BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) in patients undergoing abdominal surgeries, such as gastrectomy, cholecystectomy, and hysterectomy. METHODS: One hundred seventy-one patients with surgery (50 hysterectomy, 14 gastrectomy, and 107 cholecystectomy), 665 patients with functional gastrointestinal disease (FGID) and 30 healthy controls undergoing a hydrogen (H₂)-methane (CH₄) glucose breath test (GBT) were reviewed. RESULTS: GBT positivity (+) was significantly different among the surgical patients (43.9%), FGID patients (31.9%), and controls (13.3%) (p<0.01). With respect to the patients, 65 (38.0%), four (2.3%), and six (3.5%) surgical patients and 150 (22.6%), 30 (4.5%), and 32 (4.8%) FGID patients were in the GBT (H₂)+, (CH₄)+ and (mixed)+ groups, respectively (p<0.01). The gastrectomy group had a significantly increased preference in GBT+ (71.4% vs 42.0% or 41.1%, respectively) and GBT (H₂)+ (64.3% vs 32.0% or 37.4%, respectively) compared with the hysterectomy or cholecystectomy groups (p<0.01). During GBT, the total H₂ was significantly increased in the gastrectomy group compared with the other groups. CONCLUSIONS: SIBO producing H2 is common in abdominal surgical patients. Different features for GBT+ may be a result of the types of abdominal surgery.
Breath Tests* ; Cholecystectomy* ; Gastrectomy* ; Gastrointestinal Diseases ; Glucose* ; Humans ; Hydrogen ; Hysterectomy* ; Prevalence

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Neurologically impaired patients frequently suffer from gastrointestinal tract problems, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). In this study, we aimed to define the risk factors for GERD in neurologically impaired children. METHODS: From May 2006 to March 2014, 101 neurologically impaired children who received 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring at Severance Children’s Hospital were enrolled in the study. The esophageal pH finding and the clinical characteristics of the patients were analyzed. RESULTS: The reflux index was higher in patients with abnormal electroencephalography (EEG) results than in those with normal EEG results (p=0.027). Mitochondrial disease was associated with a higher reflux index than were epileptic disorders or cerebral palsy (p=0.009). Patient gender, feeding method, scoliosis, tracheostomy, and baclofen use did not lead to statistical differences in reflux index. Age of onset of neurological impairment was inversely correlated with DeMeester score and reflux index. Age at the time of examination, the duration of the disease, and the number of antiepileptic drugs were not correlated with GER severity. CONCLUSIONS: Early-onset neurological impairment, abnormal EEG results, and mitochondrial disease are risk factors for severe GERD.
Age of Onset ; Anticonvulsants ; Baclofen ; Cerebral Palsy ; Child* ; Electroencephalography ; Esophageal pH Monitoring ; Feeding Methods ; Gastroesophageal Reflux* ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Mitochondrial Diseases ; Risk Factors* ; Scoliosis ; Tracheostomy

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The resistance rate of Helicobacter pylori is gradually increasing. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of levofloxacin-based third-line H. pylori eradication in peptic ulcer disease. METHODS: Between 2002 and 2014, 110 patients in 14 medical centers received levofloxacin-based third-line H. pylori eradication therapy for peptic ulcer disease. Of these, 88 were included in the study; 21 were excluded because of lack of follow-up and one was excluded for poor compliance. Their eradication rates, treatment regimens and durations, and types of peptic ulcers were analyzed. RESULTS: The overall eradiation rate was 71.6%. The adherence rate was 80.0%. All except one received a proton-pump inhibitor, amoxicillin, and levofloxacin. One received a proton-pump inhibitor, amoxicillin, levofloxacin, and clarithromycin, and the eradication was successful. Thirty-one were administered the therapy for 7 days, 25 for 10 days, and 32 for 14 days. No significant differences were observed in the eradication rates between the three groups (7-days, 80.6% vs 10-days, 64.0% vs 14-days, 68.8%, p=0.353). Additionally, no differences were found in the eradiation rates according to the type of peptic ulcer (gastric ulcer, 73.2% vs duodenal/gastroduodenal ulcer, 68.8%, p=0.655). CONCLUSIONS: Levofloxacin-based third-line H. pylori eradication showed efficacy similar to that of previously reported first/second-line therapies.
Amoxicillin ; Clarithromycin ; Compliance ; Follow-Up Studies ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Helicobacter* ; Humans ; Levofloxacin ; Peptic Ulcer* ; Ulcer

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Patients with active ulcerative colitis (UC) have elevated levels of activated myeloid-derived leukocytes as a source of inflammatory cytokines. The selective depletion of these leukocytes by adsorptive granulocyte/monocyte apheresis (GMA) with an Adacolumn should alleviate inflammation, promote remission and enhance drug efficacy. However, studies have reported contrasting efficacy outcomes based on patients’ baseline demographic variables. This study was undertaken to understand the demographic features of GMA responders and nonresponders. METHODS: This was a multicenter study in China involving four institutions and 34 patients with active UC. Baseline conventional medications were continued without changing the dosage. The treatment efficacy was evaluated based on the endoscopic activity index and the Mayo score. RESULTS: Thirty of the 34 patients completed all 10 GMA treatment sessions. The overall efficacy rate was 70.59%. The receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that the area under the curve was approximately 0.766 for a Mayo score of ≤5.5 with 0.273 specificity and 0.857 sensitivity (Youden index, 0.584) for GMA responders. No GMA-related serious adverse events were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The overall efficacy of GMA in patients with active UC who were taking first-line medications or were corticosteroid refractory was encouraging. Additionally, GMA was well tolerated and had a good safety profile.
Blood Component Removal* ; China* ; Colitis, Ulcerative* ; Cytokines ; Granulocytes* ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Leukocytes ; Monocytes* ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Treatment Outcome ; Ulcer*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Helicobacter pylori eradication is recommended in patients with early gastric cancer. However, the possibility of spontaneous regression raises a question for clinicians about the need for “retesting” postoperative H. pylori status. METHODS: Patients who underwent curative gastrectomy at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital and had a positive H. pylori status without eradication therapy at the time of gastric cancer diagnosis were prospectively enrolled in this study. H. pylori status and atrophic gastritis (AG) and intestinal metaplasia (IM) histologic status were assessed pre- and postoperatively. RESULTS: One hundred forty patients (mean age, 59.0 years; 60.7% male) underwent subtotal gastrectomy with B-I (65.0%), B-II (27.1%), Roux-en-Y (4.3%), jejunal interposition (0.7%), or proximal gastrectomy (4.3%). Preoperative presence of AG (62.9%) and IM (72.9%) was confirmed. The mean period between surgery and the last endoscopic follow-up was 38.0±25.6 months. Of the 140 patients, 80 (57.1%) were found to be persistently positive for H. pylori, and 60 (42.9%) showed spontaneous negative conversion at least once during follow-up. Of these 60 patients, eight (13.3%) showed more complex postoperative dynamic changes between negative and positive results. The spontaneous negative conversion group showed a trend of having more postoperative IM compared to the persistent H. pylori group. CONCLUSIONS: A high percentage of spontaneous regression and complex dynamic changes in H. pylori status were observed after partial gastrectomy, especially in individuals with postoperative histological IM. It is better to consider postoperative eradication therapy after retesting for H. pylori.
Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastrectomy ; Gastritis, Atrophic ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Helicobacter* ; Humans ; Metaplasia ; Prospective Studies ; Seoul ; Stomach Neoplasms*

The pathogenesis of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), once thought to be largely psychogenic in origin, is now understood to be multifactorial. One of the reasons for this paradigm shift is the realization that gut dysbiosis, including small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), causes IBS symptoms. Between 4% and 78% of patients with IBS and 1% and 40% of controls have SIBO; such wide variations in prevalence might result from population differences, IBS diagnostic criteria, and, most importantly, methods to diagnose SIBO. Although quantitative jejunal aspirate culture is considered the gold standard for the diagnosis of SIBO, noninvasive hydrogen breath tests have been popular. Although the glucose hydrogen breath test is highly specific, its sensitivity is low; in contrast, the early-peak criteria in the lactulose hydrogen breath test are highly nonspecific. Female gender, older age, diarrhea-predominant IBS, bloating and flatulence, proton pump inhibitor and narcotic intake, and low hemoglobin are associated with SIBO among IBS patients. Several therapeutic trials targeting gut microbes using antibiotics and probiotics have further demonstrated that not all symptoms in patients with IBS originate in the brain but rather in the gut, providing support for the micro-organic basis of IBS. A recent proof-of-concept study showing the high frequency of symptom improvement in patients with IBS with SIBO further supports this hypothesis.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Brain ; Breath Tests ; Diagnosis ; Dysbiosis ; Female ; Flatulence ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Glucose ; Humans ; Hydrogen ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome* ; Lactulose ; Prevalence ; Probiotics ; Proton Pumps

The primary goal of therapy for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is to prevent liver disease progression. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seroclearance or seroconversion is regarded as an optimal endpoint to discontinue treatment. However, HBsAg seroclearance occurs very rarely with nucleos(t)ide analog (NUC) treatment, and long-term, almost indefinite, NUC treatment is required for the majority of patients. In patients with drug-resistant hepatitis B virus (HBV), a combination of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and entecavir (ETV), which is currently regarded as the strongest combination therapy against HBV, would be potentially safe to prevent the emergence of additional HBV resistance mutations. However, long-term tolerance data are lacking, and cost may be an issue for combination therapies. Several recent, well-designed, randomized controlled trials have shown that TDF mono-therapy provides similar antiviral efficacy compared with the combination of TDF and ETV. Furthermore, no additional HBV resistance mutations emerged during TDF monotherapy for up to 96 weeks. Considering a comparable antiviral efficacy, extremely low risk of TDF-resistance, lower cost, and better safety potential, TDF monotherapy would be a reasonable choice for the treatment of drug-resistant patients with CHB.
Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Hepatitis B virus ; Hepatitis B, Chronic* ; Hepatitis, Chronic* ; Humans ; Lamivudine ; Liver Diseases ; Seroconversion ; Tenofovir

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a leading cause of cirrhosis, liver cancer, and acute and chronic liver failure and as such causes significant morbidity and mortality. While alcohol consumption is slightly decreasing in several European countries, it is rising in others and remains high in many countries around the world. The pathophysiology of ALD is still incompletely understood but relates largely to the direct toxic effects of alcohol and its main intermediate, acetaldehyde. Recently, novel putative mechanisms have been identified in systematic scans covering the entire human genome and raise new hypotheses on previously unknown pathways. The latter also identify host genetic risk factors for significant liver injury, which may help design prognostic risk scores. The diagnosis of ALD is relatively easy with a panel of well-evaluated tests and only rarely requires a liver biopsy. Treatment of ALD is difficult and grounded in abstinence as the pivotal therapeutic goal; once cirrhosis is established, treatment largely resembles that of other etiologies of advanced liver damage. Liver transplantation is a sound option for carefully selected patients with cirrhosis and alcoholic hepatitis because relapse rates are low and prognosis is comparable to other etiologies. Still, many countries are restrictive in allocating donor livers for ALD patients. Overall, few therapeutic options exist for severe ALD. However, there is good evidence of benefit for only corticosteroids in severe alcoholic hepatitis, while most other efforts are of limited efficacy. Considering the immense burden of ALD worldwide, efforts of medical professionals and industry partners to develop targeted therapies in ALF has been disappointingly low.
Acetaldehyde ; Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Alcohol Drinking ; Alcoholics* ; Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Diagnosis ; End Stage Liver Disease ; Fibrosis ; Genome, Human ; Hepatitis, Alcoholic ; Humans ; Liver ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Liver Diseases, Alcoholic* ; Liver Transplantation ; Malnutrition ; Mortality ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Risk Factors ; Tissue Donors

No abstract available.
Blood Component Removal* ; Colitis, Ulcerative* ; Granulocytes* ; Humans ; Monocytes* ; Ulcer*

No abstract available.
Helicobacter pylori* ; Helicobacter* ; Stomach Neoplasms*