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American Family Physician Mar 2020Point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) is performed by a physician at the bedside and is standard practice in obstetric, emergency, and musculoskeletal medicine. When... (Review)
Review
Point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) is performed by a physician at the bedside and is standard practice in obstetric, emergency, and musculoskeletal medicine. When compared with formal sonography, POCUS is equivalent in screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm and as accurate in diagnosing deep venous thrombosis. POCUS has high accuracy for diagnosing pneumonia and detecting acute decompensated heart failure but is less accurate than computed tomography for identifying pulmonary embolism. POCUS confirmation of intrauterine pregnancy rules out an ectopic pregnancy. In the third trimester of high-risk pregnancies, umbilical artery Doppler ultrasonography can improve perinatal outcomes. Musculoskeletal POCUS is used to diagnose and guide treatment of many joint and soft tissue conditions. It is as accurate as magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of complete rotator cuff tears. Ultrasound guidance improves outcomes in the placement of central venous catheters and fluid drainage from body cavities and lumbar punctures. Ultrasonography can reduce the use of CT for diagnosis of appendicitis; however, negative scan results do not rule out disease. POCUS can accurately diagnose and rule out gallbladder pathology, and is effective for diagnosing urolithiasis. Focused cardiac ultrasonography can detect pericardial effusion and decreased systolic function, but is less accurate than lung ultrasonography at diagnosing acute heart failure. Limited evidence demonstrates a benefit of diagnosing testicular and gynecologic conditions. The American College of Emergency Physicians, the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, the American College of Radiology, and others offer POCUS training. Training standards for POCUS have been defined for residency programs but are less established for credentialing.
Topics: Abscess; Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal; Appendicitis; Cellulitis; Clinical Competence; Colic; Female; Fractures, Bone; Hemorrhage; Humans; Intestinal Perforation; Intracranial Hypertension; Lung; Male; Pericardial Effusion; Point-of-Care Systems; Pregnancy; Prenatal Care; Respiratory Distress Syndrome; Retinal Detachment; Rotator Cuff Injuries; Soft Tissue Infections; Spermatic Cord Torsion; Stroke Volume; Ultrasonography; Ultrasonography, Interventional; Venous Thrombosis
PubMed: 32109031
DOI: No ID Found -
Chinese Clinical Oncology Aug 2019India is a high incidence area for gallbladder cancer (GBC) and contributes to about 10% of the global GBC burden. Within India, the incidence is high in North,... (Review)
Review
India is a high incidence area for gallbladder cancer (GBC) and contributes to about 10% of the global GBC burden. Within India, the incidence is high in North, North-East, Central and Eastern India, and less common in South and West India. The incidence has been on a steady rise in both genders. The presentation is often with advanced disease and carries dismal prognosis. GBC in India usually affects younger patients in the 5th and 6th decade in contrast to the west. Gallstones are present in 80% of the Indian patients with GBC and its presence increases the vulnerability of the GB to mucosal injury. The incidence of GBC is out of proportion to the prevalence of gallstones in the country. Additional co-factors such as older age, lower socio-economic status, chronic Salmonella typhi (S. typhi) infection, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, exposure to pollutants, heavy metals, chemicals, adulterated mustard oil and smoking in patients with gallstones have been identified which promote carcinogenesis. These risk factors act in tandem in an additive manner resulting in higher incidence of GBC as well as hasten the development of GBC. Environmental risk factors such as soil and water contamination by industrial wastes, agricultural effluents and human sewage have been identified as putative risk factors. Combination of a toxic environment, vulnerable GB and a susceptible host play a key role in the pathogenesis of GBC in the country. Large multicentric comprehensive studies are required in India to assess the attributable risk of each of the identified putative risk factors. This will help in formulating cost effective national strategies in preventing GBC related mortality in the country. Meanwhile a high index of suspicion to pick up incidental GBC, and improved access to healthcare facilities to manage GS appropriately will help in reducing GBC related mortality.
Topics: Female; Gallbladder Neoplasms; Humans; India; Male
PubMed: 31484488
DOI: 10.21037/cco.2019.08.03 -
Indian Journal of Gastroenterology :... Feb 2023Abdominal tuberculosis is an ancient problem with modern nuances in diagnosis and management. The two major forms are tuberculous peritonitis and gastrointestinal... (Review)
Review
Abdominal tuberculosis is an ancient problem with modern nuances in diagnosis and management. The two major forms are tuberculous peritonitis and gastrointestinal tuberculosis (GITB), while the less frequent forms are esophageal, gastroduodenal, pancreatic, hepatic, gallbladder and biliary tuberculosis. The clinicians need to discriminate the disease from the close mimics: peritoneal carcinomatosis closely mimics peritoneal tuberculosis, while Crohn's disease closely mimics intestinal tuberculosis. Imaging modalities (ultrasound, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and occasionally positron emission tomography) guide the line of evaluation. Research in diagnostics (imaging and endoscopy) has helped in the better acquisition of tissue for histological and microbiological tests. Although point-of-care polymerase chain reaction-based tests (e.g. Xpert Mtb/Rif) may provide a quick diagnosis, these have low sensitivity. In such situations, ancillary investigations such as ascitic adenosine deaminase and histological clues (granulomas, caseating necrosis, ulcers lined by histiocytes) may provide some specificity to the diagnosis. A diagnostic trial of antitubercular therapy (ATT) may be considered if all diagnostic armamentaria fail to clinch the diagnosis, especially in TB-endemic regions. Objective evaluation with clear endpoints of response is mandatory in such situations. Early mucosal response (healing of ulcers at two months) and resolution of ascites are objective criteria for early response assessment and should be sought at two months. Biomarkers, especially fecal calprotectin for intestinal tuberculosis, have also shown promise. For most forms of abdominal tuberculosis, six months of ATT is sufficient. Sequelae of GITB may require endoscopic balloon dilatation for intestinal strictures or surgical intervention for recurrent intestinal obstruction, perforation or massive bleeding.
Topics: Humans; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Ulcer; Sensitivity and Specificity; Tuberculosis, Gastrointestinal; Polymerase Chain Reaction
PubMed: 36899289
DOI: 10.1007/s12664-023-01343-x -
Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences Dec 2021The COVID-19 pandemic has created a major alteration in the medical literature including the sepsis discussion. From the outset of the pandemic, various reports have... (Review)
Review
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a major alteration in the medical literature including the sepsis discussion. From the outset of the pandemic, various reports have indicated that although there are some unique features pertinent to COVID-19, many of its acute manifestations are similar to sepsis caused by other pathogens. As a consequence, the old definitions now require consideration of this new etiologic agent, namely SARS-CoV-2. Although the pathogenesis of COVID-19 has not been fully explained, the data obtained so far in hospitalized patients has revealed that serum cytokine and chemokine levels are high in severe COVID-19 patients, similar to those found with sepsis. COVID-19 may involve multiple organ systems. In addition to the lungs, the virus has been isolated from blood, urine, faeces, liver, and gallbladder. Results from autopsy series in COVID-19 patients have demonstrated a wide range of findings, including vascular involvement, congestion, consolidation, and hemorrhage as well as diffuse alveolar damage in lung tissue consistent with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The presence of viral cytopathic-like changes, infiltration of inflammatory cells (mononuclear cells and macrophages), and viral particles in histopathological samples are considered a consequence of both direct viral infection and immune hyperactivation. Thromboembolism and hyper-coagulopathy are other components in the pathogenesis of severe COVID-19. Although the pathogenesis of hypercoagulability is not fully understood, it has been pointed out that all three components of Virchow’s triad (endothelial injury, stasis, and hypercoagulable state) play a major role in contributing to clot formation in severe COVID-19 infection. In severe COVID-19 cases, laboratory parameters such as hematological findings, coagulation tests, liver function tests, D-dimer, ferritin, and acute phase reactants such as CRP show marked alterations, which are suggestive of a cytokine storm. Another key element of COVID-19 pathogenesis in severe cases is its similarity or association with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). SARS-CoV-2 induced cytokine storm has significant clinical and laboratory findings overlapping with HLH. Viral sepsis has some similarities but also some differences when compared to bacterial sepsis. In bacterial sepsis, systemic inflammation affecting multiple organs is more dominant than in COVID-19 sepsis. While bacterial sepsis causes an early and sudden onset clinical deterioration, viral diseases may exhibit a relatively late onset and chronic course. Consideration of severe COVID-19 disease as a sepsis syndrome has relevance and may assist in terms of determining treatments that will modulate the immune response, limit intrinsic damage to tissue and organs, and potentially improve outcome.
Topics: COVID-19; Chemokines; Cytokine Release Syndrome; Cytokines; Humans; Inflammation; Lymphohistiocytosis, Hemophagocytic; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2; Sepsis
PubMed: 34590796
DOI: 10.3906/sag-2108-239 -
Microorganisms Jun 2020Gallstone disease (GSD) has, for many years, remained a high-cost, socially significant public health problem. Over the past decade, a number of studies have been... (Review)
Review
Gallstone disease (GSD) has, for many years, remained a high-cost, socially significant public health problem. Over the past decade, a number of studies have been carried out-both in humans and in animal models-confirming the role of the microbiota in various sections of the gastrointestinal tract as a new link in the etiopathogenesis of GSD. The microbiome of bile correlates with the bacterial composition of saliva, and the microbiome of the biliary tract has a high similarity with the microbiota of the duodenum. Pathogenic microflora of the oral cavity, through mechanisms of immunomodulation, can affect the motility of the gallbladder and the expression of mucin genes ( ), and represent one of the promoters of stone formation in the gallbladder. The presence of infection contributes to the formation of gallstones and affects the occurrence of complications of GSD, including acute and chronic cholecystitis, cholangitis, pancreatitis. Intestinal bacteria (, and ) participating in the oxidation and epimerization of bile acids can disrupt enterohepatic circulation and lead to the formation of gallstones. At the same time, cholecystectomy due to GSD leads to the further transformation of the composition of the microbiota in various parts of the gastrointestinal tract, increasing the risk of developing stomach cancer and colorectal cancer. Further research is required to determine the possibility of using the evaluation of the composition of the microbiota of the gastrointestinal and biliary tracts as an early diagnostic marker of various gastroenterological diseases.
PubMed: 32498344
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8060835 -
Gut May 2022To investigate the incidence of gastric cancer (GC) attributed to gastric intestinal metaplasia (IM), and validate the Operative Link on Gastric Intestinal Metaplasia...
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the incidence of gastric cancer (GC) attributed to gastric intestinal metaplasia (IM), and validate the Operative Link on Gastric Intestinal Metaplasia (OLGIM) for targeted endoscopic surveillance in regions with low-intermediate incidence of GC.
METHODS
A prospective, longitudinal and multicentre study was carried out in Singapore. The study participants comprised 2980 patients undergoing screening gastroscopy with standardised gastric mucosal sampling, from January 2004 and December 2010, with scheduled surveillance endoscopies at year 3 and 5. Participants were also matched against the National Registry of Diseases Office for missed diagnoses of early gastric neoplasia (EGN).
RESULTS
There were 21 participants diagnosed with EGN. IM was a significant risk factor for EGN (adjusted-HR 5.36; 95% CI 1.51 to 19.0; p<0.01). The age-adjusted EGN incidence rates for patients with and without IM were 133.9 and 12.5 per 100 000 person-years. Participants with OLGIM stages III-IV were at greatest risk (adjusted-HR 20.7; 95% CI 5.04 to 85.6; p<0.01). More than half of the EGNs (n=4/7) attributed to baseline OLGIM III-IV developed within 2 years (range: 12.7-44.8 months). Serum trefoil factor 3 distinguishes (Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristics 0.749) patients with OLGIM III-IV if they are negative for . Participants with OLGIM II were also at significant risk of EGN (adjusted-HR 7.34; 95% CI 1.60 to 33.7; p=0.02). A significant smoking history further increases the risk of EGN among patients with OLGIM stages II-IV.
CONCLUSIONS
We suggest a risk-stratified approach and recommend that high-risk patients (OLGIM III-IV) have endoscopic surveillance in 2 years, intermediate-risk patients (OLGIM II) in 5 years.
Topics: Gastroscopy; Helicobacter Infections; Helicobacter pylori; Humans; Metaplasia; Precancerous Conditions; Prospective Studies; Risk Factors; Stomach Neoplasms
PubMed: 33975867
DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2021-324057