Local recurrence after successful endoscopic submucosal dissection for rectal mucinous mucosal adenocarcinoma:A case report

BACKGROUND Mucinous adenocarcinoma of the colorectum is a rare histological subtype characterized by an abundant mucinous component.Mucinous tumors are frequently diagnosed at an advanced stage,which indicates an aggressive subtype.However,few case reports have been published,and little information is available concerning genetic alterations in mucinous adenocarcinoma.CASE SUMMARY A 76-year-old man underwent en bloc endoscopic submucosal dissection(ESD)for the management of a type 0-Is+IIa lesion.Histological examination revealed an intramucosal mucinous adenocarcinoma with signet-ring cell carcinoma and well-to-moderately differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma.Three years after the ESD,local recurrence was detected by an endoscopic examination,revealing a new 0-Is+IIa lesion with a phenotype similar to the previously resected lesion.Re-ESD was chosen for the management of the recurrent tumor,and the histological examination showed positive tumor infiltration at the vertical margin.Additional surgical resection was performed for the curative treatment.Genetic analysis showed pathogenic alterations in RNF43 and TP53 in the adenoma and an additional SMAD4 alteration in the carcinoma.CONCLUSION This mucinous mucosal adenocarcinoma case was suggested to have an aggressive phenotype and a careful and close follow-up are required.

Efficacy and adverse events of cold vs hot polypectomy: A meta-analysis

AIM: To compare previously reported randomized controlled studies(RCTs) of cold and hot polypectomy, we systematically reviewed and clarify the utility of cold polypectomy over hot with respect to efficacy and adverse events.METHODS: A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the predominance of cold and hot polypectomy for removing colon polyps. Published articles and abstracts from worldwide conferences were searched using the keywords "cold polypectomy". RCTs that compared either or both the effects or adverse events of cold polypectomy with those of hot polypectomy were collected. The patients' demographics, endoscopic procedures, No. of examined lesions, lesion size, macroscopic and histologic findings, rates of incomplete resection, bleeding amount, perforation, and length of procedure were extracted from each study. A forest plot analysis was used to verify the relative strength of the effects and adverse events of each procedure. A funnel plot was generated to assess the possibility of publication bias.RESULTS: Ultimately, six RCTs were selected. No significant differences were noted in the average lesion size(less than 10 mm) between the cold and hot polypectomy groups in each study. Further, the rates of complete resection and adverse events, including delayed bleeding, did not differ markedly between cold and hot polypectomy. The average procedural time in the cold polypectomy group was significantly shorter than in the hot polypectomy group.CONCLUSION: Cold polypectomy is a time-saving procedure for removing small polyps with markedly similar curability and safety to hot polypectomy.

Gastric submucosa-invasive carcinoma associated with EpsteinBarr virus and endoscopic submucosal dissection: A case report

BACKGROUND Epstein-Barr virus(EBV)-associated carcinoma is a gastric cancer subtype with a morphology characterized by gastric carcinoma with lymphoid stroma(GCLS).Clinicopathological studies have indicated a better prognosis for GCLS than for common gastric carcinomas.Some previous cases of early gastric cancer associated with EBV had been diagnosed by endoscopic resection.CASE SUMMARY We present two GCLS cases subjected to endoscopic submucosal dissection(ESD)for a definitive diagnosis.A protruded gastric lesion was identified by routine endoscopic examination,but forceps biopsy showed no atypical cells before ESD.The resected specimen showed a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with lymphoid cells involving the mucosa and submucosa.The final diagnosis was submucosa-invasive poorly differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma.Accordingly,additional gastrectomy was recommended to obtain a complete cure.One patient underwent additional distal gastrectomy with lymph node dissection,but the other was refused because of cardiovascular complications.Both patients remained in remission for more than half a year.EBV positivity was determined by EBV-encoded RNA in situ hybridization.We also conducted a literature review of cases of early gastric cancer associated with EBV that had been diagnosed by ESD.CONCLUSION Submucosa-invasive GCLS could be dissected using ESD,and EBV positivity should be subsequently assessed to determine whether or not any additional curative surgery is required.Further prospective investigations on the prevalence of lymph node metastasis in EBV-associated carcinoma should be performed to expand the indications for endoscopic resection.

Isoleucine, an Essential Amino Acid, Induces the Expression of Human <i>β</i>Defensin 2 through the Activation of the G-Protein Coupled Receptor-ERK Pathway in the Intestinal Epithelia

Anti-microbial peptides are essential for the intestinal innate immunity that protects the intestinal epithelia from attacks by foreign pathogens. Human β-defensin (HBD) is one of the pivotal anti-microbial peptides that are expressed in the colonic epithelia. This study investigated the effect and the signaling mechanism of inducible β-defensin HBD2 by an essential amino acid, isoleucine (Ile) in colonic epithelial cells. Here we examined the expression level of HBD2 on induction of Ile in epithelial cells, and checked this pathway. HBD2 mRNA was induced by co-incubation with IL-1α and Ile in Caco2 cells, but not by Ile alone. An inhibitor of either ERK or Gi, a subunit of G-proteins, reduced the induction of HBD2 mRNA by Ile. The treatment with Ile also increased the intracellular calcium ion concentration, thus suggesting that the GPCR and ERK signaling pathway mediate the effects of Ile. These results indicate that an essential amino acid, Ile, enhances the expression of an inducible β-defensin, namely HBD2, by IL-1α through the activation of GPCRs and ERK signaling pathway. The administration of Ile may therefore represent a possible option to safely treat intestinal inflammation.

Tegafur-uracil-induced rapid development of advanced hepatic fibrosis

Tegafur-uracil has been reported to have only minor adverse effects and is associated with liver injury in 1.79% of Japanese patients. The development of tegafur-uracil-induced hepatic fibrosis with portal hypertension is rare. Here, we report a case of a 74-year-old woman with rapidly developing tegafururacil-induced hepatic fibrosis. The patient had no history of liver disease and had been treated with tegafur-uracil for 8 mo after breast cancer surgery. The patient was admitted to our hospital for abdominal distension and leg edema associated with liver dysfunction. Computed tomography imaging revealed massive ascites and splenomegaly, and a non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis indicated advanced fibrosis. The histopathological findings revealed periportal fibrosis and bridging fibrosis with septation. The massive ascites resolved after discontinuing tegafururacil. These findings suggest that advanced hepatic fibrosis can develop from a relatively short-term administration of tegafur-uracil and that non-invasive assessment is useful for predicting hepatic fibrosis.

Long-term growth of intrahepatic papillary neoplasms: A case report

BACKGROUND Intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct (IPNB) is a type of tumor that presents in the intra- or extrahepatic bile ducts. Cystic-type intrahepatic IPNB often mimics simple liver cysts, making the diagnosis difficult. Because the growth of IPNB is slow, careful follow-up and timely therapeutic intervention is recommended. There are few reports with a follow-up period longer than a decade;thus, we report the case of a patient with an IPNB that grew for over 13 years. CASE SUMMARY A 65-year-old man was diagnosed, 13 years prior with a cystic hepatic tumor with abnormal imaging findings. The targeted tumor biopsy results showed no malignancy. Biannual follow-up examinations were performed because of the potential for malignancy. The cystic lesions showed gradual enlargement over 11 years and a 4 mm papillary proliferation appeared on the cyst wall, which is compatible with IPNB. The tumor was observed for another 2 years because of the patient’s wishes. The imaging findings showed enlargement to 8 mm and a new 9 mm papillary proliferation of the cystic tumor. Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography showed hyperenhancement during the arterial phase in both cyst walls, indicating intraductal tumor progression in both tumors. Thus, liver segment 8 subsegmentectomy was performed. The pathological findings indicated that the tumors contained mucin, and high-grade atypia was observed in the papillary lesions, showing IPNB.CONCLUSION The development of IPNB should be monitored in patients with cystic lesions and ultrasonography are useful tool for the evaluation.

Rare case of fecal impaction caused by a fecalith originating in a large colonic diverticulum: A case report

BACKGROUND Fecal impaction is defined as a large mass of compacted feces in the colon and has the potential to induce a serious medical condition in elderly individuals.Fecal impaction is generally preventable,and early recognition of the typical radiological findings is important for making an early diagnosis.The factors that lead to fecal impaction are usually similar to those causing constipation.Few cases with fecal impaction associated with a diverticulum have been reported.CASE SUMMARY We present the case of a 62-year-old woman who suffered from abdominal pain and vomiting,had a medical history of repeated acute abdomen and was diagnosed with fecal impaction in the descending colon based on X-ray and computed tomography(CT)imaging.After examination by gastrografinenhanced colonography following colonoscopy and CT colonography,the fecalith was suspected to have been produced at the site of a large diverticulum in the transverse colon.The fecalith was surgically resected,and a histological diagnosis of pseudodiverticulum was made.There was no recurrence during 33 mo of follow-up.CONCLUSION This case highlights the importance of accurate identification and treatment of a fecal impaction.This case indicated that the endoscopic evacuation and subsequent colonography were effective for identifying a diverticulum that might have caused fecal impaction.A fecal impaction was associated with the diverticulum.Consequently,the planned diverticulectomy was performed.Appropriate emergency medical treatment and maintenance treatments should be selected in such cases to prevent recurrence.

Effect of <i>Lactobacillus brevis</i>SBC8803 on Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase in Japanese Habitual Drinkers: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in Japanese habitual drinkers was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of Lactobacillus brevis SBC8803 to alleviate adverse effect of alcohol. Subjects who drank habitually and had moderately higher levels of gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) (50 - 100 IU/L) were enrolled. The levels of transaminases in these subjects were almost within normal levels (aspartate transaminase (AST) <30 IU/L and alanine transaminase (ALT) <40 IU/L). Either the capsules containing placebo (n = 23) or 130 mg (4.0 × 1010 colony-forming units) of live L. brevis SBC8803 (n = 22) per day were administered for the continuous eight weeks (56 days). During the period, the subjects both in test group and placebo groups have kept each drinking behavior as usual. Regarding lipid metabolism, triacylglycerol (TG) levels in the male test group significantly decreased at week 4 as compared with week 0. Biomarkers of hepatocytes-damage;AST and ALT levels showed no significant differences between the pla- cebo and test groups at both weeks 4 and 8. Oxidative stress marker;GGT at weeks 4 was significantly lower in the test group than that in the placebo group (p = 0.017), but not at weeks 8. However, taking a reduced rate of GGT at weeks 8 comparing with that at week 0, that in the test group showed larger value comparing with that in the placebo group. These data about TG and GGT suggest that, although efficacy of L. brevis SBC8803 is limited in this study, intake of the probiotic may alleviate alcoholic influence in lipid metabolism and oxidative stress.