Objective:To evaluate the performance of an artificial intelligence-based endoscopic virtual ruler (EVR) for non-invasive measurement of esophageal varices (EV) diameter.Methods:Patients with liver cirrhosis and EV hospitalized at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University between October 2022 and May 2023 were prospectively enrolled. EV diameter was measured using visual estimation, esophageal varix manometer (EVM), and EVR, with procedure times recorded. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to assess the consistency of EV diameter measurement obtained from the three methods, and repeated-measures ANOVA was used to compare differences in time measurements across three methods.Results:The study included 41 patients with liver cirrhosis and EV. Inter-observer ICC for visual estimation was 0.594, versus 0.840 for EVM and 0.884 for EVR. The ICC value between the EV diameters measured by EVR and EVM was higher than that of the visual assessment. The ICC value between EV diameter measurement by EVM and EVR was 0.991. Measurement times differed significantly across methods ( P<0.001): visual estimation 18.6±2.2 s (14.7-23.3 s), EVR 41.5±4.1 s (31.7-50.3 s), and EVM 170.8±26.4 s (129.3-229.3 s). Repeated measures analysis of variance (corrected using Greenhouse-Geisser) revealed significant differences in time across the three measurement methods [ F(1.033, 41.313)=1 233.800, P<0.001]. Subsequent Bonferroni post-hoc tests revealed significant differences in time between all method pairs ( P<0.001). Conclusion:EVR provides rapid, non-invasive EV diameter measurements with excellent agreement to EVM assessment, offering an efficient alternative to conventional techniques.

Objective:To evaluate the performance of an artificial intelligence-based endoscopic virtual ruler (EVR) for non-invasive measurement of esophageal varices (EV) diameter.Methods:Patients with liver cirrhosis and EV hospitalized at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University between October 2022 and May 2023 were prospectively enrolled. EV diameter was measured using visual estimation, esophageal varix manometer (EVM), and EVR, with procedure times recorded. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to assess the consistency of EV diameter measurement obtained from the three methods, and repeated-measures ANOVA was used to compare differences in time measurements across three methods.Results:The study included 41 patients with liver cirrhosis and EV. Inter-observer ICC for visual estimation was 0.594, versus 0.840 for EVM and 0.884 for EVR. The ICC value between the EV diameters measured by EVR and EVM was higher than that of the visual assessment. The ICC value between EV diameter measurement by EVM and EVR was 0.991. Measurement times differed significantly across methods ( P<0.001): visual estimation 18.6±2.2 s (14.7-23.3 s), EVR 41.5±4.1 s (31.7-50.3 s), and EVM 170.8±26.4 s (129.3-229.3 s). Repeated measures analysis of variance (corrected using Greenhouse-Geisser) revealed significant differences in time across the three measurement methods [ F(1.033, 41.313)=1 233.800, P<0.001]. Subsequent Bonferroni post-hoc tests revealed significant differences in time between all method pairs ( P<0.001). Conclusion:EVR provides rapid, non-invasive EV diameter measurements with excellent agreement to EVM assessment, offering an efficient alternative to conventional techniques.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of endoscopic ultrasound-guided selective varices devascularization (EUS-SVD) for the treatment of esophagogastric varices.Methods:A total of 43 cases of liver cirrhosis with esophageal and gastric varices at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from February to December 2021 were included in a retrospective cohort study. The cases were divided into two treatment groups based on endoscopic treatment: EUS-SVD group ( n=22) and conventional endoscopic sclerosant injection group (conventional gastroscopy group, n=21). The doses of sclerosants and tissue glue, effective rate of esophageal varice treatment within 2 months after surgery, rebleeding rate within 3 months after surgery, and adverse reactions were compared. Results:The differences in terms of mean patient age, gender composition, etiology of liver cirrhosis, Child-Pugh classification of liver function, classification of esophageal varices, composition of endoscopic treatment indications, and mean maximum diameter of gastric varices were not statistically significant between the two groups ( P>0.05), indicating the comparability of baseline data. Perforating veins outside the gastric wall of gastric varices could be detected during the procedure in the EUS-SVD group, and disappearance of gastric varices after injection treatment could be determined, while these two indicators could not be detected in the conventional gastroscopy group. The amounts of sclerosing agents and tissue adhesives used in the EUS-SVD group were 7.54±3.10 mL and 1.30±0.57 mL, respectively, while the corresponding amounts in the conventional gastroscopy group were 7.57±3.50 mL ( t=0.026, P=0.980) and 1.38±0.67 mL ( t=-0.452, P=0.654), respectively. The effective treatment rate for esophageal varice within 2 months after surgery was 63.6% (14/22) in the EUS-SVD group and 52.4% (11/21) in the conventional gastroscopy group, but the difference was not statistically significant ( χ2=0.559, P=0.455). The rebleeding rate within 3 months after surgery was 4.5% (1/22) in the EUS-SVD group, significantly lower than the rate of 33.3% (7/21) in the conventional gastroscopy group ( P=0.021). Neither group experienced events of ectopic embolism or death. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of postoperative pain, fever, nausea and vomiting, or rebleeding rate within 72 hours after surgery ( P>0.05). The incidence of gastric fundus ulcers was 9.1% (2/22) in the EUS-SVD group, significantly lower than the rate of 42.9% (9/21) in the conventional gastroscopy group ( χ2=6.435, P=0.011). Conclusion:EUS-SVD treatment for esophagogastric varices is safe and effective. It can clearly display the deep-seated intramural vessels of the gastric wall, measure the diameter of the blood vessels, accurately inject tissue glue, occlude the varicose veins and perforating vessels, and reduce the occurrence of postoperative ulcers and rebleeding.

Objective:To compare the accuracy of endoscopy and endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) combined with Indian ink marking in locating injection sites for gastric varices, and to explore the influence of the features of gastric varices under endoscopy on the injection sites.Methods:Consecutive patients with gastric varices scheduled for EUS-guided glue injection therapy at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from August 2021 to October 2022 were perspectively included. Firstly, gastric varices were assessed under endoscopy, where the size of the veins were estimated while the injection site was preliminarily judged during the procedure. Then EUS was used to identify perforating feeding veins and mark injection sites with Indian ink. After tissue adhesive was injected into identified varices, the change of varices after injection was observed and the marking was identified under endoscopy again. The clarity of the markinges was confirmed and the consistency between EUS-guided Indian ink mark and that under endoscopy was compared. Patients were divided into anastomosis group and non-anastomosis group based on marking consistency to investigate the effect of gastric varices features on the location of injection sites under endoscopy. Treatment efficacy and postoperative adverse events were counted.Results:Finally, 34 patients were included and all of them underwent successful marking under EUS guidance without complications. A total of 40 marker sites were clearly visible with Indian ink staining under endoscopy. The difference in distribution between the anastomotic group and non-anastomotic group marker points between EUS and endoscopy was statistically significant ( χ2=9.103, P=0.003). Vascular occlusion rate was 100.00% (40/40). There were 13 adverse events after operation, mainly fever, abdominal pain and nausea, and no serious adverse events such as allergy and ectopic embolization occurred. There was significant difference between the blood vessel diameter of the anastomotic group (10.84±4.02 mm) and that of the non-anastomotic group (8.80±1.61 mm, t=1.870, P=0.031). The percentage of raised vessels in the anastomotic group was 88.00% (22/25), higher than that in the non-anastomotic group [53.33% (8/15)], and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=6.009, P=0.024). Conclusion:Accuracy in positioning under endoscopy is influenced by variceal diameter and bulge shape, being less precise in varices with smaller diameters and less pronounced bulges.

Objective:Berberine hydrochloride(BBR)is commonly used for the treatment of ulcerative colitis(UC),but its molecular mechanism,especially the mechanism of rescue of inflammatory-induced pyroptosis,needs to be further analyzed.Meth-ods:SD male rats were randomly divided into four groups:control group(Ctrl),DSS model group,BBR treatment group(DSS+BBR)and BBR+NLRP3 agonist group(DSS+BBR+BMS-986299).The UC rat model was established by the dextran sulfate sodium method(DSS).At the same time,BBR was intragastrically administered to BBR treatment group and BBR+NLRP3 agonist group twice per-day for 7 consecutive days.BMS-986299 was intraperitoneally injected to BBR+NLRP3 group twice a day.During the experiment,the body weights were weighed,the general condition was observed,and the disease activity index(DAI)was evaluated every day.After the experiment,the gross morphology and length of colon were observed and evaluated.HE staining was used to observe the pathologi-cal changes of colon tissue and evaluate the tissue injury index(TDI).ELISA was employed for detecting the contents of TNF-α and IL-1β in colon tissue,and Western blot was employed for detecting NLRP3,ASC,GSDMD-N,Cleaved-caspase 1 and IL-1β expres-sions.Results:BBR could effectively improve the UC-induced weight loss,colon tissue integrity and cell pyroptosis,reduce the expression levels of inflammatory factors such as TNF-ɑ and IL-1β,the proportion of pyroptosis,and the levels of proteins NLRP3,IL-1β,GSDMD-N,and Cleaved-caspase 1 which play crucial roles in pyroptosis pathway.The therapeutic effect and the regulated pro-tein expression through BBR were reversed by NLRP3 activation.Conclusion:BBR exerts a therapeutic effect by reducing the proteins levels of mature NLRP3,IL-1β,GSDMD-N,Cleaved-caspase 1,which are responsible for pyroptosis pathway.This result provides a molecular basis for BBR in treatment of UC.

Objective:To investigate the current status of endoscopic treatment for gastroesophageal varices in portal hypertension in China, and to provide supporting data and reference for the development of endoscopic treatment.Methods:In this study, initiated by the Liver Health Consortium in China (CHESS), a questionnaire was designed and distributed online to investigate the basic condition of endoscopic treatment for gastroesophageal varices in portal hypertension in 2022 in China. Questions included annual number and indication of endoscopic procedures, adherence to guideline for preventing esophagogastric variceal bleeding (EGVB), management and timing of emergent EGVB, management of gastric and isolated varices, and improvement of endoscopic treatment. Proportions of hospitals concerning therapeutic choices to all participant hospitals were calculated. Guideline adherence between secondary and tertiary hospitals were compared by using Chi-square test.Results:A total of 836 hospitals from 31 provinces (anotomous regions and municipalities) participated in the survey. According to the survey, the control of acute EGVB (49.3%, 412/836) and the prevention of recurrent bleeding (38.3%, 320/836) were major indications of endoscopic treatment. For primary [non-selective β-blocker (NSBB) or endoscopic therapies] and secondary prophylaxis (NSBB and endoscopic therapies) of EGVB, adherence to domestic guideline was 72.5% (606/836) and 39.2% (328/836), respectively. There were significant differences in the adherence between secondary and tertiary hospitals in primary prophylaxis of EGVB [71.0% (495/697) VS 79.9% (111/139), χ2=4.11, P=0.033] and secondary prophylaxis of EGVB [41.6% (290/697) VS 27.3% (38/139), χ2=9.31, P=0.002]. A total of 78.2% (654/836) hospitals preferred endoscopic therapies treating acute EGVB, and endoscopic therapy was more likely to be the first choice for treating acute EGVB in tertiary hospitals (82.6%, 576/697) than secondary hospitals [56.1% (78/139), χ2=46.33, P<0.001]. The optimal timing was usually within 12 hours (48.5%, 317/654) and 12-24 hours (36.9%, 241/654) after the bleeding. Regarding the management of gastroesophageal varices type 2 and isolated gastric varices type 1, most hospitals used cyanoacrylate injection in combination with sclerotherapy [48.2% (403/836) and 29.9% (250/836), respectively], but substantial proportions of hospitals preferred clip-assisted therapies [12.4% (104/836) and 26.4% (221/836), respectively]. Improving the skills of endoscopic doctors (84.2%, 704/836), and enhancing the precision of pre-procedure evaluation and quality of multidisciplinary team (78.9%, 660/836) were considered urgent needs in the development of endoscopic treatment. Conclusion:A variety of endoscopic treatments for gastroesophageal varices in portal hypertension are implemented nationwide. Participant hospitals are active to perform emergent endoscopy for acute EGVB, but are inadequate in following recommendations regarding primary and secondary prophylaxis of EGVB. Moreover, the selection of endoscopic procedures for gastric varices differs greatly among hospitals.

Objective:To evaluate balloon compression-assisted endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (bc-EIS) for the treatment of esophageal varices.Methods:From June 2019 to November 2020, cirrhotic patients with esophageal varices who received endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (EIS) in the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University were enrolled in the study. The patients were randomly divided into the bc-EIS group and the traditional EIS group. The number of treatments to eradicate varicose veins, the dose of sclerosing agent used in the first treatment, the number of injection points in the first treatment, the rebleeding rate within 10 months after the operation and the incidence of complications or adverse reactions were compared between the two groups.Results:Ninety-two cases were initially included in the study, and 7 cases were excluded based on exclusion criteria. Finally, 85 cases were included in the data analysis, 47 in the bc-EIS group and 38 in the traditional EIS group. The first eradication rate, the second cumulative eradication rate and the third cumulative eradication rate were 82.98% (39/47), 91.49% (43/47) and 100.00% (47/47) in the bc-EIS group, and they were 10.53% (4/38) ( χ 2=44.125, P<0.001), 31.58% (12/38) ( χ 2=33.023, P<0.001) and 63.16% (24/38) ( χ 2=20.730, P<0.001), respectively in the traditional EIS group, and the differences were statistically significant. The treatment times of eradicating varicose veins in the bc-EIS group and the traditional EIS group were 1.25±0.60 and 3.21±1.41, respectively, with significant difference. The dosage of sclerosing agent in first treatment in the bc-EIS group and the traditional EIS group was 17.66±7.14 mL and 22.92±6.84 mL, respectively ( t=3.441, P=0.001). The numbers of initial injection points in the bc-EIS group and the traditional EIS group were 2.70±0.86 and 2.78±1.04, respectively and the difference was not statistically significant ( t=1.847, P=0.065). The rebleeding rates of the two groups within 10 months after the operation were 2.13% (1/47) and 18.42% (7/38) respectively ( χ 2=4.771, P=0.029). There were no serious complications in the two groups. The incidences of retrosternal pain, nausea and vomiting, abdominal distension and ulcer were 2.13% (1/47), 2.13% (1/47), 4.26% (2/47) and 0.00% (0/47) in the bc-EIS group, and in the traditional EIS group, they were 5.26% (2/38) ( χ 2=0.035, P=0.851), 5.26% (2/38) ( χ 2=0.035, P=0.851), 7.89% (3/38) ( χ 2=0.060, P=0.806) and 7.89% (3/38) ( χ 2=1.877, P=0.171), respectively, without significant difference. Conclusion:Bc-EIS is more effective than traditional EIS for the treatment of esophageal varices with lower postoperative rebleeding rate, which shows better clinical application value.

Objective : To develop an endoscopic automatic detection system in early gastric cancer (EGC) based on a region-based convolutional neural network ( Mask R-CNN) ． Methods : A total of 3 579 and 892 white light images (WLI) of EGC were obtained from the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University for training and testing，respectively．Then，10 WLI videos were obtained prospectively to test dynamic performance of the RCNN system．In addition，400 WLI images were randomly selected for comparison with the Mask R-CNN system and endoscopists．Diagnostic ability was assessed by accuracy，sensitivity，specificity，positive predictive value ( PPV) ， and negative predictive value (NPV) . Results : The accuracy，sensitivity and specificity of the Mask R-CNN system in diagnosing EGC in WLI images were 90. 25% ，91. 06% and 89. 01% ，respectively，and there was no significant statistical difference with the results of pathological diagnosis．Among WLI real-time videos，the diagnostic accuracy was 90. 27%．The speed of test videos was up to 35 frames / s in real time．In the controlled experiment， the sensitivity of Maks R-CNN system was higher than that of the experts (93. 00% vs 80. 20% ，χ2 = 7. 059，P < 0. 001) ，and the specificity was higher than that of the juniors (82. 67% vs 71. 87% ，χ2 = 9. 955，P＜0. 001) ， and the overall accuracy rate was higher than that of the seniors (85. 25% vs 78. 00% ，χ2 = 7. 009，P＜0. 001) . Conclusion The Mask R-CNN system has excellent performance for detection of EGC under WLI，which has great potential for practical clinical application.

Objective:The investigation and research on the application status of Hepatic Venous Pressure Gradient (HVPG) is very important to understand the real situation and future development of this technology in China.Methods:This study comprehensively investigated the basic situation of HVPG technology in China, including hospital distribution, hospital level, annual number of cases, catheters used, average cost, indications and existing problems.Results:According to the survey, there were 70 hospitals in China carrying out HVPG technology in 2021, distributed in 28 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central Government). A total of 4 398 cases of HVPG were performed in all the surveyed hospitals in 2021, of which 2 291 cases (52.1%) were tested by HVPG alone. The average cost of HVPG detection was (5 617.2±2 079.4) yuan. 96.3% of the teams completed HVPG detection with balloon method, and most of the teams used thrombectomy balloon catheter (80.3%).Conclusion:Through this investigation, the status of domestic clinical application of HVPG has been clarified, and it has been confirmed that many domestic medical institutions have mastered this technology, but it still needs to continue to promote and popularize HVPG technology in the future.

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of balloon compression-assisted endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (bc-EIS) for esophageal varices in patients with cirrhosis.Methods:From December 2020 to April 2021, cirrhotic patients with esophageal varices who planned to receive endoscopic treatment in the Department of Gastroenterology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University were selected and randomly divided into the trial group (treated with bc-EIS) and the control group [treated with endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL)] through computer randomization. The varices eradication rate, rebleeding rate and postoperative adverse reactions in the two groups were studied.Results:During the study, 93 cases were initially included according to inclusion criteria, among which 9 cases were excluded by exclusion criteria. Finally, 84 cases were included for data analysis, with 42 cases in each group. The esophageal varices eradication rate after the first treatment in the trial group was 88.10% (37/42), which was significantly higher than that in the control group [33.33% (14/42)] ( χ2=26.40, P<0.001). The esophageal varices eradication rate after 1 to 2 times and 1 to 3 times of treatment in the trial group were both significantly higher than those in the control group [97.62% (41/42) VS 40.48% (17/42), χ2=29.47, P<0.001; 100.00% (42/42) VS 45.24% (19/42), P<0.001]. The maximum follow-up period was 6 months, and none of the patients had rebleeding in the trial group, and the rebleeding rate in the control group was 4.76% (2/42) ( P=0.494). The incidence of thoracic and abdominal discomfort, nausea and vomiting, and abdominal distension in the trial group and control group were 26.19% (11/42) and 35.71% (15/42) ( χ2=0.51, P=0.474), 2.38% (1/42) and 7.14% (3/42) ( χ2=0.26, P=0.608), and 4.76% (2/42) and 11.90% (5/42) ( χ2=0.62, P=0.430), respectively. No other adverse events such as infection, dysphagia, perforation, esophageal tracheal fistula, esophageal stenosis, or ectopic embolism occurred in any group. Conclusion:Bc-EIS is effective and safe for the treatment of esophageal varices in patients with cirrhosis, with a one-time varices eradication rate of more than 85%, and can be completely eradicated after 1 to 3 times of treatment.