Progressive colonic stenosis in an infant: Successful treatment with endoscopic balloon dilation.

Acquired colonic stenosis is extremely rare in infants and surgical resection is the mainstay of treatment. Endoscopic balloon dilation has shown success in treating bowel stenosis from inflammatory bowel disease but its application in infants with colonic strictures of other origin has not been widely explored. We report a 4-week-old male infant who developed significant abdominal distension due to progressive colonic stenosis, occurring 2 weeks following balloon valvuloplasty for his severe valvular pulmonary stenosis.

Surgical aspects of choledochal cyst in children and adults: an experience of 106 cases.

Purpose: To describe clinical features of choledochal cyst (CC) patients in terms of demographic data, clinical presentation, investigations, treatment, and outcomes among children and adults.

Methods: The medical records of patients undergoing choledochal cyst (CC) surgery from 2002 to 2021 at a university hospital were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were divided into two groups: children (< 15 years) and adults (≥ 15 years).

Elevated serum IL-34 is correlated with disease severity in patients with biliary atresia following Kasai portoenterostomy.

Background: Biliary atresia (BA) is a severe congenital disorder with progressive obstructive cholangiopathy in young children. The inflammatory process has been recognized as one of the pathological mechanisms driving bile duct injury. Since interleukin-34 (IL-34) has been reportedly linked to several pathological liver disorders, including inflammation, the current study aimed to analyze circulating IL-34 and the association of circulating IL-34 with hepatic deterioration and clinical outcomes in post-Kasai BA children.

Development of liver inflammatory injury in biliary atresia: from basic to clinical research.

Biliary atresia (BA) is a severe cholangiopathy in infants. It is characterized by inflammatory fibro-obliteration of the intra- and extrahepatic bile ducts. Although the restoration of bile flow can be successful after Kasai operation, the rapid progression of liver fibrosis can continue, leading to cirrhosis.

Systemic cytokine profiles in biliary atresia.

Background: Inflammation and immune dysregulation persuade biliary duct injury in biliary atresia (BA), a leading cause of pediatric liver transplantation given lack of specific biomarkers. We aimed to determine associations between systemic cytokine profiles and clinical parameters in BA patients and to identify potential BA biomarkers.

Methods: Systemic levels of 27 cytokines were measured in 82 BA patients and 25 healthy controls using a multiplex immunoassay.

A comparison of surgical site infections in children after stoma reversal between purse-string and linear closure.

Background: To reduce the surgical site infections (SSI), the purse-string closure technique has been widely performed and has also been recommended in adult stoma reversal. However, for children, some debate still exists. This study aims to compare the SSI rates in children between the purse-string and the linear for the skin closure of stoma reversal.

Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein as a marker of progressive liver fibrosis in biliary atresia.

This study aimed to determine whether mRNA and protein levels of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), a glycoprotein responsible for modulating homeostasis of extracellular matrix, in the systemic and local liver environments were associated with clinical parameters of biliary atresia (BA) patients and might serve as a biomarker for BA severity. COMP protein levels in the circulation of 96 BA patients and 56 healthy controls and its mRNA and protein expressions in the liver of 20 BA patients and 5 non-BA patients were evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, real-time polymerase chain reaction, and immunohistochemistry, respectively. In the circulation of BA patients, COMP levels were significantly higher than those in healthy controls.

Nasogastric decompression after intestinal surgery in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: Postoperative nasogastric decompression has been routinely used after intestinal surgery. However, the role of nasogastric decompression in preventing postoperative complications and promoting the recovery of bowel function in children remains controversial. This systematic review aimed to assess whether routine nasogastric decompression is necessary after intestinal surgery in children.

Decreased circulating clusterin reflects severe liver complications after hepatoportoenterostomy of biliary atresia.

This study aimed to determine whether circulating levels of clusterin (CLU), an extracellular chaperone implicated in cholestatic and fibrotic processes, are associated with clinical parameters of post-operative BA patients and could serve as a BA biomarker. Ninety-six BA patients and 56 healthy controls were recruited. Circulating CLU levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Human amniotic fluid stem cells attenuate cholangiocyte apoptosis in a bile duct injury model of liver ductal organoids.

Purpose: Biliary atresia (BA) is a fibro-obliterative cholangiopathy that involves both extrahepatic and intrahepatic bile ducts in infants. Cholangiocyte apoptosis has an influence on the fibrogenesis process of bile ducts and the progression of liver fibrosis in BA. Human amniotic fluid stem cells (hAFSCs) are multipotent cells that have ability to inhibit cell apoptosis.

A novel model of injured liver ductal organoids to investigate cholangiocyte apoptosis with relevance to biliary atresia.

Purpose: The fibrogenic process in cholangiopathic diseases such as biliary atresia (BA) involves bile duct injury and apoptosis of cholangiocytes, which leads to the progression of liver fibrosis into liver cirrhosis and can result in end-staged liver disease. Recent advances in the development of organoids or mini-organ structures have allowed us to create an ex vivo injury model of the bile duct that mimics bile duct injury in BA. The aim of this experimental study was to develop a novel model of injured intrahepatic cholangiocytes as this can be relevant to BA.

Hepatic expression of HGF/C-met and native liver survival in biliary atresia.

Background: The prognosis of biliary atresia (BA) remains difficult to predict. This study evaluated the roles of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and its receptor (C-met) towards clinical outcome and native liver survival.

Methods: Hepatic HGF and C-met expression were determined using immunohistochemistry from liver biopsies of 41 BA patients during Kasai operation, and 17 non-cholestatic patients.

Hepatic glypican-3 and alpha-smooth muscle actin overexpressions reflect severity of liver fibrosis and predict outcome after successful portoenterostomy in biliary atresia.

Background: Glypican-3 plays a vital role in regulating embryonic morphogenesis of the liver. This study aimed to investigate associations of hepatic expressions of glypican-3 and alpha-smooth muscle actin with clinical parameters in biliary atresia.

Methods: Liver specimens were obtained from 20 biliary atresia infants and 7 non-biliary atresia controls.

Axillary and elbow lymph node metastasis arising after complete excision of microcystic adnexal carcinoma of a hand: A rare presentation.

Introduction: Microcystic adnexal carcinoma (MAC), a malignant transformation of adnexal structures, constitutes a rare locally aggressive malignancy of skin. Generally, the disease is associated with local invasion and distant metastases are extremely rare. We presented a case of MAC with distant metastasis after adequate wide excision.

Intestinal organoids in infants and children.

Recent advances in culturing of intestinal stem cells and pluripotent stem cells have led to the development of intestinal organoids. These are self-organizing 3D structures, which recapitulate the characteristics and physiological features of in vivo intestinal epithelium. Intestinal organoids have allowed the development of novel in vitro models to study various gastrointestinal diseases expanding our understanding of the pathophysiology of diseases and leading to the development of innovative therapies.

Tension pneumoperitoneum caused by rupture of intraabdominal soft tissue emphysema in a child supported with high-frequency oscillatory ventilation: a case report.

Background: We reported a case with tension pneumoperitoneum while being on high-frequency oscillatory ventilation.

Case Presentation: A 12-month-old Thai girl presented with acute respiratory distress syndrome, septic shock, and bacterial pneumonia. Although supported with mechanical ventilation, she still had severe hypoxia.

A challenge in diagnosis and management of ulcerative colitis in elderly patient with atypical presentation: A reported case.

Introduction: Recognition of elderly-onset ulcerative colitis (UC) remains poor as the differential diagnosis in older patients with acute abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea is extensive and UC is generally not the obvious cause. A typical presentation in an elderly patient with acute severe UC can mimic surgical abdomen.

Presentation Of Case: An 80-year-old female had been presented with high grade fever, abdominal pain and diarrhoea.

A giant jejunal gastrointestinal stromal tumor misconceived as pancreatic cystic neoplasm: A case report.

Introduction: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), although not common in gastrointestinal (GI) tumors, constitute the most frequent mesenchymal tumors of the GI tract. This report describes a patient with a large sporadic GIST at proximal jejunum that mimicked the pancreatic cystic neoplasm.

Case Presentation: We report a 59-year-old female patient with unexplained weight loss and palpable left upper quadrant abdominal mass for 6 months.

Tuberculous peritonitis in a cerebral palsy patient: A challenge in diagnosis and management.

Introduction: Diagnosis of tuberculous peritonitis (TBP) in a normal person, although possible, is often difficult to make because of its non-specific symptoms and signs. However, establishing a diagnosis of TBP in a patient with cerebral palsy (CP) does not seem to be possible due to impaired mental development accompanied by communication problems.

Presentation Of Case: A 19-year-old spastic man diagnosed with CP presented with fever and a nonverbal complaint of abdominal pain.

Leukocyte mitochondrial DNA copy number as a potential biomarker indicating poor outcome in biliary atresia and its association with oxidative DNA damage and telomere length.

Biliary atresia (BA) is a chronic obstructive liver disease, leading to advanced liver failure. Mitochondria dysfunction-mediated aberrant telomere length has been implicated in various pathological processes including cholestasis. Herein, we aimed to investigate associations between mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number, oxidative DNA damage, telomere length, and disease severity in BA patients.

Hepatic autotaxin overexpression in infants with biliary atresia.

Background: Autotaxin (ATX) is a secreted glycoprotein that is involved in the development of hepatic fibrogenesis via the enzymatic production of lysophosphatidic acid. The aim of this study was to investigate hepatic expression of ATX in biliary atresia (BA) compared with non-BA liver controls and to examine the association between ATX expression and clinical outcome in BA.

Methods: Liver specimens from BA infants ( = 20) were compared with samples from infants who underwent liver biopsy for reasons other than BA ( = 14) and served as controls.

Prognostic values of serum bilirubin at 7th day post-Kasai for survival with native livers in patients with biliary atresia.

Background: Biliary atresia (BA) is a serious liver disease with uncertain prognosis. The objective of this study was to investigate prognostic values of the >20 % decrease in serum total bilirubin (TB) at 7th day post-op regarding early outcome and 5-year survival with native liver in BA.

Methods: Biliary atresia patients undergoing Kasai operation between 2000 and 2014 were reviewed.

Comparison of Cleaning up Eyelids after Taking off False Eyelashes between Eye Makeup Remover Alone and Eye Makeup Remover with Ocusoft®.

Background: Hirschsprung’s disease (HD) is the most common intestinal obstruction in newborn. The Transanal Endorectal Pull -Through (TERPT) is a new surgical procedure that has rapidly replaced traditional ones.

Objective: We have reviewed early post-operative complications after TERPT of childhood HD in Thailand.

Telomere Length in Peripheral Blood Leukocytes Is Associated with Severity of Biliary Atresia.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of telomere length in peripheral blood leukocytes with the severity of biliary atresia (BA).

Methods: One hundred and fourteen BA patients and 114 age-matched healthy controls were enrolled. Relative telomere length (RTL) was assessed using a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.