Helicobacter pylori-related chronic gastritis as a risk factor for colonic neoplasms

To summarize the current views and insights on associations between Helicobacter pylori(H. pylori)-related chronic gastritis and colorectal neoplasm, we reviewed recent studies to clarify whether H. pylori infection/H. pylori-related chronic gastritis is associated with an elevated risk of colorectal neoplasm. Recent studies based on large databases with careful control for confounding variables have clearly demonstrated an increased risk of colorectal neoplasm associated with H. pylori infection. The correlation between H. pylori-related chronic atrophic gastritis(CAG) and colorectal neoplasm has only been examined in a limited number of studies. A recent large study using a national histopathological database, and our study based on the stage of H. pylori-related chronic gastritis as determined by serum levels of H. pylori antibody titer and pepsinogen, indicatedthat H. pylori-related CAG confers an increased risk of colorectal neoplasm, and more extensive atrophic gastritis will probably be associated with even higher risk of neoplasm. In addition, our study suggested that the activity of H. pylori-related chronic gastritis is correlated with colorectal neoplasm risk. H. pylori-related chronic gastritis could be involved in an increased risk of colorectal neoplasm that appears to be enhanced by the progression of gastric atrophy and the presence of active inflammation.

Japanese apricot improves symptoms of gastrointestinal dysmotility associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease

AIM: To investigate the effects of Japanese apricot(JA) consumption on gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD)-related symptoms.METHODS: Participants included individuals living in Minabe-cho,a well-known JA-growing region,who received specific medical check-ups by the local community health service in 2010.GERD-related symptoms were examined in 1303 Japanese individuals using a validated questionnaire,the Frequency Scale for Symptoms of GERD(FSSG),which consists of 7 questions associated with acid reflux symptoms and 5 questions asking about gastrointestinal dysmotility symptoms.Each question was answered using a 4-point scale,with higher scores indicating more severe GERDrelated symptoms.Subjects were divided into two groups according to their intake of dried and pickled JA: daily intake(≥ 1 JA daily)(392 subjects) and none oroccasional intake(< 1 JA daily)(911 subjects).FSSG scores were compared between subjects who consumed JA daily and those who did not.Next,subjects were stratified by age,gender and Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori) status for subanalyses.RESULTS: Those who ate JA daily were significantly older than those who did not(60.6 ± 10.5 years vs 56.0 ± 11.0 years,P < 0.001).Total FSSG scores were significantly lower in subjects with daily JA intake than in those with none or only occasional intake(2.13 ± 3.14 vs 2.70 ± 3.82,P = 0.005).In particular,subjects who consumed JA daily showed significantly improved FSSG dysmotility scores compared with subjects who did not(1.05 ± 1.58 vs 1.46 ± 2.11,P < 0.001).In contrast,the FSSG reflux score did not differ between subjects with and without daily intake of JA(1.08 ± 1.90 vs 1.24 ± 2.11,P = 0.177).Subanalysis indicated that improvement in dysmotility by JA intake was specifically observed in non-elderly(1.24 ± 1.68 vs 1.62 ± 2.22,P = 0.005) and H.pylori-negative subjects(0.99 ± 1.58 vs 1.57 ± 2.06,P < 0.001).GERD patients(total FSSG score ≥ 8) were less frequently observed among subjects with daily intake of JA as compared to those without daily intake of JA(6.1% vs 9.7%,P = 0.040).CONCLUSION: Daily JA intake may improve digestive dysmotility symptoms,resulting in relief of GERD symptoms.The effect is more obvious in non-elderly and H.pylori-negative subjects.

A case of chronic pancreatitis in which endoscopic ultrasonography was effective in the diagnosis of a pseudoaneurysm

Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) was performed on a patient being treated for chronic pancreatitis because a submucosal tumor was observed in the stomach during gastrointestinal endoscopy. As internal pulsa- tile blood flow on Doppler was present, the diagnosis of an aneurysm was made. The pseudoaneurysm of the left gastric artery was embolized with histoacryl and lipiodol and the splenic artery was embolized with coils at the location of the pseudoaneurysm to prevent hemorrhage. Follow up EUS confirmed the cessation of blood flow from the pseudoaneurysm. Clinicians encountering a gastric submucosal tumor-like protrusion in a patient with chronic pancreatitis should use EUS to investigate the possibility of a pseudoaneurysm, which must be treated as quickly as possible once identified.

hepatocellular 癌的 Ultrasonogram 在 radiofrequency 脱离以后与结果被联系

AIM:To investigate the association between B-mode ultrasound classification of small hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) and outcome after radiofrequency ablation(RFA).METHODS:Ninety-seven cases of HCC treated using RFA between April 2001 and March 2006 were reviewed.Ultrasound images were classified as follows:type 1,with halo(n=29);and type 2,without halo(n=68).Type 2 was further categorized into three subgroups:type 2a,homogenous hyperechoic(n=9);type 2b,hypoechoic with smooth margins(n=43);and type 2c(n=16),hypoechoic with irregular or unclear margins.Patients with type 2a HCC were excluded from analysis due to the small number of cases.RESULTS:Two year recurrence rates for type 2b,type 1 and type 2c were 26%,42% and 69%,respectively,with significant differences between type 2b and type 2c(P【0.01),and between type 1 and type 2c(P【0.05).Five year survival rates were 89%,43% and 65%,respectively.Survival was significantly longer for type 2b than for other types(type 1 vs type 2b,P【0.01;type 2b vs type 2c,P【0.05).On univariate analysis,factors contributing to recurrence were number of tumors,tumor stage,serum level of lens culinaris agglutinin-reactive alpha-fetoprotein and ultrasound classification(P【0.05).Factors contributing to survival were tumor stage and ultrasound classification(P【0.05).Multivariate analysis identified ultrasound classification as the only factor independently associated with both recurrence and survival(P【0.05).CONCLUSION:B-mode ultrasound classification of small HCC is a predictive factor for outcome after RFA.

在屏蔽胃的 mucosal 瘤形成的 Transnasal 和标准 transoral 内视镜检查法

AIM: To compare the diagnostic performances of transnasal and standard transoral esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) in gastric cancer screening of asymptomatic healthy subjects. METHODS: Between January 2006 and March 2010, atotal of 3324 subjects underwent examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract by EGD for cancer screening, with 1382 subjects (41.6%) screened by transnasal EGD and the remaining 1942 subjects (58.4%) by standard transoral EGD. Clinical profiles of the screened subjects, detection rates of gastric neoplasia and histopathology of the detected neoplasias were compared between groups according to the stage of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori )-related chronic gastritis. RESULTS: Clinical profiles of subjects did not differ significantly between the two EGD groups, except that there were significantly more men in the transnasal EGD group. During the study period, 55 cases of gastric mucosal neoplasias were detected. Of these, 23 cases were detected by transnasal EGD and 32 cases by standard transoral EGD. The detection rate for gastric mucosal neoplasia in the transnasal EGD group was thus 1.66%, compared to 1.65% in the standard transoral EGD group, with no significant difference between the two groups. Detection rates using the two endoscopies were likewise comparable, regardless of H. pylori infection. However, detection rates when screening subjects without extensive chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) were significantly higher with standard transoral EGD (0.70%) than with transnasal EGD (0.12%, P 【 0.05). In particular, standard transoral EGD was far better for detecting neoplasia in subjects with H. pylorirelated non-atrophic gastritis, with a detection rate of 3.11% compared to 0.53% using transnasal EGD (P 【 0.05). In the screening of subjects with extensive CAG, no significant differences in detection of neoplasia were evident between the two endoscopies, although the mean size of detected cancers was significantly smaller and the percentage of early cancers was significantly higher with standard transoral EGD. CONCLUSION: These results strongly suggest that the diagnostic performance of transnasal endoscopy issuboptimal for cancer screening, particularly in subjects with H. pylori-related non-atrophic gastritis.

Diazepam during endoscopic submucosal dissection of gastric epithelial neoplasias

AIM:To investigate risk factors and adverse events related to high-dose diazepam administration during endoscopic submucosal dissection for gastric neoplasias.METHODS:Between February 2002 and December 2009,a total of 286 patients with gastric epithelial neoplasia underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection in our hospital.To achieve moderate sedation,5-7.5 mg of diazepam was administered intravenously by non-anesthesiologists.Intermittent additional administration of 2.5-5 mg diazepam was performed if uncontrollable body movement of the patient was observed.All patients were classified into groups based on the required diazepam dose:low-dose (≤ 17.5 mg,n=252) and high-dose (> 17.5 mg,n=79).RESULTS:Differences between the low-and highdose diazepam groups were observed in lifetime alcohol consumption (0.30 ± 0.48 vs 0.44 ± 0.52 tons,P=0.032),body weight (58.4 ± 10.3 vs 62.0 ± 9.9 kg,P=0.006),tumor size (15 ± 10 vs 23 ± 18 mm,P < 0.001),lesion location (P < 0.001) and the presence of ulcerative findings (14/238 vs 18/61,P < 0.001).Multivariate analysis identified all five variables as independently related to required diazepam dosage.In terms of adverse reactions to diazepam administration,paradoxical excitement was significantly more frequent in the high-dose diazepam group (P < 0.001).CONCLUSION:Intermittent administration of diazepam enabled safe completion of gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection except in patients who were alcohol abusers or obese,or who showed complicated lesions.

Assessment of gastroesophageal reflux disease by serodiagnosis of Helicobacter pylori-related chronic gastritis stage

AIM:To evaluate the association of Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori)-related chronic gastritis stage with upper gastro-intestinal symptoms and gastro-eso-phageal reflux disease(GERD).METHODS:Subjects underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy,a questionnaire using a frequency scale for symptoms of GERD(FSSG),and measurements of serum H.pylori-antibody and pepsinogen(PG)levels.They were classified into the following 4 groups in terms of H.pylori-related chronic gastritis stage:Group A(n = 219),H.pylori(-)PG(-);Group B(n = 310),H.pylori(+)PG(-);Group C(n = 279),H.pylori(+)PG(+);and Group D(n = 17),H.pylori(-)PG(+).RESULTS:Reflux esophagitis occurred in 30.6% of Group A,14.5% of Group B,6.8% of Group C,and 0% of Group D(P < 0.001).Scores for acid reflux sympto-ms decreased significantly with chro-nic gastritis stage(from Group A to D)(P < 0.05),while scores for dysmotility symptoms did no-t differ significantly.The prevalence of nonerosive reflux disease(NERD)did not differ amo-ng groups.However,in subjects with GERD,the prevalence of NERD tended to increase with chronic gastritis stage(P = 0.081).CONCLUSION:Acid reflux sympto-ms and the prevalen-ce of reflux esophagitis can be assessed by measuring both serum H.pylori-antibody and PG levels.

Usefulness of continuous suction mouthpiece during esophagogastroduodenoscopy: A single-center, prospective,randomized study

AIM: To develop a new continuous suction mouthpiece(CSM) and evaluate its usefulness for screening esophagogastroduodenoscopy(EGD).METHODS: A total of 196 patients who were scheduled to undergo screening EGD were assigned to one of two groups: a group using the CSM and a group using a conventional mouthpiece. Extent of salivary flow,frequency of saliva suction, number of choking episodesduring the examination, and incidence of aspiration pneumonia after the examination were evaluated and compared between the two groups. Adverse events during and after EGD were also examined. In addition, the oral cavity was meticulously examined after the EGD.RESULTS: The same number of patients was randomly allocated to each group. There were no significant differences between the two groups in sex, age,biopsy procedure, duration of procedure and depth of sedation. Aspiration pneumonia and other significant adverse events were not observed in either group. The grade of extent of salivary flow was significantly lower in patients with the CSM than in patients with the conventional mouthpiece(P < 0.001). Although there was no significant difference, less frequent suctioning and fewer choking episodes were observed in patients with the CSM than in patients with the conventional mouthpiece(P = 0.082 and P = 0.084, respectively). In addition, there were no patients in the CSM group who required saliva suctioning during the procedure.CONCLUSION: Use of the CSM during screening EGD can reduce the extent of salivary flow. The device is expected to reduce complications and contamination with saliva.

Sofosbuvir plus ribavirin is tolerable and effective even in elderly patients 75-years-old and over

BACKGROUND Although clinical use of sofosbuvir plus ribavirin has been approved for patients infected with genotype 2 hepatitis C virus,patients≥75-years-old have not been included in previous clinical trials.AIM To evaluate the real-world safety and efficacy of sofosbuvir plus ribavirin for elderly patients(≥75-years-old)compared to nonelderly patients,we conducted a post-marketing prospective cohort study.METHODS We treated 265 patients with genotype 2 hepatitis C virus using standard approved doses of sofosbuvir(400 mg/d)plus ribavirin adjusted by body weight,administered orally for 12 wk.RESULTS Sustained virological response rates for the overall cohort,patients<65-years-old,≥65-years-old but<75-years-old,and≥75-years-old were 97%(258/265),98%(93/95),97%(84/87),and 98%(81/83),respectively(P=0.842).Logistic regression analyses identified history of hepatocellular carcinoma treatment and alpha-fetoprotein as factors significantly associated with sustained virological response.Alpha-fetoprotein was the only independent factor identified.Sustained virological response rate was significantly lower for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma treatment(91%)than for patients without history of hepatocellular carcinoma treatment(98%,P=0.004).One patient(0.4%)discontinued treatment due to drug-induced pneumonia.Dose reduction or interruption of ribavirin was required for 12.1%(32/265)of patients because of anemia,including 7.7%(14/182)of patients<75-years-old and 21.7%(18/83)of patients≥75-years-old(P=0.002).CONCLUSION Although ribavirin dose reduction or interruption was required with advanced age,sofosbuvir plus ribavirin appears tolerable and highly effective even in patients≥75-years-old.