The epithelial populations found throughout the gastrointestinal tract exhibit a relatively high rate of turnover throughout postnatal life. The maintenance of normal cellularity in the setting of continuous proliferation, differentiation, and cell senescence implies the presence of exquisite regulation of cell turnover. In addition, regulatory mechanisms must provide plasticity in order to fac...

We present a case of a 61-year-old woman with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who developed painless hematochezia following initiation of anticoagulation. Work-up revealed a large ulceration in the sigmoid colon, and histologic images revealed sevelamer crystals embedded in the colonic mucosa, consistent with sevelamer crystal-mediated injury. This is a novel cause of gastrointestinal hemorrhage...

Objective To describe the use of therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) in treatment flunixin meglumine overdose a cria. Case Summary A 3-day-old alpaca cria was diagnosed with ureteral obstruction and agenesis resulting severe bilateral hydronephrosis. During hospitalization, inadvertently received >65 mg/kg. Here, we report lipid emulsion TPE to mitigate toxicosis. appeared prevent any flunixin-in...

Prostaglandins have been shown in animal laboratory studies to be capable of protecting the gastrointestinal tract against injury by exogenous agents. This study was conducted to determine if prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), which is native to the human gastric mucosa, could influence the increase in faecal blood loss associated with the ingestion of aspirin (ASA). A randomised double-blind study was p...

Peptide hormones regulate cell viability and tissue integrity, directly or indirectly, through activation of G-protein-coupled receptors via diverse mechanisms including stimulation of cell proliferation and inhibition of cell death. Glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) is a 33 amino acid peptide hormone released from intestinal endocrine cells following nutrient ingestion. GLP-2 stimulates intestin...

Although most ingested foreign bodies usually pass through the gastrointestinal tract asymptomatically, toothpick injury to the gastrointestinal tract is often associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Toothpick perforation of the gastrointestinal tract is frequently reported but, to the best of our knowledge, bacteremia caused by an impacted toothpick within the gastric mucosa has n...

Gastrointestinal cells express a diverse group of protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms that play critical roles in a number of cell functions, including intracellular signaling and barrier integrity. PKC isoforms expressed by gastrointestinal epithelial cells consist of three major PKC subfamilies: conventional isoforms (alpha, beta1, beta2, and gamma), novel isoforms (delta, epsilon, theta, eta, an...