Intestinal tuberculosis with small bowel stricture and hemorrhage as the predominant manifestation: Three case reports

BACKGROUND Intestinal tuberculosis is a chronic disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis that mainly affects the ileum and cecum.Small bowel tuberculosis,characterized by predominant involvement of the small intestine,is an extremely rare condition with highly atypical clinical presentations,making diagnosis even more challenging.CASE SUMMARY We report three cases of small intestinal tuberculosis,two of the patients pre-sented primarily with abdominal pain,and one presented with gastrointestinal bleeding.All patients underwent blood tests and imaging examinations.Small bowel endoscopy(SBE)revealed that the main lesions in these patients were in-testinal stenosis or gastrointestinal bleeding caused by small intestinal ulcers.One patient ultimately underwent surgical treatment.Following a complex diagnostic process and comprehensive analysis,all patients were confirmed to have small intestinal tuberculosis and received standard antituberculosis treatment,leading to an improvement in their condition.CONCLUSION Patients with SBTs present with nonspecific symptoms such as abdominal pain,weight loss,and occasional gastrointestinal bleeding.Accurate diagnosis requires a thorough evaluation of clinical symptoms and various tests to avoid misdiagno-sis and complications.

Epidermal growth factor receptor-targeted immune magnetic liposomes capture circulating colorectal tumor cells efficiently

AIM To compare the capacity of newly developed epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR)-targeted immune magnetic liposomes(EILs) vs epithelial cell adhesion molecule(Ep CAM) immunomagnetic beads to capture colorectal circulating tumor cells(CTCs).METHODS EILs were prepared using a two-step method, and the magnetic and surface characteristics were confirmed. The efficiency of capturing colorectal CTCs as well as the specificity were compared between EILs and Ep CAM magnetic beads. RESULTS The obtained EILs had a lipid nanoparticle structure similar to cell membrane. Improved binding with cancer cells was seen in EILs compared with the method of coupling nano/microspheres with antibody. The binding increased as the contact time extended. Compared with Ep CAM immunomagnetic beads, EILs captured more CTCs in peripheral blood from colorectal cancer patients. The captured cells showed consistency with clinical diagnosis and pathology. Mutation analysis showed same results between captured CTCs and cancer tissues. CONCLUSION EGFR antibody-coated magnetic liposomes show high efficiency and specificity in capturing colorectal CTCs.