Showing papers in "Digestive and Liver Disease in 2007"

TL;DR: Since the evidence supporting the use of botanicals to treat chronic liver diseases is insufficient and only few of them are well standardised and free of potential serious side effects, most of these medications are not recommended outside clinical trials.

TL;DR: The aim of the present paper is to outline the most recent evidence concerning extrahepatic disorders that are possibly associated with Hepatitis C Virus infection and discuss the most appropriate clinical approaches to be adopted.

TL;DR: It is suggested a strict adherence to criteria of allocation based on the virological characteristics of both recipients and donors in the general setting of transplants and in liver transplantation the universal prophylaxis with nucleos(t)ides analogues (frequently combined with specific anti-HBV immunoglobulins) in HBsAg positive candidates and inHBsAg negative recipients of anti- HBc positive grafts.

TL;DR: A complex picture of the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of irritable bowel syndrome is emerging, with interactions between several different alterations resulting in the divergent symptom pattern in these patients.

TL;DR: Increased net matrix metalloproteinases activity in intestinal inflammatory bowel disease tissue is shown, likely to contribute to the tissue damage and remodelling seen ininflammatory bowel disease.

TL;DR: The stable isotope technique presents an elegant, non-invasive diagnostic tool promising further options of clinical applications and the quantification of liver function using hepatically metabolised 13C-substrates is clinically helpful in special indications.

TL;DR: Among patients with coeliac disease the degree of villous atrophy in duodenal biopsies did not correlate with the mode of presentation, indicating that factors other than thedegree of villus atrophy must account for diarrhoea in coeliat disease.

TL;DR: Perianal lesions are exceedingly common in Crohn's disease and many patients have more than one type of lesion, such as skin tags, fissures and haemorrhoids.

TL;DR: Blueberry and probiotics exert protective effects on acute liver injury, which reduce the hepatocytes injury, the inflammation and the pro-inflammatory cytokines, and improve the barrier functions and antioxidant activity.

TL;DR: The eradication rate achieved by a levofloxacin-amoxycillin triple therapy as a second-line treatment seems to be decreasing, and its efficacy is reduced in presence of lev oflOxacin resistance.

TL;DR: The stool antigen test is now accepted as a valid test for confirmation of H. pylori eradication following therapy, and new therapeutic approaches have been recommended for both first- and second-line treatment in this country.

TL;DR: Mixed cryoglobulinemia, a small-vessel systemic vasculitis, is characterized by the coexistence of autoimmune and lymphoproliferative alterations; therefore, it represents the prototype of HCV-associated disorders.

TL;DR: Evidence in favor of HCV tropism for lymphoid cells derives from a series of data including the higher sensitivity of testing HCVRNA in PBMC than in serum or plasma samples, as well as possible preferential viral Tropism for specific PBMC subsets.

TL;DR: Cyclo-oxygenases-inhibiting NO-donating drugs and H(2)S-releasing nonsteroidal anti- inflammatory drugs represent examples of new anti-inflammatory drugs created through the exploitation of the beneficial effects of endogenous gaseous mediators in the gastrointestinal and cardiovascular systems.

TL;DR: The results of this survey indicate a lack of compliance with the guidelines which regard the indications mainly for interventional endoscopy and surgery for acute pancreatitis in Italy.

TL;DR: Recent insights about the molecular mechanisms by which Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron help the host in three important aspects of host physiology: mucosal barrier reinforcement, immune system modulation and nutrients metabolism are focused on.

TL;DR: Wireless capsule endoscopy may be an option to recognise villous atrophy in patients with a positive endomysial antibody who are unwilling, or unable to have a gastroscopy, however, a negative test should be followed by a biopsy if coeliac disease is to be excluded.

TL;DR: Only in a small group (no more than 15%) of all HCV-infected patients does the disease reduce quality and/or quantity of life, and alcohol consumption is a very important factor of additional risk of progression, but there are several other factors that must be better analysed.

TL;DR: Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus have prolonged video-capsule endoscopy gastric transit time compared to non-diabetic patients and Prospective studies are required to complete the understanding of video- Capsule Endoscopy transit times in the setting of diabetes mell Titus.

TL;DR: Target-controlled prop ofol infusion provides safe and effective sedation; premedication with low dose of midazolam does not reduce the total amount of propofol administered.

TL;DR: Wilson disease is an inherited, autosomal recessive, copper accumulation and toxicity disorder that affects about 30 individuals per million and the goal of therapy is to reduce copper accumulation either by enhancing its urinary excretion or by decreasing its intestinal absorption.

TL;DR: Contrast enhanced ultrasound enables the characterisation of focal liver lesions, regardless of the presence or absence of underlying chronic liver disease, and is also useful in staging and follow-up of cancer patients and in monitoring local ablative treatment.

TL;DR: Autologous stem cell transplantation seems unsatisfactory for patients with enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma and more intensive conditioning and aggressive chemotherapy with/or without targeted immunotherapy as well as allogenous stem cell transplation needs to be explored.

TL;DR: The novel finding of HCV RNA sequences within carotid plaques suggests a local pro-atherogenetic action of the virus inside the plaque, and strongly support that HCV infection facilitates the occurrence of carotids atherosclerotic lesions.

TL;DR: The likelihood of neurological adverse effects provides evidence for the need of a careful cognitive and neurological work up of patients in the orthotopic liver transplantation waiting list, in order to recognize and interpret neurological dysfunction occurring after Orthotopic Liver transplantation.

TL;DR: These results make it possible to provide more accurate information to parents with a child with CD about the real risk for another child, and an antenatal estimate of the order of risk of CD is now possible.

TL;DR: The presence of scarring fading to normal mucosa on anti-MAP therapy implies a more profound healing not seen with standard anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant drugs.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors evaluated the role of the information furnished by both the SF-12™ Health Survey and European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of life Questionnaire-C30 questionnaires, and to determine which of these two questionnaires may be considered more efficacious, in clinical practice, in describing the quality of life of patients with chronic pancreatitis.

TL;DR: This review analyses and discusses current classifications of any perianal form of Crohn's disease and concludes that a good classification and anatomical description of these conditions is crucial before embarking on any kind of therapy.

TL;DR: Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that older age, lower body mass index, previous hysterectomy, diarrhoea, 1st time colonoscopy and anxiety were predictors of patient pain and difficulty of intubation.