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Background and Aims: The nonpharmacological therapy in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is expanding rapidly. Practitioners and medical educators need to be aware of progress and changes in knowledge of this topic. The Romanian Society of Neurogastroenterology aimed to create guidelines based on best evidence on the use of nonpharmacological therapy in IBS. Methods: A group of experts was constituted. This was divided in eleven subgroups dedicated to eleven categories of nonpharmacological therapy. The subgroups searched the literature and formulated statements and recommendations. These were submitted to vote in order to obtain consensus. Results: The outcome of this activity is represented by the guidelines of the Romanian Society of Neurogastroenterology, presented in this paper. The recommendations are seen as complementary to the pharmacological therapy and are not intended to recommend avoiding pharmacological drugs. Conclusions: These guidelines were elaborated by a Delphi process and represent a useful tool for physicians managing patients with IBS.

We present the case of a 63-year-old man that was admitted for melena and severe anemia. Upper GI endoscopy and colonoscopy failed to identify the lesion responsible for bleeding, and enteroCT scan was also non-contributive to the diagnosis. Capsule endoscopy indicated possible jejunal bleeding but could not indicate the source of bleeding, recommending anterograde enteroscopy. Single balloon enteroscopy identified a 2 cm submucosal tumour in the distal part of the jejunum, with a macroscopic appearance suggesting a gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST). The tumor location was marked using SPOT tattoo and subsequently easily identified by the surgeon and resected via minimally invasive laparoscopic-assisted approach. Histological and immunohistochemical analysis indicated a low risk GIST.The unusual small size of the GIST as a modality of presentation, with digestive bleeding and anemia and the ability to use VCE/enteroscopy to identify and mark the lesion prior to minimally invasive surgery, represent the particularities of the presented case. Abbreviations: CA19-9: cancer antigen 19-9; CEA: carcinoembryonic antigen; GI: gastrointestinal; GIST: gastrointestinal stromal tumor; Hb: hemoglobin; HPF: high power field; MCH: mean corpuscular hemoglobin; MCV: mean corpuscular volume; VCE: videocapsule endoscopy.

Treating chronic bone infection is challenging, requiring complete excision of the affected areas and antimicrobial therapy. Acquiring active concentrations of antibiotics is difficult, as well as filling up bone defects resulting from sequestrectomy, and very few methods of treatment address both issues simultaneously. The authors describe the clinical results after using Collatamp G, a collagen-based, antibiotic filled sponge with two actions: local delivery of high antibiotic doses without systemic side effects and enhancement of healing due to collagen, thus covering the bone defect without any further osteoplastic surgery. This paper thus identifies Collatamp G as a biomaterial able to solve the above mentioned problems in treating bone infections.Keywords: bone infections, collagen matrix, gentamicine, antibiotic delivery

RezumatManometria esofagiană cu rezoluţie înaltă este actual investigaţia gold-standard în diagnosticul acalaziei şi a bolilor esofagiene funcţionale. Această examinare este întotdeauna precedată de endoscopia digestivă superioară, care are scopul de a face diagnosticul diferenţial al acalaziei cu pseudoacalazia (formaţiuni tumorale de fornix gastric/esofag distal). La momentul actual, nu există tratament curativ pentru acalazie. Însă, cele 3 subtipuri de acalazie (conform clasificării Chicago) au răspuns diferit în ceea ce priveşte eficacitatea în tratamentului ales. Astfel, comparativ cu tipurile I şi III, tipul II de acalazie are cel mai bun răspuns la intervenţiile terapeutice invazive (dilatare pneumatică sau cardiomiotomie Heller). În schimb, în tipul III cardiomiotomia Heller este de ales ca prima abordare terapeutică. Miotomia endoscopică perorală (POEM) este o tehnică relativ recentă, care necesită însă studii pe termen lung în ceea ce priveşte siguranţa şi eficacitatea. Articolul prezent îşi propune să prezinte variantele actuale de tratament ale acalaziei, comparându-le pe baza eficacităţii şi siguranţei pe termen scurt şi lung, subliniind de asemenea rolul manometriei cu rezoluţie înaltă în diagnosticul, alegerea metodei terapeutice şi prognosticul acestor pacienţi. Review ArticleAbstract High resolution manometry (HRM) is currently the gold standard for the diagnosis of achalasia and other functional esophageal disorders. All patients accusing dysphagia should be endoscopically evaluated prior to manometric investigations in order to rule out pseudoachalasia. The Chicago HRM classification has led to a subclassification of three manometric types of achalasia that seem to have different results to treatment. None of the actual achalasia treatment options are curative. Type II achalasia patients respond best to all treatment options compared to those with types I and III. Pneumatic dilation (PD) or Heller miotomy (LHM) can be both chosen as initial therapy in type I and II as they have good outcome , while type III achalasia patients respond better to LHM as a first therapeutic option. Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is a promising new technique but long-term follow-up studies for its safety and efficacy must be performed. This article reviews the current therapeutic options in achalasia and other functional esophageal disorders, based on the differences in safety and efficacy between approaches, highlighting the impact of HRM to predict the outcome but also the role of the techinque in guiding antireflux surgery.

Polytrauma represents one of the most challenging aspects of modern medicine, due to its high mortality and morbidity, affecting especially young, active patients. Therefore, research is nowadays directed towards optimising the treatment for these patients, which is extremely difficult, as polytrauma is characterized by a complicated pathophysiology with intricate pathways, potentially generating local and general complications and requiring a multidisciplinary approach. An essential issue for these patients is a careful monitoring algorithm, able to determine an appropriate therapeutic response in due time, so objective, measurable and reproducible elements able to do this have been sought. Since biochemical markers have these properties, and the most important pathogenic element in polytrauma is the Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS), the authors of this paper evaluate the predictive value of inflammatory markers in order to improve the monitoring algorithm of these patients. The results of this prospective study demonstrate some statistically significant correlations, such as those between lactate (at admission and 24 hours later) and mortality, as well as between IL-6 and early systemic complications, which are of great value because they can concentrate the efforts of the multidisciplinary team and save the life of the poytrauma patient.

Background and Aims: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common condition present in daily practice with a wide range of clinical phenotypes. In this line, respiratory conditions may be associated with GERD. The Romanian Societies of Gastroenterology and Neurogastroenterology, in association with the Romanian Society of Pneumology, aimed to create a guideline regarding the epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of respiratory conditions associated with GERD.Methods: Delphi methodology was used and eleven common working groups of experts were created. The experts reviewed the literature according to GRADE criteria and formulated 34 statements and recommendations. Consensus (>80% agreement) was reached for some of the statements after all participants voted.Results: All the statements and the literature review are presented in the paper, together with their correspondent grade of evidence and the voting results. Based on >80% voting agreement, a number of 22 recommendations were postulated regarding the diagnosis and treatment of GERD-induced respiratory symptoms. The experts considered that GERD may cause bronchial asthma and chronic cough in an important number of patients through micro-aspiration and vagal-mediated tracheobronchial reflex. GERD should be suspected in patients with asthma with suboptimal controlled or after exclusion of other causes, also in nocturnal refractory cough which needs gastroenterological investigations to confirm the diagnosis. Therapeutic test with double dose proton pump inhibitors (PPI) for 3 months is also useful. GERD induced respiratory conditions are difficult to treat; however,proton pump inhibitors and laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication are endorsed for therapy.Conclusions: This guideline could be useful for the multidisciplinary management of GERD with respiratory symptoms in current practice.

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