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Xiao-He Guo, Yan-Li Zhu, Lu Yang, Wen-Jing Li, Xue-Fang Du Department of Gastroenterology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Weihui, 453100, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yan-Li Zhu, Department of Gastroenterology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, No. 88 of Jiankang Road, Weihui District, Henan, 453100, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 15036615840, Email huyanlizyl02@21cn.comObjective: This study aimed to assess the effects of multi-donor fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) capsules combined with thalidomide on hormone-dependent ulcerative colitis (UC).Methods: A total of 59 patients with steroid-dependent UC treated at the Gastroenterology Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University between January 2017 and January 2019 were enrolled in this study. Using a random number table, the patients were divided into two groups: a group treated with FMT capsules (the FMT group) and a group treated with FMT capsules and thalidomide (the FMT+S group). Multi-donor FMT capsules were prepared, and all subjects and stool donors followed the FMT pathway for FMT transplantation. Each patient’s Mayo score, C-reactive protein (CRP) level, and level of fecal calprotectin before FMT treatment and at week 1 and week 13 after treatment were recorded. All patients were followed up for 15 weeks.Results: A total of 56.7% of the patients (34/59) achieved a therapeutic response at the end of the research period. Compared with the FMT group, the FMT+S group had better clinical benefit (P < 0.05). In the comparison of efficacy at week 1 and week 13 after treatment, the Mayo scores, calprotectin levels, and CRP indexes in the FMT+S group were better than those in the FMT group (P < 0.05). There were no serious adverse events in the treatment process or during follow-up.Conclusion: A combination of FMT capsules and thalidomide provides a treatment choice for patients with hormone-dependent UC, and it can be used as an adjuvant therapy. However, large-scale, multi-center, and prospective trials are required to further verify the reliability of this treatment.Keywords: fecal microbiota transplantation capsules, thalidomide, hormone-dependent ulcerative colitis

Purpose: Oxidative stress was significantly associated with the development of malignancies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the significance of serum total oxidant/antioxidant status in operable advanced gastric cancer patients., Materials and Methods: A total of 284 patients who underwent curative resection for primary stage III gastric cancer were enrolled. Total oxidant status, total antioxidant status, and oxidative stress index (OSI) were evaluated within 24 hours before surgery, and compared with 120 healthy donors. The correlation between the OSI and survival outcome was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank test and Cox's regression methods, respectively., Results: Mean OSI of gastric cancer patients was higher than healthy controls (1.41±0.96 vs 0.78±0.42, P <0.001). All patients were stratified into two groups using the optimal cutoff value (1.42) of OSI using a sensitivity of 94.1% and a specificity of 64.0% as optimal conditions from receiver operating curve analysis. Patients with an OSI ≥1.42 had poorer mean overall survival (45.6 vs 29.8 months, P =0.022) and mean recurrence-free survival (43.3 vs 28.1 months, P =0.011) than patients with an OSI <1.42 in univariate analysis, and OSI was also confirmed as an independent predictor for survival for gastric cancer in multivariate analysis (hazard ratio, 0.541; 95% CI: 0.127-1.102; P =0.01)., Conclusion: Preoperative OSI can be considered as an independent prognostic factor for operable and advanced gastric cancer., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.