Treatment of biliary ascariasis in China

My 40-Year Encounter with ERCP: A Saga of Service, Syndromes, and Solutions

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) has been a significant development in gastrointestinal endoscopy. I did my first ERCP at SKIMS on December 5, 1982, and over the last 40 years, I have performed 10,100 ERCP procedures, including 600 Sphincter of Oddi manometries (SOM), and 3200 therapeutic ERCPs. We were confronted with many clinical challenges that needed answers by applying ERCP as a primary diagnostic tool. These studies gave birth to and/or recognition of several clinical syndromes. The hepatobiliary and pancreatic ascariasis (HBPA) as a clinical disease was recognized in 1985. The nematode, Ascaris lumbricoides, was the most common cause of hepatobiliary and pancreatic diseases in Kashmir, and its impact on healthcare, clinical profile, management policies, and control measures was identified. Kashmir was recognized as an endemic zone for recurrent pyogenic cholangitis (RPC), which constituted 12.5% of all biliary diseases. RPC in this population was found essentially to be an aftermath of HBPA. A subset of patients with hepatic hydatidosis with rupture into the biliary tract was recognized at ERCP and primarily treated by endotherapy. Cholangiographic abnormalities in children with portal cavernoma evolved into the recognition of portal biliopathy. Extensive studies of the sphincter of Oddi manometry in patients with unexplained biliary and/or pancreatic pain following cholecystectomy identified the entity of the sphincter of Oddi dyskinesia (SOD). In a cross-over trial, Nifedipine, compared with a placebo, showed a significant clinical response in 20 of 28 such patients. ERCP studies done in patients with tropical calcific pancreatitis showed an anomalous union of bile and pancreatic ducts. Forty of the 220 patients with liver transplantation had biliary complications namely biliary leaks, bile duct strictures, SOD, and recurrence of underlying primary biliary cholangitis. Biliary complications caused considerable morbidity and mortality in patients with liver transplantation.

Treatment response and long-term outcomes in biliary ascariasis: A prospective study

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS

Anti-helminthic therapy and endoscopic worm extraction had variable success rates in biliary ascariasis. Recurrent biliary events after worm clearance are common. We aimed to evaluate the outcomes of management in biliary ascariasis and find out the incidence and risk factors for the development of recurrent biliary events.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Consecutive patients with biliary ascariasis detected on abdominal ultrasound (AUS), were selected. Initial conservative treatment with oral Albendazole (400 mg) and analgesics was started in all. Successful therapy was defined as symptomatic resolution, and AUS confirmed biliary clearance after three weeks. ERCP (Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) was performed in patients with failed conservative management. The patients were prospectively followed up for a minimum period of 1 year.

RESULTS

Among 98 patients with biliary ascariasis, 23 (23.5%) responded to medical management alone. A presentation with obstructive jaundice (p = 0.04) and cholangitis (p = 0.007) was significantly associated with failure to medical management. Sixty-five (86.7%) among 75 patients had successful biliary clearance with ERCP. During a median follow up of 16 months, 24 (24.5%) patients had recurrent biliary events. Lower socioeconomic status (OR = 0.78, p = 0.023) and longer follow-up (OR = 1.16, p = 0.001) were independent risk factors for recurrent biliary events.

CONCLUSION

Early ERCP among high-risk patients and proper hygiene are the keys to successful management in biliary ascariasis.

Chronic inflammation and cytokines in the tumor microenvironment

Acute inflammation is a response to an alteration induced by a pathogen or a physical or chemical insult, which functions to eliminate the source of the damage and restore homeostasis to the affected tissue. However, chronic inflammation triggers cellular events that can promote malignant transformation of cells and carcinogenesis. Several inflammatory mediators, such as TNF-α, IL-6, TGF-β, and IL-10, have been shown to participate in both the initiation and progression of cancer. In this review, we explore the role of these cytokines in important events of carcinogenesis, such as their capacity to generate reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, their potential mutagenic effect, and their involvement in mechanisms for epithelial mesenchymal transition, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Finally, we will provide an in-depth analysis of the participation of these cytokines in two types of cancer attributable to chronic inflammatory disease: colitis-associated colorectal cancer and cholangiocarcinoma.

The role of health education and sanitation in the control of helminth infections

Health education and sanitation are two important components of primary health care system introduced by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a basis for the prevention and control of communicable diseases. However, the roles of health education and sanitation in disease control have been controversial, especially in the wake of recent advances in safe and effective oral drugs. This article has reviewed the various health education and sanitation interventions around the world to determine what roles they have played in the past relative to other intervention strategies and the role they have to play in future control efforts. It appears clear-cut from the review, that while chemotherapy has been and will remain the best option for morbidity control, sanitation has an important role to play not only to sustain the benefits of chemotherapy but also to protect the uninfected. Health education that is effective, simple and low-cost remains the only tool for creating the enabling environment for both chemotherapy and sanitation to thrive.