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This study focused on the potential risks of radiofrequency-induced heating of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) in children and adults with epicardial and endocardial leads of varying lengths during cardiothoracic MRI scans. Infants and young children are the primary recipients of epicardial CIEDs, though the devices have not been approved as MR conditional by the FDA due to limited data, leading to pediatric hospitals either refusing the MRI service to most pediatric CIED patients or adopting a scan-all strategy based on results from adult studies. The study argues that risk–benefit decisions should be made on an individual basis. We used 120 clinically relevant epicardial and endocardial device configurations in adult and pediatric anthropomorphic phantoms to determine the temperature rise during RF exposure at 1.5 T. The results showed that there was significantly higher RF heating of epicardial leads than endocardial leads in the pediatric phantom, but not in the adult phantom. Additionally, body size and lead length significantly affected RF heating, with RF heating up to 12 °C observed in models based on younger children with short epicardial leads. The study provides evidence-based knowledge on RF-induced heating of CIEDs and highlights the importance of making individual risk–benefit decisions when assessing the potential risks of MRI scans in pediatric CIED patients.

Chronic liver disease is a late stage of progressive hepatic fibrosis. It consists of functional and structural disruptions in most chronic liver diseases. An accurate diagnosis allows us to establish the degree of fibrosis and the stage of the disease, the prognosis of the patient and to predict a treatment response. Despite the fact that liver biopsy is considered a gold standard, noninvasive methods for diagnosing liver fibrosis have gained more and more importance. Whether we talk about serum biomarkers or imagistic methods from transient elastography to 3-D magnetic resonance elastography, the question remains: are these useful or useless? Serum biomarkers represent blood components that can reflect liver histological changes, thus they can monitor the continuous process of fibrosis. These can be subcategorized in direct (that show extracellular matrix turnover) and indirect markers (that reflect disturbances in the hepatic function). However these markers alone are not as accurate in the staging of fibrosis, only help differentiate patients without or with low grade of fibrosis from those with significant fibrosis and cannot be considered alone in the diagnosis of liver fibrosis. Imagistic methods include: ultrasound-based transient elastography, magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), 2D-shear wave elastography, acoustic radiation impulse imaging (ARFI) and cross sectional imaging, the first being the most used. Using a combination of non-invasive tools allows us to diminish the number of patients in need of liver biopsy. However, the patient must always be informed of the advantages and disadvantages of each method and its limitations.

Introduction: The infection caused by H. pylori appears secondary after a bacterial colonization of the stomach and the initial portion of the small bowel. H. pylori –infected patients can develop gastritis, peptic ulcer, stomach cancer or MALT lymphoma. H. pylori infection is defined by WHO like a type I carcinogen, its role in gastric carcinogenesis being supported by the greatest researchers. Objectives: In this study our purpose was to determine the endoscopic appearances in H. pylori infection quoted in medical literature until now and the frequency of their appearance in our group of interest. Materials and methods: In this study it was made an analytic study in which it was realized a retrospective cohort investigation at the Emergency Central Military and University Hospital “Dr. Carol Davila” Bucharest, gastroenterology branch –endoscopic department between 18.12.2012- 21.08.2013 on 1694 patients between 18 and 92 years old, with the medium age of 55 years old. As a diagnostic method for H. pylori infection we used superior digestive endoscopy during which were taken biopsies and it was made a fast urease test. Results: Regarding the variation of the endoscopic aspects at the population of study, we have found gastritis with all its aspects (which was Sidney classified) in the biggest percentage meaning 59.3% of the cases, followed with a percentage of 18.8% by those without any endoscopic abnormality, and then in 10,33% of the cases we have found peptic ulcer. With a smaller percentage, under 10%, we have found duodenitis at 8.67% of this patients, and finally the most severe lesions represented by gastric cancer and lymphoma were found at 2,7% of the H.pylori infected patients.

The burden of colorectal cancer (CRC) is increasing all over the world. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus is increasing. It is estimated that diabetes affects 387 million people worldwide. It is predicted that 552 million people worldwide will develop diabetes by 2030. A large pool of data indicate that DM increases by 2 fold the risk of CRC. This is the reason to firmly suggest the inclusion of DM in the criteria for CRC screening as an important measure to decrease the mortality of this ailment.

Autoimmune cholangitis defines a spectrum of cholestatic liver diseases that are characterized by inflammation of bile ducts and a reasonable response to immunosuppressive therapy. The two most common diseases associated with this term in the literature are: an overlap syndrome of primary biliary cirrhosis and autoimmune hepatitis and a form of hyper IgG4 syndrome (currently associated with autoimmune pancreatitis). Liver biopsy is mandatory for the diagnosis. There are, whatsoever, in clinical practice, many cases that do not meet current diagnostic criteria but that have a good response to corticosteroid treatment.

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