Awareness and attitude of fecal microbiota transplantation through transendoscopic enteral tubing among inflammatory bowel disease patients

BACKGROUND Transendoscopic enteral tubing(TET)has been used in China as a novel delivery route for fecal microbiota transplantation(FMT)into the whole colon with a high degree of patient satisfaction among adults.AIM To explore the recognition and attitudes of FMT through TET in patients with inflammatory bowel disease(IBD).METHODS An anonymous questionnaire,evaluating their awareness and attitudes toward FMT and TET was distributed among IBD patients in two provinces of Eastern and Southwestern China.Question formats included single-choice questions,multiple-choice questions and sorting questions.Patients who had not undergone FMT were mainly investigated for their cognition and acceptance of FMT and TET.Patients who had experience of FMT,the way they underwent FMT and acceptance of TET were the main interest.Then all the patients were asked whether they would recommend FMT and TET.This study also analyzed the preference of FMT delivery in IBD patients and the patient-related factors associated with it.RESULTS A total of 620 eligible questionnaires were included in the analysis.The survey showed that 44.6%(228/511)of patients did not know that FMT is a therapeutic option in IBD,and 80.6%(412/511)of them did not know the concept of TET.More than half(63.2%,323/511)of the participants stated that they would agree to undergo FMT through TET.Of the patients who underwent FMT via TET[62.4%(68/109)],the majority[95.6%(65/68)]of them were satisfied with TET.Patients who had undergone FMT and TET were more likely to recommend FMT than patients who had not(94.5%vs 86.3%,P=0.018 and 98.5%vs 87.8%,P=0.017).Patients’choice for the delivery way of FMT would be affected by the type of disease and whether the patient had the experience of FMT.When compared to patients without experience of FMT,Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis patients who had experience of FMT preferred mid-gut TET(P<0.001)and colonic TET(P<0.001),respectively.CONCLUSION Patients’experience of FMT through TET lead them to maintain a positive attitude towards FMT.The present findings highlighted the significance of patient education on FMT and TET.

Thalidomide and thalidomide analogues in treatment of patients with inflammatory bowel disease:Meta-analysis

AIM To examine the efficacy and safety of thalidomide and thalidomide analogues in induction and maintenance of remission in patients with inflammatory bowel disease(IBD).METHODS A literature search was performed in the following databases: PubM ed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Ovid and the Cochrane Library, and Chinese databases such as the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Science and Technology Journal Database(VIP), Wanfang Data. The randomized controlled analysis was performed to assess the effects of thalidomide therapy on inflammatory bowel disease for patients who did show good response with other therapies. RESULTS Three studies(n = 212) met the inclusion criteria were used in this Meta-analysis. No difference was found between thalidomide/thalidomide analogues and placebo in the induction of remission(RR = 1.36, 95%CI: 0.83-2.22, P = 0.22), the induction of clinical response(RR = 1.14, 95%CI: 0.75-1.72, P = 0.54) and the induction of adverse events(RR = 1.41, 95%CI: 0.99-2.02, P = 0.06).CONCLUSION Currently, there is not enough evidence to support use of thalidomide or its analogue for the treatment in patients of any age with IBD. However, it warrants a reanalysis when more data become available.

Serum amyloid A levels in patients with liver diseases

BACKGROUND Serum amyloid A(SAA)is an acute phase protein mainly synthesized by the liver.SAA induces inflammatory phenotype and promotes cell proliferation in activated hepatic stellate cells,the major scar forming cells in the liver.However,few studies have reported on the serum levels of SAA in human liver disease and its clinical significance in various liver diseases.AIM To investigate the serum levels of SAA in patients with different liver diseases and analyze the factors associated with the alteration of SAA levels in chronic hepatitis B(CHB)patients.METHODS Two hundred and seventy-eight patients with different liver diseases and 117 healthy controls were included in this study.The patients included 205 with CHB,22 with active autoimmune liver disease(AILD),21 with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH),14 with drug-induced liver injury(DILI),and 16 with pyogenic liver abscess.Serum levels of SAA and other clinical parameters were collected for the analysis of the factors associated with SAA level.Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the serum SAA levels of patients with various liver diseases with those of healthy controls.Bonferroni test was applied for post hoc comparisons to control the probability of type 1 error(alpha=0.05/6=0.008).For statistical tests of other variables,P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.Statistically significant factors determined by single factor analysis were further analyzed by binary multivariate logistic regression analysis.RESULTS All patients with active liver diseases had higher serum SAA levels than healthy controls and the inactive CHB patients,with the highest SAA level found in patients with pyogenic liver abscess(398.4±246.8 mg/L).Patients with active AILD(19.73±24.81 mg/L)or DILI(8.036±5.685 mg/L)showed higher SAA levels than those with active CHB(6.621±6.776 mg/L)and NASH(6.624±4.891 mg/L).Single(P<0.001)and multivariate logistic regression analyses(P=0.039)for the CHB patients suggested that patients with active CHB were associated with an SAA serum level higher than 6.4 mg/L.Serum levels of SAA and CRP(C-reactive protein)were positively correlated in patients with CHB(P<0.001),pyogenic liver abscess(P=0.045),and active AILD(P=0.02).Serum levels of SAA(0.80-871.0 mg/L)had a broader fluctuation range than CRP(0.30-271.3 mg/L).CONCLUSION Serum level of SAA is a sensitive biomarker for inflammatory activity of pyogenic liver abscess.It may also be a weak marker reflecting milder inflammatory status in the liver of patients with CHB and other active liver diseases.

Application of Nutritional Support in the Comprehensive Treatment of Gastric Cancer: A Case Report

Objective To relieve long-term malnutrition caused by a malignant tumor affecting the pylorus and to prolong the patient survival.Methods A patient presented with complete pyloric obstruction due to pyloric tumors,and achieved good therapeutic effects through nutritional support and effective chemotherapy.Results After about 40 days of treatment,all physiological indicators were improving.After chemotherapy,the pyloric tumor shrank and the complete obstruction was relieved.The patient was able to eat and drink normally.Conclusion Nutritional support,combined with chemotherapy,may effectively treat complete pyloric obstruction caused by advanced tumors.

The Gut Microbiome During Pregnancy

Gut microbiota is symbiotic and interdependent with human body.Intestinal probiotics are colonized in the human gastrointestinal tract,which can improve the host intestinal microenvironment and enhance the intestinal function and immune function of the human body.A small number of opportunistic pathogens exist in the intestinal tract.Once the number of pathogens exceeds the threshold of intestinal tolerance,the intestinal micro-ecological balance can be destroyed,and various diseases may thus develop.Pregnancy is a special status with different physiologic changing stages.In the meanwhile,alterations in the gut microbiome populations occur,which can promote the differentiation,development,and maturation of fetal organs by affecting maternal metabolism.Compared with normal pregnant women,great changes in the gastrointestinal function and gut microbiome may take place in pregnant women with pregnancy-related complications,in which these changes include the number,species,and intestinal translocation.The composition of the maternal gut microbiome could contribute to pregnancy and obstetric outcomes,and long-term health of mother and child.The relationships of pregnancy to gut microbiome have attracted an increasing attention in recent years.This article will provide a summary review of the research studies of gut microbiome in normal pregnant women versus abnormal pregnancy women with complications.

Examined lymph node numbers influence prognosis in rectal cancer treated with neoadjuvant therapy

Background:The number of lymph nodes examined(LNe)is often insufficient in patients with rectal cancer(RC)treated with neoadjuvant therapy;however,its prognostic value remains controversial.Thus,we retrospectively explored whether LNe had an influence on staging and prognosis and investigated whether there was a cut-off value for better prognosis in patients with RC treated with neoadjuvant therapy.Methods:Data were collected from seven prospective hospital databases in China from July 2002 to May 2018.Binary logistic regression models were used to predict lymph node metastasis.The cut-off value for LNe was determined using X-tile 3.6.1.Survival outcomes and risk factors were analyzed using the log-rank test and Cox regression model.Results:A total of 482 patients were included,of whom 459 had complete overall survival(OS)information.Using the percentile method,the total number of lymph nodes examined(TLNe)was 14-16(40th-60th percentile),and the proportion of patients with lymph node metastasis reached a maximum of 48.1%.Cox multivariate analysis showed that the odds ratio(OR)remained the highest when TLNe was 14-16(OR=3.379,P=0.003).The 3-year and 5-year OS were 85.4% and 77.8%,respectively.Negative lymph nodes examined(NLNe)of≤6 was an independent risk factor for 3-year and 5-year OS(3-year OS 71.1%vs.85.9%,P=0.004;5-year OS 66.3%vs.74.3%,P=0.035).Subgroup analysis for patients with ypN+showed that higher 3-year and 5-year OS were achieved when the TLNe was>10,78.8%vs.54.0%(P=0.005),and 60.8%vs.36.0%(P=0.012),respectively.Patients with ypN0M0 had a higher 5-year OS when the TLNe was>19(P=0.055).Conclusion:The TLNe and NLNe influenced the staging accuracy and demonstrated prognostic value in patients with RC treated with neoadjuvant therapy.