Current knowledge for the risk factors of early permanent pacemaker implantation following transcatheter aortic valve replacement and what is next for the primary prevention?

In this editorial,we comprehensively summarized the preoperative risk factors of early permanent pacemaker implantation after transcatheter aortic valve replacement(TAVR)among patients with severe aortic stenosis from several renowned clinical studies and focused on the primary prevention of managing the modifiable factors,e.g.,paroxysmal atrial fibrillation before the TAVR.

New type of lacunar stroke presenting in brain perfusion images: A case report

BACKGROUND A stroke is a significant brain event that impinges on individual motor or cognitive functions.In the lacunar stroke subtype of ischemic stroke,which results from blocked blood flow in certain brain areas,cases of dysarthria due to impaired blood flow are not uncommon.However,limited literature and research on the relevant pathophysiology and neural pathways exist.CASE SUMMARY We focus on a 60-year-old female with subacute stroke presenting symptoms including tongue deviation to the right,speech difficulty,choking on water,and biting the oral mucosa.She did not exhibit abnormalities in limb movement or sensation except for numbness in the tongue.We use single-photon emission computed tomography to reveal reduced blood flow in the left parietal lobe and bilateral temporal lobes.This report presents an atypical case of dysarthria,who exhibits abnormal articulation along with abnormal sensation and numbness in the tongue,prompting further investigation into the association between lacunar stroke subtypes,altered blood perfusion in affected brain regions,and neurological clinical status.CONCLUSION Dysarthria-plus syndrome in lacunar stroke isn’t solely related to motor function but also affects sensory function such as oral numbness.

Reappraisal of endoscopic papillary balloon dilation for the management of common bile duct stones

Although endoscopic sphincterotomy(EST) is still considered as a gold standard treatment for common bile duct(CBD) stones in western guideline, endoscopic papillary balloon dilation(EPBD) is commonly used by the endoscopists in Asia as the first-line treatment for CBD stones. Besides the advantages of a technical easy procedure, endoscopic papillary large balloon dilation(EPLBD) can facilitate the removal of large CBD stones.The indication of EPBD is now extended from removal of the small stones by using traditional balloon, to removal of large stones and avoidance of lithotripsy by using large balloon alone or after EST. According to the reports of antegrade papillary balloon dilatation, balloon dilation itself is not the cause of pancreatitis. On the contrary, adequate dilation of papillary orifice can reduce the trauma to the papilla and pancreas by the basket or lithotripter during the procedure of stone extraction. EPLBD alone is as effective as EPLBD with limited EST. Longer ballooning time may be beneficial in EPLBD alone to achieve adequate loosening of papillary orifice. The longer ballooning time does not increase the risk of pancreatitis but may reduce the bleeding episodes in patients with coagulopathy. Slowly inflation of the balloon, but not exceed the diameter of bile duct and tolerance of the patients are important to prevent the complication of perforation. EPBLD alone or with EST are not the sphincter preserved procedures, regular follow up is necessary for early detection and management of CBD stones recurrence.

Second-line rescue treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection: Where are we now?

At present, the best rescue therapy for Helicobacter pylori(H. pylori) infection following failure of firstline eradication remains unclear. The Maastricht Ⅴ/Florence Consensus Report recommends bismuth quadruple therapy, or fluoroquinolone-amoxicillin triple/quadruple therapy as the second-line therapy for H. pylori infection. Meta-analyses have shown that bismuth quadruple therapy and levofloxacin-amoxicillin triple therapy have comparable eradication rates, while the former has more adverse effects than the latter. There are no significant differences between the eradication rates of levofloxacin-amoxicillin triple and quadruple therapies. However, the eradication rates of both levofloxacin-containing treatments are suboptimal. An important caveat of levofloxacin-amoxicillin triple or quadruple therapy is poor eradication efficacy in the presence of fluoroquinolone resistance. High-dose dual therapy is an emerging second-line therapy and has an eradication efficacy comparable with levofloxacinamoxicillin triple therapy. Recently, a 10-d tetracyclinelevofloxacin(TL) quadruple therapy comprised of a proton pump inhibitor, bismuth, tetracycline and levofloxacin has been developed, which achieves a markedly higher eradication rate compared with levofloxacin-amoxicillin triple therapy(98% vs 69%) in patients with failure of standard triple, bismuth quadruple or non-bismuth quadruple therapy. The present article reviews current second-line anti-H. pylori regimens and treatment algorisms. In conclusion, bismuth quadruple therapy, levofloxacin-amoxicillin triple/quadruple therapy, high-dose dual therapy and TL quadruple therapy can be used as second-line treatment for H. pylori infection. Current evidence suggests that 10-d TL quadruple therapy is a simple and effective regimen, and has the potential to become a universal rescue treatment following eradication failure by all firstline eradication regimens for H. pylori infection.

A new look at anti-Helicobacter pylori therapy

With the rising prevalence of antimicrobial resistance,the treatment success of standard triple therapy has recently declined to unacceptable levels (i.e.,80% or less) in most countries.Therefore,several treatment regimens have emerged to cure Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) infection.Novel first-line anti-H.pylori therapies in 2011 include sequential therapy,concomitant quadruple therapy,hybrid (dual-concomitant) therapy and bismuth-containing quadruple therapy.After the failure of standard triple therapy,a bismuth-containing quadruple therapy comprising a proton pump inhibitor (PPI),bismuth,tetracycline and metronidazole can be employed as rescue treatment.Recently,triple therapy combining a PPI,levofloxacin and amoxicillin has been proposed as an alternative to the standard rescue therapy.This salvage regimen can achieve a higher eradication rate than bismuth-containing quadruple therapy in some regions and has less adverse effects.The best second-line therapy for patients who fail to eradicate H.pylori with first-line therapies containing clarithromycin,amoxicillin and metronidazole is unclear.However,a levofloxacin-based triple therapy is an accepted rescue treatment.Most guidelines suggest that patients requiring third-line therapy should be referred to a medical center and treated according to the antibiotic susceptibility test.Nonetheless,an empirical therapy (such as levofloxacin-based or furazolidone-based therapies) can be employed to terminate H.pylori infection if antimicrobial sensitivity data are unavailable.

Adjuvant heparanase inhibitor PI-88 therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence

AIM: To demonstrate that administering heparanase inhibitor PI-88 at 160 mg/d is safe and promising in reducing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence for up to 3 year following curative resection.

Hybrid therapy for Helicobacter pylori infection:A systemic review and meta-analysis

AIM: To compare the effectiveness of hybrid therapy with other recommended regimens using metaanalysis.METHODS: Bibliographical searches for randomized trials comparing hybrid and other therapies were performed in Pubmed, the Cochrane Library and relevant congresses up to February 2015 using the following keywords(all fields and/or me SH):("Helicobacter pylori " or "H. pylori") and("hybrid therapy" or "sequential-concomitant therapy"). metaanalyses were performed with Cochrane Review manager 5.1. The random effect model proposed by Der Simonian and Laird and the mantel-Haenszel method were used to estimate the pooled relative risk and 95%CI of the efficacy outcomes between hybrid therapy and other eradication therapies. RESULTS: Eight studies(2516 subjects) met entry criteria. The antimicrobial resistance in the study groups ranged from 6.9% to 23.5%. The mean cure rates of hybrid therapy by intention-to-treat(ITT) and perprotocol analyses were 88.5%(n = 1207; range: 80.0% to 97.4%) and 93.3%(n = 1109; range: 85.7% to99.1%), respectively. meta-analysis showed there was no significant difference in ITT eradication rate between hybrid and sequential therapy(relative risk: 1.01; 95%CI: 0.92-1.11). Subgroup analysis revealed hybrid therapy was more effective than sequential therapy in the non-Italian populations(95%CI: 1.01-1.18) and was only less effective in one, Italian population(95%CI: 0.83-0.98). There was no significant difference in eradication rate between hybrid therapy and concomitant therapy(95%CI: 0.93-1.02). No head-tohead comparisons of hybrid therapy and standard triple therapy or bismuth quadruple therapy were found. However, a multicenter, randomized trial showed that reverse hybrid therapy was superior to standard triple therapy(95.5% vs 88.6% ITT; P = 0.011).CONCLUSION: Hybrid therapy appears to be an effective, safe, and well-tolerated treatment for H. pylori infection in the era of increasing antibiotic resistance.

2011 update on esophageal achalasia

There have been some breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment of esophageal achalasia in the past few years.First,the introduction of high-resolution manometry with pressure topography plotting as a new diagnostic tool has made it possible to classify achalasia into three subtypes.The most favorable outcome is predicted for patients receiving treatment for type Ⅱ achalasia (achalasia with compression).Patients with typeⅠ(classic achalasia) and type Ⅲ achalasia (spastic achalasia) experience a less favorable outcome.Second,the first multicenter randomized controlled trial published by the European Achalasia Trial group reported 2-year follow-up results indicating that laparoscopic Heller myotomy was not superior to endoscopic pneumatic dilation (PD).Although the follow-up period was not long enough to reach a convincing conclusion,it merits the continued use of PD as a generally available technique in gastroenterology.Third,the novelendoscopic technique peroral endoscopic myotomy is a promising option for treating achalasia,but it requires increased experience and cautious evaluation.Despite all this good news,the bottom line is a real break-through from the basic studies to identify the actual cause of achalasia that may impede treatment success is still anticipated.

Impact of disease severity on gastric residual volume in critical patients

AIM: To investigate whether illness severity has an impact on gastric residual volume (GRV) in medical critically ill patients. METHODS: Medical intensive care unit (ICU) patients requiring nasogastric feeding were enrolled. Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score was assessed immediately preceding the start of the study. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) Ⅱ scores were recorded on the first, fourth, seventh, and fourteenth day of the study period. GRV was measured every 4 h during enteral feeding. The relationship be-tween mean daily GRV and SOFA scores and the correlation between mean daily GRV and mean APACHE Ⅱ score of all patients were evaluated and compared. RESULTS: Of the 61 patients, 43 patients were survivors and 18 patients were non-survivors. The mean daily GRV increased as SOFA scores increased (P < 0.001, analysis of variance). Mean APACHE Ⅱ scores of all patients correlated with mean daily GRV (P = 0.011, Pearson correlation) during the study period. Patients with decreasing GRV in the first 2 d had better survival than patients without decreasing GRV (P = 0.017, log rank test). CONCLUSION: GRV is higher in more severely ill medical ICU patients. Patients with decreasing GRV had lower ICU mortality than patients without decreasing GRV.

Preventing radiocontrast-induced nephropathy in chronic kidney disease patients undergoing coronary angiography

Radiocontrast-induced nephropathy(RCIN) is an acute and severe complication after coronary angiography,particularly for patients with pre-existing chronic kidney disease(CKD).It has been associated with both short-and long-term adverse outcomes,including the need for renal replacement therapy,increased length of hospital stay,major cardiac adverse events,and mortality.RCIN is generally defined as an increase in serum creatinine concentration of 0.5 mg/dL or 25%above baseline within 48 h after contrast administration.There is no effective therapy once injury has occurred,therefore,prevention is the cornerstone for all patients at risk for acute kidney injury(AKI).There is a small but growing body of evidence that prevention of AKI is associated with a reduction in later adverse outcomes.The optimal strategy for preventing RCIN has not yet been established.This review discusses the principal risk factors for RCIN,evaluates and summarizes the evidence for RCIN prophylaxis,and proposes recommendations for preventing RCIN in CKD patients undergoing coronary angiography.

Relationship between vitamin D deficiency and cardiovascular disease

Epidemiological studies have found that low 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels may be associated with coronary risk factors and adverse cardiovascular outcomes.Additionally,vitamin D deficiency causes an increase in parathyroid hormone,which increases insulin resistance and is associated with diabetes,hypertension,inflammation,and increased cardiovascular risk.In this review,we analyze the association between vitamin D supplementation and the reduction in cardiovascular disease.The role of vitamin D deficiency in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality is still controversial,and larger scale,randomized placebo controlled trials are needed to investigate whether oral vitamin D supplementation can reduce cardiovascular risk.Given the low cost,safety,and demonstrated benefit of higher 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels,vitamin D supplementation should become a public health priority for combating common and costly chronic cardiovascular diseases.

Gastric juice acidity in upper gastrointestinal diseases

AIM: To search the independent factors determining gastric juice acidity and to investigate the acidity of gastric juices in various benign and malignant upper gastrointestinal diseases. METHODS: Fasting gastric juice acidity of 165 healthysubjects and 346 patients with esophageal ulcer (n = 21), gastric ulcer (n = 136), duodenal ulcer (n = 100) or gastric cancer (n = 89) were measured and compared. Additionally, gastric specimens were taken from the antrum and body for rapid urease test and histological examination. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis revealed that bile stain of gastric juice, high acute inflammatory score of the corpus, and atrophy of the corpus were independent risk factors for the development of gastric hypoacidity with odds ratios of 3.1 (95% CI: 1.3-7.3), 3.1 (95% CI: 1.2-7.9) and 3.5 (95% CI: 1.3-9.2). Esophageal ulcer and duodenal ulcer patients had a lower pH level (1.9 and 2.1 vs 2.9, both P < 0.05) of gastric juices than healthy subjects. In contrast, gastric ulcer and gastric cancer patients had a higher pH level (3.4 and 6.6 vs 2.9, both P < 0.001) than healthy controls. Hypoacidity existed in 22%, 5%, 29%, 5% and 88% of healthy subjects, esophageal ulcer, gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer and gastric cancer patients, respectively. CONCLUSION: Bile reflux, atrophy and dense neutrophil infiltrate of the corpus are three independent factors determining the acidity of gastric juice.

Primary thymic mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma with multiple thin walled lung cysts: case report and literature review

Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue （MALT） lymphoma of the thymus is rare. We reported a case of a 37-year-old Chinese female with Sjtgren＇s syndrome and hyperglobulinemia. She suffered from chronic cough for 3 weeks. Chest computed tomography （CT） demonstrated a multiloculated cystic mass in mediastinum prevascular space and multiple lung cysts. Laboratory exam of autoimmune markers showed positive of antinuclear antibody （ANA）, Sjtgren＇s syndrome A （SSA）, Sjtgren＇s syndrome B （SSB）, and rheumatoid factors （RF）. Thymectomy with lymph node dissection was performed. The pathology report revealed thymic extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue. Under immunohistochemical stains, CD20 and Bcl-2 were positive. No evidence of recurrence of disease was found.

Intravenous pantoprazole versus ranitidine for prevention of rebleeding after endoscopic hemostasis of bleeding peptic ulcers

AIM: The role of intravenous pantoprazole in treatment of patients with high-risk bleeding peptic ulcers following endoscopic hemostasis remains uncertain. We therefore conducted the pilot prospective randomized study to assess whether intravenous pantoprazole could improve the efficacy of H2-antagonist as an adjunct treatment following endoscopic injection therapy for bleeding ulcers.METHODS: Patients with active bleeding ulcers or ulcers with major signs of recent bleeding were treated with distilled water injection. After hemostasis was achieved, they were randomly assigned to receive intravenous pantoprazole or ranitidine.RESULTS: One hundred and two patients were enrolled in this prospective trial. Bleeding recurred in 2 patients (4%) in the pantoprazole group (n = 52), as compared with 8 (16%) in the ranitidine group (n = 50). The rebleeding rate was significantly lower in the pantoprazole group (P = 0.04).There were no statistically significant differences between the groups with regard to the need for emergency surgery (0% vs2%), transfusion requirements (4.9+5.9 vs5.7:1:6.8 units), hospital days (5.9+3.2 vs7.5:1:5.0 d) or mortality (2% vs 2%).CONCLUSION: Pantoprozole is superior to ranitidine as an adjunct treatment to endoscopic injection therapy in high-risk bleeding ulcers.

Relationship between genetic polymorphisms of alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenases and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma risk in males

AIM： To investigate the association between the genetic polymorphisms of ADH2 and ALDH2, lifetime alcohol consumption and esophageal cancer risk in the Taiwan Residents men. METHODS： Between August 2000 and June 2003, 134 pathologically-proven esophageal squamous cell carcinoma male patients and 237 male controls were recruited from Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital and Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital in southern Taiwan. ADH2 and ALDH2 polymorphisms were genotyped using PCR-RFLP. RESULTS： Compared to those with ADH2＊2/＊2, individuals with ADH2＊1/＊2 and ADH2＊1/＊1 had 2.28- and 7.14-fold, respectively, increased risk of developing esophageal cancer （95%CI = 1.11-4.68 and 2.76-18.46） after adjusting for alcohol consumption and other covariates. The significant increased risk was also noted among subjects with ALDH2＊1/＊2 （adjusted OR （AOR） = 5.25, 95%CI = 2.47-11.19）, when compared to those with ALDH2＊1/＊1. The increased risk of esophageal cancer was made greater, when subjects carried both ADH2＊1/＊1 and ALDH2＊1/＊2, compared to those with ADH2＊1/＊2 or ADH2＊2/＊2 and ALDH2＊1/＊1 （AOR = 36.79,95%a = 9.36-144.65）. Furthhermore, we found a multipticative effect of lifetime alcoholic consumption and genotypes （ADH2 and ALDH2） on esophageal cancer risk. CONCLUSION： Our findings suggest that polymorphisms of ADH2 and ALDH2 can modify the influence of alcoholic consumption on esophageal cancer risk.

Prevalence and risk factors for Barrett’s esophagus in Taiwan

BACKGROUND Barrett’s esophagus(BE)is a pre-malignant condition associated with the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma.The prevalence of BE in the general populations of Asian countries ranges from 0.06%to 1%.However,with lifestyle changes in Asian countries and adoption of western customs,the prevalence of BE might have increased.AIM To determine the current prevalence of BE in Taiwan,and to investigate risk factors predicting the presence of BE.METHODS This retrospective study was conducted at the Health Evaluation Center of Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan.Between January 2015 and December 2015,3385 subjects undergoing routine esophagogastroduodenoscopy examinations as part of a health check-up at the Health Evaluation Center were included.Patient characteristics and endoscopic findings were carefully reviewed.Lesions with endoscopic findings consistent with BE awaiting histological evaluation were judged as endoscopically suspected esophageal metaplasia(ESEM).BE was defined based on extension of the columnar epithelium≥1 cm above the gastroesophageal junction and was confirmed based on the presence of specialized intestinal metaplasia(IM)in the metaplastic esophageal epithelium.Clinical factors of subjects with BE and subjects without BE were compared,and the risk factors predicting BE were analyzed.RESULTS A total of 3385 subjects(mean age,51.29±11.42 years;57.1%male)were included in the study,and 89 among them were confirmed to have IM and presence of goblet cells via biopsy examination.The majority of these individuals were classified as short segment BE(n=85).The overall prevalence of BE was 2.6%.Multivariate analysis disclosed that old age[odds ratio(OR)=1.033;95%confidence interval(CI):1.012-1.055;P=0.002],male gender(OR=2.106;95%CI:1.145-3.872;P=0.017),ingestion of tea(OR=1.695;95%CI:1.043-2.754;P=0.033),and presence of hiatal hernia(OR=3.037;95%CI:1.765-5.225;P<0.001)were significant risk factors predicting BE.The independent risk factor for the presence of IM in ESEM lesions was old age alone(OR=1.029;95%CI:1.006-1.053;P=0.014).CONCLUSION Current prevalence of BE among the general population in Taiwan is 2.6%.Old age,male gender,ingestion of tea and hiatal hernia are significant risk factors for BE.

Composition of common bile duct stones in Chinese patients during and after endoscopic sphincterotomy

AIM： Endoscopic sphincterotomy （ES） is a well-established therapeutic modality for the removal of common bile duct （CBD） stones. Alter ES there are still around 10% of patients that experience recurrent CBD stones. The aim of this study is to investigate the composition of CBD stones before and alter ES and its clinical significance in Chinese patients.METHODS： From January 1996 to December 2003, 735 patients with CBD stones received ES at Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital and stone specimens from 266 patients were sent for analysis. Seventy-five patients had recurrent CBD stones and stone specimens from 44 patients were sent for analysis. The composition of the stones was analyzed by infrared （IR） spectrometry and they were classified as cholesterol or bilirubinate stones according to the predominant composition. Clinical data were analyzed.RESULTS： In the initial 266 stone samples, 217 （82%） were bilirubinate stones, 42 （16%） were cholesterol stones,3 were calcium carbonate stones, 4 were mixed cholesterol and bilirubinate stones. Patients with bilirubinate stones were significantly older than patients with cholesterol stones （66＋13 years vs 56＋17 years, P = 0.001）. In the 44 recurrent stone samples, 38 （86%） were bilirubinate stones, 3 （7%） were cholesterol stones, and 3 were mixed cholesterol and bilirubinate stones. In 27 patients, both initial and recurrent stone specimens can be obtained,23 patients had bilirubinate stones initially and 2 became cholesterol stones in the recurrent attack. In the four patients with initial cholesterol stones, three patients had bilirubinate stones and one patient had a cholesterol stone in the recurrent attack.CONCLUSION： Bilirubinate stone is the predominant composition of initial or recurrent CBD stone in Chinese patients, The composition of CBD stones may be different from initial stones afl：er ES,

Clinical evidence of interaction between clopidogrel and proton pump inhibitors

Clopidogrel is approved for reduction of atherothrombotic events in patients with cardiovascular(CV)and cerebrovascular disease.Dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel decreases the risk of major adverse cardiac events after acute coronary syndrome or percutaneous coronary intervention,compared with aspirin alone.Due to concern about gastrointestinal bleeding in patients who are receiving clopidogrel and aspirin therapy,current guidelines recommend combined use of a proton pump inhibitor(PPI)to decrease the risk of bleeding.Data from previous pharmacological studies have shown that PPIs,which are extensively metabolized by the cytochrome system,may decrease the ADP-induced platelet aggregation of clopidogrel. Results from retrospective cohort studies have shown a higher incidence of major CV events in patients re-ceiving both clopidogrel and PPIs than in those without PPIs.However,other retrospective analyses of randomized clinical trials have not shown that the concomitant PPI administration is associated with increased CV events among clopidogrel users.These controversial results suggest that large specific studies are needed. This article reviews the metabolism of clopidogrel and PPIs,existing clinical data regarding the interaction between clopidogrel and PPIs,and tries to provide recommendations for health care professionals.

Iatrogenic pneumothorax related to mechanical ventilation

Pneumothorax is a potentially lethal complication associated with mechanical ventilation. Most of the patients with pneumothorax from mechanical ventilation have underlying lung diseases; pneumothorax is rare in intubated patients with normal lungs. Tension pneumothorax is more common in ventilated patients with prompt recognition and treatment of pneumothorax being important to minimize morbidity and mortality. Underlying lung diseases are associated with ventilatorrelated pneumothorax with pneumothoraces occurring most commonly during the early phase of mechanical ventilation. The diagnosis of pneumothorax in critical illness is established from the patients' history, physical examination and radiological investigation, although the appearances of a pneumothorax on a supine radiograph may be different from the classic appearance on an erect radiograph. For this reason, ultrasonography is beneficial for excluding the diagnosis of pneumothorax. Respiration-dependent movement of the visceral pleura and lung surface with respect to the parietal pleura and chest wall can be easily visualized with transthoracic sonography given that the presence of air in the pleural space prevents sonographic visualization of visceral pleura movements. Mechanically ventilated patients with a pneumothorax require tube thoracostomy placement because of the high risk of tension pneumothorax. Small-bore catheters are now preferred in the majority of ventilated patients. Furthermore, if there are clinical signs of a tension pneumothorax, emergency needle decompression followed by tube thoracostomy is widely advocated. Patients with pneumothorax related to mechanical ventilation who have tension pneumothorax, a higher acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ score or Pa O2/Fi O2 < 200 mm Hg were found to have higher mortality.

First-week clinical responses to dexlansoprazole 60 mg and esomeprazole 40 mg for the treatment of grades A and B gastroesophageal reflux disease

AIM To compare the one-week clinical effects of single doses of dexlansoprazole and esomeprazole on grades A and B erosive esophagitis.METHODS We enrolled 175 adult patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD). The patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio into two sequence groups to define the order in which they received single doses of dexlansoprazole(n = 88) and esomeprazole(n = 87) for an intention-to-treat analysis. The primary endpoints were the complete symptom resolution(CSR) rates at days 1, 3, and 7 after drug administration.RESULTS Thirteen patients were lost to follow-up, resulting in 81 patients in each group for the per-protocol analysis. The CSRs for both groups were similar at days 1, 3 and 7. In the subgroup analysis, the female patients achieved higher CSRs in the dexlansoprazole group than in the esomeprazole group at day 3(38.3% vs 18.4%, P = 0.046). An increasing trend toward a higher CSR was observed in the dexlansoprazole group at day 7(55.3% vs 36.8%, P = 0.09). In the esomeprazole group, female sex was a negative predictive factor for CSR on post-administration day 1 [OR =-1.249 ± 0.543; 95%CI: 0.287(0.099-0.832), P = 0.022] and day 3 [OR =-1.254 ± 0.519; 95%CI: 0.285(0.103-0.789), P = 0.016]. Patients with spicy food eating habits achieved lower CSRs on day 1 [37.3% vs 21.4%, OR =-0.969 ± 0.438; 95%CI: 0.380(0.161-0.896), P = 0.027]. CONCLUSION The overall CSR for GERD patients was similar at days 1-7 for both the dexlansoprazole and esomeprazole groups, although a higher incidence of CSR was observed on day 3 in female patients who received a single dose of dexlansoprazole.