Hepatocyte growth factor ameliorates dextran sodium sulfate­induced colitis in a mouse model by altering the phenotype of intestinal macrophages.

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) serves key roles in cell motility, proliferation and immunoregulatory functions. However, the effect of HGF on macrophages is unclear. The present study aimed to elucidate the effect of HGF on the phenotypic alterations of intestinal lamina propria mononuclear cells (LPMCs). Colitis was induced in a mouse model using dextran sodium sulfate (DSS). Subsequently, LPMCs were isolated from the mice with chronic colitis and the expression levels of cytokine­encoding genes in the LPMCs were determined. CD11b­positive macrophages isolated from LPMCs were cultured with HGF, and alterations in the levels of M1 or M2 markers were evaluated by reverse transcription­quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT­qPCR) and flow cytometry. In addition, the cytokine levels were assessed using RT­qPCR and ELISA. HGF shifted the phenotype of macrophages from M1 to M2­like, as determined by increased mRNA expression levels of arginase­1, CD206 and IL­10, and reduced mRNA expression levels of CD86 and IL­6 in mice with DSS­induced colitis. Moreover, HGF could ameliorate DSS­induced colitis owing to its immunosuppressive effect on immune cells. These findings indicated that HGF treatment may not only promote the regeneration of epithelial cells but also lead to tissue repair by phenotypic alteration of M1 macrophages to M2­like macrophages.

Efficacy and safety of a novel anti-reflux metal stent during neoadjuvant chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer: A prospective multicenter exploratory study.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: The benefits of anti-reflux metal stents, used for treating biliary obstruction in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for pancreatic cancer, are yet unknown. Herein, the safety and efficacy of the novel duckbill-type anti-reflux metal stent (D-ARMS) were prospectively evaluated for biliary drainage. Additionally, the incidence of recurrent biliary obstruction (RBO) after placement of D-ARMS vs conventional covered self-expandable metal stents (CCSEMSs) was retrospectively compared. METHODS: Patients who received D-ARMS (n = 33) for treatment of distal biliary obstruction before NAC between September 2019 and January 2021 and those that received CCSEMSs (n = 38) between January 2013 and August 2019 were included in the historical control group. Technical and clinical successes, rate of RBO, and cumulative incidence of RBO were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The technical success rate was 100% for both the D-ARMS and CCSEMS groups, and the clinical success rate were not significantly different (93.9% and 89.5%, respectively; P = .68). In the multivariate analysis, D-ARMS was identified as the independent factor for cumulative incidence of RBO (P = .03). The cumulative incidence of RBO was significantly lower in the D-ARMS group than that in the CCSEMS group (P = .04). CONCLUSIONS: D-ARMS is safe and effective for patients receiving NAC.

Next-Generation Sequencing Analysis of Pancreatic Cancer Using Residual Liquid Cytology Specimens from Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine-Needle Biopsy: A Prospective Comparative Study with Tissue Specimens.

This study evaluated the feasibility and clinical utility of liquid-based cytology (LBC) specimens via endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle biopsy (EUS-FNB) for next-generation sequencing (NGS) of pancreatic cancer (PC). We prospectively evaluated the performance of DNA extraction and NGS using EUS-FNB samples obtained from PC. Thirty-three consecutive patients with PC who underwent EUS-FNB at our hospital were enrolled. DNA samples were obtained from 96.8% of the patients. When stratified with a variant allele frequency (VAF) > 10% tumor burden, the NGS success rate was 76.7% (n = 23) in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE), 83.3% (n = 25) in LBC, and 76.7% (n = 23) in frozen samples. The overall NGS success rate was 86.7% (n = 26) using FFPE, LBC, or frozen samples. The detection rates for the main mutated genes were as follows: 86.7% for KRAS, 73.3% for TP53, 66.7% for CDKN2A, 36.7% for SMAD4, and 16.7% for ARID1A. LBC had the highest median value of VAF (23.5%) for KRAS and TP53. PC mutation analysis using NGS was successfully performed using LBC compared with FFPE and frozen samples. This approach provides an alternative and affordable source of molecular testing materials.

Comparison of recurrent biliary obstruction with the use of metal and plastic stents in EUS-guided biliary drainage: A propensity score-matched analysis.

Background and Objectives: In transpapillary biliary drainage, metal stents (MSs) exhibit a lower incidence of a biliary obstruction than plastic stents (PSs). However, few studies have compared recurrent biliary obstruction (RBO) when MSs and PSs are used in EUS-guided hepaticogastrostomy (EUS-HGS) and choledochoduodenostomy (EUS-CDS). We retrospectively evaluated the RBO for both stents in each procedure. Patients and Methods: : Between November 2012 and December 2020, 85 and 53 patients who underwent EUS-HGS and EUS-CDS for unresectable malignant biliary obstruction, respectively, were enrolled. Factors associated with RBO were assessed. Clinical outcomes were compared between the MS and PS groups using propensity score matching. Results: : The clinical success rate and procedure-related adverse events were similar in the MS and PS groups. Multivariate analysis identified the use of PS as a factor associated with RBO (EUS-HGS, P = 0.03; EUS-CDS, P = 0.02). After matching, the median time to RBO in EUS-HGS (MS: 313; PS: 125 days; P = 0.01) in the MS group was longer than that in the PS group. The cumulative incidence of RBO at 1, 3, and 6 months in the MS group was significantly lower than that in the PS group for EUS-HGS (MS: 4.0%, 8.2%, and 8.2%; PS: 12.4%, 24.9%, and 39.5%, respectively, P = 0.01). Conclusions: : MS exhibited a lower rate of RBO than PS for EUS-HGS and EUS-CDS.

Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis in Which Obstructive Jaundice Developed due to Invagination of the Duodenal Wall.

A 63-year-old woman was admitted with epigastric pain, eosinophilia, and elevated hepatobiliary enzyme levels. An upper gastrointestinal endoscopic examination showed that the mucosa of the gastroduodenal wall was edematous. Eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EGE) was diagnosed based on eosinophilic infiltration of the gastroduodenal mucosa. Computed tomography showed invagination of the duodenal wall into the common bile duct. The invagination of the duodenal wall improved after conservative therapy, while bile duct drainage was impossible due to the narrowing of the duodenal lumen. EGE was successfully treated without recurrence with steroids and antiallergic therapy. We herein report a rare case of EGE with obstructive jaundice.

Acute Acalculous Cholecystitis Caused by Giardia lamblia.

We report a case of a 70-year-old man with acute acalculous cholecystitis caused by Giardia lamblia. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) showed distention of the gallbladder due to a pericholecystic abscess without gallstones. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography and drip infusion cholecystocholangiography-CT demonstrated a stricture of the hilar bile duct and cystic duct obstruction. We conducted transpapillary bile duct brush cytology and a biopsy of the hilar bile duct stricture; numerous active trophozoites of Giardia lamblia were observed without malignant findings. We considered this bile duct lesion to be biliary giardiasis. Biliary giardiasis should be taken into consideration when diagnosing acute acalculous cholecystitis.

Prospective randomized study of endoscopic biliary stone extraction using either a basket or a balloon catheter: the BasketBall study.

BACKGROUND: In Japan and Europe, a retrieval basket is generally used for endoscopic extraction of bile duct stones, while in the US, a retrieval balloon is mainly used. However, the efficacies of these two devices have not been previously compared. Therefore, the present multicenter, prospective, randomized study was performed to compare the efficacies of these two devices for endoscopic biliary stone extraction. METHODS: This study was designed as a non-inferiority study in comparing a basket removal with a balloon removal. Six Japanese institutions participated in this study, which included 184 patients with bile duct stones <11 mm in diameter with no limitation in the number of stones. The stones were identified and measured during ERCP, after which the patients were randomly assigned to undergo endoscopic stone extraction using either a basket catheter or a balloon catheter. The primary end point was the rate of complete removals of stones within 10 min, and the secondary end point was the rate of procedure-related complications. RESULTS: There were 91 patients in the basket group and 93 in the balloon group. The rate of successful stone extraction within 10 min was 81.3 % (74/91) in the basket group and 83.9 % (78/93) in the balloon group (p = 0.7000). The complication rate was 6.6 % in the basket group and 11.8 % in the balloon group (p = 0.3092). Complications included bleeding, pancreatitis, and cholangitis. CONCLUSIONS: Basket and balloon catheters showed similar efficacies for endoscopic biliary stone extraction when stone size is 11 mm or smaller.