2021 Asia-Pacific Graves' Disease Consortium Survey of Clinical Practice Patterns in the Management of Graves' Disease.

AIM: Although Graves' disease (GD) is common in endocrine practices worldwide, global differences in diagnosis and management remain. We sought to assess the current practices for GD in countries across Asia and the Pacific (APAC), and to compare these with previously published surveys from North America and Europe. METHODS: A web-based survey on GD management was conducted on practicing clinicians. Responses from 542 clinicians were received and subsequently analysed and compared to outcomes from similar surveys from other regions. RESULTS: A total of 542 respondents participated in the survey, 515 (95%) of whom completed all sections. Of these, 86% were medical specialists, 11% surgeons, and 3% nuclear medicine physicians. In addition to serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and free thyroxine assays, most respondents would request TSH-receptor autoantibody (TRAb) measurement (68%) during initial work-up. Thyroid ultrasound is requested by about half of respondents (53%), while the use of nuclear medicine scans is limited. The preferred first-line treatment is anti-thyroid drug (ATD) therapy (79%) with methimazole (MMI) or carbimazole (CBZ), followed by radioiodine (RAI; 19%) and surgery (2%). In case of surgery, one-third of respondents would opt for a subtotal rather than a total thyroidectomy. In case of mild Graves orbitopathy (GO), ATDs (67%) remains the preferred treatment, but a larger proportion of clinicians prefer surgery (20%). For a patient with intention to conceive, the preferred treatment pattern remained unchanged, although propylthiouracil (PTU) became the preferred ATD-agent during the first trimester. In comparison to European and American practices, marked differences were noted in the relatively infrequent usage of nuclear medicine scans and the overall higher use of a ATDs and ß-blockers and adjunctive ATD-treatment during RAI in the APAC-group. CONCLUSION: Although regional differences regarding the diagnosis and management of GD are apparent in this first pan-Asia-Pacific survey, this study reveals the overall approach to the management of this disease in Asia-Pacific generally tends to fall between the trends appreciated in the American and European cohorts.

Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma with Cutaneous and Gastrointestinal Involvement.

Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the histological subtype of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, representing approximately 30%. The most common primary extranodal sites of DLBCL are the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, the head and neck, and the skin/soft tissue. We report a case of DLBCL with cutaneous involvement presenting with skin nodules and GI manifestations such as obstructive jaundice and upper GI bleeding. Malignant cystic pancreatic tumor occupying the head and body with invasion to lower end of common bile duct and periampullary region causing biliary obstruction and mesenteric lymphadenopathy were found in abdominal computed tomography and endoscopic ultrasonography. There was also a large gastric ulcer (Forrest IIa) at the greater curvature of body of the stomach. Histopathological results of the skin and stomach were consistent with diffuse large B cell lymphoma; gastric biopsy being negative for leucocyte common antigen. The patient was considered to have disseminated DLBCL. The aim of the present case report was to present the clinical, radiological, and histological characteristics of the patient, which may aid physicians in diagnosing involvement of multiple extranodal sites in DLBCL.

Efficacy of international web-based educational intervention in the detection of high-risk flat and depressed colorectal lesions higher (CATCH project) with a video: Randomized trial.

OBJECTIVES: Three subcategories of high-risk flat and depressed lesions (FDLs), laterally spreading tumors non-granular type (LST-NG), depressed lesions, and large sessile serrated lesions (SSLs), are highly attributable to post-colonoscopy colorectal cancer (CRC). Efficient and organized educational programs on detecting high-risk FDLs are lacking. We aimed to explore whether a web-based educational intervention with training on FIND clues (fold deformation, intensive stool/mucus attachment, no vessel visibility, and demarcated reddish area) may improve the ability to detect high-risk FDLs. METHODS: This was an international web-based randomized control trial that enrolled non-expert endoscopists in 13 Asian countries. The participants were randomized into either education or non-education group. All participants took the pre-test and post-test to read 60 endoscopic images (40 high-risk FDLs, five polypoid, 15 no lesions) and answered whether there was a lesion. Only the education group received a self-education program (video and training questions and answers) between the tests. The primary outcome was a detection rate of high-risk FDLs. RESULTS: In total, 284 participants were randomized. After excluding non-responders, the final data analyses were based on 139 participants in the education group and 130 in the non-education group. The detection rate of high-risk FDLs in the education group significantly improved by 14.7% (66.6-81.3%) compared with -0.8% (70.8-70.0%) in the non-education group. Similarly, the detection rate of LST-NG, depressed lesions, and large SSLs significantly increased only in the education group by 12.7%, 12.0%, and 21.6%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Short self-education focusing on detecting high-risk FDLs was effective for Asian non-expert endoscopists. (UMIN000042348).

Emerging inflammatory bowel disease demographics, phenotype, and treatment in South Asia, South-East Asia, and Middle East: Preliminary findings from the Inflammatory Bowel Disease-Emerging Nations' Consortium.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is emerging in the newly industrialized countries of South Asia, South-East Asia, and the Middle East, yet epidemiological data are scarce. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study of IBD demographics, disease phenotype, and treatment across 38 centers in 15 countries of South Asia, South-East Asia, and Middle East. Intergroup comparisons included gross national income (GNI) per capita. RESULTS: Among 10 400 patients, ulcerative colitis (UC) was twice as common as Crohn's disease (CD), with a male predominance (UC 6678, CD 3495, IBD unclassified 227, and 58% male). Peak age of onset was in the third decade, with a low proportion of elderly-onset IBD (5% age > 60). Familial IBD was rare (5%). The extent of UC was predominantly distal (proctitis/left sided 67%), with most being treated with mesalamine (94%), steroids (54%), or immunomodulators (31%). Ileocolic CD (43%) was the commonest, with low rates of perianal disease (8%) and only 6% smokers. Diagnostic delay for CD was common (median 12 months; interquartile range 5-30). Treatment of CD included mesalamine, steroids, and immunomodulators (61%, 51%, and 56%, respectively), but a fifth received empirical antitubercular therapy. Treatment with biologics was uncommon (4% UC and 13% CD), which increased in countries with higher GNI per capita. Surgery rates were 0.1 (UC) and 2 (CD) per 100 patients per year. CONCLUSIONS: The IBD-ENC cohort provides insight into IBD in South-East Asia and the Middle East, but is not yet population based. UC is twice as common as CD, familial disease is uncommon, and rates of surgery are low. Biologic use correlates with per capita GNI.

Defining the endoscopic ultrasound features of chronic pancreatitis in Asians: a multicenter validation study.

BACKGROUND: Although endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) features and criteria have been described in chronic pancreatitis, challenges remain with interoperator variability and ease of adoption. The aim of this study was to define and validate the EUS features of chronic pancreatitis in a multicenter prospective study in Asia. METHOD: The study was divided into two parts: the first part was conducted to derive the EUS features of chronic pancreatitis with adequate interoperator agreement; the second was to prospectively evaluate these features in a multicenter cross-sectional study and determine the optimal combination of features for the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis. Prospectively enrolled cases had standard internationally validated radiologic or histologic features of chronic pancreatitis, and controls were patients without chronic pancreatitis who underwent EUS examination. RESULTS: The top six EUS features that had good interobserver agreement (mean kappa 0.73, range 0.60 - 0.90) were selected to be further evaluated in part II of the study. These included: hyperechoic foci with shadowing, lobularity with honeycombing, cysts, dilated main pancreatic duct, dilated side branches, and calculi in the main pancreatic duct. A total of 284 subjects (132 cases, 152 controls) were enrolled from 12 centers in Asia. All six features had high accuracy ranging from 63.3 % to 89.1 %. Two or more of these six EUS features accurately defined chronic pancreatitis (sensitivity 94.7 %, specificity 98.0 %), with an area under the receiver operating curve of 0.986. CONCLUSION: This multicenter Asian study characterized and defined the EUS features of chronic pancreatitis. This provides a useful tool in clinical practice and further research in pancreatic cancer surveillance.

Case Report of Rare Type Submucosal Polyp-Angiolipofibroma of Sigmoid Colon.

Most of the colonic submucosal mesenchymal polyps are benign tumors. They are formed by more than one type of mesenchymal tissue. The diagnosis of angiolipofibroma depends on the histological findings with the proliferation of vascular, fatty, and fibrous connective tissues. Majority of angiolipofibromas are arising in the kidney and have rare presentation as extra renal region. Here we report a case of 58-year-old female patient with angiolipofibroma of sigmoid colon (8.5 cm x 4 cm size) which was treated successfully with surgical resection. The clinical presentation, operative procedure, pathological features, and medical literature review are presented.

The Lipo- Phenotypic Screening Tool for Familial Hypercholesterolaemia.

Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is a common disorder of lipid metabolism. However, it is rarely diagnosed in time, leading to a high burden of preventable cardiovascular (CV) morbidity. The authors describe a lipophenotypic screening tool, which can be used by clinicians to screen for FH. This simple construct is based on history, physical examination, lipid profile and non-invasive cardioimaging. Structured as a bidirectional three column rubric, this tool should be able to improve clinical skills and teaching related to FH.

Characterizing Helicobacter pylori cagA in Myanmar.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Differences in the Helicobacter pylori infection rate are not sufficient to clarify the dissimilarity of gastric cancer incidence between Myanmar and its neighboring countries. To better understand this trend, the H. pylori virulence gene cagA was characterized in Myanmar. METHODS: Glutamate-proline-isoleucine-tyrosine-alanine (EPIYA) patterns and CagA multimerization (CM) motifs of cagA genotypes were examined by performing polymerase chain reactions and DNA sequencing. RESULTS: Of 69 tested H. pylori strains, cagA-positive patients had significantly more severe histological scores in their antrum than cagA-negative patients. Sequence analysis revealed that 94.1% of strains had Western-type cagA containing an EPIYA motif (92.6%) or EPIYT motif (6.4%). The intestinal metaplasia scores in the antral of patients infected with the ABC and ABCC types of cagA were significantly higher than those of patients with AB-type cagA. Interestingly, in patients infected with H. pylori, 46.3% of strains with three EPIYA motifs contained two identical Western-typical CM motifs, and these patients showed significantly higher antrum inflammation scores than patients infected with two identical nontypical-CM motif strains (p=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: In Myanmarese strains, Western-type cagA was predominant. The presence of CM motifs and the proportion of multiple EPIYA-C segments might partially explain the intermediate gastric cancer risk found in Myanmar.

BAMBI gene is epigenetically silenced in subset of high-grade bladder cancer.

The bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) and activin membrane-bound inhibitor (BAMBI) is a transmembrane TGFRI/BMPRI-related pseudoreceptor, antagonizes transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta/BMP signaling by inhibiting the formation of functional authentic receptor complexes (TGFRI/BMPRI and TGFRII/BMPRII). On the assumption that BAMBI gene expression is epigenetically altered during human bladder cancer progression, we screened the expression of BAMBI protein by immunohistochemistry and the methylation status of the BAMBI promoter. In the normal or reactive urothelium, BAMBI expression was mostly overlapped with that of BMPRI, and a similar colocalization pattern was noted in low-grade papillary cancers. In high-grade and invasive cancers, however, mainly two reciprocal immunohistochemical expression patterns were observed: BAMBI-low/BMPRI-high, and BAMBI-high/BMPRI-low, indicating that BAMBI expression is controlled such that it does not interfere with the responsiveness of high-grade cancer cells to TGF-beta/BMP signaling. Moreover, methylation of the BAMBI gene correlated significantly with negative BAMBI expression in bladder tumors. Although BAMBI overexpression significantly increased the number of apoptotic cells in T24 line, knock-down small interfering RNA showed no remarkable change. Cell motility assay revealed that on treatment with either TGF-beta1 or BMP2, T24 and HTB9 lines showed a marked increase in the number of migrated cells which, however, decreased significantly through the forced expression of BAMBI. Since certain subsets of aggressive tumors often promote cell motility, invasion and survival by inducing epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition through TGF-beta/BMP in an autocrine and paracrine manner, hypermethylation of the BAMBI gene promoter that leads to BAMBI gene suppression may be one of the epigenetic events affecting the invasiveness or aggressiveness of bladder cancers.