The validity of breath collection bags method in detecting Helicobacter pylori using the novel BreathID ® Hp Lab System: a multicenter clinical study in 257 subjects.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The BreathID ® Hp urea breath test provides several advantages over other 13C breath analyzers for the detection of Helicobacter pylori. We evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of a new BreathID ® Hp Lab System (Exalenz Bioscience Ltd, Israel), a 13C-urea breath test system using breath sampling bags that facilitates multiple testing in a multicenter international clinical study. METHODS: A total of 257 subjects with evaluable results for urea breath test, rapid urease test, and histology were enrolled into two study groups: 189 naïve subjects were included in the pre-therapy group, and 68 subjects comprised the post-eradication therapy group. Analytical studies were conducted to evaluate the stability, reproducibility, and repeatability of the 13C-urea breath test results using a delta over baseline cut-off value of 5. RESULTS: Among the pre-therapy subjects evaluated with the composite results from the rapid urease test and histology/immunohistochemistry, 176 results matched those of the urea breath test, resulting in an overall agreement of 98.3% with a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 97.9%. In the post-eradication therapy cohort, the overall agreement between the urea breath test and the biopsy diagnosis was 98.5%; the sensitivity of the urea breath test in this cohort was 92.3% and the specificity was 100%. There was uniformly high overall reproducibility (99.48%) of the test results over different batches of breath sample bags, when analyzed on different days and under different storage conditions, showing stability of the breath samples in the breath collection bags. CONCLUSION: The BreathID ® Hp Lab System is a highly accurate and dependable method for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection.

Efficacy of Per-oral Methylene Blue Formulation for Screening Colonoscopy.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Topically applied methylene blue dye chromoendoscopy is effective in improving detection of colorectal neoplasia. When combined with a pH- and time-dependent multimatrix structure, a per-oral methylene blue formulation (MB-MMX) can be delivered directly to the colorectal mucosa. METHODS: We performed a phase 3 study of 1205 patients scheduled for colorectal cancer screening or surveillance colonoscopies (50-75 years old) at 20 sites in Europe and the United States, from December 2013 through October 2016. Patients were randomly assigned to groups given 200 mg MB-MMX, placebo, or 100 mg MB-MMX (ratio of 2:2:1). The 100-mg MB-MMX group was included for masking purposes. MB-MMX and placebo tablets were administered with a 4-L polyethylene glycol-based bowel preparation. The patients then underwent colonoscopy by an experienced endoscopist with centralized double-reading. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients with 1 adenoma or carcinoma (adenoma detection rate [ADR]). We calculated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for differences in detection between the 200-mg MB-MMX and placebo groups. False-positive (resection rate for non-neoplastic polyps) and adverse events were assessed as secondary endpoints. RESULTS: The ADR was higher for the MB-MMX group (273 of 485 patients, 56.29%) than the placebo group (229 of 479 patients, 47.81%) (OR 1.46; 95% CI 1.09-1.96). The proportion of patients with nonpolypoid lesions was higher in the MB-MMX group (213 of 485 patients, 43.92%) than the placebo group (168 of 479 patients, 35.07%) (OR 1.66; 95% CI 1.21-2.26). The proportion of patients with adenomas ≤5 mm was higher in the MB-MMX group (180 of 485 patients, 37.11%) than the placebo group (148 of 479 patients, 30.90%) (OR 1.36; 95% CI 1.01-1.83), but there was no difference between groups in detection of polypoid or larger lesions. The false-positive rate did not differ significantly between groups (83 [23.31%] of 356 patients with non-neoplastic lesions in the MB-MMX vs 97 [29.75%] of 326 patients with non-neoplastic lesions in the placebo group). Overall, 0.7% of patients had severe adverse events but there was no significant difference between groups. CONCLUSIONS: In a phase 3 trial of patients undergoing screening or surveillance colonoscopies, we found MB-MMX led to an absolute 8.5% increase in ADR, compared with placebo, without increasing the removal of non-neoplastic lesions. Clinicaltrials.gov no: NCT01694966.

Vesicular exocytosis contributes to volume-sensitive ATP release in biliary cells.

Extracellular ATP is a potent autocrine/paracrine signal that regulates a broad range of liver functions through activation of purinergic receptors. In biliary epithelium, increases in cell volume stimulate ATP release through a phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3-kinase)-dependent mechanism. Because PI3-kinase also regulates vesicular exocytosis, the purpose of these studies was to determine whether volume-stimulated vesicular exocytosis contributes to cellular ATP release. In a human cholangiocarcinoma cell line, exocytosis was measured by using the plasma membrane marker FM1-43, whereas ATP release was assessed by using a luciferase-luciferin assay. Under basal conditions, cholangiocytes exhibited constitutive exocytosis at a rate of 1.6%/min, and low levels of extracellular ATP were detected at 48.2 arbitrary light units. Increases in cholangiocyte cell volume induced by hypotonic exposure resulted in a 10-fold increase in the rate of exocytosis and a robust 35-fold increase in ATP release. Both vesicular exocytosis and ATP release were proportional to cell volume, and both exhibited similar regulatory properties including: 1) dependence on intact PI3-kinase, 2) attenuation by inhibition of PKC, and 3) potentiation by activation of PKC before hypotonic exposure. These findings demonstrate that increases in cholangiocyte cell volume stimulate ATP release and vesicular exocytosis through similar regulatory paradigms. Functional interactions among cell volume, PKC, and PI3-kinase modulate exocytosis, thereby regulating ATP release and purinergic signaling in cholangiocytes. It is hypothesized that PKC is involved in the recruitment of a volume-sensitive vesicular pool to a readily releasable state.

Primary prevention of colorectal cancer: diet and drugs.

Primary prevention of colonic adenomas and cancer through dietary interventions or chemoprevention has great appeal. This article discusses primary prevention goals and promising nutritional or chemopreventive strategies. There is substantial observational evidence that diets high in total calories and fat and or low in fruits and vegetables or total fiber as well as low levels of physical activity are related to the risk of colonic neoplasia. Similar observational data indicate that diets high in specific nutrients such as antioxidant vitamins or calcium may be protective. The article describes some of the newer chemopreventive agents and reviews the data linking diet and lifestyle to colorectal cancer risk, focusing on interventions that have also been studied in prospective clinical trials. Finally the evidence supporting the role of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for the chemoprevention of CRC is reviewed and the status of several other promising newer agents that are entering human trials is summarized.

Bilateral thumb burns leading to the diagnosis of crack lung.

Bilateral thumb burns on a young woman admitted to the hospital with the diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia led us to consider the diagnosis of crack lung despite the fact that the woman denied cocaine use. Cocaine was found on a urine toxicology study, and its use was subsequently confirmed by history. The patient was treated for crack lung with complete resolution of her symptoms and radiographic findings. Inspection of the hands for burns consistent with handling cocaine pipes should prompt a consideration of crack lung in patients with pulmonary infiltrates.