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Heart Rhythm O2 2020 Jun 12;1(2):96-102. Epub 2020 May 12.

Department of Internal Medicine, University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, Sacramento, California.

Background: Obesity is associated with a higher incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF). Weight reduction improves outcomes in patients known to have AF.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the incidence of heart failure (HF) or first-time AF hospitalization in obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery (BAS) vs other abdominal surgeries. Read More

World J Emerg Surg 2021 Jun 10;16(1):29. Epub 2021 Jun 10.

Division of Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.

Background: To conduct a meta-analysis to assess the safety and efficacy of prophylactic transcatheter arterial embolization (PTAE) for the treatment of high-risk bleeding peptic ulcers after achieving endoscopic hemostasis.

Methods: PubMed and Cochrane Library were queried for full-text articles published up to December 2019. The following keywords were used: "prophylactic embolization", "supplement embolization", "gastrointestinal bleeding", and "ulcer bleeding". Read More

Pacing Clin Electrophysiol 2021 Jun 10. Epub 2021 Jun 10.

Quebec Heart and Lung Institute, Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.

Background: Gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) is associated with a high recurrence rate and a prior GIB episode is common in real-world left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) recipients. The present study sought to evaluate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with prior GIB undergoing LAAC, and to determine the factors associated with and clinical impact of GIB recurrence.

Methods: Multicenter study including 277 consecutive patients who underwent percutaneous LAAC and had prior GIB. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2021 Jun 9;14(6). Epub 2021 Jun 9.

Internal Medicine, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, UAE

A man in his 30s was brought by ambulance to the emergency department with a complaint of frank bright red rectal bleeding and dizziness. His blood pressure was 60/18 mm Hg. He was resuscitated with intravenous normal saline and an emergency blood transfusion. Read More

BMC Neurol 2021 Jun 9;21(1):220. Epub 2021 Jun 9.

Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.

Background: For acute ischaemic stroke patients, it is uncertain whether intravenous thrombolysis combined with statins might increase the therapeutic effect. Additionally, using high-intensity statins after thrombolysis may increase the risk of bleeding in patients. Asian stroke patients often take low-dose statins. Read More

Zhonghua Gan Zang Bing Za Zhi 2021 May;29(5):468-471

Department of Endoscopy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, China.

42 cases with gastroesophageal varices were prospectively included. The groups were treated with endoscopic band ligation or combined with tissue adhesive. The results showed that the left gastric vein internal diameter, average blood flow velocity and blood flow volume after the treatment of band ligation combined with tissue adhesive were significantly lower than that of the treatment of band ligation alone, and the differences were statistically significant ( < 0. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2021 May;100(19):e25771

Department of Internal Medicine-College of Medicine-Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University -King Fahd Hospital of the University-Khobar-Eastern Province-Saudi Arabia.

Introduction: Corona virus disease-2019 (COVID-19) presents primarily with respiratory symptoms. However, extra respiratory manifestations are being frequently recognized including gastrointestinal involvement. The most common gastrointestinal symptoms are nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Read More

J Clin Pharm Ther 2021 Jun 7. Epub 2021 Jun 7.

Department of Emergency, Dongyang people's Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Dongyang, China.

What Is Known And Objective: Long-term anticoagulant/antithrombotic therapy is widely used for the management of thromboembolic conditions. Gastrointestinal bleeding is a common collateral manifestation of anticoagulant/antithrombotic therapy that complicates its administration. The continuation or discontinuation of anticoagulant/antithrombotic therapy after an episode of gastrointestinal bleeding has been a matter of debate. Read More

Cureus 2021 May 3;13(5):e14817. Epub 2021 May 3.

Surgery, Southwest Healthcare System, Murrieta, USA.

Meckel's diverticulum is the most common congenital anomaly of the small intestine. It is a true diverticulum containing all layers of the intestinal wall and results from the incomplete resolution of the omphalomesenteric duct. The majority of the cases are asymptomatic; however, diagnostic challenges arise when it becomes inflamed, causes gastrointestinal hemorrhage, intestinal obstruction, or when it protrudes through a potential abdominal opening (Littre's hernia). Read More

ASAIO J 2021 May 25. Epub 2021 May 25.

From the *Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Section of Heart failure and Transplantation, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa †National Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece ‡Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Mount Sinai Beth Israel, New York City, New York §Heart Institute, Hadassah University Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel ¶Department of Cardiac Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Bostons, Massachusetts ‖Department of Cardiology, Westchester Medical Center & New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York.

Despite decreasing morbidity and mortality in left ventricular assist device (LVAD) recipients, readmission after implantation remains a major problem. Our aim was to investigate the trends and outcomes of 90 and 180 day readmission in this population. The National Readmission Database from 2012 to 2017 was queried to identify LVAD recipients. Read More

Int Urogynecol J 2021 Jun 3. Epub 2021 Jun 3.

Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, 1, Haiyuan 1st Road, Futian District, Shenzhen, 518053, Guangdong, China.

Introduction And Hypothesis: Sacrocolpopexy and sacrospinous ligament fixation (SSLF) have been used for the restoration of apical support. Studies comparing sacrocolpopexy and SSLF have reported conflicting results. We aim to assess the current evidence regarding efficiency and the complications of sacrocolpopexy compared with SSLF. Read More

Endosc Int Open 2021 Jun 27;9(6):E943-E954. Epub 2021 May 27.

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya-shi, Aichi, Japan.

It remains unclear whether the experience of endoscopists affects clinical outcomes for acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding (ALGIB). We aimed to determine the feasibility and safety of colonoscopies performed by nonexperts using secondary data from a randomized controlled trial for ALGIB.  We analyzed clinical outcomes in 159 patients with ALGIB who underwent colonoscopies performed by two groups of endoscopists: experts and nonexperts. Read More

Endosc Int Open 2021 Jun 27;9(6):E777-E789. Epub 2021 May 27.

Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, United States.

J BUON 2021 Mar-Apr;26(2):490-498

Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery IV, Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute, Beijing, China.

Purpose: Although the acceptance of laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy (LAG) for the treatment of gastric cancer (GC) has been increasing, it is still controversial that LAG is an applicable treatment method for elderly patients since elderly patients are usually complicated with other diseases. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the prognostic differences between elderly patients and non-elderly patients after receiving LAG.

Methods: Patients (n = 306) who received LAG for the treatment of GC from April 2009 to December 2014 were included in the study. Read More

J Surg Oncol 2021 Jun 2. Epub 2021 Jun 2.

General Surgery Department, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

Background And Objectives: This study aimed to find the advantages of robotic natural orifice specimen extraction surgery (NOSES) for middle and low rectal cancer, compared with traditional laparoscopic low anterior resection (LAR).

Methods: Patients receiving robotic NOSES or traditional laparoscopic LAR were retrospectively enrolled from 2013-10 to 2019-06, with middle and low rectal cancer, maximum diameter ≤ 5 cm, pT1-3 or ypT1-3 stage, no distant metastases. The baseline of the two groups was balanced using the propensity score matching method. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2021 May 21;22(11). Epub 2021 May 21.

Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany.

Inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptor-associated cGMP kinase substrate 1 (IRAG1) is a substrate protein of the NO/cGMP-signaling pathway and forms a ternary complex with the cGMP-dependent protein kinase Iβ (PKGIβ) and the inositol triphosphate receptor I (IPR-I). Functional studies about IRAG1 exhibited that IRAG1 is specifically phosphorylated by the PKGIβ, regulating cGMP-mediated IP-dependent Ca-release. IRAG1 is widely distributed in murine tissues, e. Read More

Endoscopy 2021 Jun 1. Epub 2021 Jun 1.

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.

1: ESGE recommends that the initial assessment of patients presenting with acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding should include: a history of co-morbidities and medications that promote bleeding; hemodynamic parameters; physical examination (including digital rectal examination); and laboratory markers. A risk score can be used to aid, but should not replace, clinician judgment.Strong recommendation, low quality evidence. Read More

Int J Surg Case Rep 2021 May 21;83:105992. Epub 2021 May 21.

Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud del Tecnológico de Monterrey, Nuevo León, México. Electronic address:

Introduction: Abdominal splenosis is a rare condition where autotransplanted ectopic spleen tissue is found in the abdominal cavity after spleen injury or splenectomy. While abdominal splenosis is mostly described as asymptomatic, bowel splenosis can present with abdominal pain, obstipation or gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. Scarce information on bowel splenosis exists and high index of suspicion is needed for diagnosis. Read More

Rev Esp Enferm Dig 2021 Jun 1. Epub 2021 Jun 1.

Aparato Digestivo, Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena.

We present the case of a 71-year-old man, with medical history of hypertension, dyslipidemia and acute myocardial infarction in 2007, taking low dose of aspirin and bemiparing 3500 every 24h. He was admitted in the Urology Service with recurrent hematuria 14 days after radical prostatectomy, which ceased after continuous bladder irrigation. Read More

GE Port J Gastroenterol 2021 Apr 18;28(3):207-209. Epub 2020 Sep 18.

Department of Pediatric Surgery, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry, India.

In a child, lower gastrointestinal tract bleeding can be attributed to different etiologies. Unusually, the presence of bowel arteriovenous malformations can lead to multiple bouts of painless bright red bleeding per rectum, which develop into severe anemia. The article focuses on the diagnosis and management of bowel arteriovenous malformation in a child. Read More

J Travel Med 2021 May 28. Epub 2021 May 28.

Internal Medicine Department, Hospital de Viladecans, Institut Català de la Salut, Viladecans (Barcelona), Spain.

J Clin Gastroenterol 2021 May 28. Epub 2021 May 28.

Department of Internal Medicine, Michigan State University at Hurley Medical Center, Flint Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, East Lansing, MI Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Saint Peters University Hospital, New Brunswick, NJ Division of Gastroenterology, The Wright Center of Graduate Medical Education, Scranton, PA Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.

Goals And Background: Stress ulcer prophylaxis has been shown to lower gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) rates. Various agents have been studied, and the optimal strategy continues to be contested. This study evaluates the efficacy between proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and histamine-2-receptor antagonists. Read More

World J Clin Cases 2021 May;9(15):3689-3695

Department of Hospital Medicine, Kangwon National University Hospital , Chuncheon-si 24289, South Korea.

Background: Clopidogrel is a platelet aggregation inhibitor used for the management of cardiovascular disease. While antiplatelet therapy decreases cardiovascular events after successful coronary drug-eluting stenting, it increases the risk of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. About 20% of the patients who take clopidogrel exhibit resistance to the drug. Read More

World J Gastroenterol 2021 May;27(19):2353-2365

Department of Gastroenterology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul 05505, South Korea.

Background: Acute severe lower gastrointestinal bleeding (LGIB) is an uncommon but challenging complication of Crohn's disease (CD).

Aim: To identify the predictors of acute severe LGIB and to evaluate the impact of acute severe LGIB on the subsequent clinical course in CD patients.

Methods: A retrospective inception cohort study was conducted in 75 CD patients with acute severe LGIB and 1359 CD patients without acute severe LGIB who were diagnosed between February 1991 and November 2019 at Asan Medical Center, a tertiary university hospital in Korea. Read More

Khirurgiia (Mosk) 2021 (6):38-44

State Novosibirsk Regional Clinical Hospital, Novosibirsk, Russia.

Objective: To evaluate the results of diagnosis and treatment of foreign bodies of the upper gastrointestinal tract.

Material And Methods: There were 1187 patients aged 15-99 years with suspected foreign body of the upper gastrointestinal tract. In 536 patients (266 men, 270 women), foreign bodies were detected. Read More

Arch Med Sci Atheroscler Dis 2021 12;6:e40-e47. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Department of Cardiology, Marshall University, Huntington, WV, USA.

Introduction: We aimed to determine in-hospital outcomes, length of hospital stay (LOS) and resource utilization in a contemporary cohort of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and atrial fibrillation (AFIB).

Material And Methods: The National Inpatient Sample database October 2015 to December 2017 was utilized for data analysis using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes to identify the patients with the principal diagnosis of IBD.

Results: Of 714,863 IBD patients, 64,599 had a diagnosis of both IBD and AFIB. Read More

Clin Transl Radiat Oncol 2021 Jul 23;29:11-19. Epub 2021 Apr 23.

Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

Background And Purpose: Pelvic radiotherapy (RT) often results in gastrointestinal toxicity and clinical trials have demonstrated a potential benefit of dietary supplements in alleviating acute effects. However, no prophylactic agents have been approved to date for relief of gastrointestinal side-effects caused by pelvic radiation. In this systematic review, we evaluated the efficacy of dietary supplements in preventing or alleviating symptoms of gastrointestinal toxicity in patients undergoing pelvic RT. Read More

JACC Cardiovasc Interv 2021 May;14(10):1109-1119

Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Severance Cardiovascular Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate whether earlier extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support is associated with improved clinical outcomes in patients with refractory cardiogenic shock (CS).

Background: The prognosis of patients with refractory CS receiving ECMO remains poor. However, little is known about the association between the timing of ECMO implantation and clinical outcomes in these patients. Read More

Rev Esp Enferm Dig 2021 May 21. Epub 2021 May 21.

Gastroenterology, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de São João.

Background: Capsule enteroscopy (CE) and 99mTc Red blood cell (RBC) scintigraphy are frequently used tests in the investigation of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB). There is a scarcity of data comparing both diagnostic modalities. This study aims to assess the performance of CE and scintigraphy for the diagnosis of OGIB. Read More