Innovative submucosal injection solution for endoscopic resection with phosphorylated pullulan: a preclinical study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: A submucosal injection solution is used to assist in endoscopic surgery. The high viscosity of current solutions makes them difficult to inject. In the present study, we developed an extremely low-viscosity, easy-to-use submucosal injection solution using phosphorylated pullulan (PPL). METHODS: The PPL solutions were prepared at different concentrations, and their viscosities were measured. The mucosal elevation capacity was evaluated using excised porcine stomachs. Controls included 0.4% sodium hyaluronate (SH), 0.6% sodium alginate (SA), and saline. To evaluate the practicality, the catheter injectability of 0.7% PPL was measured, and EMR and endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) were performed using the stomach and colorectum of live pigs. As controls, 0.4% SH and saline were used. RESULTS: The PPL solutions were of extremely low viscosity compared to the solutions of 0.4% SH and 0.6% SA. Nevertheless, the mucosal elevation capacity of PPL solutions for up to 0.7% concentration was similar to that of 0.4% SH, and 0.7% PPL was less resistant to catheter infusion than 0.4% SH and 0.6% SA. In live pig experiments with endoscopic mucosal resection and ESD, snaring after submucosal injection of 0.7% PPL was easier than with 0.4% SH, ESD with 0.7% PPL produced less bubble formation than with 0.4% SH, and the procedure time tended to be shorter with 0.7% PPL than with 0.4% SH because of the shorter injection time. CONCLUSIONS: The PPL solution is an innovative and easy-to-use submucosal injection solution.

Nationwide multicenter study on adverse events associated with a patency capsule: Additional survey of appropriate use of patency capsule study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The PillCam patency capsule (PC) without a radio frequency identification tag was released to preclude retention of the small bowel capsule endoscope (CE) in Japan in 2012. We conducted a multicenter study to determine tag-less PC-related adverse events (AEs). METHODS: We first conducted a retrospective survey using a standardized data collection sheet for the clinical characteristics of PC-related AEs among 1096 patients collected in a prospective survey conducted between January 2013 and May 2014 (Cohort 1). Next, we retrospectively investigated additional AEs that occurred before and after Cohort 1 within the period June 2012 and December 2014 among 1482 patients (Cohort 2). RESULTS: Of the 2578 patients who underwent PC examinations from both cohorts, 74 AEs occurred among 61 patients (2.37%). The main AEs were residual parylene coating in 25 events (0.97%), PC-induced small bowel obstruction, suspicious of impaction, in 23 events (0.89%), and CE retention even after patency confirmation in 10 events (0.39%). Residual parylene coating was significantly associated with Crohn's disease (P < 0.01). Small bowel obstruction was significantly associated with physicians with less than 1 year of experience handling the PC and previous history of postprandial abdominal pain (P < 0.01 and P < 0.03, respectively). CE retention was ascribed to erroneous judgment of PC localization in all cases. CONCLUSIONS: This large-scale multicenter study provides evidence supporting the safety and efficiency of a PC to preclude CE retention. Accurate PC localization in patients without excretion and confirmation of previous history of postprandial abdominal pain before PC examinations is warranted (UMIN000010513).

Endoscopic features of gastric neuroendocrine carcinoma.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The endoscopic features of gastric neuroendocrine carcinoma (G-NEC) have not been clarified; therefore, they were investigated in relation to clinicopathological findings. METHODS: Consecutive patients with G-NECs who had undergone endoscopic or surgical resection at our institution between January 2005 and March 2022 were included in this retrospective study. The endoscopic and clinicopathological findings of the lesions were analyzed to provide information of diagnostic value. In addition, cases of gastric neuroendocrine tumor (G-NET) and common-type gastric adenocarcinoma treated in the same study period were identified to compare the endoscopic findings between each G-NEC versus G-NET, and G-NEC versus common-type gastric adenocarcinoma. Patients with common-type gastric adenocarcinoma were matched for age, sex, tumor size, and depth of tumor invasion in 1:3 ratio. RESULTS: Among 15 patients with 15 G-NECs, submucosal tumor-like marginal elevation (87%), adherent white coat (67%), and ulceration with a distinct border (60%) were characteristic endoscopic findings in white-light images. Magnifying narrow-band imaging endoscopy revealed an absent microsurface (MS) pattern plus disrupted irregular microvessel (MV) in five (71%) of seven cases with evaluable MS and MV patterns. The area with an absent MS pattern plus disrupted irregular MV corresponded to the histological finding of NEC component in all five cases. These endoscopic features were all significantly more frequent in G-NECs than G-NETs (n = 22) or common-type gastric adenocarcinomas (n = 45). CONCLUSIONS: These endoscopic features should be taken into consideration to increase the index of suspicion and to improve the accuracy of target biopsies for G-NEC.

Usefulness of Intestinal Ultrasound to Detect Small Intestinal Stenosis in Patients With Crohn's Disease.

OBJECTIVES: Double balloon enteroscopy (DBE) with retrograde contrast is useful as a monitoring tool for small intestinal lesions in Crohn's disease (CD), but these are burdensome for patients. Intestinal ultrasound (IUS) can be used with ease in daily clinical practice, but there is less evidence regarding the accuracy of detection of small intestinal stenosis in CD. This study aimed to examine the diagnostic power of IUS for small intestinal stenosis in patients with CD. METHODS: The findings of DBE and IUS in 86 patients with CD with small intestinal lesions were evaluated. Using DBE as the reference standard, we examined the detection rate of IUS for small intestinal stenosis. We evaluated three parameters: luminal narrowing, prestenotic dilation, and to-and-fro movement for determining stenosis using IUS. In addition, we compared the characteristics between the stenosis-detectable and stenosis-undetectable groups by IUS. RESULTS: Of the 86 patients, 30 had small intestinal stenosis. In IUS findings, when lesions that met two or more of the three parameters were judged as stenosis, the detection rate was 70.0% for sensitivity, 98.2% for specificity, and 88.4% for accuracy. Moreover, there were patients with a younger age at diagnosis (P < 0.05) and more ileocolonic disease location (P < 0.05) in the stenosis-detectable group by IUS. The stenoses detected by IUS were significantly longer than those undetected by IUS (14.1 mm versus 5.2 mm, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: IUS delivered reliable results for clinically important small intestinal stenosis of CD with high diagnostic accuracy.

Scattered Tiny Whitish Protrusions in the Stomach Are a Clue to the Diagnosis of Autoimmune Gastritis.

Herein, we report two patients with autoimmune gastritis who had undergone multiple esophagogastroduodenoscopy procedures for 17 and 9 years, respectively, before their diagnosis. Instead, they had been diagnosed with and treated for Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis. The correct diagnosis was made when scatterings of tiny whitish protrusions in the gastric mucosa were detected on esophagogastroduodenoscopy. Our findings suggest that scattered tiny whitish bumps may be a clue to the diagnosis of autoimmune gastritis.

Characterization of Gastric Tissue-Resident T Cells in Autoimmune and Helicobacter pylori-Associated Gastritis.

Data regarding the in-depth surface marker profiles of gastric tissue-resident lymphocytes in autoimmune and Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis are lacking. In this study, we investigated potential differences in lymphocyte composition between these profiles. We enrolled patients with autoimmune (n = 14), active (current infection of H. pylori in the stomach; n = 10), and inactive gastritis (post-eradication of H. pylori; n = 20). Lymphocytes were isolated from the greater curvature of the stomach and lesser curvature of the body and analyzed using flow cytometry. The CD8+/CD3+ and CD4+/CD3+ ratios differed between the samples. Body CD4+/antrum CD4+, which is calculated by dividing the CD4+/CD3+ ratio in the body by that in the antrum, was significantly higher in autoimmune gastritis (3.54 ± 3.13) than in active (1.47 ± 0.41) and inactive gastritis (1.42 ± 0.77). Antrum CD8+/CD4+ in autoimmune gastritis (7.86 ± 7.23) was also higher than that in active (1.49 ± 0.58) and inactive gastritis (2.84 ± 2.17). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of antrum CD8+/CD4+ was 0.842, and the corresponding optimal cutoff point was 4.0, with a sensitivity of 71.4% and a specificity of 93.3%. We propose that an antrum CD8+/CD4+ ratio > 4.0 is a potential diagnostic marker for autoimmune gastritis.

Identification of plexin D1 on circulating extracellular vesicles as a potential biomarker of polymyositis and dermatomyositis.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to identify disease-specific surface proteins on extracellular vesicles (EVs) as novel serum biomarkers of PM/DM. METHODS: We performed liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS) on purified EVs from sera of 10 PM/DM patients, 23 patients with other autoimmune diseases and 10 healthy controls (HCs). We identified membrane proteins preferentially present in EVs of PM/DM patients by bioinformatics and biostatistical analyses. We developed an EV sandwich ELISA for directly detecting serum EVs expressing disease-specific membrane proteins and evaluated their clinical utility using sera from 54 PM/DM, 24 RA, 20 SLE, 13 SSc and 25 Duchenne and Becker types of muscular dystrophy (DMD/BMD) patients and 36 HCs. RESULTS: LC/MS analysis identified 1220 proteins in serum EVs. Of these, plexin D1 was enriched in those from PM/DM patients relative to HCs or patients without PM/DM. Using a specific EV sandwich ELISA, we found that levels of plexin D1+ EVs in serum were significantly greater in PM/DM patients than in HCs or RA, SLE or DMD/BMD patients. Serum levels of plexin D1+ EVs were greater in those PM/DM patients with muscle pain or weakness. Serum levels of plexin D1+ EVs were significantly correlated with levels of aldolase (rs = 0.481), white blood cells (rs = 0.381), neutrophils (rs = 0.450) and platelets (rs = 0.408) in PM/DM patients. Finally, serum levels of plexin D1+ EVs decreased significantly in patients with PM/DM in clinical remission after treatment. CONCLUSION: We identified levels of circulating plexin D1+ EVs as a novel serum biomarker for PM/DM.

Linked Color Imaging (LCI) Emphasizes the Color Changes in the Gastric Mucosa After Helicobacter pylori Eradication.

BACKGROUND: Diffuse redness is a characteristic endoscopic finding that indicates current infection of Helicobacter pylori, which is reduced after successful eradication. Linked color imaging (LCI) has been reported to improve the visibility of diffuse redness compared to white light imaging (WLI); however, quantitative evaluation has not been reported. AIMS: This study aimed to objectively evaluate the color change of the gastric mucosa after H. pylori eradication. METHODS: Images of the greater curvature of the antrum and corpus were captured, and the sites were biopsied during esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) before and 1 year after eradication. The region of interest (ROI) was set around the biopsied area on the images. The color difference (ΔE) before and after eradication was calculated using the CIE L*a*b* color space. The association between the histological evaluation and the color value of the corresponding ROI was determined. RESULTS: At the antrum, there was no significant color change with either mode. At the corpus, the a* value, which reflected redness, decreased significantly after eradication with both modes (WLI: 41.2 to 36.0, LCI: 37.5 to 25.5); the b* value, reflecting yellowish, decreased with WLI, but increased significantly with LCI (WLI: 44.6 to 41.6, LCI: 23.9 to 29.2). The ΔE was significantly larger with LCI than with WLI (16.5 vs. 8.6). The a* values at the corpus were generally associated with histological neutrophil infiltration. CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative evaluation revealed that LCI emphasizes the change in color of the gastric mucosa due to the reduction in diffuse redness.

A prospective multicenter study of the magnifying endoscopic evaluation of the invasion depth of superficial esophageal cancers.

BACKGROUND: Treatment strategies for superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SESCC) are determined mainly on the basis of the invasion depth. The Japan Esophageal Society (JES) developed a simplified magnifying endoscopic classification for estimating the invasion depth of SESCC. We aimed to evaluate its accuracy. METHODS: We prospectively applied the JES classification for estimating the invasion depth of SESCC to 204 consecutive lesions from 6 hospitals in Japan between April 2016 and October 2018. We analyzed the accuracy of the endoscopic diagnosis by adding the following two categories to the JES classification: ≥ 7 mm lesion in B2 vessels (defined as B2 ≥ 7 mm) and B2 vessels with inflammation (defined as B2i). RESULTS: After applying the exclusion criteria, 201 lesions remained in the analysis. The diagnostic value of type B1, B2, B3 vessels were as follows: sensitivity, 93.9%, 68.0%, 25.0%; specificity, 81.1%, 89.2%, 99.4%; positive predictive value (PPV), 95.6%, 47.2%, 75.0%; negative predictive value (NPV), 75.0%, 95.1%, 95.4%; and accuracy, 91.5%, 86.5%, 95.0%, respectively. A retrospective analysis showed that the diagnostic accuracy was higher in type B2 vessels (86.5% to 92.0%). An avascular area (AVA) was found in 55 (27%) of the 201 lesions, which tended to be associated with a deeper pathological diagnosis of each Type B vessel. In an additional analysis, B2 ≥ 7 mm and B2i improved the diagnostic accuracy of type B2 vessels from 86.5% to 92.0%. CONCLUSIONS: The JES classification is useful for estimating the invasion depth of SESCC. The diagnostic accuracy for type B2 vessels was low, which may be improved by using B2 ≥ 7 mm and B2i.

[A case of Peutz-Jeghers syndrome that developed triple cancers during the course].

At the time of colon polyp follow-up, a 46-year-old Japanese woman with a history of invagination, colon polyps, cervical cancer, and breast cancer was suspected of Peutz-Jeghers syndrome and referred. Multiple polyposes of the jejunum were discovered by capsule endoscopy and double-balloon endoscopy, and the resected specimen was diagnosed with hamartoma. During the follow-up, advanced pancreatic cancer-derived from IPMN developed. It is important to remember that multiple cancers can develop in Peutz-Jeghers syndrome.

[Zinc acetate-associated gastric lesions:a case report].

An 82-year-old Japanese man underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy for postprandial epigastric discomfort. The patient was diagnosed with hypozincemia with a serum zinc level of 63µg/dL (normal range:80-130µg/dL), and he had commenced oral intake of zinc acetate 1 month before the esophagogastroduodenoscopy. Endoscopy showed erosions with white-coated mucosa surface adhesions and erythema on the lesser curvature of the gastric body. Moderately differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma was suspected based on the biopsy examination findings;therefore, he was referred to our hospital for further examination and treatment. A repeat endoscopy showed two erosions with white-coated mucosa surface adhesion and erythema on the lesser curvature of the gastric body. However, the lesion location was different from that detected in the initial endoscopy. The biopsy showed no neoplastic changes. Therefore, based on the endoscopic findings and history of oral zinc acetate administration, we diagnosed the gastric mucosal injury as zinc acetate-associated gastric lesions. The cessation of zinc acetate intake resulted in the resolution of gastric lesions. Reassessment of the biopsy specimen from the initial endoscopy revealed erosions, epithelial cells showing infarct-like necrosis, degenerative atypical cells, and necrotic substances, which were misdiagnosed as neoplastic changes. This case highlights the importance of recognizing the typical endoscopic features of a zinc acetate-associated gastric lesion to enable its prompt diagnosis during esophagogastroduodenoscopy.

Gastric Adenoma: A High Incidence Rate of Developing Carcinoma and Risk of Metachronous Gastric Cancer according to Long-Term Follow-Up.

INTRODUCTION: Gastric adenomas are histologically defined as benign epithelial tumors. While some of them remain adenomas for a long time, others progress to carcinomas. However, long-term outcomes of such cases are not entirely clear. Here, we explored the risk factors and incidence of developing carcinoma from gastric adenoma as well as metachronous gastric cancer. METHODS: This study was conducted at a facility that adopted a follow-up strategy for gastric adenoma. Lesions histologically diagnosed as gastric intestinal-type adenomas between January 2004 and December 2016 were analyzed. Clinicopathological data were collected from patients' medical records, and histological changes from adenoma to carcinoma during endoscopic follow-up and risk factors of cancer development were evaluated. RESULTS: This study involved 409 lesions from 376 patients. The analysis of the development of gastric cancer from adenoma and metachronous gastric cancer was ultimately performed for 282 lesions from 258 patients and 269 lesions from 246 patients, respectively, due to different follow-up periods. The 5-year rate of carcinoma development was 34.0%. Risk factors for carcinoma development upon multivariate analysis were lesion size ≥15 mm and morphological depression. All cases with both factors developed gastric carcinoma, and 50.5% of those with either factor developed carcinoma within 5 years. Gastric adenoma was accompanied by metachronous gastric cancer in 1.5% of the patients annually. The only risk factor for metachronous gastric carcinoma was primary adenoma progressing to carcinoma during the follow-up period. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Given the high rate of carcinoma development in patients with risk factors, resection of gastric adenoma should be considered during the initial examination. Careful observation and follow-up should also be conducted to detect not only changes in the primary adenoma but also the occurrence of metachronous carcinoma, especially in cases of adenoma progressing to carcinoma.

[Clinical characteristics of five patients with gastric emphysema].

Gastric emphysema is a rare condition in which gas from a nonbacterial source accumulates within the gastric wall. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the cases of five patients who were diagnosed with gastric emphysema at the Okayama University Hospital between January 2010 and April 2021, to reveal the clinical features of the disease. Based on their reviews, we revealed that:i) gastric emphysema occurred in hospitalized bedridden patients (n=5), such as those during/after endotracheal intubation (n=3), those undergoing gastric tube placement (n=3), those undergoing percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (n=1), and those undergoing treatment for cerebral infarction (n=1);ii) gastric emphysema was accompanied by the accumulation of gas in the portal (n=4) or gastric veins (n=1);iii) gastric emphysema was accompanied by colon wall thickness increase (n=4);iv) esophagogastroduodenoscopy showed redness, erosions, coarse mucosa, and/or ulcers (n=5);v) a clear boundary between the damaged area and the intact mucosa was observed (n=5);vi) the anterior wall of the stomach was less affected (n=4);vii) mucosal damage was predominant in the gastric folds, whereas the furrow of the mucosa was less affected;and viii) treatment with enteral nutrition suspension and the administration of proton pump inhibitors and antibiotics resulted in the recovery of patients from gastric emphysema (n=5). These results indicate that patients with gastric emphysema have distinct clinical, endoscopic, and radiological features. Furthermore, our results show that these patients can be conservatively managed.

Long-term outcomes of endoscopic versus surgical resection for MM-SM1 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma using propensity score analysis.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) confined to the muscularis mucosae (MM) or up to 200 µm of the submucosa (SM1) confers the risk for lymph node metastasis, and is defined as relative indication for endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) by the Japan Esophageal Society guidelines. Although additional surgical treatment after ESD is recommended, long-term outcomes of ESD compared with those of surgery have not been clarified. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term outcomes of ESD and surgery for cN0M0 relative indication lesions of ESCC. METHODS: Between 2006 and 2016, patients with relative indication lesions of ESCC who underwent ESD or surgery at nine participating hospitals were examined retrospectively. Using propensity score matching, we evaluated survival curves for and hazard ratios associated with endoscopic submucosal dissection and surgery. RESULTS: In total, 155 lesions in the ESD group and 106 lesions in the surgery group met the pathological criteria of relative indication for endoscopic resection. After matching, 50 matched pairs of patients who underwent ESD or surgery were selected. The 5-year overall survival rates were 84.5% [95% confidence interval (CI) 68-93] in the ESD group and 79% [95% CI 60-90] in the surgery group. The hazard ratio of mortality for ESD compared with that for surgery estimated by Cox regression analysis was 0.79 (95% CI 0.3-2.06, p = 0.63). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with surgery, ESD does not compromise long-term outcomes. ESD alone or ESD with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy may be an option for the treatment of MM and SM1 ESCC.

Tolerability and efficacy of the concentration of iodine solution during esophageal chromoendoscopy: a double-blind randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Esophageal chromoendoscopy with iodine solution is an important diagnostic method for the detection of superficial esophageal cancer. However, the concentration of iodine solution has differed among reports. This study aimed to evaluate patient discomfort with different iodine concentrations. METHODS: We performed a prospective, double-blind, randomized study. We prospectively enrolled and analyzed 77 patients who were at high risk for esophageal carcinoma and scheduled to undergo EGD from March 2018 to January 2019. All patients were divided into 2 groups before the procedure to compare pain measurements: a 1% iodine solution group (group A) and a 2% iodine solution group (group B). The primary endpoint of this study was the difference in pain measurement between 1% and 2% iodine solution chromoendoscopy. Secondary endpoints were safety, detection yield, and color evaluation based on both the endoscopist's survey and color values, as determined using the Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIELAB, Vienna, Austria) color evaluation system, in the iodine-faded and iodine-stained area of each group. RESULTS: Heartburn and retrosternal pain in group A were significantly lower than those in group B (P = .02). Eleven patients reported heartburn and retrosternal pain (group A, 2; group B, 9). Four patients reported pain above the sternal angle and 7 below the sternal angle. There was no significant difference between the 2 groups with regard to detection yield, color evaluation by the endoscopist's assessment, or color values. No patients had any adverse events, and all safely completed this study. CONCLUSIONS: The 2% iodine solution resulted in significantly greater pain than the 1% iodine solution, and the color of the stained esophageal images of each group was the same from this study. Therefore, the 1% iodine solution is recommended for esophageal chromoendoscopy. (Clinical trial registration number: UMIN 000029796.).

Evaluation of the Usefulness and Convenience of the Kyoto Classification of Gastritis in the Endoscopic Diagnosis of the Helicobacter pylori Infection Status.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The Kyoto Classification of Gastritis was published in 2014. Although this classification is now widely used in Japan, its usefulness and convenience have not been sufficiently evaluated. This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness and convenience of this classification in the endoscopic diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection. METHODS: We made a test for the endoscopic diagnosis of H. pylori infection comprising 30 cases who had representative endoscopic features of non-, active, or inactive gastritis. Thirty-eight participants took the test before and after a brief mini-lecture on the Kyoto Classification of Gastritis. Eighteen participants took the test again 3 months later. We investigated the accuracy before, just after, and 3 months after the mini-lecture. RESULTS: The accuracy of endoscopists after the lecture was significantly improved in comparison to before the lecture (77.6 vs. 83.3%). Medical students also showed significantly improved accuracy after the lecture (56.7 vs. 71.7%). Among endoscopists, this improvement was maintained after 3 months. Before the lecture, the accuracy of diagnosing non-gastritis was 90.3%; it tended to be further improved 3 months later (96.5%). A >10% point increase was observed in diagnosing active (72.7-83.3%) and inactive gastritis (73.2-84.3%) at 3 months after the lecture in comparison to before the lecture. CONCLUSION: A brief mini-lecture on the Kyoto Classification of Gastritis improved the accuracy in the endoscopic diagnosis of gastritis, indicating that understanding this classification is useful for the prompt diagnosis of H. pylori infection during esophagogastroduodenoscopy.

Reality of Gastric Cancer in Young Patients: The Importance and Difficulty of the Early Diagnosis, Prevention and Treatment.

Gastric cancer usually arises in middle-aged to older patients, and is rarely found in younger patients. The clin-ical characteristics, etiology, prognosis, preventive methods and treatment of gastric cancer in young patients have not been fully investigated because of its low prevalence. In this review, we discuss the current under-standing and clinical problems associated with gastric cancer in young patients. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), which is a major cause of gastric cancer, especially in older populations, is closely associated with gastric cancer in young patients as well as in older patients. Gastric cancer in young patients tends to be diagnosed at an advanced stage with alarm symptoms. However, young patients with advanced gastric cancer tend to have a favorable general condition and organ function, so they can tolerate intensive systematic chemotherapy. Unfortunately, the prognosis of gastric cancer in young patients with an advanced stage is not favorable. We should not take this rare disease lightly, given its poor prognosis if patients are diagnosed at an unresectable stage. The evaluation of the H. pylori infection status and performance of H. pylori eradication therapy to prevent gastric cancer in young patients as well as the development of more intensive chemotherapy regimens for unre-sectable gastric cancer in young patients are warranted.

Factors Predicting a Favorable Disease Course Without Anti-TNF Therapy in Crohn's Disease Patients.

Determining factors that predict a favorable disease course without anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents would help establish a more cost-effective strategy for Crohn's disease (CD). A retrospective chart review was performed for CD patients with disease durations > 10 years who had not received anti-TNF agents as first-line therapy. Patients were divided into 2 groups: those who received neither anti-TNF agents nor bowel resection (G1), and those who had received an anti-TNF agent and/or bowel resection (G2). The patient backgrounds, therapies and clinical courses were compared between the groups. A total of 62 CD patients met the inclusion criteria (males: 71%; median duration of follow-up: 19 years). Six patients were included in G1; they were significantly less likely to have upper gastrointestinal lesions than G2 (p=0.007). A multivariate analysis revealed that the significant factors for avoidance of bowel resection without anti-TNF treatment were non-stricturing and non-penetrating behaviors, and absence of upper gastrointestinal lesions at the diagnosis (hazard ratios 0.41 and 0.52; p=0.004 and 0.04, respectively). In consideration of the long treatment course of CD, patients with non-stricturing and non-penetrating behaviors and no upper gastrointestinal lesions should not be treated with anti-TNF agents as first-line therapy.

Efficacy and safety of scheduled early endoscopic ultrasonography-guided ethanol reinjection for patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: Prospective pilot study.

Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS)-guided ethanol injection was recently proposed for treatment of patients with small pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (p-NET); however, tips on how to carry out safe and effective procedures are unclear. We launched a pilot study for scheduled early EUS-guided ethanol reinjection for small p-NET. Major eligibility criteria were presence of pathologically diagnosed grade (G) 1 or G2, tumor size ≤2 cm and being a poor or rejected candidate for surgery. For the treatment, we used a 25-gauge needle and pure ethanol. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT) was carried out on postoperative day 3, and if enhanced areas of the tumor were still apparent, an additional session was scheduled during the same hospitalization period. Primary endpoint was complete ablation rate at 1 month after treatment, and secondary endpoint was procedure-related adverse events. A total of five patients were treated. Median size of the tumor was 10 (range: 7-14) mm. Of the five patients, three underwent an additional session. Median volume of ethanol injection per session was 0.8 (range: 0.3-1.0) mL, and the total was 1.0 (0.9-1.8) mL. Complete ablation was achieved in four of the five tumors (80%) with no adverse events. During 1 year of follow up, none of the patients reported any procedure-related adverse events, and no recurrence of tumor. Scheduled early EUS-guided ethanol reinjection appears to be safe and effective for treating small p-NET (UMIN number: 000018834).

[IgA vasculitis with massive hemorrhage from the jejunum after steroid administration].

A 45-year-old Japanese man presenting with leg purpura, abdominal pain, and arthralgia was diagnosed with IgA vasculitis. His symptoms resolved after the intravenous administration of prednisolone. However, on day 20 of admission, he experienced bloody discharge and hypovolemic shock. The bleeding point was not identified on contrast-enhanced computed tomography scanning. The blood loss was approximately 10800ml and the patient received transfusions of 48 units of concentrated red blood cells, 18 units of fresh frozen plasma, and 30 units of concentrated platelets. Laparotomy and enteroscopy were performed through the incision of the jejunum to detect the bleeding source. Spurting bleeding was observed during the enteroscopy and partial resection of the jejunum was performed. Histopathological examination of the resected specimen revealed large vessels beneath the jejunal ulcer scar, suggesting bleeding from a Dieulafoy's lesion. Leukocytoclastic vasculitis or cytomegalovirus infection was not observed in the resected specimen. Gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with IgA vasculitis usually improve with bowel rest and conservative treatment. Administration of steroids or factor XIII is recommended for patients with severe abdominal pain refractory to conservative management. Rarely, massive bleeding, perforation, intussusception, and/or intestinal obstruction occur in the gastrointestinal tract and these complications affect patients' prognoses. The clinical course in the present patient indicated that severe bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract can occur even after symptom remission in patients with IgA vasculitis. In such cases, prompt treatment, including laparotomy and/or enteroscopy, is essential.