Digestive Diseases最新文献

Background: Cecal intubation during colonoscopy is difficult to achieve in patients with severe sigmoid adhesions. This retrospective observational study assessed the efficacy of using a gastroscope for colonoscopy in patients with severe sigmoid adhesions. Furthermore, the ability of computed tomography (CT) to predict the possibility of cecal intubation using a gastroscope was examined.

Methods: A total of 1,626 patients who underwent colonoscopy for total colon observation by one endoscopist were enrolled. Cecal intubation rate and other procedure-related outcomes were evaluated. We also investigated whether identification of the sigmoid colon pathway by CT was involved in cecal intubation rate using a gastroscope.

Results: Of the enrolled patients, cecal intubation by colonoscope was not feasible in 19 patients (1.2%) because of severe sigmoid adhesions. Cecal intubation was possible in 13 patients (68.4%) using a gastroscope, and the cecal intubation rate of peritoneal carcinomatosis (0%, p < 0.01) was significantly lower than that of other causes such as a diverticulum (100%) and history of gynecologic surgery (80%). The identifiable case of the sigmoid colon pathway by horizontal section on CT showed significantly higher cecal intubation rate compared to those of unidentifiable cases (92.3% vs. 16.7%, p < 0.01).

Conclusion: Using a gastroscope is effective in performing cecal intubation during colonoscopy in patients with severe sigmoid adhesions. However, in patients with sigmoid adhesions caused by peritoneal carcinomatosis, cecal intubation may be difficult, even when a gastroscope is used. The ability of CT to identify the sigmoid colon pathway may predict success of cecal intubation.

Background: Although the involvement of circular RNA Circ_0071662 in bladder cancer and esophageal cancer has been reported, its role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unclear. The presented research aimed to study its role in HCC.

Methods: This study enrolled 60 HCC patients (advanced stage), 60 hepatic angiomyolipoma patients, 60 liver abscess patients, 60 hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients, 60 focal nodular hyperplasia patients, and 60 healthy controls (HCs). Plasma samples were obtained from all participants prior to treatment. HCC and paired nontumor samples were collected from HCC patients. HCC patients received radiotherapy and plasma samples were also collected after treatment. Gene expression was analyzed by RT-qPCR. The role of Circ_0071662 in the diagnosis of HCC was evaluated by ROC curve analysis.

Results: Compared to HCs, decreased plasma expression levels of Circ_0071662 were only observed in HCC patients, but not in other patient groups. HCC tissues also exhibited decreased expression levels of Circ_0071662 compared to that in nontumor samples. Decreased plasma expression levels of Circ_0071662 separated HCC patients from HCs and other patient groups. After radiotherapy, 28 patients developed radioresistance (RR) and the rest showed no RR. Decreased plasma expression levels of Circ_0071662 were closely associated with patients' poor survival. Compared to pretreatment level, decreased plasma expression levels of Circ_0071662 were only observed in RR group. The expression levels of Circ_0071662 in plasma and tissues were closely associated with patients' tumor metastasis and tumor size.

Conclusion: Circ_0071662 was downregulated in HCC and may serve as a potential biomarker to improve the diagnosis of HCC. Moreover, downregulation of Circ_0071662 is likely correlated to the development of radioresistance.

Background: Studies have found that water-assisted colonoscopy (WAC) including water immersion colonoscopy (WIC) and water exchange colonoscopy (WEC) is superior to air insufflation colonoscopy (AIC) in terms of the cecal intubation rate. However, the application of WAC in ulcerative colitis (UC) has rarely been reported. This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of WAC without sedation in patients with UC.

Methods: One hundred and seventy-two UC patients were randomly divided into the AIC group (n = 56), WIC group (n = 58), and WEC group (n = 58). The cecal intubation rate, abdominal pain score, operator difficulty, bowel cleanliness, insertion, and total time were compared.

Results: The cecal intubation rate was higher in the WIC (91.4% vs. 75.0%; mean difference = 16.4%; 95% CI: 3.0-29.8%) and WEC (93.1% vs. 75.0%; mean difference = 18.1%; 95% CI: 5.0-31.2%) compared to the AIC group, while there was no difference between the WIC and WEC groups. The abdominal pain score and operator difficulty were lower in the WIC and WEC groups than in the AIC group, while there was no difference between the WIC and WEC groups. The bowel cleanliness during withdrawal was higher in the WIC and WEC groups than in the AIC group, while the WEC was superior to WIC. Compared with the AIC and WIC groups, the insertion time and total time were longer in the WEC group, and there was no difference in the AIC group and WIC group.

Conclusion: In comparison with AIC, WAC can increase the cecal intubation rate, reduce abdominal pain scores and improve bowel cleanliness in patients with UC.

Background and aims: Aerosols and droplets are the main vectors in transmission of highly contagious SARS-CoV-2. Invasive diagnostic procedures like upper airway and gastrointestinal endoscopy have been declared as aerosol-generating procedures. Protection of healthcare workers is crucial in times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: We simulated aerosol and droplet spread during upper airway and gastrointestinal endoscopy with and without physico-mechanical barriers using a simulation model.

Results: A clear plastic drape as used for central venous access markedly reduced visualized aerosol and droplet spread during endoscopy.

Conclusion: A simple and cheap drape has the potential to reduce aerosol and droplet spread during endoscopy. In terms of healthcare worker protection, this may be important particularly in low- or moderate-income countries.

Background: The therapeutic goal of clinical remission in patients with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis (UC) is achieved after biological therapy only in 16-39%. Individualization of therapeutic intervention would benefit from prediction of early response.

Study objective: The primary objective of our study was to assess golimumab (GLM) trough serum level of ≥2.5 μg/mL in combination with a reduction of faecal calprotectin (FC) of ≥50% at week 6 compared to baseline to predict clinical response at week 26 after regular GLM intake.

Methods: Patients with moderate to severe active UC and planned GLM treatment were recruited for a prospective, multicentre, observational study in Germany. Prediction of clinical response was assessed by FC and GLM trough level. Missing data were imputed as therapy failure according to the last observation carried forward method.

Results: Fifty nine patients have been enrolled. 54% of patients were anti-TNF naïve. Clinical response at week 6 was a significant predictor for achieving clinical response at week 26 (odds ratio [OR] 10.97, confidence interval [CI], 2.96-40.68; p < 0.001). Moreover, patients with a GLM trough level of ≥2.5 μg/mL and a ≥50% reduction of FC at week 6 had an OR of 5.33 (95% CI, 0.59-47.84) to achieve clinical response at week 26.

Conclusion: Clinical response at week 6 is the best predictive marker for achieving clinical response at week 26. Consideration of significant reduction of FC and trough GLM serum levels could improve prediction of response.

Background: Considerable research supports an important role for the microbiome and/or microbiome-host immune system interactions in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Consequently, microbiota-modulating interventions, such as fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), have attracted interest in the management of IBD, including ulcerative colitis (UC).

Summary: While the clinical response to FMT in UC has varied between different studies, results to date may offer guidance toward optimal use of FMT. Thus, increased microbiome biodiversity, the presence of short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria, Clostridium clusters IV and XIVa, Odoribacter splanchnicus, and reduced levels of Caudovirales bacteriophages have been identified as characteristics of the donor microbiome that predict a positive response. However, inconsistency in FMT protocol between studies confounds their interpretation, so it is currently difficult to predict response and premature to recommend FMT, in general, as a treatment for UC. Additional randomized controlled trials designed based on previous findings and employing a standardized protocol are needed to define the role of FMT in the management of UC.

Key messages: There is a well-developed rationale for the use of microbiome-modulating interventions in UC. Despite variations in study protocol and limitations in study design that confound their interpretation, FMT seems to benefit patients with UC, overall. Available data identify factors predicting FMT response and should lead to the development of optimal FMT study protocols.

Background: Artificial intelligence systems recently demonstrated an increase in polyp and adenoma detection rate. Over the daytime, the adenoma detection rate decreases as tiredness leads to a lack of attention. It is not clear if a polyp detection system with artificial intelligence leads to constant adenoma detection over the day.

Methods: We performed a database analysis of screening and surveillance colonoscopies with and without the use of AI. In both groups, patients were investigated with the same endoscopy equipment and by the same endoscopists. Only patients with good bowel preparation (BBPS >6) were included. We correlated the daytime, the investigational time, day of the week, and the adenoma and polyp detection.

Results: A total of 303 colonoscopies were analyzed. 163 endoscopies in the AI+ group and 140 procedures in the AI- group were included. In both groups, the total adenoma detection rate was equal (AI+ 0.39 vs. AI- 0.43). The adenoma detection rate throughout the day had a significant decreasing trend in the group without the use of AI (p = 0.015), whereas this trend was not present in the investigations that have been performed with AI (p = 0.65). The duration of investigation did not show a significant difference between the groups (8.9 min in both groups). No relevant effect was noticed in adenoma detection between single days of the working week with or without the use of AI.

Conclusion: AI helps overcome the decay in adenoma detection over the daytime. This may be attributed to a constant awareness caused by the use of the AI system.

Introduction: The objective of this study was to clarify characteristics of metachronous endoscopic curability C2 (eCura C2) cancer during post-endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) follow-up.

Methods: Of 4,355 gastric lesions treated by ESD at our hospital during 2005-2021, 657 were metachronous. After excluding lesions found ≥2 years since the prior examination or in the gastric remnant, the remaining 515 were analyzed. Study 1: We compared 35 eCura C2 cancers and 480 eCura A-C1 cancers. Study 2: Endoscopic findings of the 35 lesions were examined to determine why they had been missed.

Results: Mean tumor size was larger (34.0 mm vs. 12.1 mm, p < 0.01) and the proportions of mixed-type and poorly differentiated cancers were higher (highly:mixed:poorly, 34.3:57.1:8.6 vs. 94.2:5.0:0.8, p < 0.01) in the eCura C2 group. Study 2: At the prior examination, 4 lesions were noticed but considered benign, 2 lacked sufficient imaging, 19 were detectable on imaging but missed, and 10 were not detectable on imaging. Over half the lesions that were detectable but missed at the prior examination were in the lesser curvature, many being type IIa-IIb lesions with color similar to the background mucosa. All lesions not detectable on imaging at the prior examination were mixed-type or poorly differentiated type.

Discussion: Metachronous cancer detected as eCura C2 cancers was significantly larger, and a significantly higher proportion was mixed-type or poorly differentiated cancers, compared with eCura A-C1 cancers. Possible reasons why these lesions were missed include rapid progression of mixed-type and poorly differentiated cancers, and poor recognition that lesions showing only slight color changes may be present at the lesser curvature.

Introduction: The etiology of liver diseases has changed significantly, but its impact on the comparative burden of cirrhosis between males and females is unclear. We estimated sex differences in the burden of cirrhosis across 204 countries and territories from 2010 to 2019.

Methods: We analyzed temporal trends in the burden of cirrhosis using the methodology framework of the 2019 Global Burden of Disease study. We estimated annual frequencies and age-standardized rates (ASRs) of cirrhosis incidence, death, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) by sex, region, country, and etiology.

Results: In 2019, the frequency of incident cases, deaths, and DALYs due to cirrhosis was 1,206,125, 969,068, and 31,781,079 in males versus 845,429, 502,944, and 14,408,336 in females, respectively. From 2010 to 2019, the frequency of cirrhosis deaths increased by 9% in males and 12% in females. Incidence ASRs remained stable in males but increased in females, while death ASRs declined in both. Death ASRs for both sexes declined in all regions, except in the Americas where they remained stable. In 2019, alcohol was the leading cause of cirrhosis deaths in males, and hepatitis C in females. Death ASRs declined for all etiologies in both sexes, except in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The ratio of female-to-male incidence ASRs in 2019 was lowest in alcohol(0.5), and highest in NASH(1.3), while the ratio of female-to-male death ASRs was lowest in alcohol(0.3) and highest in NASH(0.8).

Conclusion: The global burden of cirrhosis is higher in males. However, incidence and death ASRs from NASH cirrhosis in females are comparable to that of males.

Gastric outlet obstruction is a condition characterized by inadequate gastric emptying due to benign or malignant conditions inducing an inadequate oral intake. In recent years, a novel therapeutic treatment for this condition is given by the use of electrocautery lumen-apposing metal stents. In this case report, we want to present an example of a benign condition treated by endoscopic ultrasound-guided gastroenterostomy with the bi-flanged SpaxusTM stent (Taewoong Medical Co.) mounted on electrocautery catheter.