Changes of gastric ulcer bleeding in the metropolitan area of Japan

BACKGROUND The two main causes of gastric ulcer bleeding are Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori)infection and ulcerogenic medicines,although the number of cases caused by each may vary with age.In Japan,the rate of H.pylori infection has fallen over the last decade and the number of prescriptions for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs)and antithrombotic drugs is increasing as the population ages.Methods of treatment for gastric ulcer bleeding have advanced with the advent of hemostatic forceps and potassium-competitive acid blocker(P-CAB).Thus,causes and treatments for gastric ulcer bleeding have changed over the last decade.AIM To examine the trends of gastric ulcer bleeding over 10 years in the metropolitan area of Japan.METHODS This is a single-center retrospective study.A total of 564 patients were enrolled from inpatients admitted to our hospital with gastric ulcer bleeding between 2006 and 2016.Age,medication history,H.pylori infection,method of treatment,rate of rebleeding,and the length of hospitalization were analyzed.Factors associated with gastric ulcer bleeding were evaluated using Fisher’s exact test,Pearson’s Chi-squared test or Student’s t-test as appropriate.The Jonckheere-Terpstra test was used to evaluate trends.A per-protocol analysis was used to examine the rate of H.pylori infection.RESULTS There was a significant increase in the mean age over time(P<0.01).The rate of H.pylori infection tended to decrease over the study period(P=0.10),whereas the proportion of patients taking antithrombotic agents or NSAIDs tended to increase(P=0.07).Over time,the use of NSAIDs and antithrombotic drugs increased with age.By contrast,the rate of H.pylori infection during the study period fell with age.H.pylori-induced ulcers accounted for the majority of cases in younger patients(<70 years old);however,the rate decreased with age(P<0.01).The method of treatment trend has changed significantly over time.The main method of endoscopic hemostasis has changed from clipping and injection to forceps coagulation(P<0.01),and frequently prescribed medicines have changed from proton pump inhibitor to P-CAB(P<0.01).The rate of rebleeding during the latter half of the study was significantly lower than that in the first half.CONCLUSION These trends,gastric ulcers caused by ulcerogenic drugs were increasing with age and H.pylori-induced ulcers were more common in younger patients,were observed.

Update on quinolone-containing rescue therapies for Helicobacter pylori infection

Third generation of quinolones,such as levofloxacin and moxifloxacin,-containing regimens are often used in second-line or rescue treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection.However,the increasing antibiotic resistance to quinolones affects the efficacies of quinolones-containing therapies in recent years.Therefore,there is a need to enhance the effectiveness of quinolonescontaining therapies.Sitafloxacin,a fourth-generation quinolone,and vonoprazan,a novel potassium-competitive acid blocker,are now available as more effective treatment options.The aim of this paper is to summarize the current evidence of quinolone-containing therapies in rescue treatments,and to discuss the importance of drug sensitivity tests or analysis of gyrA mutation before treatments.

Efficacy of mucosa-submucosa clip closure method after gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection

BACKGROUND We recently developed a new endoscopic closure technique using only conventional endo-clips for colorectal lesions.Little is known about the feasibility of the endoscopic mucosa-submucosa clip closure method for gastric lesions.AIM To elucidate the efficacy of the endoscopic mucosa-submucosa clip closure method after gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection(ESD).METHODS Twenty-two patients who underwent gastric ESD and mucosa-submucosa clip closure were included in this study.In this method,endo-clips are placed at the edges of a mucosal defect.Additional endo-clips are then applied in the same way to facilitate reduction of the defect size.Additional endo-clips are applied to both sides of the mucosal defect.Complete closure can be achieved.We have also developed a“location score”and“closure difficulty index”for assessment purposes.RESULTS Complete closure was achieved in 68.2%of the patients(15/22).The location score in the failure group was significantly larger than that in the complete closure group(P=0.023).The closure difficulty index in the failure group was significantly higher than that in the complete closure group(P=0.007).When the cutoff value of the closure difficulty index was set at 99,the high closure difficulty index predicted failure with a sensitivity of 57.1%,specificity of 100%,and accuracy of 86.3%.CONCLUSION The endoscopic mucosa-submucosa clip closure method was unreliable after gastric ESD,especially in cases with a high closure difficulty index.

Nutritional Biomarker Analyses for Hypertension-Related Risk Assessment and Control

A simple method to collect 24-hour urine (24U) by sampling 2.5% of the voided urine each time was developed for analyzing the biomarkers of the intakes of salt (NaCl), vegetables and grains (K, Mg), soys (isoflavones), sea-foods (taurine), protein (urea nitrogen) etc. This method was applied to WHO-coordinated CARDIAC (Cardiovascular Diseases and Alimentary Comparison) study covering 61 populations in 25 countries, and revealed significant positive associations of Na or Na/K with blood pressure (BP) and stroke mortality and significant inverse associations of isoflavones or taurine with coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality, indicating the adverse effect of salt intake on BP and stroke and beneficial effect of soy or sea food intakes on CHD. Furthermore, higher urinary taurine and/or Mg excretions were associated with significantly lower risks of metabolic syndromes such as obesity, hypertension and hypercholestelomia. 24U collections were useful to prove nutritional improvement by intervention studies for observing soy intake effect on BP and atherogenic index in Japanese immigrants living in Brazil, and in Australian Aboriginals, for observing taurine effect on BP in Tibetans and for confirming soy and fish effects on the risks of metabolic syndromes in Japanese businessmen. 24U collection was utilized for population strategy to reduce salt and to increase soy intake in 5.6 million people of Hyogo Prefecture. A simple method for 24U collection has enabled us to utilize nutritional biomarkers for hypertension-related disease risk analyses, and to apply objective nutritional intake estimation to intervention studies as well as to population strategy for nutritional improvement, and therefore, the methodology will contribute to hypertension-related disease prevention and global health promotion.