Feasibility of Novel Magnetically Controlled Cable Capsule Endoscopy System In Vitro Experiments for Gastric Examination.

Background: Magnetically controlled capsule endoscopy has been shown to be feasible for the examination of gastric diseases. However, there may be problems, such as low image quality, incomplete esophageal observation, and capsule retention. We developed a novel magnetically controlled cable capsule endoscopy (MCCCE) system and evaluated its feasibility through in vitro experiments. Methods: Three experienced endoscopists performed MCCCE on the plastic stomach model and the excised porcine stomach model 5 times, respectively. Outcomes included handle ability, examination time, examination completion, and image quality. The examination completion was accessed by other two blinded endoscopists, and the image quality was compared with conventional gastroscopy (Olympus, GIF-290). Results: The performance of MCCCE in vitro experiments is excellent, with a mean operation time of 18.5 minutes in the plastic stomach model and 17.3 minutes in the excised porcine stomach model. The visualization rate of the gastric mucosa is >90% in the plastic stomach model and 75-90% in the excised porcine stomach model. The images of MCCCE are very clear, with good color resolution and no image distortion, which seem to be comparable to conventional gastroscopy. Conclusions: MCCCE system is feasible for gastric examination in vitro experiments, living animal experiments and human trials need to be further conducted.

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of a novel wired transmission magnetically controlled capsule endoscopy system for upper gastrointestinal examination.

BACKGROUND: Magnetically controlled capsule endoscopy (MCCE) has recently increasingly been used for gastric examination. However, the image quality and esophageal observation is suboptimal. We developed a novel wired transmission magnetically controlled capsule endoscopy (WT-MCCE) system and evaluated its feasibility through in vitro and in vivo experiments. METHODS: A plastic stomach model and a pathological upper gastrointestinal model were used to evaluate the performance of WT-MCCE in vitro experiments. Twice of examination in the two in vitro models by WT-MCCE were performed by 5 endoscopists who were experienced in performing wireless capsule endoscopy. The examination of traditional gastroscopy (Olympus, GIF-HQ290) in the pathological upper gastrointestinal model was set as the control. In vivo experiments were performed in a live canine model by 3 endoscopists, in which WT-MCCE was inserted with the assistance of gastroscopy. Measurements included maneuverability, examination time, visualization of gastric mucosa, image quality and diagnostic accuracy. RESULTS: WT-MCCE showed good performance in both in vitro and in vivo experiments with excellent visualization of mucosa (75-100%). The mean operation time is 17.6 ± 2.7 min, 22.3 ± 1.9 min and 29.3 ± 3.4 min in three models, respectively. In pathological upper gastrointestinal model, all lesions, including esophageal varices, one polyp, one foreign body, two gastric ulcers and one duodenal ulcer, were detected by both WT-MCCE and traditional gastroscopy by all endoscopists. For the observation of esophagus and stomach in the canine model, WT-MCCE also showed excellent maneuverability and good image quality. CONCLUSIONS: The novel WT-MCCE system performed well in evaluating upper gastrointestinal landmarks and lesions in two in vitro models, and showed good performance in a canine model. WT-MCCE may be potentially useful for diagnosis of esophageal and gastric diseases.

Prognostic Value of lncRNA PVT1 for Patients with Gastric Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prognostic value of lncRNA PVT1 for patients with gastric cancer. METHODS: A comprehensive literature searching was performed in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, CNKI, CBM, and Wanfang Database to identify published studies on the expression level of lncRNA PVT1 in human gastric cancer. STATA 12.0 was conducted to perform the meta-analysis. Clinical outcomes including patients' age, genders, TNM stage, OS, and DFS were assessed in the study. RESULTS: A total of 8 studies involving 747 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The results of meta-analysis showed that higher expression level of lncRNA PVT1 was associated with GC patients' gender (for male: OR = 2.27, 95% CI: 1.67~3.07, P = 0.000), invasion depth (for T3~4: OR = 3.98, 95% CI: 2.85~5.56, P = 0.000), poorer OS (HR = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.43~1.97, P = 0.000), and DFS (HR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.44~2.08, P = 0.000). CONCLUSION: Higher expression level of lncRNA PVT1 is significantly associated with GC patients' gender, invasion depth, poorer OS, and worse DFS. lncRNA PVT1 might act as a novel predictive biomarker of poor prognosis and clinicopathological characteristics for gastric cancer.

Quality appraisal of clinical practice guidelines on glioma.

Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) play an important role in healthcare. The guideline development process should be precise and rigorous to ensure that the results are reproducible and not vague. To determine the quality of guidelines, the Appraisal of Guidelines and Research and Evaluation (AGREE) instrument was developed and introduced. The aim of the present study was to assess the methodological quality of clinical practice guidelines on glioma. Eight databases (including MEDLINE and Embase) were searched till to August, 2013. The methodological quality of the guidelines was assessed by four authors independently using the AGREE II instrument. Fifteen relevant guidelines were included from 940 citations. The overall agreement among reviewers was moderate (intra-class correlation coefficient = 0.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.66-0.92). The mean scores were moderate for the domains "scope and purpose" (59.54) and "clarity of presentation" (65.46); however, there were low scores for the domains "stakeholder involvement" (43.80), "rigor of development" (39.01), "applicability" (31.89), and "editorial independence" (30.83). Only one third of the guidelines described the systematic methods for searching, and nearly half of the (47%) guidelines did not give a specific recommendation. Only four of 15 described a procedure for updating the guideline; meanwhile, just six guidelines in this field can be considered to be evidence-based. The quality and transparency of the development process and the consistency in the reporting of glioma guidelines need to be improved. And the quality of reporting of guidelines was disappointing. Many other methodological disadvantages were identified. In the future, glioma CPGs should be based on the best available evidence and rigorously developed and reported. Greater efforts are needed to provide high-quality guidelines that serve as a useful and reliable tool for clinical decision-making in this field.