Repositório RCAAP

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Celiac disease (CD) is an immune-mediated systemic disorder elicited by the ingestion of gluten. The European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) guidelines published in 2012 suggested a no-biopsy pathway (NBP) for symptomatic children with IgA tissue transglutaminase (TGA-IgA) ≥10x upper limit of normal (ULN). Biopsy confirmation remained mandatory for other cases. OBJECTIVE: This retrospective case note study was aimed at evaluating the adherence to the ESPGHAN 2012 guidelines for diagnosing CD in our unit. METHODS: Forty-three cases with positive TGA-IgA were identified by a laboratory database search from January 2013 to December 2019. 6 of 43 patients were not referred for a confirmation of CD diagnosis. Data was collected on the diagnostic pathways followed, and appropriateness of adherence was compared with the existing ESPGHAN guidelines. RESULTS: A total of 37 cases were included with 35 children diagnosed with CD. 29/35 (83%) were diagnosed via the NBP;15/29 (52%) children did not meet all the criteria required for NBP, but were diagnosed and managed as having CD. 20/35 (57%) children were diagnosed with CD in adherence to the 2012 guidelines. CONCLUSION: The recommended diagnostic guidelines were frequently not implemented; adherence to the guidelines may improve following regular educational sessions. The revised 2020 ESPGHAN guidelines which exclude HLA-DQ2/DQ8 testing would address the issue of diagnosis for the 10/15 NBP cases (with TGA-IgA >10xULN) in our study who did not have HLA testing and were therefore non-adherent to the 2012 diagnostic guidelines. NBP, with the reduced need for endoscopy may be beneficial in resource limited settings.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Obesity is an independent risk factor for esophageal symptoms, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and motor abnormalities. When contemplating bariatric surgery, patients with obesity type III undergo esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and also esophageal manometry (EMN), and prolonged pHmetry (PHM) as part of their pre-operative evaluation. OBJECTIVE: Description of endoscopy, manometry and pHmetry findings in patients with obesity type III preparing for bariatric surgery, and correlation of these findings with the presence of typical GERD symptoms. METHODS: Retrospective study in which clinical symptoms of GERD were assessed, focusing on the presence of heartburn and regurgitation. All patients underwent EMN, PHM and most of them EGD. RESULTS: 114 patients (93 females-81%), average age 36 years old, average BMI of 45.3, were studied. Typical GERD symptoms were referred by 43 (38%) patients while 71 (62%) were asymptomatic. Eighty two patients (72% of total) underwent EGD and 36 (42%) evidenced esophageal abnormalities. Among the abnormal findings, hiatal hernia was seen in 36%, erosive esophagitis (EE) in 36%, and HH+EE in 28%. An abnormal EMN was recorded in 51/114 patients (45%). The main abnormality was a hypotensive lower esophageal sphincter (LES) in 32%, followed by ineffective esophageal motility in 25%, nutcracker esophagus in 19%, IEM + hypotensive LES in 10%, intra-thoracic LES (6%), hypertensive LES (4%), aperistalsis (2%) and achalasia (2%). Among the 43 symptomatic patients, 23 (53%) had abnormal EMN and 31/71 asymptomatic cases (44%) also presented this finding (P=0.30). PHM showed abnormal reflux in 60/114 patients (53%), with a predominance of bi-positional reflux (42%), followed by supine reflux (33%) and upright reflux (25%). Abnormal PHM was found in 26/43 symptomatic cases (60%) and also among 34/71 asymptomatic cases (48%) (P=0.19). CONCLUSION: Manometric abnormalities were common in obesity type III patients, the most frequent being hypotensive LES, followed by IEM. Most patients were asymptomatic. There was no correlation between the finding of motor abnormalities and the presence of symptoms. More than half the patients had abnormal reflux at PHM. We found no significant correlation between abnormal reflux and the presence of symptoms.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) of esophageal superficial neoplasm is associated with a high en bloc R0 resection rate and low recurrence. OBJECTIVE: We aim to compare the performance and clinical outcomes of ESD via ESD after circumferential incision (ESD-C) versus submucosal tunneling (ESD-T). METHODS: Single-center retrospective analysis of all consecutive patients who underwent ESD for superficial esophageal cancer, between 2009 and 2018. ESD-T was defined as the technique of making the mucosal incisions followed by submucosal tunneling in the oral to anal direction. ESD-C consisted of completing a circumferential incision followed by ESD. Main study outcomes included en bloc and R0 resection rates. Secondary outcomes included procedural characteristics, curative resection rate, local recurrence and adverse events. RESULTS: A total of 65 procedures (23 ESD-T and 42 ESD-C) were performed for ESCC (40; 61.5%) and BE-neoplasia (25; 38.5%). There were no statistically significant differences between patients who underwent ESD-T versus ESD-C in en bloc (91.3% vs 100%, P=0.12), R0 (65.2% vs 78.6%, P=0.24), curative resection rates (65.2% vs 73.8%, P=0.47) and mean procedure time (118.7 min with vs 102.4 min, P=0.35). Adverse events for ESD-T and ESD-C were as follows: bleeding (0 versus 2.4%; P=0.53), perforation (4.3% vs 0; P=0.61), esophageal stricture (8.7% versus 9.5%; P=0.31). Local recurrence was encountered in 8.7% after ESD-T and 2.4% after ESD-C (P=0.28) at a mean follow-up of 8 and 2.75 years, respectively (P=0.001). CONCLUSION: ESD-T and ESD-C appear to be equally effective with similar safety profiles for the management of superficial esophageal neoplasms.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (NVUGIB) secondary to peptic ulcer disease is a medical digestive emergency and could be one of the most serious adverse drug reactions. OBJECTIVE: To identify the frequency of diagnosis of NVUGIB secondary to peptic ulcer disease. METHODS: Prospective and epidemiological study conducted in a tertiary referral Brazilian hospital, from July 2016 to December 2019. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopies (UGE) reports were evaluated daily. The diagnosis of NVUGIB secondary to peptic ulcer disease was defined through endoscopic findings of peptic ulcer and erosive gastric lesions, and clinical symptoms. The frequency of diagnosis of NVUGIB secondary to peptic ulcer disease was estimated through the ratio between the number of patients diagnosed and the number of patients underwent UGE in the same period. RESULTS: A total of 2,779 endoscopic reports (2,503 patients) were evaluated, and 178 patients were eligible. The total frequency of diagnosis of NVUGIB secondary to peptic ulcer disease was 7.1%. The annual frequency of diagnosis between 2017 and 2019 ranged from 9.3% to 5.7%. Most patients were men (72.8%); self-declared white (71.8%); older people (56.7%); and, had no familiar or personal history of gastrointestinal diseases (60.1%). 90% of the patients had a peptic ulcer and melena (62.8%). Patients made chronic use of low-dose aspirin (29.3%), other antiplatelet agents (21.9%) and, oral anticoagulants (11.2%); and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories use in the week a prior to the onset of clinical symptoms (25.8%). CONCLUSION: Seven in every 100 patients admitted and underwent UGE in a tertiary hospital were diagnosed with NVUGIB secondary to peptic ulcer disease.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent liver disease in the world, and its prevalence is increasing alongside obesity. In United States, NAFLD is already the second leading cause of liver transplantation. The spectrum of the disease ranges from simple steatosis, which has a benign course, to steatohepatitis, which may progress to cirrhosis and its complications. The rising of noninvasive methods for diagnosing and staging non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and fibrosis decreases the need of liver biopsy, as well as the costs and the occurrence of complications related to it. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the performance of the triglyceride-glucose index to evaluate steatosis, NASH and liver fibrosis in obese patients with NAFLD. METHODS: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study. Every medical record of patients who were candidates for bariatric surgery at a leading hospital in Southern Brazil were analyzed. The triglyceride-glucose index (TyG Index), a method composed only of two simple laboratory tests (serum triglycerides and fasting glucose levels), was performed prior to surgery. The TyG Index performance regarding the anatomopathological findings was evaluated, and the AUROC curve was calculated to evaluate the best cut-off point for diagnosing steatosis, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and liver fibrosis grade. Also, the NAFLD fibrosis Score (NFS) was evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 423 patients were evaluated. The TyG Index with a cut-off point of 8.76 excluded significant simple steatosis (grade 2-3) in obese patients, with 67.6% sensitivity, 65.1% specificity, 46.3% positive predictive value (PPV), 81.8% negative predictive value (NPV), 65.8% accuracy and 0.66 AUROC (P=0.005). In the evaluation of NASH, the TyG Index with a cut-off point of 8.82 excluded significant NASH (grade 2-3) with 57.3% sensitivity, 58.6% specificity, 33.7% PPV, 78.8% NPV, 58.2% accuracy and 0.58 AUROC (P=0.022). When evaluating liver fibrosis, the TyG Index with a cut-off point of 8.91 showed a sensitivity of 61.8%, a specificity of 62.5%, a PPV of 13.8 and a NPV of 94.4% for exclusion of advanced fibrosis (F3-4), with a 62.4% accuracy and 0.69 AUROC (P<0.001). When analyzing the performance of NFS in the diagnosis of advanced fibrosis, the cut-off point <-1.455 excluded advanced fibrosis with sensitivity of 59.4%, specificity of 51%, PPV of 11%, NPV of 92.4% and accuracy of 51.7%. However, the cut-off point of 0.676 to diagnose advanced fibrosis presented sensitivity of 21.9%, specificity of 83%, PPV of 11.7%, NPV of 91.2% and 77.3% accuracy. The AUROC was 0.54 (P=0.480). CONCLUSION: TyG Index did not perform well in the diagnosis of significant steatosis and NASH. However, it was able to exclude advanced fibrosis in obese patients who are candidates for bariatric surgery.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Ileitis is defined as an inflammation of the ileum, which is evaluated during colonoscopy. Biopsies should be performed on altered ileus, aiding to the diagnosis. OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the correlation of anatomopathological findings on ileitis between pathologists and endoscopists. METHODS: A retrospective, cross-sectional study, between 2013 and 2017. Examination report, indications for colonoscopy, and medical records were evaluated to identify whether the colonoscopic findings were clinically significant. Anatomopathological samples were reviewed by a pathologist expert in gastrointestinal tract. Patients over 18 years of age who had undergone ileoscopy were included, whereas patients below 18 years of age and those with previous intestinal resections were excluded. The correlation was assessed using the kappa coefficient index. RESULTS: A total of 5833 colonoscopies were conducted in the study period and 3880 cases were included. Ileal alterations were observed in 206 cases, with 2.94% being clinically significant. A hundred and sixty three biopsies were evaluated using the kappa index, resulting in agreement among pathologists of 0.067 and among pathologist and endoscopist of 0.141. CONCLUSION: It was observed that despite the low concordance between pathologists and endoscopists, there was no change in patient outcomes. This study confirms the importance of knowledge of the main anatomopathological changes related to ileitis by pathologists and endoscopists, making the best diagnosis and follow-up.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Viral hepatitis is a global phenomenon, with the disease burden varying on a daily basis. Amongst chronic infections, hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are egregiously linked to severe health-related complications, with a worldwide prevalence of 248 million and 71 million respectively. Amongst the developing world, a hand full of countries are exhibiting a gross decline in chronic viral infection prevalence, like Bangladesh. While countries such as India have a consistent prevalence, Pakistan bears one of the largest proportions of chronic viral hepatitis globally with increasing trends shown year-by-year. Various old literature texts have stated an approximate national prevalence rate around 2.6% and 5.3% of hepatitis B and C respectively. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the current seroprevalence rates of chronic viral hepatitis amongst the general population of rural Sindh using a screening program to determine the current disease burden. METHODS: An observational, cross-sectional survey based on a screening program was conducted in 5 districts with a combined population of over 6.5 million. The screening was carried out via the administration of various camps with the assistance of local social workers and welfare organizations. A total of 24,322 individuals met the inclusion criteria and were screened through (HBsAg/HCV) rapid test cassette (WC) Imu-Med one-step diagnostic test. RESULTS: Hepatitis B was found positive in 964 (3.96%) individuals including 421 (43.67%) males and 543 (56.32%) females, while hepatitis C was positive in 2872 (11.80%) individuals including 1474 (51.32%) males and 1398 (48.67%) females. The prevalence amongst the districts varied between 0.97% and 9.06% for hepatitis B, and 1.61% and 29.50% for hepatitis C, respectively. Umerkot was found to be the most prevalent district amongst rural Sindh, while Badin had the least number of seropositive people. The second most prevalent district of the study population was found to be Tando Allahyar followed by Mirpur Khas. The combined seroprevalence of 15.76% was calculated for hepatitis B and C together amongst the five studied districts of rural and peri-urban Sindh. CONCLUSION: The alarmingly high prevalence rates revealed in our study warrant the urgent need to generate multiple effective strategies in the region to enhance awareness amongst the general population regarding screening, prevention, and prompt treatment of the disease.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Ileitis is defined as ileal inflammation, with several etiologies, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and can be evaluated during the colonoscopy exam, but its mandatory evaluation is discussed, because of few diagnosis and procedure time. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the correlation of colonoscopic ileitis with the clinical presentation, in order to identify the cases where ileal examination is mandatory. METHODS: A retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted between 2013 and 2017. The examination report, indications for colonoscopy, and medical records were evaluated in order to identify whether the colonoscopic findings were clinically significant. Patients over 18 years of age who had undergone ileoscopy were included, whereas patients below 18 years of age, those with previous intestinal resections, and repeated examinations of the same patient in the study period were excluded. The estimated association measure was the odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals. P-values <0.05 indicated statistical significance. RESULTS: A total of 3382 cases were included. Among these participants, 64.5% were females and the average age was 56.9±13.1 years (18-89 years). Ileal alterations were observed in 5.3% of the patients, with 2.69% being clinically significant between all patients, and 0.96% excluding those with IBD. There was a positive correlation between the ileitis findings and IBD control examinations and a negative correlation in screening and change in bowel habit indications. Among the indications with ileitis clinically significant, IBD control still had a positive correlation, ‘diarrhea’ and ‘others’ did not show a statistical significance, and all other indications presented a negative correlation for ileal assessment. CONCLUSION: Ileal evaluation in only mandatory in IBD control. When the main colonoscopy objective is detecting colonic neoplasms, ileoscopy is unnecessary.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Caustic ingestion and development of esophageal strictures are recognized major public health problems in childhood. Different therapeutic methods have been proposed in the management of such strictures. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate efficacy and risk of endoscopic topical application of mitomycin C in the treatment of caustic esophageal strictures. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Central Cochrane, and LILACS databases. The outcomes evaluated were dysphagia resolution rate, number of dilations performed in resolved cases, and the number of dilations performed in all patients. RESULTS: Three randomized clinical trials were included for final analysis with a total of 190 patients. Topical mitomycin C application group showed a significant increase in dysphagia resolution rate, corresponding to a 42% higher dysphagia resolution as compared to endoscopic dilation alone, with statistical significance between the two groups (RD: 0.42 - [CI: 0.29-0.56]; P-value <0.00001). The mean number of dilations performed in resolved cases were significantly less in the topical mitomycin C application group, compared to endoscopic dilations alone, with statistical significance between the two groups (MD: 2.84 [CI: 1.98-3.69]; P-value <0.00001). When comparing the number of dilations in all patients, there was no statistical difference between the two groups (MD: 1.46 [CI: -1.53-4.44]; P-value =0.34). CONCLUSION: Application of topical mitomycin C with endoscopic dilations in caustic esophageal strictures was more effective in dysphagia resolution than endoscopic therapy alone in the pediatric population. Moreover, topical mitomycin C application also reduced the number of dilation sessions needed to alleviate dysphagia without rising morbidity.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: The nature of liver disease, the evolutionary course and duration of liver diseases, as well as the degree of severity and disability can trigger multiple outcomes with repercussions on neuromotor acquisition and development. OBJECTIVE: To systematically review and conduct a meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of liver disease on the neuropsychomotor development of children and adolescents with their native livers and those who underwent liver transplantation. METHODS: Observational studies published since the early 1980s until June 2019 were sought in the PubMed and Scopus databases. An α value of 0.05 was considered significant. The statistical heterogeneity of the treatment effect between the studies was assessed by the Cochran’s Q test and the I2 inconsistency test, in which values above 25 and 50% were considered indicative of moderate and high heterogeneity, respectively. Analyses were performed with Review Manager 5.3. RESULTS: Twenty-five studies met the eligibility criteria, including 909 children and adolescents with liver disease. Meta-analyses showed deficits in total IQ -0.41 (95%CI: -0.51 to -0.32; N: 9,973), verbal IQ -0.38 (95%CI: -0.57 to -0.18; N: 10,284) and receptive language -0.85 (95%CI: -1.16 to -0.53; N: 921) in liver transplantation, and those with native livers who had symptoms early had total and verbal IQ scores (85±8.8; 86.3±10.6 respectively) lower than the scores of those with late manifestations (99.5±13.8; 96.2±9.2). Gross motor skill was reduced -46.29 (95%CI: -81.55 to -11.03; N: 3,746). CONCLUSION: Acute or chronic liver disease can cause declines in cognitive, motor and language functions. Although the scores improve after liver transplantation, children remain below average when compared to healthy children.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Individuals with cirrhosis have a chronic systemic inflammation associated with an immune dysfunction, affecting the progression of the liver disease. The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was proposed as a marker of systemic inflammatory response and survival in patients with cirrhosis. OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the prognostic role of NLR in cirrhotic patients and its relation with inflammatory cytokines(IL-6, IL-10 and IL-17). METHODS: In this prospective study two groups were evaluated: 1) Stable cirrhotic in outpatient follow-up (n=193); 2) Hospitalized cirrhotic for acute decompensation for at least 48 hours (n=334) with admission and 48 hours tests evaluation. Circulating inflammatory cytokines were available for 130 hospitalized patients. RESULTS: In outpatients with stable cirrhosis, NLR correlated with MELD score and other variables associated with severity of disease. However, after a median of 32 months of follow up NLR was not associated with mortality (HR 1.058, 95%CI 0.900-1.243; P=0.495). In hospitalized patients, NLR at 48-hour after admission was independently associated with 90-day survival (HR 1.061, 95%CI 1.020-1.103; P=0.003) in multivariate Cox-regression analysis. The 90-day Kaplan-Meier survival probability was 87% for patients with a 48-hour NLR <3.6 and 62% for NLR ≥3.6 (P<0.001). Elevation of NLR in the first 48 hours was also independently associated with mortality (HR 2.038, 95%CI 1295-3207; P=0.002). The 90-day Kaplan-Meier survival probability was 83% when NLR did not increase and 62% when NLR increased (P<0.001). IL-6, IL-10 and IL-17 at admission were positively correlated with both admission and 48-hour NLR. Lower levels of baseline IL-10 were associated with NLR increase during first 48-hour. CONCLUSION: NLR evaluated at 48 hours of hospitalization and its early increase after admission were independently associated with short-term mortality in patients hospitalized for acute decompensation of cirrhosis.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: The intestinal microbiota influences the appropriate function of the gastrointestinal tract. Intestinal dysbiosis may be associated with a higher risk of esophageal lesions, mainly due to changes in gastroesophageal motility patterns, elevation of intra-abdominal pressure, and increased frequency of transient relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the intestinal microbiota in individuals with erosive esophagitis and in healthy individuals using metagenomics. METHODS: A total of 22 fecal samples from adults aged between 18 and 60 years were included. Eleven individuals had esophagitis (eight men and three women) and 11 were healthy controls (10 men and one woman). The individuals were instructed to collect and store fecal material into a tube containing guanidine solution. The DNA of the microbiota was extracted from each fecal samples and PCR amplification was performed using primers for the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. The amplicons were sequenced using the Ion Torrent PGM platform and the data were analyzed using the QIIME™ software version 1.8. Statistical analyses were performed using the Mann-Whitney non-parametric test and the ANOSIM non-parametric method based on distance matrix. RESULTS: The alpha-diversity and beta-diversity indices were similar between the two groups, without statistically significant differences. There was no statistically significant difference in the phylum level. However, a statistically significant difference was observed in the abundance of the family Clostridiaceae (0.3% vs 2.0%, P=0.032) and in the genus Faecaliumbacterium (10.5% vs 4.5%, P=0.045) between healthy controls and esophagitis patients. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that reduced abundance of the genus Faecaliumbacterium and greater abundance of the family Clostridiaceae may be risk factors for the development of erosive esophagitis. Intervention in the composition of the intestinal microbiota should be considered as an adjunct to current therapeutic strategies for this clinical condition.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Surgical treatment of recurrent anal fistulas can lead to numerous complications, including fecal incontinence. Therefore, sphincter preserving techniques are gaining more popularity. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to assess effectiveness of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy in the patients with recurrent cryptoglandular anal fistulas. METHODS: A cohort of 18 patients with anal fistulas was enrolled into a preliminary and prospective trial. They were divided into two groups consisting of eight and ten patients respectively. PRP was injected locally in all patients, however in the group II it was applied after 7 days drainage of fistulas with polyurethane foam or negative pressure wound therapy. On average, three doses of PRP were administered, but with the opportunity to double the number of applications if it was clinically justified. The patients were evaluated in an out-patient department after fortnight and then in 1, 6, and 12 months following the last PRP application. RESULTS: Anal fistulas were closed in 4 (50%) patients from the group I and in 7 (70%) patients form the group II. Although, the difference between both groups was not statistically significant, PRP therapy should be preceded with fistulous tract drainage in all patients. Summarizing, that successful result was achieved in 11 (60%) patients from the entire group of 18 participants. CONCLUSION: The rate of recurrent cryptoglandular anal fistulas closure reaching 60%, after topical treatment with PRP, exceeds the results of other sphincter-saving methods of treatment. Therefore, it might become a novel method of anal fistulas therapy.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Duodenal papilla neuroendocrine tumors (DP-NET) are rare. Surgical therapy may be recommended for their treatment. However, they have high rates of morbidity and mortality. Endoscopic papillectomy (EP) is safe and effective for complete resection of tumors at this site. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to describe a case series of DP-NETs resected by EP and perform a literature review. METHODS: A series of patients with DP-NETs underwent EP as primary treatment between Jan/2008 and Mar/2020 at a tertiary referral center. A comprehensive search was made on the MEDLINE primary electronic database. The search strategy was designed to find all articles related to DP-NETs published in the literature. RESULTS: Six patients underwent EP for presenting DP-NETs, four of whom were women (mean age, 63 years). The mean diameter of DP-NETs was 1.6±0.3 cm. Four of six patients were followed up, one of whom suffered relapse at the resection site after 3 months and was referred to surgery (pT3n1b) and the remaining three patients experienced no endoscopic or histological recurrence during follow-up periods of 10, 7, and 4 years, respectively. Eighteen articles were found in the literature search in MEDLINE. The articles included case reports of endoscopically treated DP-NETs. CONCLUSION: EP is safe and effective for DP-NETs that are ≤20 mm, confined to the submucosal layer, well-differentiated, and without local or remote metastasis. Adequate endoscopic follow-up and definitive surgical treatment in the presence of relapse are necessary.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a rare hepatobiliary disorder, whose etiology remains not fully elucidated. Given how rare PSC is in childhood, until the recent publication of a multicenter international collaboration, even data on its characteristics and natural history were scarce. Symptomatic cholelithiasis has not been previously reported as the presentation of PSC. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was the diagnosis of PSC following the initial unusual presentation with symptomatic cholelithiasis, that followed an atypical clinical course that could not be explained by cholelithiasis alone. A literature review was also conducted. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of three patients, who were diagnosed and/or followed at the Clinics Hospital, University of Campinas - Sao Paulo/ Brazil, between 2014 and 2020. Data analyzed included gender, age of presentation, past medical history, imaging findings, laboratory results, endoscopic evaluation, response to medical therapy and follow-up. RESULTS: Age at time of presentation with cholelithiasis varied from 10 to 12 years. In two of the cases reported, a more subacute onset of symptoms preceded the episode of cholelithiasis. Two patients were managed with cholecystectomy, not followed by any surgical complications, one patient was managed conservatively. Percutaneous liver biopsy was performed in all three cases, showing histological findings compatible with PSC. Associated inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) was not seen in any of the patients. The patients have been followed for a mean time of 3.4 years. CONCLUSION: PSC and cholelithiasis are both rare in the pediatric population. This study reports on symptomatic cholelithiasis as a presentation of PSC and raises the importance of suspecting an underlying hepatobiliary disorder in children with cholelithiasis without any known predisposing factors and/or that follow an atypical clinical course for cholelithiasis alone.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: The vitamin B12 absorption can be affected in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and low serum vitamin B12 levels has been related to the high homocysteine (HCY) levels and to the degree of NAFLD. OBJECTIVE: To carry out a systematic review and metanalysis of serum vitamin B12 and HCY levels in patients with NAFLD. METHODS: Original studies including serum vitamin B12 and HCY levels in humans with NAFLD were included. The searches were performed in four databases. RESULTS: 159 studies were identified, and after excluding the duplicates and non-eligible titles, eight original articles were included. Six out of eight showed higher B12 levels in NAFLD patients (404.9±136.2 pg/mL in relation to controls 353.91±117.3 pg/mL). Seven of the eight studies also showed higher HCY levels in NAFLD patients (14.2±3.44 umol/L in relation to controls 11.05±3.6 umol/L). The results for serum vitamin B12 and HCY levels were submitted to metanalysis, showing no difference in the vitamin B12 levels between patients with NAFLD and controls. However, the levels of Hcy were higher in NAFLD patients than in controls. CONCLUSION: There was no relashionship between the vitamin B12 levels and NAFLD. The levels of HCY were significantly higher in patients with NAFLD, suggesting this could be a potential marker for liver damage.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Cirrhosis is a chronic and progressive liver disease that occurs from prolonged hepatocellular injury. Malnutrition causes complications in cirrhosis patients that worsen the condition to liver failure. Both are closely linked and increase the chances of morbidity and mortality. Regular nutritional screening and monitoring is prime concern for such patients including comprehensive dietary history, laboratory tests, and evaluation of muscle loss and strength capabilities to determine the degree of frailty. For efficient assessment of liver cirrhosis patients Subjective Global Assessment has been used worldwide. The nutritional objectives for such individuals should be to regain liver functions, to prevent complications associated, and to overcome nutritional deficiencies causing malnutrition. METHODS: We conducted a literature review using PubMed, Google Scholar and Science Direct for this purpose, a total of 130 articles were reviewed out of which 80 (from the past 5 years) including originally published research, review articles and abstracts were also included. Exclusion criteria of the selected studies was year of publication, irrelevancy and animal studies based on the purpose of current study. The aim of this study was to check nutritional management in patients having complications of liver cirrhosis. RESULTS: According to the guidelines, for the conservation of normal nutritional status of the malnourished patients’, energy should be provided 35 kcal/kg/day while to prevent hypoalbuminemia and maintain the protein stores in the body, 1.5 g/kg/day protein has been recommended. Carbohydrates and fats for cirrhosis patients are recommended 50% to 60% and 10% to 20% of the total dietary intake respectively. CONCLUSION: Initial identification and prevention of malnutrition have the probability to lead to better health outcomes, prevention of complications of the disease, and improving quality of life.

An isogenic dry bean line (Phaseolus vulgaris) was developed using Rosinha 1454-10 as recurrent parent susceptible to Colletotrichum lindemuthiamun and Cornell 49-242 as the donor one. Ten backcrosses to the recurrent parent were made. Seedlings in the F1 generation of each backcross and in the F2 and F3 of the 10th backcross were inoculated using a spore suspension containing about 10(5) spores/ml, through a De Vilbiss atomizer, under greenhouse or laboratory conditions. The isogenic lines Rosinha 1454-10 and Rosinha 1454-10 Are Are will be used to estimate the losses of dry bean yield due to the anthracnose agent.

Objetivando criar novos cultivares especialmente adaptados às condições de inverno ameno paulista, o Instituto Agronômico iniciou, em 1970, um programa de melhoramento genético da nectarina. Os primeiros híbridos F1 foram obtidos de cruzamentos efetuados naquele ano, utilizando como progenitores femininos dezesseis cultivares de pêssego bem conhecidos - basicamente, as principais seleções do IAC - e, como masculinos, três nectarinas introduzidas da Flórida, EUA: 'Rubro-sol', 'Colombina' e 'Fla 44-28'. Da primeira geração, foram selecionadas seis plantas que, multiplicadas por enxertia, vêm revelando promissoras características de produtividade, qualidade dos frutos e precocidade de maturação, capazes de justificar o seu lançamento como novas seleções de pêssegos para mesa: IAC 170-14, IAC 270-10, IAC 370-5, IAC 370-8, IAC 1870-2 e IAC 2370-3. Em 1974, com as plântulas obtidas de sementes provenientes de autofecundação e de polinização aberta no lote de F1, formou-se o lote da geração F2, no qual foram selecionadas preliminarmente 24 plantas de nectarina com grandes variações na cor da polpa (amarela a branca); na aderência de caroço (preso a solto) e no sabor (doce-acidulado forte a agridoce equilibrado ou a doce acentuado). O comportamento dessas seleções vem sendo observado em quatro estações experimentais do Instituto Agronômico e em quatro propriedades particulares, em lotes de plantas enxertadas conduzidos em forma de cultura, já se tendo destacado as seguintes: IAC N 674-4, IAC N 1574-25, IAC N 1974-7, IAC N 2374-8, IAC 3174-5 e IAC N 4474-5, as quais, devido às boas características de vegetação, produção e qualidade dos frutos, apresentam-se bastante promissoras para ser lançadas, a curto prazo, como novos cultivares de nectarina.

Foram analisados em experimentos localizados nas principais regiões tritícolas do Estado de São Paulo, a produtividade e as reações aos agentes da ferrugem-do-colmo(³) e ferrugem-da-folha, bem como as qualidades de panificação de dois novos cultivares de trigo, Maracaí (IAC 17) e Xavantes (IAC 18), provenientes de cruzamentos artificiais realizados no Instituto Agronômico e obtidos por seleção através do método de genealogia, comparados com os cultivares BH-1146 e IAC 5. Considerando a média de produção de grãos nos anos estudados, o 'Xavantes' foi superior estatisticamente 10 e 14% pelo teste de Duncan a 5% em relação, respectivamente, aos cultivares BH 1146 e IAC 5, utilizados como controles. O 'Maracaí' não apresentou diferença estatística significativa com relação as testemunhas: Relativamente à ferrugem-do-colmo (Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici), os cultivares apresentaram, nos anos estudados, graus de infecção inferiores aos registrados sobre a testemunha BH 1146. O 'Maracaí' apresentou resistência a um maior número de raças do patógeno ocorrentes em nossas condições. O comportamento desses cultivares com relação à ferrugem-da-folha (P. recondita) assemelhou-se às testemunhas com infecções de campo consideradas médias. Nos ensaios de panificação, os dois cultivares evidenciarem valores próximos, apresentando o Xavantes leve superioridade em algumas características, porém ambos demonstraram fraca capacidade panificadora quando comparados ao cultivar padrão Tobari 66.