Efficacy of various endoscopic modalities in detecting dysplasia in ulcerative colitis: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Longstanding ulcerative colitis (UC) is associated with an increased risk of colonic neoplasia. Various endoscopic modalities, such as chromoendoscopy (CE), narrow band imaging (NBI) and random biopsy have been introduced for surveillance, however, there exists a paucity of direct comparisons between them. We aimed to conduct a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) performed for surveillance of neoplasia in UC. AIM: To provide a comparative evaluation of the efficacy of the above-mentioned various modalities. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Google Scholar and Cochrane Central Registry through May 2016 for RCTs evaluating the efficacy of endoscopic modalities for surveillance of neoplasia in UC. The primary outcomes of interest were dysplasia (low- or high-grade) detection rates per biopsy and per patient, and dysplasia numbers per patient. Studies were simultaneously analyzed using a random-effects network meta-analysis under the Bayesian framework to identify the modality with the highest dysplasia detection rate. The best ranking probability for the dysplasia detection rate was analyzed by surface under the cumulative ranking (SUCRA) technique. RESULTS: Six prospective RCTs of a total 1038 patients were identified. We identified 4 different modalities; white light (WL) high definition (HD) or standard definition (SD), CE HD, and NBI HD. For dysplasia per biopsy, direct meta-analysis showed superiority of NBI HD over WL HD and CE HD over WL SD. Network meta-analysis demonstrated the rank order of best modality as NBI HD, CE HD, WL HD and WL SD with close SUCRA scores of the first two. For dysplasia per patient, direct meta-analyses showed equivocal results between each modality. Network meta-analysis demonstrated the rank order of best modality as WL HD, NBI HD, CE HD and WL SD with small differences of the SUCRA score among the first two. For dysplasia numbers per patient, direct meta-analysis showed superiority of CE HD over WL SD. Network meta-analysis demonstrated the rank order of best modality as WL HD, NBI HD, CE HD, and WL SD with small differences of the SUCRA score among the first three. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that there were small differences among WL HD, NBI HD, and CE HD, while WL SD was inferior, in detecting dysplasia in UC.

Lower Endoscopic Diagnostic Yields Observed in Non-hematemesis Gastrointestinal Bleeding Patients.

BACKGROUND: Location of bleeding can present a diagnostic challenge in patients without hematemesis more so than those with hematemesis. AIM: To describe endoscopic diagnostic yields in both hematemesis and non-hematemesis gastrointestinal bleeding patient populations. METHODS: A retrospective analysis on a cohort of 343 consecutively identified gastrointestinal bleeding patients admitted to a tertiary care center emergency department with hematemesis and non-hematemesis over a 12-month period. Data obtained included presenting symptoms, diagnostic lesions, procedure types with diagnostic yields, and hours to diagnosis. RESULTS: The hematemesis group (n = 105) took on average 15.6 h to reach a diagnosis versus 30.0 h in the non-hematemesis group (n = 231), (p = 0.005). In the non-hematemesis group, the first procedure was diagnostic only 53% of the time versus 71% in the hematemesis group (p = 0.02). 25% of patients in the non-hematemesis group required multiple procedures versus 10% in the hematemesis group (p = 0.004). Diagnostic yield for a primary esophagogastroduodenoscopy was 71% for the hematemesis group versus 50% for the non-hematemesis group (p = 0.01). Primary colonoscopies were diagnostic in 54% of patients and 12.5% as a secondary procedure in the non-hematemesis group. A primary video capsule endoscopy yielded a diagnosis in 79% of non-hematemesis patients (n = 14) and had a 70% overall diagnostic rate (n = 33). CONCLUSION: Non-hematemesis gastrointestinal bleeding patients undergo multiple non-diagnostic tests and have longer times to diagnosis and then compared those with hematemesis. The high yield of video capsule endoscopy in the non-hematemesis group suggests a role for this device in this context and warrants further investigation.

Higher Thioguanine Nucleotide Metabolite Levels are Associated With Better Long-term Outcomes in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

GOALS: The aim of this study was to assess whether sustained 6-thioguaninenucleotide (6-TGN) levels were associated with improved long-term outcomes in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). BACKGROUND: Cross-sectional data have shown that thiopurine metabolites are correlated with clinical efficacy in patient receiving thiopurines for IBD but the role for serial measurements through treatment course is unclear. STUDY: We conducted a retrospective cohort study including patients with IBD on thiopurine monotherapy and had serial 6-TGN levels measured. Predictive variables included demographics, disease phenotype, 6-TGN levels (nadir, median, and peak levels). The primary outcome was the development of a disease relapse. The secondary outcome was the need for IBD surgery. RESULTS: Two hundred eighteen 6-TGN samples from 87 patients were analyzed. Nadir and median 6-TGN levels were significantly higher in patients who did not relapse [185 and 233 pmol per 8×10 red blood cells (RBCs)] as compared with levels in patients who did relapse (150 and 167 pmol per 8×10 RBCs, P=0.025) but there was no significant difference in peak 6-TGN level. When adjusted for confounding factors, a nadir 6-TGN level ≥161 and a median 6-TGN level ≥264 were associated with a significant decrease in the rate of disease exacerbation (hazard ratio: 0.5; 95% confidence interval, 0.26-0.87; P=0.016 and hazard ratio: 0.4; 95% confidence interval, 0.2-0.82; P=0.14). CONCLUSIONS: Serial thiopurine metabolite level assessments and dose adjustment aiming to maintain higher 6-TGN levels may be helpful to improve long-term outcomes in patients with IBD.

A Systematic Approach to Patients with Jaundice.

Jaundice is a clinical manifestation of disorders of underlying bilirubin metabolism, hepatocellular dysfunction, or biliary obstruction. As clinical presentations of yellowing of eyes or skin can be somewhat nonspecific for the underlying etiology of disease, a stepwise approach to evaluation is necessary for accurate diagnosis and effective treatment plan. In this review, we discuss underlying mechanisms of cholestasis and jaundice as well as laboratory and imaging modalities needed to evaluate a patient presenting with hyperbilirubinemia. Jaundice occurs in settings of cholestasis or inability to effectively secrete bile as well as disorders of bilirubin metabolism and hepatocellular dysfunction. Clinical signs of jaundice occur when the serum bilirubin level exceeds 2.5 to 3 mg/dL. In all cases, evaluation begins with liver chemistry tests which include bilirubin (conjugated and unconjugated), alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and total protein. In patients with hepatobiliary causes of jaundice, the alkaline phosphatase is usually elevated. In these cases, evaluation of hepatic synthetic function is crucial to the formulation of a treatment plant. When serologic evaluation is combined with hepatobiliary imaging, underlying mechanism of disease can often be elucidated. A stepwise approach to evaluation can be cost and time saving as well as a framework to improve patient outcomes. In this review, we will outline a diagnostic approach to jaundice, beginning with pathophysiology of cholestasis followed by hyperbilirubinemia and markers of synthetic dysfunction.

Direct spectral analysis and determination of high content of carcinogenic bromine in bread using UV pulsed laser induced breakdown spectroscopy.

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was applied for the detection of carcinogenic elements like bromine in four representative brands of loaf bread samples and the measured bromine concentrations were 352, 157, 451, and 311 ppm, using Br I (827.2 nm) atomic transition line as the finger print atomic transition. Our LIBS system is equipped with a pulsed laser of wavelength 266 nm with energy 25 mJ pulse(-1), 8 ns pulse duration, 20 Hz repetition rate, and a gated ICCD camera. The LIBS system was calibrated with the standards of known concentrations in the sample (bread) matrix and such plot is linear in 20-500 ppm range. The capability of our system in terms of limit of detection and relative accuracy with respect to the standard inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) technique was evaluated and these values were 5.09 ppm and 0.01-0.05, respectively, which ensures the applicability of our system for Br trace level detection, and LIBS results are in excellent agreement with that of ICPMS results.

Analysis of heterogeneous gallstones using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WD-XRF).

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is an emerging analytical technique with numerous advantages such as rapidity, multi-elemental analysis, no specific sample preparation requirements, non-destructiveness, and versatility. It has been proven to be a robust elemental analysis tool attracting interest because of being applied to a wide range of materials including biomaterials. In this paper, we have performed spectroscopic studies on gallstones which are heterogeneous in nature using LIBS and wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WD-XRF) techniques. It has been observed that the presence and relative concentrations of trace elements in different kind of gallstones (cholesterol and pigment gallstones) can easily be determined using LIBS technique. From the experiments carried out on gallstones for trace elemental mapping and detection, it was found that LIBS is a robust tool for such biomedical applications. The stone samples studied in the present paper were classified using the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. WD-XRF spectroscopy has been applied for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of major and trace elements present in the gallstone which was compared with the LIBS data. The results obtained in the present paper show interesting prospects for LIBS and WD-XRF to study cholelithiasis better.

Continuing challenges in the diagnosis and management of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding.

The diagnosis and management of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) have changed dramatically since the introduction of video capsule endoscopy (VCE) followed by deep enteroscopy and other imaging technologies in the last decade. Significant advances have been made, yet there remains room for improvement in our diagnostic yield and treatment capabilities for recurrent OGIB. In this review, we will summarize the latest technologies for the diagnosis of OGIB, limitations of VCE, technological enhancement in VCE, and different management options for OGIB.