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No prediction scores for the mortality of both inpatients and outpatients who developed nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) without endoscopic findings have been established. We aimed to derive and validate a novel prediction score for in-hospital mortality. We conducted a three-stage, multicenter retrospective study. In the derivation stage, patients with nonvariceal UGIB at six institutions were enrolled to derive the prediction score by logistic regression analysis. External validation of the score was performed to analyze discrimination by patients at six other institutions. Then the performance of this score was compared with that of four existing scores. We enrolled 1380 and 825 patients in the derivation and validation cohorts, respectively. A prediction score (CHAMPS-R Score) comprising seven variables (Charlson Comorbidity Index ≥ 2, in-hospital onset, albumin

Article, Immunological medicine. 42(4): 176-184 (2019)

BACKGROUND Although post-bulbar duodenal ulcers (PBDUs) could become a source of upper gastrointestinal bleeding, the whole picture of the disease is unknown. We compared the characteristic features and treatment outcomes after endoscopic hemostasis between PBDUs and bulbar duodenal ulcers (BDUs). METHODS Data on duodenal ulcers with evidence of endoscopically-active bleeding were extracted from the data that were retrospectively collected from 12 institutes in Japan between 2011 and 2018. Rebleeding and in-hospital mortality were compared between patients with PBDUs and those with BDUs by logistic regression analyses. RESULTS Among 468 consecutive patients with bleeding duodenal ulcers, 96 (20.5%) had endoscopically-confirmed PBDUs. PBDUs were more frequently observed in patients with a poor general condition in comparison to BDUs. The rates of rebleeding and in-hospital mortality in patients with PBDUs were approximately three times higher than those in patients with BDUs (PBDU vs. BDU: 29.2% vs. 10.2% [P

Aim To elucidate the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the practice of high-resolution manometry (HRM) and peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) in Japan. Methods We utilized a large-scale database involving 14 high-volume centers in Japan to investigate changes in the numbers of HRM and POEM procedures performed and outcomes of POEM between 2019 and 2020. A questionnaire survey was also conducted to analyze pandemic-associated changes in the HRM and POEM protocols. Results Compared to that in 2019, the number of HRM and POEM procedures decreased by 17.2% (1587-1314) and 20.9% (630-498), respectively. These declines were prominent during the state of emergency from April to May 2020, particularly in pandemic areas. HRM and POEM in nonpandemic areas were relatively unaffected. From 2019 to 2020, there was a 0.4% (254-248) decrease in POEM cases within the prefecture, but the number outside the prefecture decreased by 33.6% (372-247). During the pandemic, the safety and efficacy of POEM were maintained. The implementation of personal protective equipment (PPE) measures varied among facilities, and PPE for POEM was relatively insufficient compared to that for HRM. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic influenced HRM and POEM practices in Japan. It is necessary to establish a sufficient system for HRM and POEM in each hospital as well as countrywide to overcome the effects of the pandemic.

A 76-year-old man was referred to our hospital for examination and treatment of dysphagia. He has been taking enteric-coated aspirin for myocardial infarction. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) revealed the presence of esophageal ulcers in the distal esophagus and five to six tablets of enteric-coated aspirin. The esophageal ulcers were believed to have been caused by the retention of aspirin within the esophagus due to achalasia. We substituted enteric-coated aspirin with powdered aspirin. A follow-up EGD performed 1 month later showed improvement of esophageal mucosa. The patient was diagnosed with type I achalasia. Per-oral endoscopic myotomy was performed, and his symptoms improved after the procedure. Although a few studies have investigated the direct effect of aspirin, none of them has reported on the direct effect of aspirin on the esophagus. It might be effective to administer powdered aspirin for patients with achalasia to prevent esophageal ulcers caused by the direct effect of aspirin.

Currently, the number of patients treated with immune-checkpoint inhibitor involving nivolumab is increasing. Nevertheless, it causes various immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Here, we report the case of a patient who underwent long-term follow-up after suffering from nivolumab-associated colitis. The patient was a 57-year-old man who underwent resection of a bladder tumor. Following surgery, lymph node metastasis was detected, and he was treated by nivolumab. Two months after treatment with nivolumab, the patient complained of bloody diarrhea. Colonoscopy revealed pancolitis with erosions, loss of vascular pattern and erythema. Pathological findings indicated a disease state of pan-ulcerative colitis. As an irAE by nivolumab, the patient was started with 30 mg of prednisolone. Prednisolone treatment successfully induced clinical remission and mucosal healing. Nevertheless, eight months after stopping the steroid treatment, the colitis relapsed with diarrhea following elevation of fecal immunochemical test (FIT) and fecal calprotectin (CPT). The relapsed colitis was treated by mesalazine, and then diarrhea was improved. Nivolumab-associated colitis relapsed following mucosal healing suggesting that it is necessary to consider maintenance therapy as well as remission induction for long-term survivor. The present case also demonstrates that the FIT and CPT would be effective biomarker to assess the disease activity of nivolumab-associated colitis.

This study aimed to elucidate whether changes in serum opsonic activity measured by lucigenin-dependent chemiluminescence and luminol-dependent chemiluminescence are useful for estimating physical stress during the perioperative period of gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection. Serum opsonic activity in the peripheral blood of 87 patients was examined in the morning of the day of endoscopic submucosal dissection, the next day, and at 4 days after endoscopic submucosal dissection. Peak height and area under the curve for lucigenin-dependent chemiluminescence were 106.1 ± 22.7% and 102.0 ± 24.7% on the day of endoscopic submucosal dissection, which increased significantly to 113.6 ± 29.4% and 111.0 ± 29.1% on the next day (both p

Background/Aims: Behçet’s disease (BD) with intestinal lesions and Crohn’s disease (CD) share clinical features. However, no report has compared the 2 diseases with regard to lesions of the upper gastrointestinal tract (UGT). We aimed to evaluate endoscopic and histologic findings of UGT in CD and BD. Methods: We retrospectively assessed the endoscopic records and biopsy samples of 84 Helicobacter pylori-negative patients (50 CD, 34 BD). In duodenal samples, MUC5AC immunohistochemical analysis was performed to identify gastric foveolar metaplasia. Results: In endoscopic findings, bamboo joint-like appearance (17/50 CD, 0/34 BD) and erosions (14/50 CD, 2/34 BD) were significantly more frequent in CD gastric lesions (p < 0.001, and p = 0.012). In histologic findings of stomach, focal neutrophil infiltration in lamina propria (15/48 CD, 1/34 BD) was significantly more frequent in CD (p < 0.001). In that of duodenum, wide gastric foveolar metaplasia (19/49 CD, 1/34 BD) was significantly more frequent in CD duodenal lesions (p = 0.013). The mean maximum width of the gastric foveolar metaplasia was 114.0 ± 10.6 and 29.5 ± 4.5 μm for CD and BD respectively (p = 0.003). Conclusions: In H. pylori-negative patients, gastric focal neutrophil infiltration and wide duodenal gastric foveolar metaplasia were important for distinguishing CD from BD.

OBJECTS Although anti-thrombotic use is recognized as a risk factor for upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB), there has been no clear evidence that it worsens the outcomes after the bleeding. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of anti-thrombotic agents on in-hospital mortality following UGIB. METHODS Information on clinical parameters, including usage of anti-thrombotic agents, was retrospectively collected from consecutive patients with UGIB at 12 high-volume centers in Japan between 2011 and 2018. The all-cause in-hospital mortality rate was evaluated according to the usage of anti-thrombotic agents. RESULTS Clinical data were collected from 2205 patients with endoscopically confirmed UGIB. Six hundred and forty-five (29.3%) patients used anti-thrombotic agents. The all-cause in-hospital mortality rate was 5.7% (125 deaths). After excluding 29 cases in which death occurred due to end-stage malignancy, 96 deaths (bleeding-related, n = 22 ; non-bleeding-related, n = 74) were considered "preventable." Overall, the "preventable" mortality rate in anti-thrombotic users was significantly higher than that in non-users (6.0% vs. 3.7%, P

The aim of this study was to assess the perioperative invasiveness of endoscopic submucosal dissection for colorectal cancer quantitatively by using energy metabolism. In fifty-three patients who underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection for colorectal cancer, resting energy expenditure using an indirect calorimeter, body weight and basal energy expenditure using the Harris-Benedict equation before and after endoscopic submucosal dissection. Resting energy expenditure/body weight and resting energy expenditure/basal energy expenditure were 19.7 ± 2.5 kcal/kg/day and 0.96 ± 0.12 on the day of endoscopic submucosal dissection, whereas one day after the endoscopic submucosal dissection they increased to 21.0 ± 2.9 kcal/kg/day and 1.00 ± 0.13 (p

Article, Immunological medicine. 42(3): 135-141 (2019)

Background/Aims: Thiopurines are key drugs for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). Recently, NUDT15 polymorphism (R139C, c.415C > T) has been shown to be associated with thiopurineinduced adverse events in Asian populations. In patients with the C/T genotype, low-dose thiopurine treatment is recommended, but its long-term efficacy and tolerability remain unclear. This study aimed to uncover the long-term efficacy and appropriate dosage of thiopurine for IBD patients with the C/T genotype.Methods: A total of 210 patients with IBD (103 UC and 107 CD) determined to have NUDT15 R139C variants were enrolled. Clinical data were retrospectively reviewed from medical records.Results: Of 46 patients (21.9%) with the C/T genotype, 30 patients (65.2%) were treated with thiopurines. Three of whom (10.0%) discontinued thiopurine treatment due to adverse events and 27 of whom continued. The median maintenance dosage of 6-mercaptopurine was 0.25 mg/kg/day (range, 0.19–0.36 mg/kg/day), and 6-thioguanine nucleotides level was 230 (104–298) pmol/8 × 108 red blood cells. Cumulative thiopurine continuation rates for 120 months for patients with the C/C and C/T genotypes were not significantly different (P= 0.895). Cumulative non-relapse rates in the patients with UC treated with thiopurine monotherapy and surgery-free rates in CD patients treated with combination therapy (thiopurines and anti-tumor necrosis factor-α agents) for maintenance remission were not significantly different at 60 months (C/C vs. C/T, P= 0.339 and P= 0.422, respectively).Conclusions: Low-dose thiopurine treatment is an effective and acceptable treatment for patients with C/T genotype.

A 69-year-old woman had received hemodialysis for chronic renal failure and was taking lanthanum carbonate since 63 years of age. She presented with appetite loss and nausea. We performed esophagogastroduodenoscopy, which revealed multiple longitudinal white plaques in the esophagus. Lesion biopsies showed lanthanum deposition, and lanthanum carbonate was found histologically by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The plaques of this patient appeared like those of dabigatran-induced esophagitis, and may have occurred due to long-term contact of the esophageal epithelium with lanthanum carbonate because patient spent time in lying state. Although a few studies regarding lanthanum deposition in the stomach have been conducted, there are no reports on lanthanum deposition in the esophagus. This case suggests that the presence of longitudinal white plaques in the esophagus may indicate lanthanum deposition.

Endoscopic sub-mucosal dissection (ESD) is considered as a low-invasive treatment for early-stage colorectal cancer, but the degree of invasiveness has not been well investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physical stress due to colorectal ESD based on changes in serum opsonic activity (SOA). SOA was examined by measuring reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by neutrophils using lucigenin-dependent chemiluminescence (LgCL) and luminol-dependent chemiluminescence (LmCL). Sixty-nine patients were enrolled into the study and examined SOA in the morning of the day of ESD, the next day, and at four days after ESD. The peak height (PH) and area under the curve (AUC) of LgCL showed no significant difference between the day and the next day, whereas the PH and AUC for LgCL were significantly higher four days after ESD than on the day of ESD (

OBJECTIVE: The number of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) procedures for early gastric cancers among patients 75 years of age or older has been increasing. We herein examined both the outcomes and complications of ESD in elderly patients. METHODS: We investigated the effects of underlying diseases, lesion characteristics, treatment outcomes and complications during and in the postoperative periods of ESD among elderly patients 75 years of age or older versus non-elderly patients less than 75 years of age. Patients A total of 318 early gastric cancers in consecutive 307 patients, all of whom underwent ESD for gastric cancer, were included in this study. RESULTS: The number of patients with hypertension and ischemic heart disease was significantly higher in the elderly group than in the non-elderly group. The proportion of lesions with an absolute indication, extended indication or no indication was not significantly different between the groups. During the ESD procedure, the use of atropine sulfate for bradycardia was significantly more frequent in the elderly group. No significant differences were observed between the groups in terms of the treatment for hypertension, oxygen administration or incidence of perforation. In addition, there were no significant differences with respect to oxygen administration, postoperative bleeding or the occurrence of fever and/or pneumonia after the ESD procedure. CONCLUSION: Although bradycardia was more frequently observed in the elderly patients during ESD in this study, ESD was performed safely and managed appropriately, with infrequent postoperative complications. ESD appears to be effective, even in elderly patients.

A 57-year-old man was referred and admitted to our hospital for treatment of a symptomatic pancreatic mass. Pancreatic arteriovenous malformation (AVM) was diagnosed based on the findings of contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) and angiography, and transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) with N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate (NBCA) was performed without complications. The patient's symptoms subsequently improved after TAE, and resolution of the pancreatic AVM was detected on contrast-enhanced CT performed six months after the embolization procedure. This case indicates that TAE with NBCA is a safe and effective treatment for pancreatic AVM.

A 60-year-old woman was admitted for the treatment of a gastric neuroendocrine tumor (NET) associated with type A chronic atrophic gastritis. The lesion measured 10 mm in diameter, and a computed tomography scan did not reveal any metastatic lesions. Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) was subsequently performed. A histological examination revealed three gastric NETs, two of which exhibited vessel invasion. Endocrine cell micronests associated with a high risk of recurrence were also observed. Therefore, the patient underwent total gastrectomy with lymph node dissection. Because vessel invasion can occur in patients with small gastric NET G1, the use of ESD should be considered to carefully estimate the presence of invasion.

A 43-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with right hypochondriac and epigastric pain. An abdominal radiograph showed a large niveau in the right subphrenic space. An abdominal CT scan demonstrated a large liver abscess (diameter, 13 cm) with gas formation. Klebsiella pneumoniae cells were isolated from the abscess, and the patient was treated with antibiotics and percutaneous drainage. It is very important to treat gas-forming liver abscess immediately, because subsequent bacteremia and septic shock are frequently noted, and the associated mortality rate is high.