Sequence of events leading to primary biliary cholangitis

Abstract

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a potentially life-threatening inflammatory disease of the pancreas, with clinical management determined by the severity of the disease. Diagnosis, severity prediction, and prognosis assessment of AP typically involve the use of imaging technologies, such as computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasound, and scoring systems, including Ranson, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II, and Bedside Index for Severity in AP scores. Computed tomography is considered the gold standard imaging modality for AP due to its high sensitivity and specificity, while magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound can provide additional information on biliary obstruction and vascular complications. Scoring systems utilize clinical and laboratory parameters to classify AP patients into mild, moderate, or severe categories, guiding treatment decisions, such as intensive care unit admission, early enteral feeding, and antibiotic use. Despite the central role of imaging technologies and scoring systems in AP management, these methods have limitations in terms of accuracy, reproducibility, practicality and economics. Recent advancements of artificial intelligence (AI) provide new opportunities to enhance their performance by analyzing vast amounts of clinical and imaging data. AI algorithms can analyze large amounts of clinical and imaging data, identify scoring system patterns, and predict the clinical course of disease. AI-based models have shown promising results in predicting the severity and mortality of AP, but further validation and standardization are required before widespread clinical application. In addition, understanding the correlation between these three technologies will aid in developing new methods that can accurately, sensitively, and specifically be used in the diagnosis, severity prediction, and prognosis assessment of AP through complementary advantages.

Editor-in-Chief articles of choice and comments at the year-end of 2023

“…They can also update their paper and mention the SAMARA Study (short for “Semaglutide treatment in the real-world for fibrosis due to NAFLD in obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus”); this is the clinical trial that will examine if a United States’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medication called semaglutide, which is commonly used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity, could be a promising treatment option for patients with liver scarring caused by NAFLD. Semaglutide belongs to a class of medications known as glucagon-like, peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) that mimics the GLP-1 hormone released in the body’s gut in response to eating; (2) Primary biliary cholangitis topic: “Sequence of events leading to primary biliary cholangitis”[ 53 ]. While a few reviewers did not rate this paper highly, I felt it is interesting; and (3) “New insights into the pathogenesis of primary biliary cholangitis asymptomatic stage”[ 54 ].…”