Intestinal metaplasia in follow-up endoscopies among Asian patients with short-segment Barrett's esophagus: Regression, sampling error, and associated factors.

BACKGROUND: The percentage of and factors associated with the regression of Barrett's esophagus (BE) or its characteristic intestinal metaplasia (IM) remain unclear, and conflicting results have been reported because of diverse regression and sampling error definitions. Thus, we investigated the rates of IM regression, sampling error, and associated factors. METHODS: Forty-two patients with proven short-segment BE with IM who underwent two follow-up endoscopies with biopsies of Barrett's mucosa were retrospectively analyzed. Additional Alcian blue and MUC2 staining were done on the biopsy specimens without IM in hematoxylin-eosin staining. Only patients with negative hematoxylin-eosin, Alcian blue, and MUC2 staining for IM in both follow-up endoscopies were considered to have true regression. When all three stains were negative for IM in the first, but positive in the second follow-up endoscopy, we considered IM persisting and declared sampling error. RESULTS: Among the 18 patients without IM at the first follow-up endoscopy, only five (11.9%) were judged to have true regression. Prolonged proton-pump inhibitor use was significantly associated with regression. Limited experience of the endoscopist, and insufficient biopsy number were significantly related to sampling error. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed the best cut-off value of the biopsy number/maximal-length (cm) ratio to predict sampling error was 2.25. CONCLUSION: In our patients with short-segment BE, 11.9% experienced regression of IM. Prolonged proton-pump inhibitors treatment was associated with regression. An insufficient biopsy number was related to a missed IM, which may be eliminated by maintaining biopsy number/maximal-length (cm) ratio ≥2.25.

Randomized Controlled Study of Tenofovir versus Lamivudine Followed by Tenofovir in Severe Exacerbation of Hepatitis B.

Spontaneous severe acute exacerbation (SAE) is not uncommon in the natural history of chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Lamivudine (LAM) has the advantages of low price, quick onset, good efficacy, and no drug resistance within 24 weeks. This study aimed to compare the short-term efficacy of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and LAM for 24 weeks followed by TDF in the treatment of CHB with severe acute exacerbation. Consecutive patients of CHB with SAE were randomized to receive either TDF (19 patients) or LAM for 24 weeks, followed by TDF (18 patients). The primary endpoint was overall mortality or receipt of liver transplantation by week 24. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital (VGHKS12-CT5-10). The baseline characteristics were comparable between the two groups. By week 24, seven (37%) and five (28%) patients in the TDF and LAM-TDF groups died or received liver transplantation (P = 0.487). Multivariate analysis showed that albumin level, prothrombin time (PT), and hepatic encephalopathy were independent factors associated with mortality or liver transplantation by week 24. Early reductions in HBV DNA of more than or equal to 2 log at 1 and 2 weeks were similar between the two groups. The biochemical and virological responses at 12, 24, and 48 weeks were also similar between the two groups. TDF and LAM for 24 weeks followed by TDF achieved a similar clinical outcome in CHB patients with SAE. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under identifier NCT01848743).

Equivalent efficacies of reverse hybrid and concomitant therapies in first-line treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Concomitant therapy is a recommended first-line treatment for Helicobacter pylori infection in most national or international consensuses. Reverse hybrid therapy is a modified 14-day concomitant therapy without clarithromycin and metronidazole in the final 7 days. This study aims to test whether 14-day reverse hybrid therapy is non-inferior to 14-day concomitant therapy in the first-line treatment of H. pylori infection. METHODS: Helicobacter pylori-infected adult patients were randomly assigned to receive either reverse hybrid therapy (dexlansoprazole 60 mg o.d. plus amoxicillin 1 g b.d. for 14 days, and clarithromycin 500 mg plus metronidazole 500 mg b.d. for initial 7 days) or concomitant therapy (dexlansoprazole 60 mg once o.d. plus amoxicillin 1 g, clarithromycin 500 mg, and metronidazole 500 mg b.d. for 14 days). H. pylori status was assessed 6 weeks after the end of treatment. RESULTS: Helicobacter pylori-infected participants (n = 248) were randomized to receive either 14-day reverse hybrid therapy (n = 124) or 14-day concomitant therapy (n = 124). Intention-to-treat analysis demonstrated that the two therapies had comparable eradication rate (95.2% vs 93.5%; 95% confidence interval, -4.0% to 7.4%; P = 0.582). However, reverse hybrid therapy had a much lower frequency of adverse events than concomitant therapy (20.2% vs 38.7%, P = 0.001). The two therapies exhibited comparable drug adherence (93.5% vs 87.9%, P = 0.125). CONCLUSIONS: Fourteen-day reverse hybrid therapy and 14-day concomitant therapy are equivalent in efficacy for the first-line treatment of H. pylori infection. However, reverse hybrid therapy has fewer adverse events compared with concomitant therapy.

Short-term and long-term impacts of Helicobacter pylori eradication with reverse hybrid therapy on the gut microbiota.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Anti-Helicobacter pylori therapy may lead to the growth of pathogenic or antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the gut. The study aimed to investigate the short-term and long-term impacts of H. pylori eradication with reverse hybrid therapy on the components and macrolide resistance of the gut microbiota. METHODS: Helicobacter pylori-related gastritis patients were administered a 14-day reverse hybrid therapy. Fecal samples were collected before treatment and at the end of week 2, week 8, and week 48. The V3-V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene in fecal specimens was amplified by polymerase chain reaction and sequenced on Illumina MiSeq platform. Additionally, amplification of erm(B) gene (encoding erythromycin resistance methylase) was performed. RESULTS: Reverse hybrid therapy resulted in decreased relative abundances of Firmicutes (from 62.0% to 30.7%; P < 0.001) and Actinobacteria (from 3.4% to 0.6%; 0.032) at the end of therapy. In contrast, the relative abundance of Proteobacteria increased from 10.2% to 49.1% (0.002). These microbiota alterations did not persist but returned to the initial levels at week 8 and week 48. The amount of erm(B) gene in fecal specimens was comparable with the pretreatment level at week 2 but increased at week 8 (0.025) and then returned to the pretreatment level by week 48. CONCLUSIONS: Helicobacter pylori eradication with reverse hybrid therapy can lead to short-term gut dysbiosis. The amount of erm(B) gene in the stool increased transiently after treatment and returned to the pretreatment level at 1-year post-treatment.

Equivalent Efficacies of Reverse Hybrid and Bismuth Quadruple Therapies in Eradication of Helicobacter pylori Infection in a Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Bismuth quadruple therapy is recommended as a first-line treatment for Helicobacter pylori infection in the United States but hybrid therapy is an alternative option. Reverse hybrid therapy (proton pump inhibitor plus amoxicillin for 14 days, and clarithromycin plus metronidazole for the initial 7 days) is a simplified hybrid treatment. We aimed to assess the efficacies of reverse hybrid therapy vs bismuth quadruple therapy as first-line treatments for patients with H pylori infection in a randomized trial. METHODS: In a prospective study, patients with H pylori infection were randomly assigned to groups that received either reverse hybrid therapy (n = 176) or a bismuth quadruple therapy (pantoprazole, bismuth, tetracycline, and metronidazole for 14 days; n = 176). Patients were examined the end of therapy for adverse events. The study was performed from August 2015 through February 2017. The primary outcome was cure of H pylori infection, determined based on a negative result from the urea breath test, or negative results from histologic analysis, the urease test, and bacterial culture analyses. RESULTS: H pylori infection was eradicated from 96.6% of patients who received reverse hybrid therapy and 96.0% who received bismuth quadruple therapy-this difference was not significant in the intention-to-treat analysis (95% CI, 8.0% ∼ 2.2%; P = .281). There were no significant differences between therapies eradication of clarithromycin-resistant strains (88.2% with reverse hybrid therapy vs 92.3% with bismuth quadruple therapy) or metronidazole-resistant strains (100% vs 96.9%). However, reverse hybrid therapy was associated with fewer adverse events (18.7% of patients) than bismuth quadruple therapy (47.7%) (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: In a randomized trial, we found 14-day reverse hybrid therapy to not be inferior to bismuth quadruple therapy as a first-line treatment for H pylori infection. Reverse hybrid therapy was associated with fewer adverse events. ClincialTrials.gov no: NCT02547038.

Helicobacter pylori eradication with bismuth quadruple therapy leads to dysbiosis of gut microbiota with an increased relative abundance of Proteobacteria and decreased relative abundances of Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria.

BACKGROUND: Bismuth quadruple therapy is the treatment of choice for the first-line therapy of Helicobacter pylori infection in areas of high clarithromycin resistance. Currently, the impact of the promising treatment on gut microbiota remains unclear. AIM: To investigate the short-term and long-term impacts of bismuth quadruple therapy on gut microbiota. METHODS: Adult patients with H. pylori-related gastritis were treated with 14-day bismuth quadruple therapy. Fecal samples were collected before treatment at week 2, week 8, and week 48. Nucleic acid extraction from fecal samples was performed. The V3-V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction and sequenced with the MiSeq followed by data analysis using Qiime pipeline. RESULTS: Eleven patients received complete follow-up. Before treatment, the most abundant phyla were Firmicutes (45.3%), Bacteroidetes (24.3%), Proteobacteria (9.9%), and Actinobacteria (5.0%). At the end of bismuth therapy, the relative abundances of Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria decreased to 0.5% (P < .001) and 1.3% (P = .038), respectively. Additionally, the relative abundance of Verrucomicrobia also decreased from 3.2% to 1.11E-3% (P = .034). In contrast, the relative abundances of Proteobacteria and Cyanobacteria increased (P < .001 and P = .003, respectively). At week 8, the relative abundances of all phyla restored to the levels at baseline. The relative abundances of all phyla at week 48 also did not significantly differ from those at baseline. During eradication therapy, 6 patients (55%) reported at least 1 adverse event. The relative abundance of phylum Proteobacteria in patients with adverse effects was more than that in patients without adverse effects (68.7% ± 8.8% vs 43.4% ± 25.5%; P = .048). CONCLUSIONS: Bismuth quadruple therapy for H. pylori eradication can lead to short-term dysbiosis of gut microbiota. The increase in Proteobacteria in gut microbiota may attribute to the development of adverse effects during bismuth quadruple therapy.

Gallbladder function predicts subsequent biliary complications in patients with common bile duct stones after endoscopic treatment?

BACKGROUND: In patients with common bile duct stones (CBDS) and intact gallbladder, further management for the gallbladder after the CBDS clearance is still controversial. The relationship between gallbladder motility and the biliary complications were seldom discussed. Our study is to predict the subsequent biliary complications by gallbladder function test using fatty meal sonography (FMS) in patients with CBDS who had been treated by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). METHODS: Patients with an intact gallbladder and CBDS after endoscopic clearance of bile duct were enrolled. Patients received a fatty meal sonography after liver function returned to normal. The fasting volume, residual volume, and gallbladder ejection fraction (GBEF) in FMS were measured. Relationships of patients' characteristics, gallbladder function and recurrent biliary complication were analyzed. RESULTS: From 2011 to 2014, 118 patients were enrolled; 86 patients had calculus gallbladders, and 32 patients had acalculous gallbladders. After a mean follow- up of 33 months, 23 patients had recurrent biliary complications. Among 86 patients with calculus gallbladder, 15 patients had spontaneous clearance of gallbladder stones; 14 patients received cholecystectomy due to acute cholecystitis or recurrent colic pain with smooth postoperative courses. In the follow up period, six patients died of non-biliary causes. The GBEF is significant reduced in most patients with a calculus gallbladder in spite of stone color. Calculus gallbladder, alcohol drinking and more than one sessions of initial endoscopic treatment were found to be the risk factors of recurrent biliary complication. CONCLUSIONS: Gallbladder motility function was poorer in patients with a calculus gallbladder, but it cannot predict the recurrent biliary complication. Since spontaneous clearance of gallbladder stone may occur, wait and see policy of gallbladder management after endoscopic treatment of CBDS is appropriate, but regular follow- up in those patients with risk factors for recurrence is necessary.

Histamine-2 Receptor Antagonist Cannot Prevent Recurrent Peptic Ulcers in Patients With Atherosclerotic Diseases Who Receive Platelet ADP Receptor Antagonist Monotherapy: A Randomized-Controlled, Double-Blind, and Double-Dummy Trial.

OBJECTIVES: Proton pump inhibitor can effectively prevent recurrent peptic ulcers among atherosclerotic patients receiving clopidogrel monotherapy. However, the interaction between proton pump inhibitors and clopidogrel has raised concerns over the safety of combined use of the two medicines in clinical practice. The aims of this randomized-controlled, double-blind and double-dummy trial were to investigate the efficacy of histamine-2 receptor antagonist (H2RA) in the prevention of recurrent peptic ulcer in patients undergoing thienopyridine monotherapy. METHODS: From January 2012 to 2016, long-termed thienopyridine users with a peptic ulcer history who did not have peptic ulcers at initial endoscopy were randomly assigned to receive either famotidine (40 mg, before bedtime) or placebo (before bedtime) for 6 months. Follow-up endoscopy was performed at the end of the 6th month and whenever dyspepsia, hematemesis, or melena occurred. RESULTS: The cumulative incidence of recurrent peptic ulcer during the 6-month period was 7.0% in famotidine group (n=114) and 11.4% in the placebo group (n=114). The two patient groups had comparable cumulative incidence of peptic ulcer (difference, 4.4%; 95% confidence interval (CI), -11.7 to 2.9%; P=0.239). Additionally, there was no difference in the cumulative incidence of ulcer bleeding (2.6% vs. 1.8%; difference, 0.8%; 95% CI, -0.6 to 2.4%, P=1.000) between famotidine and placebo groups. However, the former had a lower incidence of gastroduodenal erosion than the latter (21.1% vs. 36.8%; difference, 15.7%; 95% CI, -27.3 to -4.1%; P=0.013). CONCLUSIONS: Famotidine cannot decrease the incidence of peptic ulcer or ulcer bleeding in thienopyridine users with atherosclerotic disease and a history of peptic ulcer.

Is endoscopic treatment beneficial in patients with clinically suspicious of common bile duct stones but no obvious filling defects during the ERCP examination?

BACKGROUND: Sometimes, no definite filling defect could be found by cholangiogram (ERC) during the endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatiographic (ERCP) exam; even prior images had evidence of common bile duct stones (CBDS). We aimed in estimating the positive rate of extraction of CBDS who had treated by endoscopic sphincterotomy/endoscopic papillary balloon dilation (EST/EPBD) with negative ERC finding. METHODS: One hundred forty-one patients with clinically suspicious of CBDS but negative ERC, who had received EST/EPBD treatments was enrolled. Potential factors for predicting CBDS, as well as the treatment-related complications were analyzed. RESULTS: Nearly half of the patients with negative ERC, had a positive stone extraction. Only patients with high probability of CBDS were significantly associated with positive stone extraction. Moreover, patients with intermediate probability of CBDS had higher rates of overall complications, including post-ERCP pancreatitis. In addition, no significant difference of post-ERCP pancreatitis was found between EST and EPBD groups in any one group of patients with the same probability of CBDS. CONCLUSIONS: Regarding patients with negative ERC, therapeutic ERCP is beneficial and safe for patients present with high probability of CBDS. Moreover, under the same probability of CBDS, there was no significance difference in post-ERCP pancreatitis between EST and EPBD.

Eight weeks of esomeprazole therapy reduces symptom relapse, compared with 4 weeks, in patients with Los Angeles grade A or B erosive esophagitis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: There is disagreement over the ideal duration of initial proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy for gastroesophageal reflux disease, and whether prolonged therapy increases healing of the esophagitis and prevents symptom relapse. We performed a multicenter, prospective, randomized, controlled study to compare the efficacies of 4 weeks vs 8 weeks of PPI therapy in reducing reflux symptoms and preventing symptom relapse in patients with Los Angeles grade A or B erosive esophagitis. METHODS: Consecutive patients with symptomatic Los Angeles grade A or B erosive esophagitis were assigned randomly to groups given daily esomeprazole (40 mg) for 4 weeks (n = 207) or 8 weeks (n = 201) as their initial treatment. Patients with complete symptom resolution were switched to on-demand therapy until the end of week 20. All patients underwent follow-up endoscopy at the end of week 20. Symptom relapse was defined as 2 or more episodes of troublesome reflux symptoms per week or ingestion of PPI for more than 7 days within 4 weeks, owing to reflux symptoms. RESULTS: The 4-week and 8-week groups had comparable rates of complete symptom resolution (77.9% vs 82.1%). However, the cumulative 12-week incidence of symptom relapse was higher for the 4-week group than for the 8-week group (62.5% vs 47.8%; difference, 14.7%; 95% confidence interval, 3.7%-25.7%; P = .009). No significant difference was observed between groups in the proportions of patients with sustained healing at the end of week 20 (49.6% vs 40.9%; P = .160). CONCLUSIONS: Prolonging PPI therapy from 4 weeks to 8 weeks does not appear to increase the rate of complete symptom resolution in patients with mild erosive esophagitis. However, 8 weeks of PPI therapy reduces symptom relapse, compared with 4 weeks, in patients with Los Angeles grade A or B erosive esophagitis. ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT01874535.

Early entecavir treatment for chronic hepatitis B with severe acute exacerbation.

A previous study found that lamivudine, if started early enough, may improve the chance of survival in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) with severe acute exacerbation (SAE). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of early entecavir treatment before the bilirubin level exceeds 20 mg/dl for chronic HBV with SAE. Consecutive patients with chronic HBV with SAE and a serum bilirubin level of <20 mg/dl who received lamivudine or entecavir were enrolled. Short-term (4 months) survival was evaluated. One hundred fourteen patients received lamivudine, and 53 patients received entecavir. The baseline characteristics were similar for the two groups except that the entecavir group was older and had a lower alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level. Three patients (8.0%) in the entecavir group and 9 patients (7.9%) in the lamivudine group died (P=1.000). If only patients who started antiviral treatment before serum bilirubin level rose to more than 15 mg/dl were included, 3 patients (8.3%) in the entecavir group and 3 patients (3.0%) in the lamivudine group died (P=0.189). If only patients with an HBV DNA level higher than 10(5) copies/ml and a bilirubin level lower than 15 mg/dl were included, 5 out of 40 patients (12.5%) in the entecavir group died and 1 out of 59 patients (1.7%) in the lamivudine group died. Multivariate analysis found that entecavir treatment was associated with more mortality than lamivudine (P=0.035). Early entecavir treatment in patients with high viral load is associated with more short-term mortality than lamivudine for chronic HBV with severe acute exacerbation.

Linear echoendoscope-guided ERCP for the diagnosis of occult common bile duct stones.

BACKGROUND: Less than 67% of patients with intermediate risk for common bile duct (CBD) stones require therapeutic intervention. It is important to have an accurate, safe, and reliable method for the definitive diagnosis of CBD stones before initiating therapeutic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Few publications detail the diagnostic efficacy of linear echoendoscopy (EUS) for CBD stones. METHODS: 30 patients with biliary colic, pancreatitis, unexplained derangement of liver function tests, and/or dilated CBD without an identifiable cause were enrolled in the study. When a CBD stone was disclosed by linear EUS, ERCP with stone extraction was performed. Patients who failed ERCP were referred for surgical intervention. If no stone was found by EUS, ERCP would not be performed and patients were followed-up for possible biliary symptoms for up to three months. RESULTS: The major reason for enrollment was acute pancreatitis. The mean predicted risk for CBD stones was 47% (28-61). Of the 12 patients who were positive for CBD stones by EUS, nine had successful ERCP, one failed ERCP (later treated successfully by surgical intervention) and two were false-positive cases. No procedure-related adverse events were noted. For those 18 patients without evidence of CBD stones by EUS, no false-negative case was noted during the three-month follow-up period. Linear EUS had sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predicted values for the detection of CBD stones of 1, 0.9, 0.8 and 1, respectively. CONCLUSION: Linear EUS is safe and efficacious for the diagnosis of occult CBD stones in patients with intermediate risk for the disease.

Real-World Evidence of Effectiveness and Safety of Vedolizumab for Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Taiwan: A Prospective Nationwide Registry (VIOLET) Study.

BACKGROUND: This nationwide prospective registry study investigated the real-world effectiveness, safety, and persistence of vedolizumab (VDZ) in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients in Taiwan. Disease relapse rates after VDZ discontinuation due to reimbursement restriction were assessed. METHODS: Data were collected prospectively (January 2018 to May 2020) from the Taiwan Society of IBD registry. RESULTS: Overall, 274 patients (147 ulcerative colitis [UC] patients, 127 Crohn's disease [CD] patients) were included. Among them, 70.7% with UC and 50.4% with CD were biologic-naïve. At 1 year, 76.0%, 58.0%, 35.0%, and 62.2% of UC patients and 57.1%, 71.4%, 33.3%, and 30.0% of CD patients achieved clinical response, clinical remission, steroid-free remission, and mucosal healing, respectively. All patients underwent hepatitis B and tuberculosis screening before initiating biologics, and prophylaxis was recommended when necessary. One hepatitis B carrier, without antiviral prophylaxis due to economic barriers, had hepatitis B reactivation during steroid tapering and increasing azathioprine dosage, which was controlled with an antiviral agent. No tuberculosis reactivation was noted. At 12 months, non-reimbursement-related treatment persistence rates were 94.0% and 82.5% in UC and CD patients, respectively. Moreover, 75.3% of IBD patients discontinued VDZ due to mandatory drug holiday. Relapse rates after VDZ discontinuation at 6 and 12 months were 36.7% and 64.3% in CD patients and 42.9% and 52.4% in UC patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The findings demonstrated VDZ effectiveness in IBD patients in Taiwan, with high treatment persistence rates and favorable safety profiles. A substantial IBD relapse rate was observed in patients who had mandatory drug holiday.

Upper gastrointestinal lesions in patients receiving clopidogrel anti-platelet therapy.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Clopidogrel is associated with a high incidence of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in high-risk patients. However, the characteristic upper gastrointestinal lesions in symptomatic clopidogrel users remain unclear. The aims of this study were to investigate the characteristics of endoscopic findings in clopidogrel users undergoing endoscopy for upper gastrointestinal symptoms and to compare the clinical characteristics and upper gastrointestinal lesions between symptomatic clopidogrel and aspirin users. METHODS: This observational study included 215 consecutive patients receiving clopidogrel (n=106) or low-dose aspirin (n=109) therapy who underwent endoscopy for dyspeptic symptoms. The upper gastrointestinal lesions were carefully assessed, and a complete medical history was obtained by a standard questionnaire. RESULTS: The frequencies of hemorrhagic spots, erosions and peptic ulcers in the symptomatic clopidogrel users were 25%, 39% and 39%, respectively. Among the peptic ulcer patients on clopidogrel therapy, the distributions of ulcers were 78%, 5% and 17% in the stomach, duodenum and both, respectively. Compared with the aspirin group, the clopidogrel group was older and had higher frequencies of past ulcer history and past gastrointestinal bleeding history in their clinical characteristics. By contrast, the clopidogrel users had a lower prevalence of active Helicobacter pylori infection than aspirin users (17% vs. 35%, respectively, p=0.007). Regarding to the endoscopic findings, the clopidogrel users had higher frequencies of hemorrhagic spots (25% vs. 10%) and peptic ulcer (39% vs. 24%) than aspirin users (p=0.004 and 0.027, respectively). CONCLUSION: Most peptic ulcers in clopidogrel users are located in the stomach. The frequencies of hemorrhagic spots and peptic ulcers in symptomatic clopidogrel users are higher than those in symptomatic aspirin users.

Hepatitis B Virus Screening Before Cancer Chemotherapy in Taiwan: A Nationwide Population-Based Study.

Background: Reactivation of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) during cancer chemotherapy is a severe and sometimes fatal complication. In 2009, the National Health Insurance (NHI) in Taiwan recommended and reimbursed screening for HBV infection and prophylactic antiviral therapy before cancer chemotherapy. In this study, we determined the HBV screening rate in patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy in Taiwan. Methods: We retrospectively collected data from the National Health Insurance Research Database on patients who received systemic chemotherapy for solid or hematologic cancers from January 2000 through December 2012. We defined HBV screening based on testing for serum HBsAg within 2 years of the first chemotherapy commencement. We calculated overall and annual HBV screening rates in all patients and subgroups of age, gender, cancer type, hospital level, physician's department, and implementation of NHI reimbursement for HBV screening before cancer chemotherapy. Results: We enrolled 379,639 patients. The overall HBV screening rate was 45.9%. The screening rates were higher in males, those with hematological cancer, those at non-medical centers and medical departments. The HBV screening rates before (2000-2008) and after the implementation of NHI reimbursement (2009-2012) were 38.1 and 57.5%, respectively (p < 0.0001). The most common practice pattern of HBV screening was only HBsAg (64.6%) followed by HBsAg/HBsAb (22.1%), and HBsAg/HBcAb/HBsAb (0.7%) (p < 0.0001). The annual HBV screening rate increased from 31.5 to 66.3% (p < 0.0001). The screening rates of solid and hematological cancers significantly increased by year; however, the trend was greater in solid cancer than in hematological cancer (35.9 and 26.2%, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: The HBV screening rate before cancer chemotherapy was fair but increased over time. These figures improved after implementing a government-based strategy; however, a mandatory hospital-based strategy might improve awareness of HBV screening and starting prophylactic antiviral therapy before cancer chemotherapy.

Meckel's Diverticulum Diagnosed by Balloon-Assisted Enteroscopy: A Multicenter Report from the Taiwan Association for the Study of Small Intestinal Diseases (TASSID).

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Patients with Meckel's diverticulum (MD) are difficult to preoperatively diagnose because of its endoscopic inaccessibility. Balloon-assisted enteroscopy (BAE) allows endoscopic access to the entire small intestine. The aim of the current study was to investigate patients with MD diagnosed by BAE in Taiwan. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, multicenter study of patients with MD who were diagnosed by BAE in Taiwan. The clinical characteristics, endoscopic features, histopathological findings, treatment methods, and outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 55 patients with MD were enrolled (46 males and 9 females). The mean age at diagnosis was 34.1 years. Overt gastrointestinal bleeding (87.3%) was the primary indication for BAE, followed by abdominal pain (9.1%), suspected small bowel tumor (1.8%), and Crohn's disease follow-up (1.8%). The mean distance between the ileocecal valve and MD was 71.6 cm (regarding diagnostic yields: BAE-100%, capsule endoscopy-40%, Meckel's scan-35.7%, computed tomography-14.6%, small bowel series-12.5%, and angiography-11.1%; regarding endoscopic features of MD: a large ostium-89.1%, a small ostium-7.3%, and a polypoid mass-3.6%). Surgical treatment was performed in 76.4% patients, and conservative treatment was performed in 23.6% patients. The mean length of MD in 42 patients who underwent surgical resection was 5.2 cm (in 43 patients of MD with available histopathology: heterotopic gastric tissue, 42.4%, heterotopic gastric and pancreatic tissues, 7%; heterotopic pancreatic tissue, 4.7%; heterotopic colonic tissue, 2.3%; and a neuroendocrine tumor, 2.3%). CONCLUSIONS: The current study showed BAE is a very useful modality for detecting MD compared with other conventional modalities.