Propulsive colonic contractions are mediated by inhibition-driven poststimulus responses that originate in interstitial cells of Cajal.

The peristaltic reflex is a fundamental behavior of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract in which mucosal stimulation activates propulsive contractions. The reflex occurs by stimulation of intrinsic primary afferent neurons with cell bodies in the myenteric plexus and projections to the lamina propria, distribution of information by interneurons, and activation of muscle motor neurons. The current concept is that excitatory cholinergic motor neurons are activated proximal to and inhibitory neurons are activated distal to the stimulus site. We found that atropine reduced, but did not block, colonic migrating motor complexes (CMMCs) in mouse, monkey, and human colons, suggesting a mechanism other than one activated by cholinergic neurons is involved in the generation/propagation of CMMCs. CMMCs were activated after a period of nerve stimulation in colons of each species, suggesting that the propulsive contractions of CMMCs may be due to the poststimulus excitation that follows inhibitory neural responses. Blocking nitrergic neurotransmission inhibited poststimulus excitation in muscle strips and blocked CMMCs in intact colons. Our data demonstrate that poststimulus excitation is due to increased Ca2+ transients in colonic interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) following cessation of nitrergic, cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)-dependent inhibitory responses. The increase in Ca2+ transients after nitrergic responses activates a Ca2+-activated Cl− conductance, encoded by Ano1, in ICC. Antagonists of ANO1 channels inhibit poststimulus depolarizations in colonic muscles and CMMCs in intact colons. The poststimulus excitatory responses in ICC are linked to cGMP-inhibited cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) phosphodiesterase 3a and cAMP-dependent effects. These data suggest alternative mechanisms for generation and propagation of CMMCs in the colon.

Interval Advanced Gastric Cancer After Negative Endoscopy.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) is effective in reducing gastric cancer mortality through detection of early-stage cancer in areas with a high prevalence of gastric cancer. Although the risk of post-endoscopy advanced gastric cancer (AGC) is low, interval AGC remains a concern. We investigated the characteristics and predictors of interval AGC after negative EGD. METHODS: We included 1257 patients with gastric cancer within 6 to 36 months of a "cancer-negative" index EGD between 2005 and 2021 at a tertiary university hospital in South Korea. Observation time on the index EGD was used as a quality indicator. We compared the clinical and endoscopic characteristics and quality indicators between interval AGC and screen-detected early gastric cancer (EGC). RESULTS: Within 6 to 36 months of negative EGD, 102 AGCs (8.1%) and 1155 EGCs (91.9%) were identified. The percentage of patients with shorter observation time (<3 minutes) in the index EGD was higher in the interval AGC group than in the detected EGC group (P = .002). A multivariable analysis comparing screen-detected EGD and interval AGC was adjusted for age, sex, family history of gastric cancer, H. pylori status, endoscopic findings, and endoscopy-related factors including gastric observation time and interval time. A shorter observation time (<3 minutes) (odds ratio, 2.27; 95% confidence interval, 1.20-4.30), and interval time >2 years (odds ratio, 1.84; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-3.24) were associated with an increased risk of interval AGC. CONCLUSION: A shorter observation time during index EGD is an important predictor of interval AGC. Further, withdrawal time longer than 3 minutes may be a quality indicator for screening EGD.

Effect of renal insufficiency on the short- and long-term outcomes of endoscopic submucosal dissection for early gastric cancer: Propensity score-matched analysis.

OBJECTIVES: It is unclear whether renal insufficiency (RI) itself is a risk factor for adverse outcomes after gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of gastric ESD in patients with and without RI using propensity score-matching analysis. METHODS: In all, 4775 patients with 4775 early gastric cancer lesions undergoing ESD were analyzed. 1:1 propensity score-matching was performed between patients with and without RI using 12 variables. After matching, logistic regression and survival analyses were performed for short- and long-term outcomes of ESD, respectively. RESULTS: The matching yielded 188 pairs of patients with and without RI. In both univariable and multivariable analyses, the presence of RI was not significantly associated with postprocedural bleeding (unadjusted odds ratio 1.81, 95% confidence interval 0.74-4.42; adjusted odds ratio 1.86, 95% confidence interval 0.74-4.65, respectively). When RI patients were subclassified into patients with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 30-59 mL/min/1.73 m2 and eGFR <30 mL/min/1.73 m2 , no significant differences in bleeding rates were found compared to their matched controls in both groups. Perforation, en bloc resection, en bloc and R0 resection, and curative resection rates of RI patients were 2.1%, 98.4%, 91.0%, and 78.2%, respectively, which were comparable to those of non-RI patients. During a median follow-up of 119 months, there was no difference in gastric cancer-specific survival between patients with and without RI (P = 0.143). CONCLUSION: The outcomes of ESD were comparable in patients with and without RI. Decreased renal function itself may not be a reason to keep patients with RI from receiving gastric ESD.

Clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of primary malignant melanoma of esophagus: a single center experience.

BACKGROUND: Primary malignant melanoma of esophagus (PMME) is an extremely rare disease with poor prognosis. We aimed to determine the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of patients with PMME. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 17 patients diagnosed with PMME in Samsung Medical Center between 2000 and 2020 with median 34 months of follow-up. Survival outcomes were analyzed with Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: 15 patients (88.2%) were male and the most common presenting symptom was dysphagia (9/17, 52.9%). On endoscopy, tumors were mass-forming in 15 patients (88.2%) and diffusely infiltrative in two patients (11.8%). Lesions were melanotic in 13 patients (76.5%) and amelanotic in four patients (23.5%). The most common tumor location was lower esophagus (11/17, 64.7%). The disease was metastatic at the time of diagnosis in four patients (23.5%). As for treatment, 10 patients (58.8%) underwent surgery. In all 17 patients, the median overall survival was 10 months. In surgically treated patients, all patients experienced recurrence and the median disease-free survival was 4 months. There was no statistical difference in overall survival between patients with or without surgery. Patients with diffusely infiltrative tumor morphology had better overall survival compared to those with mass-forming tumor morphology (P = 0.048). Two patients who received immunotherapy as the first-line treatment without surgery showed overall survival of 34 and 18 months, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: As radical resection for patients with PMME does not guarantee favorable treatment outcomes, novel treatment strategy is required. Further large-scale studies are warranted to determine the efficacy of immunotherapy for patients with PMME.

Long-Term Safety of Delayed Surgery After Upfront Endoscopic Resection for Early Gastric Cancer: A Propensity Matched Study.

BACKGROUND: When non-curative resection is confirmed after endoscopic resection (ER) of early gastric cancer (EGC), delayed surgery is recommended because it provides favorable survival outcomes. Long-term outcome after surgery of EGC with or without previous ER has not been evaluated. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the long-term oncologic safety between primary surgery and delayed surgery after ER. METHODS: Patients who had undergone curative surgery (R0) for EGC were included and were divided into primary and delayed surgery groups. Primary surgery was defined as gastrectomy without ER for EGC, whereas delayed surgery was defined as additional curative gastrectomy due to non-curative resection after ER; an average delay of 21.5 days (range 1-195) was observed. Propensity score matching was performed. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS) and the secondary outcomes were cancer-specific survival (CSS) and disease-free survival (DFS). RESULTS: After propensity score matching, 1439 patients were included, of whom 1042 (72.4%) were in the primary surgery group and 397 (27.6%) were in the delayed surgery group. The OS (hazard ratio [HR] 0.87, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.59-1.27; p = 0.459), CSS (HR 0.47, 95% CI 0.15-1.47; p = 0.196), and DFS (HR 0.54, 95% CI 0.15-1.90; p = 0.334) were not different. CONCLUSIONS: The long-term outcomes of delayed surgery after non-curative ER for EGC were non-inferior to primary surgery. Therefore, an attempt for ER of EGC that satisfies the absolute and expanded indication seems justified for preventing gastrectomy. In case of non-curative resection after ER, additional delayed surgery should be performed.

Eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection decreases risk for dyslipidemia: A cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have suggested a relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection and dyslipidemia; however, large-scale longitudinal studies have not elucidated this association. This study assessed the longitudinal effects of H. pylori infection and eradication on lipid profiles in a large cohort. METHODS: This cohort study included 2,626 adults without dyslipidemia at baseline, who participated in a repeated, regular health-screening examination, which included upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, between January 2009 and December 2018. The primary outcome was incident dyslipidemia at follow-up. RESULTS: During the 10,324 person-years of follow-up, participants with persistent H. pylori infection had a higher incidence rate (130.5 per 1,000 person-years) of dyslipidemia than those whose infections had been successfully controlled (98.1 per 1,000 person-years). In a multivariable model adjusted for age, sex, waist circumference, smoking status, alcohol intake, and education level, the H. pylori eradication group was associated with a lower risk of dyslipidemia than the persistent group (HR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.77-0.95; p = 0.004). The association persisted after further adjustment for baseline levels of low-density and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.79-0.97; p = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: H. pylori infection may play a pathophysiologic role in the development of dyslipidemia, whereas H. pylori eradication might decrease the risk of dyslipidemia.

Cohort study of Helicobacter pylori infection and the risk of incident osteoporosis in women.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Previous studies suggested an association between Helicobacter pylori infection and osteoporosis; however, large-scale longitudinal studies are lacking to elucidate this association. METHODS: A cohort study of 10 482 women without osteoporosis at baseline who participated in a repeated health-screening examination including an H. pylori-specific immunoglobulin G antibody test was conducted to evaluate the association between H. pylori and osteoporosis development. Osteoporosis was diagnosed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. RESULTS: During the 77 515.3 person-years of follow-up, women with H. pylori infection had a higher rate of incident osteoporosis than those who were uninfected. In a multivariable model adjusted for age, body mass index (BMI), menopausal status, smoking status, regular exercise, comorbidities (including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, stroke, or ischemic heart disease), and concomitant medications, the hazard ratio (HR) for incident osteoporosis in women with H. pylori infection compared with that in women without infection was 1.23 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-1.45). The association between H. pylori and osteopenia development was also evident. In the multivariable analysis, menopause (HR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.31-2.16) and increasing age (HR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.06-1.08) were identified as significant risk factors for osteoporosis, whereas higher BMI (HR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.81-0.87) was a protective factor for the risk of osteoporosis. CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort study, H. pylori infection was associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis, independent of risk factors and confounding factors.

Outcomes of endoscopic submucosal dissection for intestinal-type adenocarcinoma with anastomosing glands of the stomach.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Gastric intestinal-type adenocarcinoma with anastomosing glands (IAAG) is characterized by architectural abnormality with frequent anastomosing glands and low-grade cytologic atypia. Clinicopathologic features and long-term outcomes of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for IAAG remain unclear. METHODS: This study included 2828 patients who underwent ESD for early gastric cancers (EGCs) (78 IAAGs [2.6%] and 2893 well-differentiated [WD] or moderately differentiated [MD] EGCs [97.4%]). Clinicopathologic features and short-term and long-term outcomes of ESD for IAAG were reviewed and compared with those for WD or MD EGCs. RESULTS: Gastric IAAGs were larger and more likely to be confined to the lamina propria than WD or MD EGCs. Histological heterogeneity, flat or depressed lesion and lateral resection margin (LRM) involvement were observed with significantly higher frequencies in IAAGs than in WD or MD EGCs. En bloc with R0 resection and curative resection rates of IAAGs were 79.5% and 73.1%, respectively, and both were significantly lower than those of WD or MD EGCs (93.8% and 82.9%). LRM involvement accounted for 57.1% of the non-curative resection cases in gastric IAAGs. Half of IAAGs with LRM involvement had a crawling pattern at tumor periphery. Among patients undergoing curative ESD for IAAG, no recurrences occurred during a median 52 months of follow-up. No lymph node metastasis was found in any of IAAG patients undergoing additional surgery after ESD. CONCLUSIONS: Gastric IAAGs have distinct clinicopathologic features from WD or MD EGCs. Given the favorable long-term outcomes after curative resection, ESD can be indicated for early gastric IAAGs.

Physical Activity Protects Against the Risk of Erosive Esophagitis on the Basis of Body Mass Index.

GOAL: To determine whether physical activity lowers the risk for erosive esophagitis on the basis of body mass index (BMI). BACKGROUND: Although previous studies have shown that physical activity is closely associated with erosive esophagitis, these data may be confounded by obesity. STUDY: In this retrospective study, we included 182,409 patients who underwent an upper endoscopy and were diagnosed with erosive esophagitis. The impact of the amount and intensity of physical activity on the risk for erosive esophagitis was analyzed based on BMI groups. Subjects were classified into three BMI groups with equal numbers in each group. RESULTS: Overall, 10.3% (n=18,859) of patients were diagnosed with erosive esophagitis. After adjusting for confounding factors, a greater amount of exercise [lower tertile: odd ratio (OR), 0.86; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.77-0.96; middle tertile: OR, 0.91; 95%, CI 0.84-1.00; upper tertile: OR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.73-0.85) and increased exercise intensity (lower tertile, moderate: OR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.52-0.71; vigorous: OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.44-0.58; middle tertile, moderate: OR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.55-0.70; vigorous: OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.51-0.65; upper tertile, moderate: OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.53-0.65; vigorous: OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.53-0.64) was associated with a decreased risk for erosive esophagitis in all 3 BMI groups. In addition, we observed that increased physical activity intensity notably decreased the risk for erosive esophagitis in subjects performing lesser physical activity, but slightly decreased the risk for erosive esophagitis in subjects performing more physical activity. CONCLUSION: Physical activity is inversely associated with erosive esophagitis.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection for papillary adenocarcinoma of the stomach: low curative resection rate but favorable long-term outcomes after curative resection.

BACKGROUND: The previous studies demonstrated aggressive clinicopathologic features of papillary early gastric cancer (EGC). This raised concerns about the appropriateness of current Japanese guidelines that recommend the same endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) criteria for papillary EGC as for well-differentiated (WD) or moderately differentiated (MD) EGCs. METHODS: This study included 4140 patients who underwent ESD for differentiated-type EGC (87 papillary EGCs and 4259 WD or MD EGCs). The clinicopathologic characteristics and short- and long-term outcomes of ESD for papillary EGC were reviewed and compared with those for WD or MD EGC. RESULTS: Papillary EGCs were larger, and had higher lymphovascular and submucosal invasion rates than WD or MD EGCs. Lateral resection margin involvement and histological heterogeneity were found more frequently in papillary EGC than in WD or MD EGC. En bloc with R0 resection and curative resection rates of papillary EGC were 85.1 and 49.4%, respectively, and both were significantly lower than those of WD or MD EGC (93.0 and 82.2%). In mucosal cancers, curative resection rates of papillary EGC and WD or MD EGC were 72.5 and 93.7%, respectively. Among patients undergoing curative ESD for papillary EGC, no extra-gastric recurrences occurred during median 58 months of follow-up. Metachronous recurrence occurred in 5.2% of cases. CONCLUSIONS: Given the favorable long-term outcomes after curative resection, ESD might be indicated for papillary EGC according to the current Japanese guidelines. As papillary EGC has considerable lymphovascular and submucosal invasion rates, careful histological examination is required to accurately determine whether curative ESD is achieved.

Endoscopic vacuum therapy for postoperative esophageal leak.

BACKGROUND: Anastomotic leak is the most common and serious complication following esophagectomy. Endoscopic vacuum-assisted closure (EVAC) is a promising method for treating anastomotic leak. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of EVAC and to identify factors associated with longer treatment duration for esophageal anastomotic leak following esophagectomy for cancer. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 20 esophageal cancer patients who had undergone EVAC for anastomotic leak after esophagectomy. The efficacy and success rates were evaluated and factors associated with longer treatment duration (≥ 21 days) were identified. RESULTS: All 20 patients were male. Of these, 10 (50.0%) received neoadjuvant treatment and 6 (30.0%) had one or more comorbidities. The median size of fistula opening was 1.75 cm. During a median of 14.5 days of EVAC treatment, a median of 5 interventions were performed. Treatment success was achieved in 19 patients (95.0%). Neoadjuvant treatment was significantly associated with longer EVAC treatment. There was a non-significant trend toward the need for longer treatment duration for a larger fistula opening size. CONCLUSIONS: EVAC treatment is a good non-surgical option for anastomotic leak following esophagectomy. Long duration of treatment is associated with neoadjuvant treatment and a large leakage opening.

Comparison of endoscopic submucosal dissection and surgery for superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a propensity score-matched analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has been widely accepted for treating superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SESCC). However, long-term outcomes of ESD and esophagectomy for SESCC have not been compared. We compared the clinical outcomes of ESD and esophagectomy in a matched cohort. METHODS: Patients who underwent ESD and esophagectomy for SESCC were included. We selected SESCCs without obvious submucosal invasion from the surgical database by reviewing endoscopic images. To minimize the effect of selection bias, propensity score matching was performed. Overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and metachronous RFS were compared between the 2 groups. Adverse event rates were also compared. RESULTS: In a matched cohort of 120 pairs, OS, DSS, and RFS were comparable between the 2 groups. The 5-year OS, DSS, and RFS rates were 93.9% versus 91.2%, 100% versus 97.4%, and 92.8% versus 95.3% for the ESD and esophagectomy groups, respectively. The metachronous RFS was worse in the ESD group than in the esophagectomy group (P = .004). The 5-year metachronous RFS rates were 90.3% versus 100% for the ESD and esophagectomy groups, respectively. The esophagectomy group showed a higher overall adverse event rate than the ESD group (55.5% vs 18.5%, P < .0001). In each subgroup of mucosal and submucosal cancer, OS, DSS, and RFS were also comparable between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: ESD provides long-term outcomes comparable with esophagectomy in patients with SESCC without endoscopic evidence of obvious submucosal invasion. ESD should be considered as the first-line treatment for these patients.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection under general anesthesia for superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is associated with better clinical outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has been widely accepted for treating superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SESCC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ESD for SESCC and the effect of different sedation methods on their clinical outcomes. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed a total of 169 patients (175 lesions) who underwent ESD for SESCC at Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea. Short-term and long-term clinical outcomes were evaluated and compared according to the sedation method (conscious sedation [CS] vs general anesthesia [GA]). RESULTS: En bloc resection, complete resection, and curative resection (CuR) were achieved in 93.7, 74.9, and 58.9% of cancers, respectively. Perforation and stricture occurred in 8.0 and 12.0% of lesions, respectively. During a mean follow-up period of 33.7 months for survival, 3 (3.0%) patients died without evidence of recurrence after achieving CuR. During a mean follow-up period of 32.5 months for recurrence, 1 (1.0%) patient experienced lymph node metastasis. Synchronous and metachronous cancer were found in 1.0% and in 3.0% of patients, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that GA was associated with a higher complete resection rate and a lower perforation rate as compared to CS (odds ratio 3.401, 95% confidence interval 1.317-8.785, P = 0.011 and odds ratio 0.067, 95% confidence interval 0.006-0.775, P = 0.030, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: ESD is an oncologically effective treatment modality for SESCC, particularly when CuR is achieved. Applying GA for esophageal ESD could improve the clinical outcomes of ESD in patients with SESCC.

One-dimensional and 2-dimensional tumor size measurement for prediction of lymph node metastasis in differentiated early gastric cancer with minute submucosal invasion.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Differentiated minute submucosal cancers measuring ≤3 cm that exhibit no lymphovascular invasion are considered eligible for endoscopic resection; however, the ≤3-cm criterion remains debatable. The aim of this study was to verify the optimal tumor size cutoff for endoscopic resection eligibility, and to determine whether 2-dimensional tumor size measurement would be more accurate for this purpose. METHODS: The clinicopathologic data for 574 patients undergoing curative surgery for differentiated minute submucosal cancer were reviewed retrospectively. A receiver operating curve analysis and bootstrapped samples were used to identify the optimal cutoff values for predicting lymph node (LN) metastasis. RESULTS: Four hundred fourteen patients were eligible for the study. LN metastasis accompanied 2.5% of differentiated minute submucosal cancers that were ≤3 cm in size and lacked lymphovascular invasion. There was no lymph node metastasis in the tumors with 1-dimensional sizes ≤1.0 cm and 2-dimensional sizes ≤1.0 cm2. When 10,000 bootstrapped data were used, optimal cutoff values were 2.9 cm (LN metastasis: 2.1%) and 8.3 cm2 (LN metastasis: 2.5% incidence) for 1- and 2-dimensional tumor size, respectively. Although the area under the curve was 0.611 (P = .046) for 2-dimensional size, specificity and accuracy were greater for the dichotomized 2-dimensional measure than for the dichotomized 1-dimensional measure (P < .001, McNemar test). In addition, 2-dimensional tumor size was the only significant risk factor for LN metastasis (odds ratio, 1.09; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.20). CONCLUSIONS: One- and 2-dimensional cutoff values of 2.9 cm and 8.3 cm2 might be suitable for patients at high risk of postoperative morbidity and mortality. Two-dimensional tumor size is an acceptable measurement method for estimating the risk of LN metastasis.

Proton pump inhibitors do not increase the risk for recurrent spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in patients with cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The present study aimed to assess the real impact of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use on incidence of recurrent spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) in a homogenous population composed of cirrhotic patients with a previous SBP where differences related with SBP incidence between PPI users and non-users are less likely to exist. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study enrolled 307 cirrhotic patients taking diuretics for ascites control and had a previous SBP. Patients who took any PPI for at least 1 week prior to a second SBP were included in the PPI group. The incidence of a second SBP was a primary outcome and was compared between PPI group and non-PPI group before and after propensity score matching. Risk factors for a second SBP were investigated by multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Second SBP occurred in 17 patients (29.3%) during mean 52.1 ± 5.2 months of PPI group and in 60 patients (24.1%) during mean 61.9 ± 4.8 months of non-PPI group, which did not differ (P = .185). In the matched cohort, second SBP similarly occurred in both groups [29.3% of PPI group vs 26.8% of non-PPI group (P = .271)]. According to the multivariate analysis, Child-Pugh score was the only significant risk factor for a second SBP (hazard ratio 1.68, 95% confidence interval, 1.13-2.50, P = .001). Isolated bacteria and clinical outcomes such as of mortality, presence of sepsis, and hospital stay did not differ between the two groups in the matched cohort. CONCLUSION: Proton pump inhibitor use is not a risk factor for recurrent SBP in cirrhotic patients.

Efficacy and safety of endoscopic submucosal dissection in elderly patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has been widely applied in superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SESCC) as a minimally invasive treatment, which has advantages over surgery, especially in the elderly who have high risk of surgery. This study elucidated the efficacy and safety of ESD for SESCC in the elderly. METHODS: Between April 2007 and June 2016, a total of 176 patients with SESCC treated with ESD were analyzed. Clinical outcomes including En bloc, complete, and curative resection rates, procedure-related complication rates, and cumulative recurrence rates were compared between the elderly (n = 46, ≥70 years of age) and the non-elderly groups (n = 130, <70 years of age). RESULTS: Between the two groups, sex, past medical history (hypertension and diabetes), body mass index, tumor characteristics (number, location, shape, maximal and circumferential size of the tumor and the resected specimen, and depth), and use of stricture prevention except for age (elderly vs non-elderly; 74.1 ± 2.78 vs. 61.1 ± 6.06 years, p < 0.001) did not differ. En bloc resection (elderly vs. non-elderly; 93.5 vs. 93.8%, p = 1.000), complete resection (elderly vs. non-elderly; 69.6 vs. 76.2%, p = 0.433), and curative resection rates (elderly vs. non-elderly; 54.3 vs. 60.0%, p = 0.602) did not differ significantly between the two groups. Procedure time and hospital stay were also similar between the two groups. Complications of ESD such as stricture (17.4 vs. 10.8%, p = 0.299) and perforation (13.0 vs. 6.2%, p = 0.083) occurred at a similar rate in the elderly and non-elderly groups. After curative ESD, cumulative recurrence rate of the elderly group (0%) did not differ significantly to that of the non-elderly group (5.1%) by the log-rank test (p = 0.307). CONCLUSION: ESD for SESCC is effective and safe in elderly patients as in non-elderly patients.

Predictive factors for lymph node metastasis in early gastric cancer with lymphatic invasion after endoscopic resection.

BACKGROUND: Lymph node (LN) metastasis is found in only about 5-10% of the patients who undergo additional surgery after non-curative endoscopic resection. Lymphatic invasion after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is regarded as non-curative resection due to risk of reginal LN metastasis. This study was aimed to identify clinicopathologic predictive factors for LN metastasis in early gastric cancer (EGC) with lymphatic invasion after endoscopic resection. METHODS: Among a total of 2036 patients who underwent endoscopic resection for EGC at Samsung Medical Center from April 2000 to May 2011, 146 patients were diagnosed with lymphatic invasion. And 123 patients who had gastrectomy with LN dissection due to presence of lymphatic invasion as one of the non-curative factors were included in this study. Demographics, endoscopic tumor findings, histological findings, surgical findings with pathologic reports, and follow-up data were collected from the patient's medical records. Pathological re-evaluation of resected specimens was performed. RESULTS: Among a total of 123 patients, LN metastases were found in seven patients (5.7%). The univariate analysis revealed that the LN metastasis was significantly more frequent in patients with certain morphology of lymphatic invasion that shows adhesion to endothelium of lymphatic tumor emboli (p = 0.016), higher number of lymphatic tumor emboli in whole section (p < 0.001) and papillary adenocarcinoma component (p = 0.024). In multivariate analysis, the number of lymphatic tumor emboli [OR 93.5, 95% CI (2.62-3330.81)] and the presence of papillary adenocarcinoma component [OR 552.5, 95% CI (1.20-254871.81)] were identified as independent predictors of LN metastasis in patients with lymphatic invasion after endoscopic resection. CONCLUSIONS: The number of lymphatic tumor emboli and the presence of papillary adenocarcinoma component were significant predictors for LN metastasis in patients with lymphatic invasion after endoscopic resection.

Lactate Parameters Predict Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Nonvariceal Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding.

The predictive role of lactate in patients with nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (NVUGIB) has been suggested. This study evaluated several lactate parameters in terms of predicting outcomes of bleeding patients and sought to establish a new scoring model by combining lactate parameters and the AIMS65 score. A total of 114 patients with NVUGIB who underwent serum lactate level testing at least twice and endoscopic hemostasis within 24 hours after admission were retrospectively analyzed. The associations between five lactate parameters and clinical outcomes were evaluated and the predictive power of lactate parameter combined AIMS65s (L-AIMS65s) and AIMS56 scoring was compared. The most common cause of bleeding was gastric ulcer (48.2%). Lactate clearance rate (LCR) was associated with 30-day rebleeding (odds ratio [OR], 0.931; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.872-0.994; P = 0.033). Initial lactate (OR, 1.313; 95% CI, 1.050-1.643; P = 0.017), maximal lactate (OR, 1.277; 95% CI, 1.037-1.573; P = 0.021), and average lactate (OR, 1.535; 95% CI, 1.137-2.072; P = 0.005) levels were associated with 30-day mortality. Initial lactate (OR, 1.213; 95% CI, 1.027-1.432; P = 0.023), maximal lactate (OR, 1.271; 95% CI, 1.074-1.504; P = 0.005), and average lactate (OR, 1.501; 95% CI, 1.150-1.959; P = 0.003) levels were associated with admission over 7 days. Although L-AIMS65s showed the highest area under the curve for prediction of each outcome, differences between L-AIMS65s and AIMS65 did not reach statistical significance. In conclusion, lactate parameters have a prognostic role in patients with NVUGIB. However, they do not increase the predictive power of AIMS65 when combined.

Evaluation of the Efficacy and Safety of DA-9601 versus Its New Formulation, DA-5204, in Patients with Gastritis: Phase III, Randomized, Double-Blind, Non-Inferiority Study.

This study compared the efficacy of DA-9601 (Dong-A ST Co., Seoul, Korea) and its new formulation, DA-5204 (Dong-A ST Co.), for treating erosive gastritis. This phase III, randomized, multicenter, double-blind, non-inferiority trial randomly assigned 434 patients with endoscopically proven gastric mucosal erosions into two groups: DA-9601 3 times daily or DA-5,204 twice daily for 2 weeks. The final analysis included 421 patients (DA-5204, 209; DA-9601, 212). The primary endpoint (rate of effective gastric erosion healing) and secondary endpoints (cure rate of endoscopic erosion and gastrointestinal [GI] symptom relief) were assessed using endoscopy after the treatment. Drug-related adverse events (AEs), including GI symptoms, were also compared. At week 2, gastric healing rates with DA-5204 and DA-9601 were 42.1% (88/209) and 42.5% (90/212), respectively. The difference between the groups was -0.4% (95% confidence interval, -9.8% to 9.1%), which was above the non-inferiority margin of -14%. The cure rate of gastric erosion in both groups was 37.3%. The improvement rates of GI symptoms with DA-5204 and DA-9601 were 40.4% and 40.8%, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in both secondary endpoints. AEs were reported in 18 (8.4%) patients in the DA-5204 group and 19 (8.8%) in the DA-9601 group. Rates of AE were not different between the two groups. No serious AE or adverse drug reaction (ADR) occurred. These results demonstrate the non-inferiority of DA-5204 compared to DA-9601. DA-5204 is as effective as DA-9601 in the treatment of erosive gastritis. Registered randomized clinical trial at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02282670).

Migraineurs Initially Visiting the Gastroenterology Department.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Migraine-related nausea and vomiting are usually associated with severe and debilitating headache. However, there are unique headache patients with a chief complaint of prominent gastrointestinal (GI) discomfort, instead of headache. We sought to investigate distinctive characteristics and clinical outcomes of such patients, compared to migraine patients initially visiting headache clinic. METHODS: This was a retrospective case-control study using a headache registry from April 2012 to December 2013. Case subjects were defined as patients who had first visited the gastroenterology clinic with chief complaint of nausea and/or vomiting, but then referred to the headache clinic for evaluation and management of concurrent headache. They were 1:2 matched to control subjects who met the migraine criteria based on propensity scores adjusted for age, sex, aura, headache frequency, and headache intensity. RESULTS: We identified 51 case subjects, of which 80.4% were compatible with the migraine criteria. In multivariate testing, the case subjects were inversely associated with family history of headache (odds ratios [OR]: 0.36, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.13-0.99), alcohol drinking (OR: 0.18, 95% CI: 0.05-0.69), and aggravation by physical activity (OR: 0.19, 95% CI: 0.08-0.43). The proportions of subjects with a favorable clinical outcome in migraine management did not differ between the case and control groups (82.2% vs 79.1%, P = .670). CONCLUSIONS: Primary symptoms of the case subjects had been GI; however, migraine management was most effective in relieving both prominent GI discomfort and headache. Our findings suggest that physicians should consider and investigate for the presence of migraine in patients with prominent GI symptoms and concurrent headache.