comes to the necessity of an oeso-gastroduodenal fibroscopy (OGDF) before and after bariatric surgery. Many reports expressed the preoccupations about a gastroesophagal reflux disease (an acute risk of Barrett's esophagus) and its consequences after a sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and the risk of leaving a premalignant lesion in an excluded stomach after a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. The International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders recommends a surveillance endoscopy, routinely after a SG. After review of the literature, we set out the arguments in favor of performing a systematic preoperative and post-operative OGDF.

Capsule endoscopy and bowel preparation with oral sodium phosphate: a prospective randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Capsule endoscopy (CE) is the first procedure to explore the small bowel in obscure GI bleeding (OGB). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of bowel preparation with oral sodium phosphate (NaP) in this indication. DESIGN: A prospective multicenter, controlled, randomized, blind study. METHODS: A total of 129 patients with the diagnosis of OGB were included and were randomized into 2 groups (group A [n = 64] and group B [n = 63]). In group A, a CE was performed after an 8-hour fasting period. In group B, patients were asked to drink 2 doses of 45 mL NaP before swallowing the capsule. The quality of the images was assessed at 5 different locations of the small bowel. Bowel cleanliness and visibility were evaluated by using 2 scoring systems, which included assessing the presence of bubbles, liquid, and the rate of visibility. RESULTS: A total of 127 patients (53 men; mean age 56.9 years, range 19-90 years) were analyzed for the preparation and detection of lesions (2 patients were not able to swallow the capsule). No difference was observed for cleanliness and visibility between the 2 groups at any of the small-bowel segments; no difference was found for gastric transit time (39.8 minutes vs 35.7 minutes, P = .63), small-bowel transit time (257.5 minutes vs 248.6 minutes, P = .59), and the detection of lesions (35.9% vs 42.8%, P = .54). LIMITATIONS: The evaluation of bowel cleanliness was based on subjective features. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study, despite a significant number of limitations, did not support that small-bowel preparation with oral NaP can be recommended for CE exploration in patients with OGB.

[International consensus in Paris, 2006, on the indications and use of the endoscopic videocapsule test. Report of the SFED Capsule Commission]. / Consensus international de Paris 2006 sur les indications et les modalités de l'examen par capsule vidéoendoscopique. Rapport de la commission capsule de la Sfed.

Following the 4th International Conference on Capsule Endoscopy (ICCE, Miami 2005), the main indications for videocapsule endoscopy (VCE) were reviewed. The consensus guidelines were published in Endoscopy in 2005. These propositions for VCE were based on an analysis of evidence reported in the literature published through 2005. A small working group of experts examined each methodology and presented their report at the plenary session. The final conclusions were then published. At the ICCE 2006 held in Paris, this first version of the consensus guidelines was improved and completed.