Clinical and Experimental Gastroenterology最新文献

Background: Ectopic pancreas (EP), characterized by pancreatic tissue outside its usual location, poses diagnostic challenges due to its asymptomatic nature in most cases. Gastric lesions are often symptomatic, causing epigastric pain or gastric outlet obstruction. Rarely, jejunal lesions can lead to intestinal obstruction or intussusception. The elusive preoperative diagnosis lacks specific biochemical markers, relying on intraoperative biopsy and histopathology as gold standards.

Case presentation: We present a unique case of a 37-year-old female with 12-hour crampy abdominal pain, bilious vomiting, blood-mixed diarrhea, abdominal distension, and obstructive symptoms. Imaging revealed jejunojejunal intussusception with a jejunal mass as the lead point. Intraoperatively, also identified jejunal mass as lead point. Resection of mass and end-to-end jejunojejunal anastomosis were performed, resulting in a successful outcome. Histopathological examination identified a type I ectopic pancreas within the muscularis propria. Twelve months postoperatively, the patient exhibited no stricture or recurrence.

Conclusion: Ectopic pancreas, with varied symptoms, poses diagnostic hurdles. Despite the diagnostic challenges, surgical excision remains the optimal treatment for symptomatic cases. This report contributes to the limited literature on ectopic pancreas, emphasizing the importance of considering this entity in the differential diagnosis of gastrointestinal pathology.

Purpose: The diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is based on symptom-based criteria due to lack of reliable disease-specific biomarkers. Gut microbiota is perturbed in IBS and when comparing different methods used to analyze gut microbiota, the results might be obscured. Therefore, in this systematic review we aimed to investigate the profile of fecal bacterial markers and dysbiosis index (DI) in patients with IBS and IBS subgroups compared to healthy controls (HCs) conducted by the same method (GA-map Dysbiosis Test based on16S rRNA sequencing).

Material and method: We searched PubMed, EMBASE (Ovid) and Cochrane Library for case-control studies comparing fecal gut microbiota analyzed with the GA-map^® Dysbiosis Test (Oslo, Norway) in patients with IBS and HCs. Our outcomes were the difference in fecal bacterial markers and DI in patients with IBS and IBS subgroups compared to HCs.

Results: The search identified 28 citations; five articles were included. Most studies evaluated fecal bacterial markers and DI in patients with diarrhea-predominant IBS (IBS-D). Results of fecal bacteria profile in IBS and IBS subgroups compared to HCs are inconsistent, however, two studies showed increased levels of Ruminococcus gnavus in IBS-D compared to HCs and results of DI indicated IBS and IBS subgroups (especially IBS-D) having higher DI compared to HCs.

Conclusion: This systematic review revealed inconsistent findings in respect to differences in bacterial markers between IBS and IBS subgroups with HCs in studies using the GA-map Dysbiosis Test based on 16S rRNA sequencing. However, the test is quite novel, and few studies have used the method so far. More research comparing fecal microbiota profile differences in IBS and IBS subgroups compared to HCs utilizing the same method of analysis is needed to give us further insight into the gut bacteria profile in IBS and the clinical consequences of intestinal dysbiosis.

Refractory Crohn's disease, defined as ongoing inflammation despite the trial of multiple advanced therapies, impacts a number of individuals with Crohn's disease, and leads to significant burden in quality of life and cost. Interventions such as early implementation of advanced therapies, optimization of current therapies prior to switching to an alternative, as well as understanding the overlapping pathophysiology between immune-mediated disorders, however, can help shift the current landscape and reduce the number of patients with refractory disease. As such, in this review we summarize the key takeaways of the latest research in the management of moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease, focusing on maximization of our currently available medications, while also exploring topics such as combination advanced therapies. We also describe evidence for emerging and alternative therapeutic modalities, including fecal microbiota transplant, exclusive enteral feeding, hyperbaric oxygen, stem cell therapy, bone marrow transplant, and posaconazole, with a focus on both the potential impact and specific indications for each.

Background: This study aims to investigate the clinicopathological significance and prognostic value of Trichohyalin (TCHH) in gastric cancer patients through bioinformatics analysis.

Materials and methods: Data on TCHH expression and clinicopathological information were sourced from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for evaluating the correlation between TCHH mRNA expression levels and clinicopathological features. The predictive significance of TCHH mRNA expression for overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and progression-free interval (PFI) in patients with gastric cancer was assessed using Cox regression models. Furthermore, measures of immune cell infiltration in gastric cancer were made, and studies of gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment were also carried out to investigate the possible roles of TCHH in patients with gastric cancer.

Results: Compared to normal tissues, gastric cancer had a considerably higher expression of TCHH mRNA (P < 0.05). Wilcoxon analysis revealed a significant association between TCHH mRNA expression and the pathologic M stage (P = 0.017). High TPMT mRNA levels were also correlated with worse OS, DFS, and PFI in gastric cancer patients (both P < 0.05). TCHH showed significant negative correlations with the levels of NK CD56dim infiltration (r = -0.157, p = 0.002), Th17 cells infiltration (r = -0.235, P < 0.001), and Th2 infiltration (r = -0.195, P < 0.001). Furthermore, enrichment analysis indicated potential involvement in intermediate filament cytoskeleton organization, DNA methylation in gamete generation, cell-cell recognition, and G protein-coupled peptide receptor (GPCRs) activity.

Conclusion: The level of TCHH mRNA may serve as a novel prognostic biomarker for gastric cancer patients.

Background and objectives: Duodenal adenocarcinoma (DAC) is a rare tumor that is often accompanied by liver metastasis in advanced stages. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between clinicopathological characteristics and survival in DAC patients with liver metastasis, and to explore appropriate treatment options.

Methods: 482 DAC patients with liver metastasis were retrospectively identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database (2011-2020). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to explore the clinicopathological factors related to survival. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to identify the independent risk factors associated with survival.

Results: The 1-year overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) rates for the entire cohort were 25.4% and 28.3%, and the 5-year OS and CSS rates were 2.4% and 2.9% respectively. Univariable analysis and multivariate analysis identified chemotherapy and surgery as the independent risk factors for OS and CSS. Patients who underwent chemotherapy and surgery had better CSS and OS rates, whereas radiotherapy failed to improve outcomes.

Conclusion: We identified several prognostic factors of DAC with liver metastasis. Chemotherapy and surgery can prolong the survival of DAC patients with liver metastasis, which lays the foundation for identifying the optimal treatment strategy.

Objective: This study aimed to establish a rat model that simulates benign esophageal strictures induced by endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD).

Materials and methods: Sixteen male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into mucosal resection (n = 8) and sham-operated groups (n = 8). The rats in the mucosal resection group underwent a 5-mm three-fourths mucosal resection by way of a 3-mm incision in the distal esophagus under direct visualization via laparotomy. Rats in the sham-operated group underwent a 3-mm incision of the muscularis propria layer in the distal esophagus via laparotomy without mucosal resection. Dysphagia score, weight gain, mucosal constriction rate, and histology were evaluated 2 weeks after surgery.

Results: Technical success was achieved in all the animals. One rat in the mucosal resection group died of infection, and no other complications were observed. Weight gain (P < 0.001) and luminal diameter derived from the esophagograms (P < 0.001) were significantly lower in the mucosal resection group than those in the sham-operated group. Dysphagia score (P < 0.001) and mucosal constriction rate (P < 0.001) were significantly higher in the mucosal resection group than those in the sham-operated group. The inflammation grade (P = 0.002), damage to the muscularis propria (P < 0.001), number of nascent microvessels (P = 0.006), and degree of α-SMA positive deposition (P = 0.006) were significantly higher in the mucosal resection group.

Conclusion: A rat model of benign esophageal stricture induced by ESD was successfully and safely established by mucosal resection.

Introduction: Procalcitonin levels have been studied to predict the benefit of adding antibiotics in a patient with acute pancreatitis. Through this study, we are searching for any possible correlation between serum procalcitonin levels and the severity of acute pancreatitis (included acute on chronic cases) to determine whether procalcitonin levels can predict a benefit from antibiotic therapy in acute pancreatitis.

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study involving patients with acute pancreatitis and acute on chronic pancreatitis. We included all hospitalized patients admitted to Kern Medical from January 2020 to October 2022 with a diagnosis of acute pancreatitis in a consecutive manner. The primary outcome studied was mortality related to the pancreatitis episode. Logistic regression was used to control numerous confounders.

Results: Based on univariate analysis of procalcitonin, we found starting antibiotics on the day of admission statistically significant. We also found the median differences in mortality to be mildly significant (difference = 0.79, p = 0.0640) based on procalcitonin values. In a multivariate analysis of ln(procalcitonin), we found lipase (p = 0.0249), duration of antibiotics (p = 0.0009), multi-organ failure (p = 0.0045) to be statistically significant, and lactate being mildly significant in the multivariate model (p = 0.0643).

Conclusion: The procalcitonin level can predict the initiation of antibiotics, duration of antibiotics, multi-organ failure, and mortality in patients with acute pancreatitis.

Background: Sigmoid volvulus is primarily a disease of the elderly.

Case presentation: We describe a case of recurrent sigmoid volvulus in an elderly woman who refused surgery due to the high risk posed by general anesthesia and surgical intervention. She underwent endoscopic-assisted percutaneous sigmoidopexy using only three 2-shot anchor sets. No radiographic observation was necessary during the procedure. Some puncture sites were secured using endoscopic clips.

Conclusion: Endoscopic-assisted percutaneous sigmoidopexy is increasingly used as an effective alternative to surgical sigmoidopexy when surgery under general anesthesia poses a high risk. Despite clinical improvement and resolution of the recurrent volvulus, after sigmoidopexy patients may continue to experience motility dysfunction and diffuse dilation of the colon for a few weeks, which may correlate with the episodes of obstruction experienced prior to fixation.

Purpose: The VERSIFY phase 3 trial in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) treated with vedolizumab was the first to include a substudy that used a standardized magnetic resonance enterography (MRE) protocol to assess features of transmural inflammation (bowel edema and wall thickness) and extramural disease activity (enlarged lymph nodes).

Patients and methods: Patients received intravenous vedolizumab (300 mg) at weeks 0 (baseline), 2, and 6, and then every 8 weeks for 26 or 52 weeks. Post hoc analyses included a subpopulation with a Magnetic Resonance Index of Activity score of ≥7 in at least one bowel segment at baseline and at least one postbaseline MRE assessment. Changes in transmural inflammation, including intramural bowel edema and wall thickness, were evaluated. Patient-level and segment-level analyses were performed.

Results: MRE images were evaluated in 27 patients with 83 evaluable bowel segments at baseline and week 26, and 13 patients with 38 evaluable segments at baseline, week 26, and week 52. At baseline, all patients had bowel wall edema and wall thickness of >3 mm in at least one bowel segment. The proportion of patients with edema decreased at weeks 26 (17/27 [63.0%]) and 52 (4/13 [30.8%]) and the proportion with bowel wall thickness of >3 mm decreased at weeks 26 (25/27 [92.6%]) and 52 (10/13 [76.9%]).

Conclusion: In patients with CD treated with vedolizumab for 26 and 52 weeks, the number of patients, and bowel segments, with MRE-detected transmural inflammation was reduced. These results highlight the impact of vedolizumab on components of transmural inflammation in CD and demonstrate that using MRE in CD multicenter clinical trials is feasible.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02425111, April 23, 2015, http://www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT02425111; EU Clinical Trials Register EudraCT 2014-003509-13, https://www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu.