Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The high mortality and poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have raised the public attention. Gene therapy is considered as a promising treatment option for cancer; thus, finding a new therapeutic target for hepatocellular carcinoma is urgently needed. GATA4 is a tumor suppressor gene in multiple cancers, but its role in HCC is unclear. In this study, we explored the function of GATA4 in HCC. METHODS: RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription-Polymerase chain reaction) and qPCR (quantitative PCR) were used to detect the mRNA expression of GATA4 in HCC cells and tissues...

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BACKGROUND AND AIM: Hyponatremia, a cause of brain dysfunction and risk factor for hepatic encephalopathy, is frequent in patients with advanced cirrhosis and ascites. The interdependence of liver failure and hyponatremia makes it difficult to separate the effects of each on cognitive function. The objective was to assess whether an increase in plasma sodium in patients with cirrhosis and ascites leads to an improvement in cognitive function. METHODS: This is a post-hoc analysis of 250 cirrhosis patients without overt hepatic encephalopathy randomized to receive either placebo or satavaptan, a vasopressin V2 antagonist...

BACKGROUND AND AIM: This study aimed to assess the clinical utility of computed tomography enterography (CTE) and identify factors associated with a diagnostic CTE for patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB). METHODS: A retrospective observational study was performed at a Canadian tertiary care centre from 2005-2015. A total of 138 patients underwent a CTE for OGIB. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were performed to determine factors associated with a diagnostic CTE...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Brush cytology is widely applied to diagnosis indeterminate biliary stricture but suffer from low sensitivity. Changes in DNA content is a character of malignant cell and can be detected by DNA image cytometry (DNA-ICM). The study aimed to estimate the value of routine cytology (RC), DNA-ICM, and their combination in diagnosing indeterminate biliary strictures. METHODS: A total of 362 patients who underwent both RC and DNA-ICM tests were analysis...

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BACKGROUND AND AIM: Patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage B hepatocellular carcinoma are heterogeneous population, and the classifications available could not predict the prognosis accurately. Herein, we proposed a new sub-stage classification method, Scoring Method for Intermediate Stage, for precise classification and clinical guidance in hepatocellular carcinoma patients within Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage B. METHODS: 1026 stage B patients of hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent transcatheter arterial chemoembolization as first line treatment in liver cancer institute, Zhongshan hospital, Fudan University were retrospectively enrolled...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Population-based studies on post-colonoscopy colorectal cancer (CRC) from Asia are sparse. We aimed to determine the characteristics and predictive factors and survival of post-colonoscopy CRC in Hong Kong. METHODS: This is a territory-wide retrospective cohort study. Patients aged ≥40 years with colonoscopies performed between 2005 and 2013 without history of CRCs, inflammatory bowel disease and prior colectomy were included. Post-colonoscopy colorectal cancer for an interval of 3 years (PCCRC-3y) was defined as CRC diagnosed between 6 and 36 months after index colonoscopy, whereas CRC diagnosed within 6 months of index colonoscopy was regarded as "detected CRC"...

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Trans-abdominal ultrasonography (US) examination for the intestine is often difficult and its precedence for intestinal examination depends on accessibility to experienced ultrasonographers. Real-time virtual sonography (RVS) assists examination of US as a fusion method by synchronizing US images with pre-captured computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance (MR) images. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility to use RVS for the examination of the intestine. METHODS: The time to scan 3 parts of the intestine was compared between conventional US and RVS in 7 participants without intestinal diseases...

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Data regarding the efficacy and safety of paritaprevir/ritonavir, ombitasvir plus dasabuvir (PrOD) for East-Asian non-cirrhotic hepatitis C virus genotype 1b (HCV GT1b) patients receiving hemodialysis were limited. METHODS: Forty-six HCV GT1b non-cirrhotic patients receiving hemodialysis who received PrOD for 12 weeks were prospectively enrolled 7 academic centers in Taiwan. The primary efficacy endpoint was sustained virologic response 12 weeks off-therapy (SVR12 )...

BACKGROUND: Long-term use of dual antiplatelets is increasing, and most patients need primary peptic ulcer prophylaxis. The long-term use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) is associated with adverse events. We evaluated the efficacy of rebamipide for peptic ulcer prevention. METHODS: This RCT was conducted between July 2014 and November 2017. Patients receiving dual antiplatelets for ≥1 year with no history of peptic ulcer bleeding or perforation were recruited and randomly assigned to the rebamipide (300 mg/day) group or the placebo group...

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BACKGROUND AND AIM: The risk factors for early rebleeding following the management of colonic diverticular bleeding (CDB) are unclear. This study aimed to determine the risk factors for early rebleeding following initial colonoscopy. METHODS: Overall, 370 patients with CDB were divided as having presumptive (229) or definite CDB with stigmata of recent hemorrhage (141) based on initial colonoscopy. Definite CDB cases were treated by either endoscopic clipping (EC) or endoscopic band ligation (EBL) as a first-line treatment...

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Comorbid generalized anxiety disorder and irritable bowel syndrome are common and therapeutically challenging. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of electroacupuncture in relieving anxiety and bowel symptoms in Chinese adults with this form of comorbidity. METHODS: In a single-blind randomized sham-controlled trial, subjects with comorbid generalized anxiety disorder and irritable bowel syndrome were randomly assigned to receive 10 weekly sessions of electroacupuncture or sham electroacupuncture...

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Bioartificial livers (BALs) are considered as a solution to bridge patients with acute liver failure to liver transplantation or to assist in spontaneous recovery for patients with end-stage liver disease. Pig is the best donor of hepatocytes for BALs in clinical trials, because metabolic and detoxification function of its liver are close to human. However, using pig hepatocytes for BALs remains controversial for safety concern owing to nonhuman proteins secretion...

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Reduce post-absorptive (fasting) phase by eating late-evening snacks (LES) is a potential intervention to improve substrate utilization and reverse sarcopenia. This study analyzed the results of published randomized control and controlled clinical trials to evaluate the effects of LES on liver function of patients with cirrhosis. METHODS: A meta-analysis was conducted. The search strategy included electronic database searches and 300 articles were searched...

OBJECTIVE AND AIMS: Incidental pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs) are being diagnosed more frequently. However, little is known about the prevalence of PCLs in the Chinese population. The aim of the study was to assess the crude prevalence of PCLs in individuals who underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS: Data from consecutive patients who underwent MRI without pancreatic indications were included. MRI images were reviewed for the presence of pancreatic cysts...

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BACKGROUND AND AIM: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common disease caused by reflux of gastric contents to the esophagus. Proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) are recommended as a first-line therapy to treat GERD. Recently, a new potassium-competitive acid blocker, vonoprazan, was launched in Japan. We aimed to evaluate the comparative efficacy of vonoprazan and other PPIs in healing GERD. METHODS: We used MEDLINE and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials to search the literature...