Background This study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy, safety, and feasibility of performing endoscopic submucosal resection with a ligation device (ESMR-L) after apical mucosal incision (AMI) for the treatment of gastric subepithelial tumors originating from the muscularis propria (SET-MPs). Methods 14 patients with gastric SET-MPs were treated by ESMR-L with AMI between December 2016 and May 2017. The complete resection rate, operation duration, and postoperative complications were collected. All patients were followed for 2 – 6 months. Results The complete resection rate was 100 %, the mean tumor size was 10.71 ± 3.45 mm (7 – 18 mm), and the median operative time was 18.5 minutes. Perforation occurred in four patients, with all lesions being completely repaired endoscopically. No delayed bleeding or peritoneal signs were observed. No residual lesions or recurrence were found during the follow-up period. Conclusions AMI with ESMR-L appears to be an efficient and simple method for the histological diagnosis of gastric SET-MPs, but it carries a high perforation rate and cannot guarantee cure.

Background and Aims. Simethicone (SIM), as an antifoaming agent, has been shown to improve bowel preparation during colonoscopy. However, the optimal timing of SIM addition remained undetermined. We aimed to investigate the optimal timing of SIM addition to polyethylene glycol (PEG) to improve bowel preparation. Methods. Eligible patients were randomly assigned to two groups: the SIM evening group (SIM addition to PEG in the evening of the day prior to colonoscopy) and the SIM morning group (SIM addition to PEG in the morning of colonoscopy). The primary outcome was Bubble Scale (BS). The secondary outcomes were Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (BBPS) and adenoma detection rate (ADR). Results. A total of 419 patients were enrolled in this study. The baseline characteristics of the patients were similar in both groups. No significant differences were observed in terms of BS (8.76 ± 0.90 vs. 8.65 ± 1.16, P = 0.81), ADR (34.1% vs. 30.8%, P = 0.47), Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (BBPS) (8.59 ± 0.94 vs. 8.45 ± 1.00, P = 0.15), and withdrawal time (8.22 ± 2.04 vs. 8.01 ± 2.51, P = 0.094) between the two groups. Moreover, safety and compliance were similar in both groups. However, the SIM evening group was associated with shorter cecal intubation time (3.80 ± 1.81 vs. 4.42 ± 2.03, P < 0.001), higher BS (2.95 ± 0.26 vs. 2.88 ± 0.38, P = 0.04) in the right colon, and diminutive ADR (62.5% vs. 38.6%, P = 0.022) in the right colon, when compared to the SIM evening group. Conclusions. The SIM addition to PEG in the evening of the day prior to colonoscopy can shorten cecal intubation time and improve BS scores and diminutive ADR of the right colon compared with the SIM addition to PEG in the morning of colonoscopy in bowel preparation.

Objective: To investigate associations between novel inflammatory biomarkers and disease severity in Hypertriglyceridemia-associated acute pancreatitis (HTG-AP) and to evaluate their prognostic utility for risk stratification. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 340 HTG-AP patients. Neutrophil-to-high-density lipoprotein Cholesterol Ratio (NHR), Monocyte-to-High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Ratio (MHR), Lymphocyte-to-HDL cholesterol ratio (LHR), Platelet-to-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (PHR), Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index (SII), Systemic Inflammatory Response Index (SIRI), and aggregate index of systemic inflammation (AISI) indices were calculated. Multivariable logistic regression (unadjusted/age-sex-adjusted/fully-adjusted models) was conducted, and ROC analysis was performed to determine the predictive performance for MSAP+SAP/SAP. Results: Among 340 HTG-AP patients (156 MAP, 130 MSAP, 54 SAP), novel inflammatory markers NHR, SII, SIRI, MHR, PHR, and AISI significantly increased with severity (P < 0.01). Restricted cubic splines revealed nonlinear associations of NHR, SII, AISI, MHR, and SIRI with MSAP+SAP risk (Overall P < 0.05; Nonlinear P < 0.05). In fully adjusted models: For each 1-unit increase in NHR, the OR was 1.06 (95% CI: 1.03– 1.09; P < 0.001). Comparing the highest tertile (Q3) to the lowest (Q1), the OR was 6.03 (95% CI: 2.98– 12.19; P < 0.001). MHR Q3 vs Q1: OR=4.52 (2.26– 9.03; P < 0.001). SIRI Q3 vs Q1: OR = 3.12 (1.61– 6.06; P < 0.001). SII Q3 vs Q1: OR 3.12–(1.61– 6.04; P < 0.001). AISI Q3 vs Q1: OR = 2.74 (95% CI: 1.42– 5.28; P = 0.003). LHR and PHR showed no statistically significant associations (P > 0.05). ROC analysis demonstrated that NHR was the best predictor of MSAP+SAP (AUC = 0.701; optimal cutoff = 14.484), outperforming other indices (SII: AUC = 0.666; LHR: AUC = 0.505). Conclusion: NHR is a novel independent predictor of moderate-severe or severe HTG-AP, with the highest tertile conferring a 6.03-fold increased risk (95% CI: 2.98– 12.19; P < 0.001) and an AUC of 0.701 for MSAP+SAP prediction. SII, MHR, SIRI, and AISI provide complementary prognostic value, supporting early risk stratification using NHR (cutoff = 14.484).

Introduction and aim: duodenal subepithelial lesions (SELs) are increasingly detected during endoscopic examinations. However, no feasible and safe methods are available to remove duodenal SELs. The present study aimed to assess the feasibility and safety of endoscopic resection in combination with ligation (ER-L) for the removal of duodenal SELs. Patients and methods: a total of 101 patients with duodenal SELs underwent ER-L from February 2010 to February 2020. The primary outcomes were complete resection, en bloc resection and R0 resection. The secondary outcomes included procedure duration, bleeding, perforation and residual lesions. A total of 101 patients with 101 duodenal SELs (ranged from 8.4 mm to 20.2 mm in size) were included in the study. Results: most of the SELs (95.1 %) originated from the submucosal layer and were successfully removed using ER-L. The rates of complete resection, en bloc resection and R0 resection were 100 %, 96.0 % and 88.1 %, respectively. The median procedure duration was eight minutes. There were no severe complications, except for four patients who developed post-procedure bleeding (4.0 %) and recovered after conservative treatment. Furthermore, no residual lesions were detected during the follow-up period (median of 36 months). In fact, logistic regression analysis showed that the size of duodenal SELs was an independent factor for R0 resection during the ER-L procedure.Conclusion: in conclusion, ER-L is feasible and safe to remove duodenal SELs that originate from the submucosal layer and are less than 20 mm. However, the feasibility and safety of the ER-L should be further confirmed when removing the duodenal SELs that originate from the muscularis propria (MP) layer and are larger than 20 mm in diameter.

BACKGROUND Multiple endocrine neoplasias (MENs) are a group of hereditary diseases involving multiple endocrine glands, and their prevalence is low. MEN type 1 (MEN1) has diverse clinical manifestations, mainly involving the parathyroid glands, gastrointestinal tract, pancreas and pituitary gland, making it easy to miss the clinical diagnosis. CASE SUMMARY We present the case of a patient in whom MEN1 was detected early. A middle-aged male with recurrent abdominal pain and diarrhea was admitted to the hospital. Blood tests at admission revealed hypercalcemia and hypophosphatemia, and emission computed tomography of the parathyroid glands revealed a hyperfunctioning parathyroid lesion. Gastroscopy findings suggested a duodenal bulge and ulceration. Ultrasound endoscopy revealed a hypoechoic lesion in the duodenal bulb. Further blood tests revealed elevated levels of serum gastrin. Surgery was performed, and pathological analysis of the surgical specimens revealed a parathyroid adenoma after parathyroidectomy and a neuroendocrine tumor after duodenal bulbectomy. The time from onset to the definitive diagnosis of MEN1 was only approximately 1 year. CONCLUSION For patients who present with gastrointestinal symptoms accompanied by hypercalcemia and hypophosphatemia, clinicians need to be alert to the possibility of MEN1.