Anti-integrin therapy for inflammatory bowel disease

In inflammatory bowel disease(IBD), tumor necro-sis factor plays an important role in mediating infla-mmation, but several other pathways are also involved in eliciting an inflammatory response. One such pathway is the invasion of the intestinal mucosa by leukocytes. Leukocytes within the systemic circulation move to sites of inflammation, and blocking this pathway could be an important treatment strategy for IBD. Anti-integrin therapy blocks the action of integrin on the surface of circulating immune cells and endothelial cell adhesion molecules, thereby inhibiting the interactions between leukocytes and intestinal blood vessels. Natalizumab, which acts on α4-integrin, was the first such drug to be approved for Crohn's disease, but its use is limited due to the risk of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. Vedolizumab produces few systemic adverse effects because it acts on gut-trophic α4β7 integrin, and has been approved and is being used to treat IBD. Currently, several anti-integrin drugs, including etrolizumab, which acts on β7-integrin, and PF-00547569, which targets mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule-1, are undergoing clinical trials and the results are being closely watched.

Prevention and management of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs-induced small intestinal injury

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug （NSAID）-induced small bowel injury is a topic that deserves attention since the advent of capsule endoscopy and balloon enteroscopy. NSAID enteropathy is common and is mostly asymptomatic. However, massive bleeding, stricture, or perforation may occur. The pathogenesis of small intestine injury by NSAIDs is complex and different from that of the upper gastrointestinal tract. No drug has yet been developed that can completely prevent or treat NSAID enteropathy. Therefore, a long-term randomized study in chronic NSAID users is needed.

Electrolyte changes after bowel preparation for colonoscopy:A randomized controlled multicenter trial

AIM:To investigate the electrolyte changes between 2-L polyethylene glycol with ascorbic acid 20 g(PEGAsc) and 4-L PEG solutions.METHODS:From August 2012 to February 2013,a total of 226 patients were enrolled at four tertiary hospitals.All patients were randomly allocated to a PEG-Asc group or a 4-L PEG.Before colonoscopy,patients completed a questionnaire to assess bowel preparation-related symptoms,satisfaction,and willingness.Endoscopists assessed the bowel preparation using the Boston Bowel Preparation Scale(BBPS).In addition,blood tests,including serum electrolytes,serum osmolarity,and urine osmolarity were evaluated both before and after the procedure.RESULTS:A total of 226 patients were analyzed.BBPS scores were similar and the adequate bowel preparation rate(BBPS≥6)was not different between the two groups(PEG-Asc vs 4-L PEG,73.2%vs 76.3%,P=0.760).Bowel preparation-related symptoms also were not different between the two groups.The taste of PEG-Asc was better(41.1%vs 16.7%,P<0.001),and the willingness to undergo repeated bowel preparation was higher in the PEG-Asc group(73.2%vs 59.3%,P=0.027)than in 4-L PEG.There were no significant changes in serum electrolytes in either group.CONCLUSION:In this multicenter trial,bowel preparation with PEG-Asc was better than 4-L PEG in terms of patient satisfaction,with similar degrees of bowel preparation and electrolyte changes.

A novel cleansing score system for capsule endoscopy

AIM:To suggest a new cleansing score system for small bowel preparation and to evaluate its clinical efficacy.METHODS:Twenty capsule endoscopy cases were reviewed and small bowel preparation was assessed with the new scoring system.For the assessment,two visual parameters were used:proportion of visualized mucosa and degree of obscuration.Representative frames from small bowel images were serially selected and scored at 5-min intervals.Intraclass correlation coefficient(ICC)was obtained to assess the reliability of the new scoring system.For efficacy evaluation and validation,scores of our new scoring system were compared with another previously reported cleansing grading system.RESULTS:Concordance with the previous system,inter-observer agreement,and intra-patient agreement were excellent with ICC values of 0.82,0.80,and 0.76,respectively.The intra-observer agreements at four-week intervals were also excellent.The cutoff value of adequate image quality was found to be 2.25.CONCLUSION:Our new scoring system is simple,efficient,and can be considered to be applicable in clinical practice and research.

Occult gastric cancer with distant metastasis proven by random gastric biopsy

Krukenberg tumor, a rare metastatic ovarian tumor arising from gastrointestinal adenocarcinoma mainly, tends to occur in premenopausal females. Finding the origin of a Krukenberg tumor is crucial for determining prognosis. In Eastern countries, the most common origin of Krukenberg tumor is stomach cancer, which is generally diagnosed via endoscopic biopsy to investigate an abnormal mucosal lesion. Here, we describe a case of huge adnexal mass in a 33-year-old woman who presented with abdominal distension. Two independent endoscopic examinations performed by experts in two tertiary university hospitals revealed no abnormal mucosal lesion. The patient was diagnosed with a Krukenberg tumor according to findings from random endoscopic biopsies taken from normal-looking gastric mucosa in our hospital. It is very rare to be diagnosed via a random biopsy in cases where three well-trained endoscopists had not found any mucosal lesion previously. Thus, in this case, random biopsy was helpful in finding the origin of a Krukenberg tumor.

Usefulness of artificial intelligence in gastric neoplasms

Recently,studies in many medical fields have reported that image analysis based on artificial intelligence(AI)can be used to analyze structures or features that are difficult to identify with human eyes.To diagnose early gastric cancer,related efforts such as narrow-band imaging technology are on-going.However,diagnosis is often difficult.Therefore,a diagnostic method based on AI for endoscopic imaging was developed and its effectiveness was confirmed in many studies.The gastric cancer diagnostic program based on AI showed relatively high diagnostic accuracy and could differentially diagnose non-neoplastic lesions including benign gastric ulcers and dysplasia.An AI system has also been developed that helps to predict the invasion depth of gastric cancer through endoscopic images and observe the stomach during endoscopy without blind spots.Therefore,if AI is used in the field of endoscopy,it is expected to aid in the diagnosis of gastric neoplasms and determine the application of endoscopic therapy by predicting the invasion depth.

Sensitivity of the suspected blood indicator:An experimental study

AIM： To investigate whether suspected blood indicator （SBI） in capsule endoscopy （CE） is affected by back- ground color and capsule passage velocity. METHODS： Experimental models of the small intestine constructed from paper in a variety of colors were used to simulate the background colors observed in CE im- ages. The background colors studied included very pale yellow, yellow, very pale magenta, light grayish pink, burnt sienna, and deep and dark brown, and red spots were attached inside them. An endoscopic capsule was manually passed through the models. The rate of detection of the red spots by the SBI was evaluated based on the colors of the models and the capsule pas- sage velocities （0.5 cm/s, 1 cm/s, and 2 cm/s）.RESULTS： The rate of detection of the red spots byground color of the model （P 〈 0.001）. Detection rates were highest for backgrounds of very pale magenta, burnt sienna, and yellow, in that order. They were lowest for backgrounds of dark brown and very pale yellow. The rate of detection of red spots by the SBI tended to decrease at rapid capsule passage velocities （1-2 cm/s） compared to slow velocities （0.5 cm/s） for backgrounds of very pale yellow （P = 0.042）, yellow （P = 0.001）, very pale magenta （P = 0.002）, and burnt sien- na （P = 0.001）. No significant differences in the rate of detection were observed according to velocity for light grayish pink （P = 0.643） or dark brown （P = 0.396）. CONCLUSION： SBI sensitivity was affected by back- ground color and capsule passage velocity in the models. These findings may facilitate the rapid detection of bleeding lesions by CE.

Small bowel ulcer bleeding due to suspected clopidogrel use in a patient with clopidogrel resistance:A case report

BACKGROUND Clopidogrel is a platelet aggregation inhibitor used for the management of cardiovascular disease.While antiplatelet therapy decreases cardiovascular events after successful coronary drug-eluting stenting,it increases the risk of gastrointestinal(GI)bleeding.About 20%of the patients who take clopidogrel exhibit resistance to the drug.CASE SUMMARY We report the first case of a small bowel bleeding ulcer in an 86-year-old man with clopidogrel resistance.He had a history of taking clopidogrel due to unstable angina.There was no evidence of bleeding in the stomach,duodenum,or colon through upper and lower GI endoscopies.The abdominal computed tomography showed the extravasation of radiocontrast media at the ileum.Because of unstable vital signs,emergency surgery was performed.Multiple ulcers with inflammation were found in the ileum.The pathologic findings revealed simple inflammation.The VerifyNow P2Y12 test showed clopidogrel resistance.One year after changing to aspirin,capsule endoscopy was performed and the small bowel ulcers were improved.CONCLUSION Small bowel ulcers and bleeding due to clopidogrel are not very common,but the prevalence is expected to increase in older age patients with risk factors despite clopidogrel resistance.

Cholecystoduodenal fistula presenting with upper gastrointestinal bleeding: A case report

BACKGROUND Cholecystoduodenal fistula is a rare complication of cholelithiasis.Symptoms are usually non-specific and often indistinguishable from those of etiologic diseases,but it rarely presents as severe gastrointestinal bleeding.Bleeding associated with cholecystoduodenal fistula usually requires surgery because significant bleeding from the cystic artery is unlikely to be resolved by conservative management or endoscopic hemostasis.CASE SUMMARY We report a case of cholecystoduodenal fistula that presented with hematemesis which was diagnosed by endoscopy and computed tomography.Endoscopic hemostasis could not be achieved,but surgical treatment was successful.Additionally,we have presented a literature review.CONCLUSION Cholecystoduodenal fistula should be considered as differential diagnosis when a patient with history of gallstone disease presents with gastrointestinal bleeding.

Quality Assurance for Respiratory-Gated Radiotherapy Using the Real-Time Tumor-Tracking Radiotherapy System

Purpose: Respiratory-gated radiation therapy (RT) using the real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy (RTRT) system is an effective technique for managing tumor motion. High dosimetric and geometric accuracy is needed;however, quality assurance (QA) for respiratory-gated RT using the RTRT system has not been reported. The purpose of this study was to perform QA for respiratorygated RT using the RTRT system. Materials and Methods: The RTRT system detected the position of the fiducial marker and radiation delivery gated to the motion of the marker was performed. The dynamic anthropomorphic thorax phantom was positioned at the isocenter using the fiducial marker in the phantom. The phantom was irradiated only when the fiducial marker was within a three-dimensional gating window of ±2 mm from the planned position. First, the absolute doses were measured using anionization chamber inserted in the phantom under the stationary, gating and non-gating state for sinusoidal (nadir-to-peak amplitude [A]: 20 - 40 mm, breathing period [T]: 2 - 4 s) and the basic respiratory patterns. Second, the dose profiles were measured using Gafchromic films in the phantom under the same conditions. Differences between dose profiles were calculated to evaluate the dosimetric and geometric accuracy. Finally, differences between the actual and measured position of the fiducial marker were calculated to evaluate the tracking accuracy for sinusoidal and basic respiratory patterns. Results: For the sinusoidal patterns, the relative doses were 0.93 for non-gating and 0.99 for gating (A = 20 mm, T = 2 s), 0.94 for non-gating and 1.00 for gating (A = 20 mm, T = 4 s), 0.55 for non-gating and 1.00 for gating (A = 40 mm, T = 4 s), respectively. For the basic respiratory pattern, the relative doses were 1.00 for non-gating and 1.00 for gating, respectively. Compared to the stationary conditions, the differences in lateral distance between the 90% dose of dose profiles were 6.23 mm for non-gating and 0.36 mm for gating (A = 20 mm, T = 2 s), 8.79 mm for non-gating and 1.73 mm for gating (A = 20 mm, T = 4 s), 18.37 mm for non-gating and 0.67 mm for gating (A = 40 mm, T = 4 s), respectively. For the basic respiratory pattern, those were 5.23 mm for non-gating and 0.35 mm for gating. The root mean square (RMS) values of the tracking error were 0.18 mm (A = 20 mm, T = 2 s), 0.14 mm (A = 20 mm, T = 4 s), and 0.21 mm (A = 40 mm, T = 4 s) for sinusoidal and 0.79 mm for the basic respiratory pattern, respectively. Conclusion: We conducted QA for respiratory-gated RT using the RTRT system. The respiratory-gated RT using the RTRT system reduced the blurring effects on dose distribution with high dosimetric and geometric accuracy.

别有洞天——首尔PANAM旗舰店

位于首尔的圣水洞(Seongsu-dong)绝对是韩国近年最火的热门地区之一。从前,圣水洞到处都是制造商店,包括印刷店、手工鞋店及皮革行业。如今,却吸引了很多MZ世代的年轻人前去,因为圣水洞与其他地方不同,它将过去与现在和谐结合,形成了独树一帜的文化。这里汇集了各种各样的商业空间,既有由旧工厂和仓库改造的商店,又有融合该地区特色的新生空间,使之拥有了与众不同的独特氛围,许多国际知名品牌也在此开设旗舰店,无疑成为拥有众多时尚品牌的热门区域。