Gastroenterology

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a leading cause of cirrhosis, liver cancer, and acute and chronic liver failure and as such causes significant morbidity and mortality. While alcohol consumption is slightly decreasing in several European countries, it is rising in others and remains high in many countries around the world. The pathophysiology of ALD is still incompletely understood but relates largely to the direct toxic effects of alcohol and its main intermediate, acetaldehyde. Recently, novel putative mechanisms have been identified in systematic scans covering the entire human genome and raise new hypotheses on previously unknown pathways...

Proton pump inhibitors are among the most commonly prescribed classes of drugs, and their use is increasing, in particular for long-term treatment, often being over-prescribed and used for inappropriate conditions. In recent years, considerable attention has been directed towards a wide range of adverse effects, and even when a potential underlying biological mechanism is plausible, the clinical evidence of the adverse effect is often weak. Several long-term side effects have been investigated ranging from interaction with other drugs, increased risk of infection, reduced intestinal absorption of vitamins and minerals, and more recently kidney damage and dementia...

There has been an increase in the incidence of acute pancreatitis reported worldwide. Despite improvements in access to care, imaging and interventional techniques, acute pancreatitis continues to be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Despite the availability of clinical practice guidelines for the management of acute pancreatitis, recent studies auditing the clinical management of the condition have shown important areas of noncompliance with evidence-based recommendations. This underscores the importance of creating understandable and implementable recommendations for the diagnosis and management of acute pancreatitis...

In the oncology landscape, cholangiocarcinoma is a challenging disease in terms of both diagnosis and treatment. Besides anamnesis and clinical examination, a definitive diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma should be supported by imaging techniques (US, CT, MRI) and invasive investigations (ERC or EUS with brushing and FNA or US or CT-guided biopsy) followed by pathological confirmation. Surgery is the main curative option, so resectability of the tumour should be promptly assessed. Moreover, jaundice must be evaluated at the outset because biliary tract decompression with drainage and stent placement may be required...