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Advances in Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Clinical Nutrition

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Guest Editor
Gastroenterology and Metabolic Disease Unit, Pisa University Hospital, Via Paradisa 2, 56124 Pisa PI, Italy
Interests: gastroenterology; liver diseases; hepatocellular carcinoma; liver cirrhosis; gastrointestinal diseases; biliary tract diseases; pancreatic diseases; IBS; hepatitis B; hepatitis C; inflammatory bowel disease

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Department of Medical Sciences, Gastroenterology Unit, Ospedali Riuniti di Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy
Interests: hepatocellular carcinoma; liver diseases; liver cirrhosis; liver transplantation; hepatobiliary surgery; liver surgery; cholangiocarcinoma; gastroenterology; liver failure
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Gastroenterology, hepatology, and clinical nutrition have made great strides in recent decades. Let us recall that the use of H2RA first, and then PPI, drastically reduced the number of surgeries for complications of peptic diseases. As for Hepatology, a big step forward was made in 2011 with the placing on the market of first-generation Direct Antiviral Agents (DAAs). These drugs drastically increased the success rate in HCV eradication but required the concomitant IFN administration with its well known side effects. So, the great revolution began in 2013, when Sofosbuvir, the first DAA that does not require the concomitant administration of IFN, was approved for the treatment of chronic C hepatitis. In a short time, other second-generation DAAs were approved, which led to the synthesis of pangenotypic drugs that made it possible to obtain, with a shorter (8–12 weeks) therapy and few or no side effects, SVR percentages higher than 95%. Moreover, the placing on the market of nucleo(s)tide analogues drastically changed the natural history of chronic B hepatitis: these drugs, although not able, in most cases, to achieve virus clearing, have proved capable of blocking HBV replication, thus preventing the evolution toward liver cirrhosis. These are just a few examples of the important progress made, and I believe that this Special Edition is an excellent opportunity to introduce students and younger colleagues to the state of the art of gastroenterology, hepatology, and clinical nutrition. I will therefore be glad to read, review, and possibly submit for publication any quality manuscript describing recent advances in these disciplines.

Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Parisi
Prof. Dr. Rodolfo Sacco
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • HCV
  • HBV
  • cirrhosis
  • peptic ulcers
  • GERD
  • digestive bleeding
  • pancreatitis
  • cholelithiasis
  • abdominal ultrasound

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2129 KiB  
Article
Expression of VEGF, EGF, and Their Receptors in Squamous Esophageal Mucosa, with Correlations to Histological Findings and Endoscopic Minimal Changes, in Patients with Different GERD Phenotypes
by Justyna Wasielica-Berger, Paweł Rogalski, Agnieszka Świdnicka-Siergiejko, Anna Pryczynicz, Joanna Kiśluk, Jarosław Daniluk, Stefania Antonowicz, Dominik Maślach, Michalina Krzyżak and Andrzej Dąbrowski
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(9), 5298; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095298 - 27 Apr 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1824
Abstract
Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) may present as nonerosive reflux disease (NERD), erosive esophagitis (EE), or be complicated by Barrett’s esophagus (BE). The explanation as to what determines the phenotype of GERD is awaited. Therefore, we assessed the correlation between the growth factors [...] Read more.
Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) may present as nonerosive reflux disease (NERD), erosive esophagitis (EE), or be complicated by Barrett’s esophagus (BE). The explanation as to what determines the phenotype of GERD is awaited. Therefore, we assessed the correlation between the growth factors expression and endoscopic as histologic findings in GERD patients. Methods: The squamous esophageal epithelium of 50 patients (20-NERD, 7-EE, 15-BE, 8 controls) was examined by: (1) magnification endoscopy with evaluation of minimal GERD changes such as: microerosions, white spots, palisade blood vessels visibility, and intrapapillary capillary loops (IPCLs) appearance, (2) histology, (3) immunohistochemistry with evaluation of the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), and their receptors (VEGFR and EGFR). Results: The expression of VEGF, but not VEGFR, EGF, and EGFR, was significantly increased in EE patients compared to NERD patients and controls. VEGF levels correlated significantly with the presence of white spots, but not with other minimal endoscopic and histologic features. The EGFR expression correlated positively with basal cell hyperplasia and enlarged IPCLs. Conclusions: Our findings suggest a correlation between growth factors expression and findings in conventional endoscopy, formation of endoscopic minimal changes, and histologic lesions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Clinical Nutrition)
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8 pages, 1133 KiB  
Article
Direct Comparison of Elastography Endoscopic Ultrasound Fine-Needle Aspiration and B-Mode Endoscopic Ultrasound Fine-Needle Aspiration in Diagnosing Solid Pancreatic Lesions
by Marcel Gheorghiu, Zeno Sparchez, Ioana Rusu, Sorana D. Bolboacă, Radu Seicean, Cristina Pojoga and Andrada Seicean
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(3), 1302; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031302 - 24 Jan 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3038
Abstract
Elastography endoscopic ultrasound (E-EUS) has been proved to be a valuable supplement to endoscopic ultrasound fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) in differentiating solid pancreatic lesions, but the improvement of EUS-FNA guided during E-EUS has not been proven. Our study aimed to evaluate whether E-EUS fine-needle [...] Read more.
Elastography endoscopic ultrasound (E-EUS) has been proved to be a valuable supplement to endoscopic ultrasound fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) in differentiating solid pancreatic lesions, but the improvement of EUS-FNA guided during E-EUS has not been proven. Our study aimed to evaluate whether E-EUS fine-needle aspiration (E-EUS-FNA) was superior to B-mode EUS-FNA for the diagnosis of solid pancreatic masses and whether the diagnostic rate was affected by specific factors. Our prospective study was conducted between 2019–2020 by recruiting patients with solid pancreatic masses. E-EUS examination was followed by one pass of E-EUS-FNA towards the blue part of the lesion and a second pass of EUS-FNA. The final diagnosis was based on surgery, E-EUS-FNA or EUS-FNA results, or a 12-month follow-up. Sixty patients with solid pancreatic lesions were evaluated. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for diagnosing malignancy using E-EUS-FNA and EUS-FNA were 89.5%, 100%, 90%, 93%, 100%, and 93.3%, respectively, but the differences were not significant. Neither mass location nor the lesion size influenced the results. The lengths of the core obtained during E-EUS-FNA and EUS-FNA were similar. E-EUS-FNA in solid pancreatic lesions was not superior to B-mode EUS-FNA. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Clinical Nutrition)
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12 pages, 341 KiB  
Article
Esophageal Motility Disorders in the Natural History of Acid-Dependent Causes of Dysphagia and Their Influence on Patients’ Quality of Life—A Prospective Cohort Study
by Joanna Sarbinowska, Benita Wiatrak and Dorota Waśko-Czopnik
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(21), 11138; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111138 - 23 Oct 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2240
Abstract
Background: Esophageal dysmotility may be the cause or a secondary effect of gastric acid-dependent diseases: erosive reflux disease (ERD), Schatzki ring (SR) and eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). Methods: This study aims to compare concomitant dysphagia with ERD, SR and EoE, considering manometric patterns, their [...] Read more.
Background: Esophageal dysmotility may be the cause or a secondary effect of gastric acid-dependent diseases: erosive reflux disease (ERD), Schatzki ring (SR) and eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). Methods: This study aims to compare concomitant dysphagia with ERD, SR and EoE, considering manometric patterns, their role in the natural history and their impact on assessing quality of life. Fifty-eight patients with dysphagia underwent high-resolution manometry and esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy (EGD) with an assessment of SR, ERD and sampling for EoE, completed a questionnaire with the Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10) and the Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index. Based on endoscopic images and the histopathological criterion of EoE (≥15 eosinophils/high-power field), patients were assigned to groups with ERD, EoE, SR and with normal endoscopic and histopathological images. In the data analysis, p ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (no. NCT04803162). Results: Both EoE, SR and ERD correlate with ineffective motility. In ERD, normal peristalsis precedes the development of the disease, unlike EoE, which develops later and leads to absent contractility. The development of SR is associated with disorders of the upper esophageal sphincter (UES). In the group with SR and ERD, UES insufficiency significantly reduces the quality of life. Patients with normal esophagus in EGD scored the lowest quality of life and those with SR had the most severe dysphagia. Conclusion: The esophageal motility disorders co-occurring with endoscopic and histological anomalies do not significantly affect the severity of dysphagia, however, in the case of patients with ERD and SR and concomitant UES insufficiency, this motor dysfunction has a significant impact on the reduction in the patients’ quality of life. Although no specific esophageal motility pattern typical of EoE, ERD and SR has been identified, comparative assessment of manometric features may have a potential role in differential diagnosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Clinical Nutrition)
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