Shim KN, et al. Clin Endosc. 2013 Jan;46(1):45-53. http://dx.doi.org/10.5946/ce.2013.46.1.45

Background and study aims: The aim of this study in canines was to investigate the effectiveness and safety of self-expandable metal stents, which were coated with paclitaxel to minimize the tissue response. Materials and methods: 14 dogs (5 – 10 kg) were randomly allocated to two groups. Drug-eluting stents (DES, n = 7) or nondrug-eluting stents (non-DES, n = 7) were endoscopically inserted and fixed in the esophagus of healthy dogs. Every 2 weeks, for a maximum period of 8 weeks, an endoscopic examination was performed to evaluate the status of stent insertion, the grade of tissue hyperplasia, and mucosal change at both ends of the stent. Results: One case of stent migration was observed after 4 weeks in the non-DES group. In this group, tissue reaction and hyperplasia remained for more than 4 weeks after stent insertion. By contrast, an endoscopic examination of the surrounding esophageal mucosa in the DES group showed very little tissue reaction, and the stent was easily separated from the esophageal tissue. Conclusion: Although further studies are required to confirm our results, we suggest that these newly designed DES may provide an alternative tool to manage refractory benign esophageal stricture.

Background/Aims: Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) can serve as biomarkers for diagnosing and assessing disease activity in ulcerative colitis (UC). We investigated their clinical significance in UC.Methods: We analyzed 48 patients with UC who underwent measurement of fecal calprotectin (FC) and endoscopy and 96 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. NLR and PLR were compared between the patients and healthy controls. The endoscopic activity was divided into 2 groups: group 1 (mild to moderate inflammation) and group 2 (severe inflammation) according to the Mayo endoscopic subscore in UC.Results: To diagnose UC, the optimal cutoff of NLR and PLR was 2.26 (sensitivity 54.2%; specificity 90.6%; positive likelihood ratio 5.778, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.944–11.339; area under the curve [AUC] 0.774, 95% CI, 0.690–0.859) and 179.8 (sensitivity 35.4%; specificity 90.6%; positive likelihood ratio 3.778, 95% CI 1.821–7.838; AUC 0.654, 95% CI 0.556–0.753), respectively. The optimal cutoff to differentiate group 1 and group 2 was 3.44, 175.9, and 453 µg/g for NLR, PLR, and FC, respectively (sensitivity, 63.6% vs. 90.9% vs. 81.8%; specificity, 81.1% vs. 78.4% vs. 73.0%; positive likelihood ratio, 3.364 vs. 4.205 vs. 3.027; AUC, 0.714 vs. 0.897 vs. 0.813). PLR had the highest AUC and positive likelihood ratio.Conclusions: NLR and PLR help differentiate patients with UC from healthy controls. NLR, PLR, and FC indicate endoscopic activity and may reflect intestinal mucosal conditions.

Hye Ran Kang, Ji-Eun Lee, Joon Seong Lee, Tae Hee Lee, Su Jin Hong, Jin Oh Kim, Seong Ran Jeon, and Hyun Gun Kim. J Neurogastroenterol Motil 2015;21:126-32. https://doi.org/10.5056/jnm14025