Virtual Biopsy by Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy in Barrett's Carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Early detection of adenocarcinomas in the esophagus is crucial for achieving curative endoscopic therapy. Targeted biopsies of suspicious lesions, as well as four-quadrant biopsies, represent the current diagnostic standard. However, this procedure is time-consuming, cost-intensive, and examiner-dependent. The aim of this study was to test whether impedance spectroscopy is capable of distinguishing between healthy, premalignant, and malignant lesions. An ex vivo measurement method was developed to examine esophageal lesions using impedance spectroscopy immediately after endoscopic resection. METHODS: After endoscopic resection of suspicious lesions in the esophagus, impedance measurements were performed on resected cork-covered tissue using a measuring head that was developed, with eight gold electrodes, over 10 different measurement settings and with frequencies from 100 Hz to 1 MHz. RESULTS: A total of 105 measurements were performed in 60 patients. A dataset of 400 per investigation and a total of more than 42,000 impedance measurements were therefore collected. Electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was able to detect dysplastic esophageal mucosa with a sensitivity of 81% in Barrett's esophagus. CONCLUSION: In summary, EIS was able to distinguish different tissue characteristics in the different esophageal tissues. EIS thus holds potential for further development of targeted biopsies during surveillance endoscopy. Trial Registration NCT04046601.

Schistosoma mansoni eggs induce Wnt/ß-catenin signaling and activate the protooncogene c-Jun in human and hamster colon.

Schistosomiasis (bilharzia) is a neglected tropical disease caused by parasitic flatworms of the genus Schistosoma, with considerable morbidity in parts of the Middle East, South America, Southeast Asia, in sub-Saharan Africa, and particularly also in Europe. The WHO describes an increasing global health burden with more than 290 million people threatened by the disease and a potential to spread into regions with temperate climates like Corsica, France. The aim of our study was to investigate the influence of S. mansoni infection on colorectal carcinogenic signaling pathways in vivo and in vitro. S. mansoni infection, soluble egg antigens (SEA) and the Interleukin-4-inducing principle from S. mansoni eggs induce Wnt/ß-catenin signaling and the protooncogene c-Jun as well as downstream factor Cyclin D1 and markers for DNA-damage, such as Parp1 and γH2a.x in enterocytes. The presence of these characteristic hallmarks of colorectal carcinogenesis was confirmed in colon biopsies from S. mansoni-infected patients demonstrating the clinical relevance of our findings. For the first time it was shown that S. mansoni SEA may be involved in the induction of colorectal carcinoma-associated signaling pathways.