Gastroenterologie Clinique Et Biologique最新文献

The capillary electrophoresis is a very powerful separation method offering a high degree of resolution. However, certain interferences can be detected giving transitory shoulders or peaks. We report the case of a serum protein electrophoresis performed with Capillarys™ (Sebia) in a 68-year-old patient, hospitalized for cancer of the head of the pancreas, which showed an important shoulder in the migratory range of albumin, simulating bisalbuminemia. An interference with alphafetoprotein was proven explaining this electrophoretic aspect.

L’électrophorèse capillaire est une méthode de séparation très performante, en particulier sur le plan de la résolution. Cependant, certaines interférences peuvent être détectées donnant des épaulements ou des pics transitoires. Nous rapportons le cas d’une électrophorèse des protéines sériques réalisée sur Capillarys™ (Sebia) chez un patient de 68 ans, hospitalisé pour cancer de la tête du pancréas, qui montrait un épaulement important dans la zone de migration de l’albumine, simulant une bisalbuminémie. Une interférence avec l’alpha-fœtoprotéine était prouvée expliquant cet aspect électrophorétique.

Colorectal cancer is respectively the third and second most common cancer among men and women in France. Interest in chemoprevention for colorectal cancer has increased over the last two decades. Beside non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) may have chemopreventive action in colorectal cancer with a likely better tolerance. In high-risk populations such as patients with inflammatory bowel disease or prior colorectal adenoma or carcinoma, retrospective and prospective studies have suggested a beneficial effect of UDCA. In azoxymethane model, UDCA inhibits tumor development by countering the tumor-promoting effects of secondary bile acids, such as deoxycholic acid (DCA). The opposing effects of UDCA and DCA on lipid raft composition may be central to their effects on colonic tumorigenesis. Differential effects of DCA and UDCA on growth factor and inflammatory signals involved in colorectal carcinogenesis, such as epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) signaling and Cox-2 expression, likely mediate their opposing effects on colonic tumor promotion and tumor inhibition, respectively.

Objectives

In 2004, the French health authorities published guidelines on the indications for colonoscopy. However, no study has evaluated the awareness of healthcare practitioners of these guidelines. The aim of this study was to determine the level of awareness of the Anaes guidelines among French gastroenterologists.

Patients and methods

A questionnaire comprising 20 multiple choice questions (MCQ) was presented to a group of 79 gastroenterologists between February and June in 2008. The questions covered screening tests for colon cancer (one question), endoscopic mucosal resection (two questions) and the Anaes guidelines (17 questions). According to the number of colonoscopies performed per year (less than 100, 100–500, more than 500), the answers to these questions were analyzed separately.

Results

Among the practitioners carrying out less than 100, 100–500 and more than 500 colonoscopies per year, the guidelines for colon cancer screening were known by 33, 50 and 56%, respectively, the quality criteria for endoscopic mucosal resection by 0, 0 and 3.7%, respectively, and the Anaes guideline indications for colonoscopy by 34.3, 51.2 and 48.9%, respectively (P < 0.001). The Anaes guidelines were significantly better known by practitioners who were performing more than 100 colonoscopies per year, while the indications for control colonoscopy were less often correctly anticipated. No differences were found concerning postponed indications.

Conclusion

The Anaes guidelines consists of the following elements: (1) awareness of the Anaes guidelines is poor, with control colonoscopy being correctly anticipated in just over a third of the gastroenterologists; (2) performing more than 100 colonoscopies per year improves knowledge of the Anaes guidelines; and (3) the Anaes guidelines need to be simplified and should be covered by continuing medical education.

The Sister Mary Joseph's nodule is a periumbilical metastatic tumor originating from advanced metastatic intra-abdominal and intrapelvic malignancies. It is an inconspicuous and uncommon clinical sign, which not only shows the presence of visceral malignancy but also reveals the poor prognosis of these malignacies. The majority of cases originate from gastrointestinal or ovarian cancer. We present a case of an 80-year-old woman with an umbilical nodule, which was the sole presenting symptom of advanced signet ring cell carcinoma of the stomach with generalized peritoneal carcinomatosis. There are very few cases of gastric signet ring cell adenocarcinoma presenting as a SMJN, a fact rather striking as signet ring cell gastric carcinoma has an increased frequency of peritoneal dissemination and carcinomatosis of the peritoneum.

Objective

Closure of the fistula tract with an anal fistula plug has been reported to provide success rates as high as 80%. The purpose of this study was to evaluate our results with this new method.

Method

From June 2006 to September 2007, an anal fistula plug was used for the treatment of high transsphincteric fistulas. Success was defined as no residual leakage or abscess formation and closure of the external opening.

Results

Fifteen patients (seven women), median age 46 years (range 32–58 years), were included in the study. Three had Crohn's disease, three had an anovulvar fistula and seven had undergone previous surgical-repair attempts. Three patients expelled the prosthesis on postoperative day 2, 5 and 7, respectively, and a second plug placement was followed by expulsion again. One patient developed an abscess that was noted on postoperative day 4. The fistula tract healed in 6/15 patients (40%) after 3 months and in 8/15 (53.3%) after 7 months. The success rate in Crohn's disease was 33%. No significant difference was found between patients with or without previous surgical repair.

Conclusion

In our experience, this simple technique provided success rates of 40% at 3 months and 53% at 7 months.

Reynolds syndrome is a rare disease associating primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) and systemic scleroderma (SSc). Although generally considered as an autoimmune disease owing to the presence of typical autoantibodies and to microscopical abnormalities suggesting autoimmunity (lymphoid infiltrate around the biliary ducts and the cutaneous vessels, pericarditis, pleurisy), other causes have been searched for, especially genetic. The discovery of a new mutation in the Lamin receptor B in a French patient suffering from Reynolds syndrome [1] revives this controversy. Laminopathies have a great variety of manifestations, but some are quite comparable with either SSc or PBC, and the new mutation has been found neither in a group of 27 other patients with SSc, nor in 400 normal subjects. After bioinformatics searching, the authors claim that it is plausible that the new mutation is pathogenic. It remains to be shown, however, that this is really the case by testing directly the liver and skin fibroblasts of the patient. Moreover, looking at a series of CBP patients and at a larger SSc sample will be enlightening to appreciate the real value of that discovery.