Nowadays, obesity represents an immense burden for global healthcare. The number of overweight or obese cases has exceeded that of underweight individuals.1 Bariatric surgery is accepted as a safe and effective treatment for patients with morbid obesity and has gained widespread popularity in the past two decades. Advancements in surgical techniques, perioperative care, and fellowship-based bariatric surgery training have substantially reduced morbidity and mortality rates. Nevertheless, several controversial aspects of surgical treatments of morbidly obese patients are still to be considered. Here we discuss the mistakes made when managing patients who are candidates for or have been submitted to bariatric surgery in the preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative periods. As high-level evidence is lacking for many aspects of surgical bariatric care, the discussion is based on our long-standing clinical experience.

Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten, which activates an immune reaction against the autoantigen tissue transglutaminase (TG2) in genetically predisposed subjects. Genetic susceptibility to coeliac disease has been proven by its close linkage with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II human leukocyte antigen (HLA) DQ2 and DQ8 haplotypes. The identification of biomarkers for coeliac disease (e.g. endomysial antibodies [EmA] and antibodies to TG2 [anti-TG2]) has changed the epidemiology of coeliac disease from being a rare to a frequent condition, with an expected prevalence of 1% in the worldwide population. Coeliac disease can be difficult to diagnose because symptoms vary from patient to patient, and the majority of patients who have coeliac disease remain undiagnosed. Small intestinal biopsy remains the gold standard for coeliac disease diagnosis, and a delayed diagnosis in the elderly can be considered a risk factor for complications. Complicated coeliac disease is not so frequent, but for those who have it, the prognosis is very poor, with a low rate of survival after 5 years.

Abdominal CT (computed tomography) is among the most common imaging tests performed for the investigation of acute abdominal pathology. There are many pitfalls that clinicians and radiologists should be aware of when requesting these studies and interpreting the findings. This article covers ten mistakes frequently made with abdominal CT, focusing on gastrointestinal tract and hepatobiliary pathology. These mistakes and their discussions are based on the available literature where possible and thereafter on our clinical experience.

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), also called periodic disease, Armenian disease, etc., is a prototypical autoinflammatory disorder where the underlying mechanism is the dysfunction of innate immunity, resulting in unprovoked episodes of inflammation.¹ Although considered rare worldwide, it is prevalent in people of Mediterranean origin; however, one can expect to encounter patients in all parts of the modern world. FMF is a monogenic disease with autosomal recessive inheritance.² Unlike other monogenic disorders, the diagnosis remains largely clinical, and it is important to understand the limitations of genetic testing. Another distinguishing feature is the well-established effectiveness of lifelong monotherapy with colchicine in preventing attacks and complications.³