Clinical characteristics of peptic ulcer perforation in Korea

AIM To elucidate the epidemiological characteristics and associated risk factors of perforated peptic ulcer(PPU).METHODS We retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients who were diagnosed with benign PPU from 2010 through 2015 at 6 Hallym university-affiliated hospitals.RESULTS A total of 396 patients were identified with postoperative complication rate of 9.1% and mortality rate of 0.8%. Among 174(43.9%) patients who were examined for Helicobacter pylori(H. pylori) infection, 78(44.8%) patients were positive for H. pylori infection, 21(12.1%) were on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs) therapy, and 80(46%) patients were neither infected of H. pylori nor treated by any kinds of NSAIDs. Multivariate analysis indicated that older age(OR = 1.09, 95%CI: 1.04-1.16) and comorbidity(OR = 4.11, 95%CI: 1.03-16.48) were risk factors for NSAID-associated PPU compared with non-H. pylori, non-NSAID associated PPU and older age(OR = 1.04, 95%CI: 1.02-1.07) and alcohol consumption(OR = 2.08, 95%CI: 1.05-4.13) were risk factors for non-H. pylori, non-NSAID associated PPU compared with solely H. pylori positive PPU.CONCLUSION Elderly patients with comorbidities are associated with NSAIDs-associated PPU. Non-H. pylori, non-NSAID peptic ulcer is important etiology of PPU and alcohol consumption is associated risk factor.

Recent advances in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in Billroth II gastrectomy patients: A systematic review

BACKGROUND Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography(ERCP)in patients with Billroth Ⅱ gastrectomy has been considered a challenging procedure due to the surgically altered gastrointestinal anatomy.However,there has been a paucity of comparative studies regarding ERCP in Billroth Ⅱ gastrectomy cases because of procedure-related morbidity and mortality and practical and ethical limitations.This systematic and comprehensive review was performed to obtain a recent perspective on ERCP in Billroth Ⅱ gastrectomy patients.AIM To systematically review the literature regarding ERCP in Billroth Ⅱ gastrectomy patients.METHODS A systematic review was performed on the literature published between May 1975 and January 2019.The following electronic databases were searched:PubMed,EMBASE,and Cochrane Library.The outcomes of successful afferent loop intubation and successful selective cannulation and occurrence of adverse events were assessed.RESULTS A total of 43 studies involving 2669 patients were included.The study designs were 36(83.7%)retrospective cohort studies,4(9.3%)retrospective comparative studies,2(4.7%)prospective comparative studies,and 1(2.3%)prospective cohort study.Of a total of 2669 patients,there were 1432 cases(55.6%)of sideviewing endoscopy,664(25.8%)cases of forward-viewing endoscopy,171(6.6%)cases of balloon-assisted enteroscopy,169(6.6%)cases of anterior obliqueviewing endoscopy,64(2.5%)cases of dual-lumen endoscopy,31(1.2%)cases of colonoscopy,and 14(0.5%)cases of multiple bending endoscopy.The overall success rate of afferent loop intubation was 91.3%(2437/2669),and the overall success rate of selective cannulation was 87.9%(2346/2437).A total of 195 cases(7.3%)of adverse events occurred.The success rates of afferent loop intubation and the selective cannulation rate for each type of endoscopy were as follows:side-viewing endoscopy 98.2%and 95.3%;forward-viewing endoscopy 97.4%and 95.2%;balloon-assisted enteroscopy 95.4%and 97.5%;oblique-viewing endoscopy 94.1%and 97.5%;and dual-lumen endoscopy 82.8%and 100%,respectively.The rate of bowel perforation was slightly higher in side-viewing endoscopy(3.6%)and balloon-assisted enteroscopy(4.1%)compared with forward-viewing endoscopy(1.7%)and anterior oblique-viewing endoscopy(1.2%).Mortality only occurred in side-viewing endoscopy(n=9,0.6%).CONCLUSION The performance of ERCP in the Billroth Ⅱ gastrectomy population has been improving with choice of various type of endoscope and sphincter management.More comparative studies are needed to determine the optimal strategy to perform safe and effective ERCP in Billroth Ⅱ gastrectomy patients.

A case of hypereosinophilic syndrome presenting with intractable gastric ulcers

We report a rare case of hypereosinophilic syndrome(HES)presenting with intractable gastric ulcers.A 71-year-old man was admitted with epigastric pain.Initial endoscopic findings revealed multiple,active gastric ulcers in the gastric antrum.He underwent Helicobacter pylori(H pylori)eradication therapy followed by proton pump inhibitor(PPI)therapy.However,follow-up endoscopy at 4,6,10 and 14 mo revealed persistent multiple gastric ulcers without significant improvement.The proportion of his eosinophil count increased to 43%(total count:7903/mm 3).Abdominal-pelvic and chest computed tomography scans showed multiple small nodules in the liver and both lungs.The endoscopic biopsy specimen taken from the gastric antrum revealed prominent eosinophilic infiltration,and the liver biopsy specimen also showed eosinophilic infiltration in the portal tract and sinusoid.A bone marrow biopsy disclosed eosinophilic hyperplasia as well as increased cellularity of 70%.The patient was finally diagnosed with HES involving the stomach,liver,lung,and bone marrow.When gastric ulcers do not improve despite H pylori eradication and prolonged PPI therapy,infiltrative gastric disorders such as HES should be considered.

Self-Trapping Process of Exciton in C_(60)

A dynamical scheme is employed to simulate the self-trapping of the exciton in C_(60).During the self-trapping process,due to the bond distortion,two gap states A_(1u) and A_(2u) are separated from the highest occupied molecular orbital and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital respectively.From the evolutions of the bond distortion and these two levels the relaxation time of the self-trapping exciton is about 90 fs.It is noticed that the relaxation of the exciton is much quicker than that of the charge transfer in C_(60).