Cholecystectomy alters the bile flow into the intestine and the enterohepatic circulation of the bile acids; this may affect the gut microbiota. We assessed the gut microbiota composition of patients who had undergone cholecystectomy and compared with those who had not. From a cohort of 1463 adult participants who underwent comprehensive health screening examinations, 27 subjects who had undergone cholecystectomy (cholecystectomy group) and 81 age- and sex-matched subjects who had not (control group) were selected. Clinical parameters were collected and compared. Microbial composition was determined by 16S rRNA gene sequencing of DNA extracted from fecal samples. We evaluated differences in the overall microbial composition and in the abundance of taxa. The two groups were comparable with respect to clinical characteristics and laboratory results. The actual number of taxa observed in a sample (observed features) was significantly lower in the cholecystectomy group than in the control group (p = 0.042). The beta diversity of Jaccard distance index was significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.027). Blautia obeum and Veillonella parvula were more abundant in the cholecystectomy group. The difference in the diversity of the gut microbiota between the cholecystectomy and control groups was subtle. However, B. obeum and V. parvula, which have azoreductase activity, were more abundant in the cholecystectomy group. The impact of such changes in the gut microbiota on health remains to be determined.

AIM: To investigate the role of the polymorphism of p53 codon 72 in early gastric cancer (EGC) and advanced gastric cancer (AGC) in Korean patients.

To investigate the relationship among gastric xanthomatosis (GX), H pylori, dyslipidemia, and gastritis in Korea, a well-known H pylori endemic area. A total of 771 patients who had undergone gastroduodenoscopy by one endoscopist were included in this study. Among them, 54 patients with GX were assessed for H pylori infection and their endoscopic characteristics and serum lipid profiles. The findings were compared with 54 age- and sex-matched control subjects without GX. The prevalence of GX was 7% (54/771) with no sex difference. GX was mainly single (64.8%) and located in the antrum (53.7%). The mean diameter was 7 +/- 3 mm. Mean body mass index (BMI) of patients with GX was 23.1 +/- 2.8 and no one was above 30. Compared with the controls, lipid profiles of GX group showed significantly lower HDL-cholesterol (48.8 +/- 12.3 vs 62.9 +/- 40.5, P = 0.028) and higher LDL-cholesterol (112.9 +/- 29.9 vs 95.9 +/- 22.4, P = 0.032). The level of total serum cholesterol, triglyceride and the existence of dyslipoproteinemia were not related to the presence of GX. However, GX showed a close relationship with endoscopically determined atrophic gastritis and histologic severity (24/53, 44.4% vs 8/54, 14.8%, P = 0.0082). H pylori infection and bile reflux gastritis were not significantly related with GX. The prevalence of GX is 7% and it may be an increasing entity in Korea. Moreover, dyslipidemia and atrophic gastritis are found to be related to GX, but H pylori infection is not.

Clinical severity of scrub typhus ranges from mild to fatal. Acute pancreatitis with abscess formation is a rare complication among patients with scrub typhus. This paper reports a case of scrub typhus in a 75 years old man with acute pancreatitis with abscess formation and multiorgan failure. Abdominal computed tomography showed multiple infected pancreatic pseudocysts with peri-pancreatic infiltration. Multiorgan failure was successfully treated with doxycycline, ceftriaxone, and supportive management. The pancreatic abscess was successfully drained percutaneously and the sizes of pseudocysts decreased remarkably.