Background and Objectives:The ability to obtain adequate tissue of solid pancreatic lesions by EUS-guided remains a challenge. The aim of this study was to compare the performance characteristics and safety of EUS-FNA for evaluating solid pancreatic lesions using the standard 22-gauge needle versus a novel EUS biopsy needle.Methods:This was a multicenter retrospective study of EUS-guided sampling of solid pancreatic lesions between 2009 and 2015. Patients underwent EUS-guided sampling with a 22-gauge SharkCore (SC) needle or a standard 22-gauge FNA needle. Technical success, performance characteristics of EUS-FNA, the number of needle passes required to obtain a diagnosis, diagnostic accuracy, and complications were compared.Results:A total of 1088 patients (mean age = 66 years; 49% female) with pancreatic masses underwent EUS-guided sampling with a 22-gauge SC needle (n = 115) or a standard 22-gauge FNA needle (n = 973). Technical success was 100%. The frequency of obtaining an adequate cytology by EUS-FNA was similar when using the SC and the standard needle (94.1% vs. 92.7%, respectively). The sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of EUS-FNA for tissue diagnosis were not significantly different between two needles. Adequate sample collection leading to a definite diagnosis was achieved by the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd pass in 73%, 92%, and 98% of procedures using the SC needle and 20%, 37%, and 94% procedures using the standard needle (P < 0.001), respectively. The median number of passes to obtain a tissue diagnosis using the SC needle was significantly less as compared to the standard needle (1 and 3, respectively; P < 0.001).Conclusions:The EUS SC biopsy needle is safe and technically feasible for EUS-FNA of solid pancreatic mass lesions. Preliminary results suggest that the SC needle has a diagnostic yield similar to the standard EUS needle and significantly reduces the number of needle passes required to obtain a tissue diagnosis.

Background:Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease in the United States. Binge eating disorder (BED) is the most common form of eating disorder. NAFLD and BED have similar risk factors, including obesity, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome. The aim of our study was to examine prevalence of BED in NAFLD patients.Methods:We administered the Binge Eating Scale (BES), a questionnaire validated to screen for BED, to NAFLD patients at our Fatty Liver Center. Demographics were retrieved retrospectively from our electronic medical record.Results:Of the total 95 NAFLD patients screened, 22 (23.1%) had binge eating tendencies; 6 of the 22 (6.3%) scored 27 or more points, suggestive of severe binge eating. Patient demographics included 59 females and 36 males (14 females and 8 males positive for BED). Liver disease severity and of metabolic syndrome presence were similar in both groups: 45 patients had steatosis, 25 steatohepatitis, and 24 cirrhosis, of which 10 steatosis, 5 steatohepatitis, and 7 cirrhosis patients screened positive for BED. Of the NAFLD patients with BED, 50.0% had insulin resistance, 68.2% hypertension, and 50.0% hyperlipidemia, whereas among non-BED NAFLD patients 58.9% had insulin resistance, 63.0% hypertension, and 67.1% hyperlipidemia.Conclusions:This pilot study suggests that BED may have a higher prevalence among NAFLD patients than in the general population. Based on these preliminary results, further study into the prevalence of BED is recommended. More data is need to identify effects of BED on the progression of NAFLD and role of BED treatment.

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Background Microangiopathic hemolytic anemia (MAHA) is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome that has been reported in patients with gastric signet ring cell carcinoma (SRCC). Clinical and prognostic features of MAHA in this setting have been poorly described. Materials and Methods We conducted a systematic review in 8 databases of gastric SRCC complicated by MAHA and performed a case-control study assessing factors associated with survival in patients with gastric SRCC and MAHA in our pooled cohort compared with age-, sex-, and stage-matched cases of gastric SRCC from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Descriptive analyses were performed and multivariable Cox-proportional hazards regression modeling was used to determine factors associated with overall survival. Results All identified patients (n = 47) were symptomatic at index presentation, commonly with back/bone pain, and dyspnea. Microangiopathic hemolytic anemia was the first manifestation of gastric SRCC in 94% of patients. Laboratory studies were notable for anemia (median 7.7 g/dL), thrombocytopenia (median 45.5 × 103/μL), and hyperbilirubinemia (median 2.3 mg/dL). All patients with MAHA had metastatic disease at presentation, most often to the bone, bone marrow, and lymph nodes. Median survival in patients with gastric SRCC and MAHA was significantly shorter than a matched SEER-derived cohort with metastatic gastric SRCC (7 weeks vs 28 weeks, P &lt; .01). In multivariate analysis, patients with MAHA were at significantly increased risk of mortality (HR 3.28, 95% CI 2.11-5.12). Conclusion Microangiopathic hemolytic anemia is a rare, late-stage complication of metastatic gastric SRCC and is associated with significantly decreased survival compared with metastatic gastric SRCC alone.

Metastatic disease to the stomach or duodenum is an infrequent diagnosis, and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the least common primary malignancies that lead to gastric or duodenal metastases. We report the case of a 65-year-old man with human immunodeficiency virus infection and previously diagnosed HNSCC who presented with melena. The patient had a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube placed 3 months prior to his presentation. Laboratory testing was significant for normocytic anemia and a digital rectal examination was positive for melena. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed numerous cratered nodules with contact bleeding in the stomach as well as the duodenum that appeared malignant. Biopsies of the gastric and duodenal nodules were positive for p40 and CK 5/6, consistent with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma.

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