Nonsurgical management of colonoscopic perforations with endoclips is a highly feasible option. From our initial experience large perforations and perforations occurring during diagnostic colonoscopy are not a contraindication to endoscopic repair, but due to the small number of patients these data must be interpreted with caution.

These results seem to confirm the safety and the clinical efficacy of the ESD procedure in the Western world too.

As the increase in lifespan brings to light diseases that were previously not clinically detectable, osteoporosis has become an issue of worldwide significance. The disease is marked by a loss of bone mass; the bones become less dense, fragile and more prone to fracturing. Because it is regulated by endocrine and environmental factors, osteoporosis presents a multifactorial etiopathogenesis, with the genetic component accounting for 70% of an individual variation in bone mass density (BMD), the principal determinant, with age, of fracture risk. Pathological conditions such as celiac disease (CD) exacerbate the process of bone loss, so that the occurrence of osteoporosis in celiac subjects is of particular note: indeed, the screening of osteoporosis patients for this disease is advisable, since it may be the only sign of undiagnosed CD. An increase in interleukin IL-1beta, of the IL-1 system, in the relatives of celiac patients confirms the genetic predisposition to osteoporosis and its presence is evidence of an association between the two conditions. The direct effect on the bones of CD is secondary to poor absorption of calcium and vitamin D. In women osteoporosis is indirectly associated with early menopause and amenorrhea, and it may follow prolonged breast-feeding and frequent pregnancies, while in men it is associated with hypogonadism and GH deficit. These endocrine and non-endocrine factors exert their effects on bones by modulating the RANK/RANK-L/OPG system. An appropriate lifestyle from adolescence onwards, together with early diagnosis of and treatment for CD and primary and secondary endocrine pathologies are important for the prevention of damage to the bones.

Background A submucosal tumor (SMT) of the stomach, which is an occasional finding during routine upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, may pose diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Methods To assess whether endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a feasible approach to definitively cure SMTs, the authors performed a retrospective cohort study with two endoscopic italian centers.Results The study consisted of 20 patients with SMTs who underwent ESD. The patients underwent ESD and were followed up by endoscopy. We analyzed complete resection rate, frequency of complications, and survival. The overall rate of R0 resection was 90 % (18/20), with two endoscopic failures, one for a submucosal tumor and one for a neoplasm deeply infiltrating the proper muscle layer. The median procedure time was 119.1 min (range 40-240 min). The median size of the resected specimens was 29 mm (range 15-60 mm). Perforation occurred in 3 patients; all were treated conservatively. There were no cases of severe bleeding. Based on histopathological findings, 6 cases of ectopic pancreas, 1 of ectopic spleen, 3 of leiomyoma, and 10 of gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) were diagnosed. Complete resection was obtained in all GIST cases. Among the 10 GIST cases treated by ESD, no death occurred: the 5-year disease-specific survival rate was 100 %. Conclusions The high success rate of 90 % and the low incidence of complications should indicate ESD is the correct diagnostic and definitive treatment in selected patients.

No abstract