Background Fistulas are common complications of Crohn's disease (CD). Gastrocolic fistulas (GFs) are rare, occult and potentially life-threatening complications. Few cases of GFs have been reported. Oral agent contrast-enhanced ultrasound (OA-CEUS) is a novel technique of ultrasound (US) for gut. Contrast agent made by Chinese yam is taken orally to dilate the lumen of the upper gastrointestinal tract. Thus, the impediment of gas inside gastrointestinal tract is removed and a good acoustic window is provided for gastroin-testinal tract scanning. This paper describes a case of GF secondary to CD detected by OA-CEUS when it was missed by endoscopy and computed tomography (CT). To our knowledge, this is the first report of GF secondary to CD detected by OA-CEUS up to date. Case summary A 29-year-old woman with a 6-year history of CD was admitted to our hospital for abdominal pain and diarrhea for 5 months without obvious predisposing causes. Initial gastroscopy failed to show any evidence of lesions. Colonoscopyg GF into account. At the same time, OA-CEUS identified the site of the fistula and its two orifices. Gastroscopy was performed again, revealing a small ulcer approximately 5 mm in diameter, which was considered as an orifice. On the basis of OA-CEUS and other examinations, the patient was diagnosed with a GF secondary to CD. Then, laparoscopic exploration, partial stomach resection, transverse colostomy and abdominal abscess drainage were performed. The patient recovered uneventfully. Conclusion GFs are rare, occult and potentially life-threatening complications in CD. US is one of the first-line modalities to evaluate CD and its complications. OA-CEUS, a novel technique of US for gut, may be helpful in reducing the possibility of a missed diagnosis of GF.Background Carcinosarcoma (spindle cell carcinoma) of the esophagus is an extremely rare event; the etiology and origins of this neoplasm have not yet been determined. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been associated with invasion and metastasis, and may be related to the generation of a stem cell population within this tumor. Case summary We present the case of a 61-year-old male with nausea and fever. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed the presence of type 1 and 0-IIc lesions located 35 cm from the incisors toward the esophago-gastric junction. Thoracoscopic esophagectomy was performed. Macroscopic analysis revealed three polypoid lesions in the abdominal esophagus that accompanied the main lesion in the lower thoracic esophagus and 0-IIc lesions that spread continuously with them. Histologically, the lesions included proliferating spindle cells. Adeno-carcinomatous components were detected in a section near the foot, and squamous cell carcinoma was identified in the mucosa at the base of the tumor. The patient was diagnosed with multiple carcinosarcomas, staged at pT1b (SM3), pN1 (#110, #7), cM0, Stage II (sarcomatous metastasis to the lymph nodes). Spindle cells did not express E-cadherin but were positive for EMT markers, including zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 1, TWIST, and snail family transcriptional repressor 2. The patient has experienced no recurrence at 5 years and 2 mo after surgery. Conclusion This report suggests that multiple sarcomatous tumors may be generated from primary squamous cell carcinoma via mechanisms related to EMT.Background Hemostasis of patients suffering from liver cirrhosis is challenging due to both, pro- and anticoagulatory disorders leading to hemostatic alterations with distinct abnormalities of coagulation. Pathological changes in conventional coagulation analysis and platelet count are common manifestations of decreased liver synthesis of coagulation factors and reduced platelet count in these patients. However, conventional coagulation analysis and platelet count do not reflect in-vivo coagulation status or platelet function. The purpose of this present observational study was therefore to assess the haemostatic profile including plasmatic coagulation using thrombelastometry and impedance aggregometry for platelet function in patients suffering from liver cirrhosis. Aim To assess the hemostatic profile of cirrhotic patients according to model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score. Methods Our study included both in- and outpatients suffering from liver cirrhosis attending the out- and inpatient care of the) as well as fibrinogen level (275 mg/dL vs 209 mg/dL, P = 0.006) and aPTT (30 s vs 35 s, P = 0.047). MEA showed a moderately impaired platelet function (medians AUCADP = 43U, AUCASPI = 71U, AUCTRAP = 92U) but no significant differences between both groups. Thrombelastometry using ROTEM® (EXTEM, INTEM, FIBTEM) revealed values within normal range in both groups. No significant correlation was observed between MELD score and results of MEA/thrombelastometry. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/acetylcysteine.html Conclusion Our data demonstrate a partially impaired hemostatic profile in liver cirrhosis patients unrelated to MELD score. An individual assessment of a potential coagulopathy should therefore be considered.Background It is evident that an accurate evaluation of T and N stage rectal cancer is essential for treatment planning. It has not been extensively investigated whether texture features derived from diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) images and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps are associated with the extent of local invasion (pathological stage T1-2 vs T3-4) and nodal involvement (pathological stage N0 vs N1-2) in rectal cancer. Aim To predict different stages of rectal cancer using texture analysis based on DWI images and ADC maps. Methods One hundred and fifteen patients with pathologically proven rectal cancer, who underwent preoperative magnetic resonance imaging, including DWI, were enrolled, retrospectively. The ADC measurements (ADCmean, ADCmin, ADCmax) as well as texture features, including the gray level co-occurrence matrix parameters, the gray level run-length matrix parameters and wavelet parameters were calculated based on DWI (b = 0 and b = 1000) images and the ADC maps. Independent sampependent predictors of nodal involvement. The area under the operating characteristic curve of the model reached 0.802 with a sensitivity of 80.77% and a specificity of 68.25%. Conclusion Texture features extracted from DWI images and ADC maps are useful clues for predicting pathological T and N stages in rectal cancer.