Irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease overlap syndrome: pieces of the puzzle are falling into place

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a common gastrointestinal disorder involving the gut-brain axis, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a chronic relapsing inflammatory disorder, are both increasing in incidence and prevalence in Asia. Both have significant overlap in terms of symptoms, pathophysiology, and treatment, suggesting the possibility of IBS and IBD being a single disease entity albeit at opposite ends of the spectrum. We examined the similarities and differences in IBS and IBD, and offer new thoughts and approaches to the disease paradigm

Efficacy of a Novel Narrow Knife with Water Jet Function for Colorectal Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection

Backgrounds. With respect to the knife’s design in colorectal endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), diameter, water jet function, and electric power are important because these relate to efficient dissection. In this study, we analyzed a novel, narrow ball tip-typed ESD knife with water jet function (Flush knife BT-S, diameter: 2.2 mm, length: 2000 mm, Fujifilm Co., Tokyo, Japan) compared to a regular diameter knife (Flush knife BT, diameter: 2.6 mm, length: 1800 mm). Methods. In laboratory and clinical research, electric power, knife insertion time, vacuum/suction amount with knife in the endoscopic channel, and water jet function were analyzed. We used a knife 2.0 mm long for BT-S and BT knives. Results. The BT-S showed faster mean knife insertion time (sec) and better vacuum amount (ml/min) compared to the BT (insertion time: 16.7 versus 21.6, p<0.001, vacuum amount: 38.0 versus 14.0, p<0.01). Additionally, the water jet function of the BT-S was not inferior. In 39 colorectal ESD cases in two institutions, there were mean 4.7 times (range: 1–28) of knife insertion. Suction under knife happened 59% (23/39) and suction of fluid could be done in 100%. Conclusions. Our study showed that the narrow knife allows significantly faster knife insertion, better vacuum function, and effective clinical results

A Case of Zoonotic Ancylostoma ceylanicum Infection in a Suburban Area of Selangor, Malaysia

Introduction The animal hookworm, Ancylostoma ceylanicum, is a dominant hookworm species of dogs and cats. However, it has increasingly been found infecting humans in Southeast Asia. Purpose We report an autochthonous case of A. ceylanicum in a suburban area of Selangor, Malaysia. A 66-year-old Indian lady who is an avid gardener presented with chronic diarrhea of 4 months’ duration. Methods The patient was examined clinically and colonoscopy was performed. Adult parasites obtained via colonoscopy were subjected to microscopy and molecular investigations. Results Clinical examinations were unremarkable, and blood investigation revealed normochromic normocytic anemia. Stool occult blood was positive but negative for ova, cyst and adult parasites. Colonoscopy performed showed multiple diverticulae and worm infestation from the terminal ileum to sigmoid colon. Morphological examination on the adult worms showed the specific characteristics of Ancylostoma species. Molecular investigations further confirmed the nematode as Ancylostoma ceylanicum. She was treated with albendazole 400 mg daily for 3 days with symptomatic improvements sustained 3 months later. It is suspected that the patient had ingested or contacted soil contaminated with filariform larvae while gardening. Conclusion Information on the A. ceylanicum infection in humans, especially in urban and suburban areas, is limited, necessitating further epidemiological and clinical studie

A Diminutive T1 Cancer 4 mm in Size Resected by Cold Snare Polypectomy

Cold snare polypectomy (CSP) should be performed for benign lesions, though an accurate diagnosis is sometimes difficult with only white light observation. Irregular findings by narrow-band imaging (NBI) are useful for differentiating malignant lesions from benign lesions, and cases with this finding are not expected for CSP. We present a diminutive T1 cancer resected by CSP as a reflection case. A 68-year-old man underwent colonoscopy for surveillance after polypectomy. A reddish polyp 4 mm in size was detected at the rectum. White light observation showed no depression, but a slight, heterogeneous color change. NBI magnification showed irregular vessel and surface patterns. The polyp was diagnosed as intramucosal cancer. Even though cancerous lesions are regularly resected by endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), this polyp was resected by CSP in daycare surgery because the patient requested not to be treated by EMR but by CSP, which needed an admission to our institution. The surgeon thought the polyp could be completely resected by CSP. It was thoroughly resected, and a histological examination showed submucosal cancer with a positive vertical margin. Additional surgical resection was not accepted by the patient, since he had received total gastrectomy for gastric cancer and a right hemicolectomy for colonic cancer in the past 7 years. He underwent follow-up colonoscopy 2 months after the CSP. Although there were no recurrent endoscopic findings, endoscopic submucosal dissection was performed to the scar area. The histological examination showed no residual tumor. In conclusion, CSP should only be adopted for benign cases, as cancerous lesions have a possibility for invading the submucosa, like in our case

Relationship between Serum Cytokeratin-18, Control Attenuation Parameter, NAFLD Fibrosis Score, and Liver Steatosis in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Backgrounds. The aim of this study was to appraise the relationship between serum fragmented cytokeratin-18(CK-18), controlled attenuation parameter (CAP), and liver steatosis assessed by ultrasound (US) in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients. Methods. Patients who underwent abdominal US were recruited, followed with measurement of CAP using Fibroscan® and serum fragmented CK-18 using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The degree of liver steatosis assessed by US was categorized into mild (S1), moderate (S2), and severe (S3). Results. A total of 109 patients were included in our study. CAP and fragmented CK-18 level were significantly correlated with liver steatosis grade with rs = 0.56 and 0.68, p=0.001, respectively. NAFLD Fibrosis Score was poorly correlated with liver steatosis grade (rs=-0.096, p=0.318). Using fragmented CK-18 level, area under receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curves for S≥2 and S≥3 were excellent (0.82 and 0.84, respectively). Using CAP, AUROC curves for detection of S≥2 and S≥3 were good (0.76, 0.77, respectively). We also proposed cut-off value of CAP to detect S≥2 and S≥3 to be 263 and 319db/m, respectively, and fragmented CK-18 level to detect S≥2 and S≥3 (194 and 294 U/L, respectively). Conclusions. Both the fragmented CK-18 level and the CAP, but not NAFLD Fibrosis Score, were well correlated with hepatic steatosis grade as assessed by US

A case of urgent colonoscopic hemostasis of a cecal hemorrhagic ulceration in a patient receiving heparin for COVID‐19 coagulopathy

Abstract COVID‐19 rarely causes lower gastrointestinal bleeding even though its RNA has been detected in patient's stool. Urgent colonoscopy in a COVID‐19 patient with massive bloody stool requires various procedural and equipment considerations. Here, we present a case of colonoscopic hemostasis of a cecal hemorrhagic ulceration in a patient on heparin for COVID‐19 coagulopathy. We also share various management methods for the prevention of COVID‐19 contamination. A 71‐year‐old man was diagnosed with COVID‐19 pneumonia and subsequently underwent hemodiafiltration. Heparin was initiated for COVID‐19 coagulopathy. At day 42, the patient experienced 2000 mL of bloody stool. An operator performed urgent colonoscopy with three assistants in a negative‐pressure room with full personal protective equipment. A hemorrhagic ulceration was detected at the cecum, and endoscopic hemostasis was performed. Immunohistochemistry was positive for cytomegalovirus. Postprocedure, the endoscopic systems were thoroughly cleaned, and specific measures for endoscope reprocessing and disinfection were performed to prevent contamination with COVID‐19

Blue Laser Imaging, Blue Light Imaging, and Linked Color Imaging for the Detection and Characterization of Colorectal Tumors

A laser endoscopy system was developed in 2012. The system allows blue laser imaging (BLI), BLI-bright, and linked color imaging (LCI) to be performed as modes of narrow-band light observation; these modes have been reported to be useful for tumor detection and characterization. Furthermore, an innovative endoscopy system using four-light emitting diode (LED) multilight technology was released in 2016 to 2017 in some areas in which laser endoscopes have not been approved for use, including the United States and Europe. This system enables blue light imaging (this is also known as BLI) and LCI with an LED light source instead of a laser light source. Several reports have shown that these modes have improved tumor detection. In this paper, we review the efficacy of BLI and LCI with laser and LED endoscopes in tumor detection and characterization

The Efficacy and Safety of Elobixibat for the Elderly with Chronic Constipation: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study

Backgrounds and Aims. Elobixibat is a bile acid transporter inhibitor indicated for constipation. Previous studies were performed mainly for the nonelderly and were biased to female. We analyzed the efficacy of elobixibat also for the elderly and male. Materials and Methods. This was a multicenter retrospective cohort study. The subjects were patients aged ≥20 years treated for chronic constipation from May 2018 to November 2019 at 12 related institutions. Patients were divided into ≤74 years and ≥75 years old. Elobixibat at 10 mg/day was prescribed for two weeks. We then analyzed the discontinuation due to ineffectiveness, change of spontaneous bowel movements (SBM), stool consistency, the time until the first SBM, adverse events, and effect-related factors. Results. There were 140 cases (61 males) evaluated, with an average age of 72.1±13.6 years (≤74 years: 71 cases; ≥75 years: 69 cases). The discontinuation rate was 7.9%. The SBM (times/week) increased from 2.86 to 6.08 (p<0.001). The overall SBM improvement rate was 74.0% (≤74 years: 78.2% vs. ≥75 years: 68.9%, p=0.31; male: 75.0% vs. female: 73.3%, p=0.78). The overall improvement rate of stool consistency was 59.6% (≤74 years: 62.9%, ≥75 years: 56.1%, p=0.42). The time until the first SBM (hours) for those ≤74 years and ≥75 years was 17.2±14.3 and 11.2±8.4 (p=0.04). Adverse event rates for those ≤74 years and ≥75 years were 28.2% and 10.1% (p<0.01). There were no significant effect-related factors for gender, age, and use of laxatives. Conclusions. Short-period elobixibat is shown to be effective also for the elderly and male