Deep learning model using stool pictures for predicting endoscopic mucosal inflammation in patients with ulcerative colitis.

OBJECTIVES: Stool characteristics may change depending on the endoscopic activity of ulcerative colitis (UC). We developed a deep learning model using stool photos of patients with UC (DLSUC) to predict endoscopic mucosal inflammation. METHODS: This was a prospective multicenter study conducted in six tertiary referral hospitals. Patients scheduled to undergo endoscopy for mucosal inflammation monitoring were asked to take photos of their stool using smartphones within 1 week before the day of endoscopy. DLSUC was developed using 2161 stool pictures from 306 patients and tested on 1047 stool images from 126 patients. The ulcerative colitis endoscopic index of severity (UCEIS) was used to define endoscopic activity. The performance of DLSUC in endoscopic activity prediction was compared with that of fecal calprotectin (Fcal). RESULTS: The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of DLSUC for predicting endoscopic activity was 0.801 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.717-0.873), which was not statistically different from the AUC of Fcal (0.837 [95% CI, 0.767-0.899, DeLong's P=0.458]). When rectal sparing cases (23/126, 18.2%) were excluded, the AUC of DLSUC increased to 0.849 (95% CI, 0.760-0.919). The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of DLSUC in predicting endoscopic activity were 0.746, 0.662, and 0.877 in all patients and 0.845, 0.745, and 0.958 in patients without rectal sparing, respectively. Active patients classified by DLSUC were more likely to experience disease relapse during a median 8-month follow-up (log-rank test, P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: DLSUC demonstrated a good discriminating power similar to that of Fcal in predicting endoscopic activity with improved accuracy in patients without rectal sparing. This study implies that stool photos are a useful monitoring tool for typical UC.

Quantifying emergency department nursing workload at the task level using NASA-TLX: An exploratory descriptive study.

BACKGROUND: Emergency departments (ED) nurses experience high mental workloads because of unpredictable work environments; however, research evaluating ED nursing workload using a tool incorporating nurses' perception is lacking. Quantify ED nursing subjective workload and explore the impact of work experience on perceived workload. METHODS: Thirty-two ED nurses at a tertiary academic hospital in the Republic of Korea were surveyed to assess their subjective workload for ED procedures using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA-TLX). Nonparametric statistical analysis was performed to describe the data, and linear regression analysis was conducted to estimate the impact of work experience on perceived workload. RESULTS: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) had the highest median workload, followed by interruption from a patient and their family members. Although inexperienced nurses perceived the 'special care' procedures (CPR and defibrillation) as more challenging compared with other categories, analysis revealed that nurses with more than 107 months of experience reported a significantly higher workload than those with less than 36 months of experience. CONCLUSION: Addressing interruptions and customizing training can alleviate ED nursing workload. Quantified perceived workload is useful for identifying acceptable thresholds to maintain optimal workload, which ultimately contributes to predicting nursing staffing needs and ED crowding.

Boc Protection for Diamine-Appended MOF Adsorbents to Enhance CO2 Recyclability under Realistic Humid Conditions.

Among the various metal-organic framework (MOF) adsorbents, diamine-functionalized Mg2(dobpdc) (dobpdc4- = 4,4-dioxidobiphenyl-3,3'-dicarboxylate) shows remarkable carbon dioxide removal performance. However, applying diamine-functionalized Mg2(dobpdc) in practical applications is premature because it shows persistent performance degradation under real flue gas conditions containing water vapor owing to diamine loss during wet cycles. To address this issue, we employed hydrophobic carbonate compounds to protect diamine groups in een-Mg2(dobpdc) (een-MOF, een = N-ethylethylenediamine). tert-Butyl dicarbonate (Boc) reacted rapidly with diamines at the pore openings of MOF particles to form dense secondary and tertiary hydrophobic amines, effectively preventing moisture ingress. The Boc-protected een-MOF-Boc1 maintained excellent CO2 adsorption even under simulated flue gas conditions containing 10% H2O. This observation indicates that Boc protection renders een groups intact during repeated wet cycles, suggesting that Boc-protected een groups are resistant to replacement by water molecules. To increase the practicability of the MOF adsorbent, we fabricated een-MOF/PAN-Boc1 composite beads by shaping MOF particles with polyacrylonitrile (PAN). Notably, the composite beads maintained their CO2 adsorption performance even after repeating the temperature swing adsorption process more than 150 times in 10% water vapor. Furthermore, breakthrough tests showed that the dynamic CO2 separation performance was retained under humid conditions. These results demonstrate that Boc protection provides an easy and effective way to develop promising adsorbents with high CO2 adsorption capacity, long-term durability, and the properties required for postcombustion applications.

RNA-Seq-Based Molecular Classification Analyses in Colorectal Cancer and Synchronous Adenoma.

Colorectal cancers (CRC) are classified into consensus molecular subtypes (CMS) based on gene expression profiles. The revised classification system iCMS was proposed by considering intrinsic epithelial status, microsatellite instability (MSI), and fibrosis. This study aimed to provide molecular evidence for the adenoma-carcinoma sequence concept by examining CRC and synchronous adenomas using iCMS. Epithelial CMS cell proportion was estimated using CiberSortx, an in silico cell fractionation method that included CMS cell types among the reference cell types. A random forest (RF) model estimated the posterior probabilities of CMS classes, which were compared with the CiberSortx results. Gene expression profiles of the published iCMS signature panel were retrieved from our dataset and subjected to heatmap clustering for classification. Bulk RNA sequencing data were collected from 29 adenocarcinomas and 11 adenoma samples. CiberSortx showed all CRC contained either CMS2 or CMS3 as the major epithelial cancer cell type. The RF model classified approximately half of the CRC as CMS4, whereas CMS4 was hardly detected by CiberSortx. Because they were enriched with myofibroblasts as per the CiberSortx classification, we tentatively designated them as iCMS2-F/iCMS3-F. iCMS coupled with the application of an in silico cell fractionation method can provide the molecular dissection of CRC and adenoma.

Enrichment of Activated Fibroblasts as a Potential Biomarker for a Non-Durable Response to Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor Therapy in Patients with Crohn's Disease.

We investigated whether the response to anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) treatment varied according to inflammatory tissue characteristics in Crohn's disease (CD). Bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data were obtained from inflamed and non-inflamed tissues from 170 patients with CD. The samples were clustered based on gene expression profiles using principal coordinate analysis (PCA). Cellular heterogeneity was inferred using CiberSortx, with bulk RNA-seq data. The PCA results displayed two clusters of CD-inflamed samples: one close to (Inflamed_1) and the other far away (Inflamed_2) from the non-inflamed samples. Inflamed_1 was rich in anti-TNF durable responders (DRs), and Inflamed_2 was enriched in non-durable responders (NDRs). The CiberSortx results showed that the cell fraction of activated fibroblasts was six times higher in Inflamed_2 than in Inflamed_1. Validation with public gene expression datasets (GSE16879) revealed that the activated fibroblasts were enriched in NDRs over Next, we used DRs by 1.9 times pre-treatment and 7.5 times after treatment. Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) was overexpressed in the Inflamed_2 and was also overexpressed in the NDRs in both the RISK and GSE16879 datasets. The activation of fibroblasts may play a role in resistance to anti-TNF therapy. Characterizing fibroblasts in inflamed tissues at diagnosis may help to identify patients who are likely to respond to anti-TNF therapy.

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease is associated with colorectal adenomas in young and older Korean adults.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Given that the majority of colorectal cancers (CRCs) develop from high-risk adenomas, identifying risk factors for high-risk adenomas is important. The relationship between metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and the risk of colorectal adenoma in young adults remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate this relationship in adults <50 (younger) and ≥50 (older) years of age. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 184 792 Korean adults (80% <50 years of age) who all underwent liver ultrasound and colonoscopy. Participants were grouped into those with and without MAFLD and classified by adenoma presence into no adenoma, low-risk adenoma, or high-risk adenoma (defined as ≥3 adenomas, any ≥10 mm, or adenoma with high-grade dysplasia/villous features). RESULTS: The prevalence of low- and high-risk adenomas among young and older adults was 9.6% and 0.8% and 22.3% and 4.8%, respectively. MAFLD was associated with an increased prevalence of low- and high-risk adenomas in young and older adults. Young adults with MAFLD had a 1.30 (95% CIs 1.26-1.35) and 1.40 (1.23-1.59) times higher prevalence of low- and high-risk adenomas, respectively, compared to those without MAFLD. These associations were consistent even in lean adults (BMI < 23 kg/m2 ) and those without a family history of CRC. CONCLUSIONS: MAFLD is associated with an increased prevalence of low- and high-risk adenomas in Korean adults, regardless of age or obesity status. Whether reducing metabolic risk factors, such as MAFLD, reduces the risk of precancerous lesions and ultimately reduces the risk of early-onset CRC requires further investigation.

Comparison of a novel mini-oral sulfate tablet and the conventional oral sulfate tablet in bowel preparation for colonoscopy: a prospective, randomized, investigator-blinded, multicenter, non-inferior, phase 3 trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The use of conventional oral sulfate tablets (OSTs) has gained popularity; nonetheless, they may be not only inconvenient to swallow but also difficult to dissolve. A novel mini-OST has recently been developed to enhance compliance with conventional OST use. This study aimed to compare the efficacy, tolerability, and safety between mini-OST and conventional OST. METHODS: This was a prospective, randomized, investigator-blinded, multicenter, and non-inferior phase 3 trial conducted between September 2022 and December 2022. The efficacy, safety, and tolerability were compared between mini-OST and conventional OST. RESULTS: Exactly 83 patients were evaluated based on a full analysis set (FAS), whereas 82 patients were evaluated as a per-protocol set (PPS). With respect to the efficacy of preparation, successful and high-quality preparation was excellent in the mini-OST and conventional OST groups on both FAS and PPS analyses, without significant differences between the two groups. On the FAS analysis, the satisfaction and tolerability scores were high in both groups, without significant differences. The first bowel movement after taking the investigational product occurred 30 min earlier in the mini-OST group than in the OST group. Mild, moderate, and severe adverse events (AEs) were comparable between the two groups; however, any AEs were more common in the mini-OST group than in the conventional OST group overall. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with conventional OST, the novel mini-OST preparation showed similar efficacy, tolerability, and safety, including mild eight solicited AEs and moderate-to-severe AEs. Clinical trial registration NCT05670470.

Potential Oral Microbial Markers for Differential Diagnosis of Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis Using Machine Learning Models.

Although gut microbiome dysbiosis has been associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the relationship between the oral microbiota and IBD remains poorly understood. This study aimed to identify unique microbiome patterns in saliva from IBD patients and explore potential oral microbial markers for differentiating Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). A prospective cohort study recruited IBD patients (UC: n = 175, CD: n = 127) and healthy controls (HC: n = 100) to analyze their oral microbiota using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Machine learning models (sparse partial least squares discriminant analysis (sPLS-DA)) were trained with the sequencing data to classify CD and UC. Taxonomic classification resulted in 4041 phylotypes using Kraken2 and the SILVA reference database. After quality filtering, 398 samples (UC: n = 175, CD: n = 124, HC: n = 99) and 2711 phylotypes were included. Alpha diversity analysis revealed significantly reduced richness in the microbiome of IBD patients compared to healthy controls. The sPLS-DA model achieved high accuracy (mean accuracy: 0.908, and AUC: 0.966) in distinguishing IBD vs. HC, as well as good accuracy (0.846) and AUC (0.923) in differentiating CD vs. UC. These findings highlight distinct oral microbiome patterns in IBD and provide insights into potential diagnostic markers.

Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels and Risk of Colorectal Cancer: An Age-Stratified Analysis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The role of circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) in the prevention of early-onset colorectal cancer (CRC) in young adults aged <50 years is uncertain. We evaluated the age-stratified associations (<50 vs ≥50 years) between circulating 25(OH)D levels and the risk of CRC in a large sample of Korean adults. METHODS: Our cohort study included 236,382 participants (mean age, 38.0 [standard deviation, 9.0] years) who underwent a comprehensive health examination, including measurement of serum 25(OH)D levels. Serum 25(OH)D levels were categorized as <10, 10 to 20, and ≥20 ng/mL. CRC, along with the histologic subtype, site, and invasiveness, was ascertained through linkage with the national cancer registry. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for incident CRC according to the serum 25(OH)D status, with adjustment for potential confounders. RESULTS: During the 1,393,741 person-years of follow-up (median, 6.5 years; interquartile range, 4.5-7.5 years), 341 participants developed CRC (incidence rate, 19.2 per 105 person-years). Among young individuals aged <50 years, serum 25(OH)D levels were inversely associated with the risk of incident CRC with HRs (95% CIs) of 0.61 (0.43-0.86) and 0.41 (0.27-0.63) for 25(OH)D 10 to 19 ng/mL and ≥20 ng/mL, respectively, with respect to the reference (<10 ng/mL) (P for trend <.001, time-dependent model). Significant associations were evident for adenocarcinoma, colon cancer, and invasive cancers. For those aged ≥50 years, associations were similar, although slightly attenuated compared with younger individuals. CONCLUSIONS: Serum 25(OH)D levels may have beneficial associations with the risk of developing CRC for both early-onset and late-onset disease.

Symptom Clusters, Psychological Distress, and Quality of Life in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) experience diverse symptoms such as palpitations, dizziness, and fainting that lead to depression, anxiety, and poor quality of life. Management of symptoms is fundamental for AF, and with the increasing prevalence of AF, studies on management of symptoms in patients with AF are needed. Objectives: This study aimed to assess symptom clusters according to symptom severity in patients with atrial fibrillation and evaluate the relationships between symptom cluster groups and the psychological distress and quality of life of these patients. Design: A descriptive survey was used in this study. Methods: A total of 175 patients were included in this study. Data regarding symptoms, psychological distress, and quality of life were obtained using structured questionnaires and analyzed using frequency and percentage, mean and standard deviation, cluster analysis, t-testing, Chi-square testing, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis. The Euclidean distance square of the hierarchical cluster was used to form symptom cluster groups. Results: Two groups of symptom clusters were formed based on the seven most common symptoms (i.e., chest palpitations, fatigue/tiredness, dizziness, lack of energy, pulse skipping, insomnia, and heavy breathing) of atrial fibrillation patients. Psychological distress and quality of life showed significant correlations with the symptom cluster groups (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Symptoms of atrial fibrillation increased patients' depression and anxiety, and further affected their quality of life. Therefore, management of symptoms is critical to maintaining a high quality of life. Nursing interventions based on the characteristics of symptom cluster groups must be developed and attempted.

Korean Guidelines for Postpolypectomy Colonoscopic Surveillance: 2022 revised edition.

Colonoscopic polypectomy is effective in decreasing the incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer (CRC). Premalignant polyps discovered during colonoscopy are associated with the risk of metachronous advanced neoplasia. Postpolypectomy surveillance is the most important method for managing advanced metachronous neoplasia. A more efficient and evidence-based guideline for postpolypectomy surveillance is required because of the limited medical resources and concerns regarding colonoscopy complications. In these consensus guidelines, an analytic approach was used to address all reliable evidence to interpret the predictors of CRC or advanced neoplasia during surveillance colonoscopy. The key recommendations state that the high-risk findings for metachronous CRC following polypectomy are as follows: adenoma ≥10 mm in size; 3 to 5 (or more) adenomas; tubulovillous or villous adenoma; adenoma containing high-grade dysplasia; traditional serrated adenoma; sessile serrated lesion containing any grade of dysplasia; serrated polyp of at least 10 mm in size; and 3 to 5 (or more) sessile serrated lesions. More studies are needed to fully comprehend the patients who are most likely to benefit from surveillance colonoscopy and the ideal surveillance interval to prevent metachronous CRC.

Korean clinical practice guidelines on biologics for moderate to severe Crohn's disease.

Crohn's disease (CD) is a relapsing and progressive condition characterized by diarrhea, abdominal pain, weight loss, and hematochezia that results in serious complications such as perforations, fistulas, and abscesses. Various medications, interventions, and surgical treatments have been used to treat CD. The Korean guidelines for CD management were distributed in 2012 and revised in 2017 by the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Research Group of the Korean Association for the Study of Intestinal Diseases. Substantial progress in mucosal immunologic research has elucidated the pathophysiology of IBD, leading to development of biological agents for treatment of CD. The first developed biologic agent, tumor necrosis factor-α agents, were shown to be efficacious in CD, heralding a new era in management of CD. Subsequently, vedolizumab, a monoclonal antibody against integrin α4ß7, and ustekinumab, a human monoclonal antibody that inhibits the common p40 subunit of interleukin-12 and interleukin-23, were both approved for clinical use and are efficacious and safe for both induction and maintenance of remission in moderate-to-severe CD patients. Moreover, a recent study showed the non-inferiority of CT-P13, an infliximab biosimilar, compared with infliximab in CD patients. The third Korean guidelines for CD management provide updated information regarding treatment of moderate-to-severe CD patients with biologic agents.

Colonoscopic Screening and Risk of All-Cause and Colorectal Cancer Mortality in Young and Older Individuals.

PURPOSE: The incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer (CRC) and associated mortality have been increasing. However, the potential benefits of CRC screening are largely unknown in young individuals. We aimed to evaluate the effect of CRC screening with colonoscopy on all-cause and CRC mortality among young (aged < 45 years) and older (aged ≥ 45 years) individuals. Materials and Methods: This cohort study included 528,046 Korean adults free of cancer at baseline who underwent a comprehensive health examination. The colonoscopic screening group was defined as those who reported undergoing colonoscopy for CRC screening. Mortality follow-up until December 31, 2019 was ascertained based on nationwide death certificate data from the Korea National Statistical Office. RESULTS: Colonoscopic screening was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality in both young and older individuals. Multivariable-adjusted time-dependent hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for all-cause mortality comparing ever- to never-screening were 0.86 (0.75-0.99) for young individuals and 0.71 (0.65-0.78) for older individuals. Colonoscopic screenings were also associated with a reduced risk of CRC mortality without significant interaction by age, although this association was significant only among participants aged ≥ 45 years, with corresponding time-dependent hazard ratios of 0.47 (0.15-1.44) for young individuals and 0.52 (0.31-0.87) for those aged ≥ 45 years. CONCLUSION: Colonoscopic CRC screening decreased all-cause mortality among both young and older individuals, while significantly decreased CRC mortality was observed only in those aged ≥ 45 years. Screening initiation at an earlier age warrants more rigorous confirmatory studies.

A Machine Learning-Based Diagnostic Model for Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis Utilizing Fecal Microbiome Analysis.

Recent research has demonstrated the potential of fecal microbiome analysis using machine learning (ML) in the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), mainly Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). This study employed the sparse partial least squares discriminant analysis (sPLS-DA) ML technique to develop a robust prediction model for distinguishing among CD, UC, and healthy controls (HCs) based on fecal microbiome data. Using data from multicenter cohorts, we conducted 16S rRNA gene sequencing of fecal samples from patients with CD (n = 671) and UC (n = 114) while forming an HC cohort of 1462 individuals from the Kangbuk Samsung Hospital Healthcare Screening Center. A streamlined pipeline based on HmmUFOTU was used. After a series of filtering steps, 1517 phylotypes and 1846 samples were retained for subsequent analysis. After 100 rounds of downsampling with age, sex, and sample size matching, and division into training and test sets, we constructed two binary prediction models to distinguish between IBD and HC and CD and UC using the training set. The binary prediction models exhibited high accuracy and area under the curve (for differentiating IBD from HC (mean accuracy, 0.950; AUC, 0.992) and CD from UC (mean accuracy, 0.945; AUC, 0.988)), respectively, in the test set. This study underscores the diagnostic potential of an ML model based on sPLS-DA, utilizing fecal microbiome analysis, highlighting its ability to differentiate between IBD and HC and distinguish CD from UC.

Impact of the 24-hour time target policy for emergency departments in South Korea: a mixed method study in a single medical center.

BACKGROUND: In South Korea, after the spread of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome epidemic was aggravated by long stays in crowded emergency departments (EDs), a 24-hour target policy for EDs was introduced to prevent crowding and reduce patients' length of stay (LOS). The policy requires at least 95% of all patients to be admitted, discharged or transferred from an ED within 24 hours of arrival. This study analyzes the effects of the 24-hour target policy on ED LOS and compliance rates and describes the consequences of the policy. METHODS: A mixed-methods approach was applied to a retrospective observational study of ED visits combined with a survey of medical professionals. The primary measure was ED LOS, and the secondary measure was policy compliance rate which refers to the proportion of patient visits with a LOS shorter than 24 hours. Patient flow, quality of care, patient safety, staff workload, and staff satisfaction were also investigated through surveys. Mann-Whitney U and χ2 tests were used to compare variables before and after the introduction of the policy. RESULTS: The median ED LOS increased from 3.9 hours (interquartile range [IQR] = 2.1-7.6) to 4.5 hours (IQR = 2.5-8.5) after the policy was introduced. This was likely influenced by the average monthly number of patients, which greatly increased from 4819 (SD = 340) to 5870 (SD = 462) during the same period. The proportion of patients with ED LOS greater than 24 hours remained below5% only after 6 months of policy implementation, but the number of patients whose disposition was decided at 23 hours increased by 4.84 times. Survey results suggested that patient flow and quality of care improved slightly, while the workload of medical staff worsened. CONCLUSIONS: After implementing the 24-hour target policy, the proportion of patients whose ED LOS exceeded 24 hours decreased, even though the median ED LOS increased. However, the unintended consequences of the policy were observed such as increased medical professional workload and abrupt expulsion of patients before 24 hours.

Zebrafish EEG predicts the efficacy of antiepileptic drugs.

Background: Pharmacological evaluation of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) using mammalian animals takes long time and is expensive. The zebrafish is a species commonly used to study brain functions, neurological diseases, and drug toxicity, and attracts more attention as an alternative animal model to substitute or supplement mammalian animals in drug development. Electroencephalogram (EEG) is a key indicator for diagnosing brain diseases such as epilepsy, by directly measuring the brain activity. We propose a novel method for pharmacological evaluation of AEDs based on EEG from adult zebrafish, which allows researchers to select more clinically valuable drugs at the early stage of AED screening. Methods: To evaluate the efficacy of AEDs, zebrafish EEG signals were measured after administering six AEDs (valproate acid, gabapentin, ethosuximide, oxcarbazepine, tiagabine, and topiramate) at various doses to pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced seizure models. The change in seizure activity was investigated according to doses. The antiepileptic effect was determined by observing a significant decrease in at least one out of three indicators of the number, total duration, and mean duration of ictal events. Results: Using EEG signals from adult zebrafish, antiepileptic effects were observed with all six AEDs. Among them, antiepileptic effects depending on dose were confirmed with valproate acid, gabapentin, ethosuximide, and tiagabine. Moreover, the 50% effective doses (ED50) of valproate acid and tiagabine were determined based on zebrafish EEG for the first time, indicating that the quantitative inter-species comparison of the AED efficacy is possible between zebrafish and mammals such as rodents. Significance: The results show that zebrafish can be used to effectively and quantitatively evaluate the efficacy of AEDs based on EEG, the same method to evaluate antiepileptic effects in mammals, suggesting that the proposed method can contribute in reducing the cost and duration of search for AEDs and thus accelerate the drug development cycles.

Meta-analysis of 16S rRNA microbial data identified alterations of the gut microbiota in COVID-19 patients during the acute and recovery phases.

BACKGROUND: Dozens of studies have demonstrated gut dysbiosis in COVID-19 patients during the acute and recovery phases. However, a consensus on the specific COVID-19 associated bacteria is missing. In this study, we performed a meta-analysis to explore whether robust and reproducible alterations in the gut microbiota of COVID-19 patients exist across different populations. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted for studies published prior to May 2022 in electronic databases. After review, we included 16 studies that comparing the gut microbiota in COVID-19 patients to those of controls. The 16S rRNA sequence data of these studies were then re-analyzed using a standardized workflow and synthesized by meta-analysis. RESULTS: We found that gut bacterial diversity of COVID-19 patients in both the acute and recovery phases was consistently lower than non-COVID-19 individuals. Microbial differential abundance analysis showed depletion of anti-inflammatory butyrate-producing bacteria and enrichment of taxa with pro-inflammatory properties in COVID-19 patients during the acute phase compared to non-COVID-19 individuals. Analysis of microbial communities showed that the gut microbiota of COVID-19 recovered patients were still in unhealthy ecostates. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provided a comprehensive synthesis to better understand gut microbial perturbations associated with COVID-19 and identified underlying biomarkers for microbiome-based diagnostics and therapeutics.

Korean guidelines for postpolypectomy colonoscopic surveillance: 2022 revised edition.

Colonoscopic polypectomy is effective in decreasing the incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer (CRC). Premalignant polyps discovered during colonoscopy are associated with the risk of metachronous advanced neoplasia. Postpolypectomy surveillance is the most important method for the management of advanced metachronous neoplasia. A more efficient and evidence-based guideline for postpolypectomy surveillance is required because of limited medical resources and concerns regarding colonoscopy complications. In these consensus guidelines, an analytic approach was used to address all reliable evidence to interpret the predictors of CRC or advanced neoplasia during surveillance colonoscopy. The key recommendations state that the high-risk findings for metachronous CRC following polypectomy are as follows: (1) adenoma ≥10 mm in size; (2) 3 to 5 (or more) adenomas; (3) tubulovillous or villous adenoma; (4) adenoma containing high-grade dysplasia; (5) traditional serrated adenoma; (6) sessile serrated lesion (SSL) containing any grade of dysplasia; (7) serrated polyp of at least 10 mm in size; and (8) 3 to 5 (or more) SSLs. More studies are needed to fully comprehend the patients most likely to benefit from surveillance colonoscopy and the ideal surveillance interval to prevent metachronous CRC.

Additive effect of probiotics (Mutaflor) on 5-aminosalicylic acid therapy in patients with ulcerative colitis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In ulcerative colitis (UC) patients, Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) is equivalent to mesalazine for preventing disease relapse; however, evidence of the ability of EcN to increase health-related quality of life or induce remission remains scarce. We investigated the efficacy of EcN as an add-on therapy for UC. METHODS: In this multicentre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled study, a total of 133 UC patients were randomly assigned to receive either EcN or placebo once daily for 8 weeks. Inflammatory bowel disease questionnaire (IBDQ) scores (primary endpoint) and clinical remission and response rates (secondary endpoints) were compared (Clinical trial registration number: NCT04969679). RESULTS: In total, 118 patients (EcN, 58; placebo, 60) completed the study. The number of patients reaching the primary endpoint did not differ between the EcN and placebo groups (30 [51.7%] vs. 31 [51.7%]; per-protocol analysis, p = 1.0; intention-to-treat analysis, p = 0.86). However, significantly fewer patients in the EcN group exhibited a decreased IBDQ score (1 [1.7%] vs. 8 [13.3%]; per-protocol analysis, p = 0.03; intention- to-treat analysis, p = 0.02). Moreover, a significantly higher number of patients in the EcN group displayed clinical response at 4 weeks (23 [39.7%] vs. 13 [21.7%], p = 0.04) and endoscopic remission at 8 weeks (26 [46.4%] vs. 16 [27.1%], p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Although the number of patients reaching the primary endpoint did not differ between the EcN and placebo groups, EcN was found to be safe and effective in preventing the exacerbation of IBDQ scores and achieving clinical responses and endoscopic remission in patients with mild-to-moderate UC.

[Korean Guidelines for Postpolypectomy Colonoscopic Surveillance: 2022 Revised Edition].

Colonoscopic polypectomy is effective in decreasing the incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer (CRC). Premalignant polyps discovered during colonoscopy are associated with the risk of metachronous advanced neoplasia. Postpolypectomy surveillance is the most important method for managing advanced metachronous neoplasia. A more efficient and evidence-based guideline for postpolypectomy surveillance is required because of the limited medical resources and concerns regarding colonoscopy complications. In these consensus guidelines, an analytic approach was used to address all reliable evidence to interpret the predictors of CRC or advanced neoplasia during surveillance colonoscopy. The key recommendations state that the high-risk findings for metachronous CRC following polypectomy are as follows: 1) adenoma ≥10 mm in size; 2) 3-5 (or more) adenomas; 3) tubulovillous or villous adenoma; 4) adenoma containing high-grade dysplasia; 5) traditional serrated adenoma; 6) sessile serrated lesion (SSL) containing any grade of dysplasia; 7) serrated polyp of at least 10 mm in size; and 8) 3-5 (or more) SSLs. More studies are needed to fully comprehend the patients who are most likely to benefit from surveillance colonoscopy and the ideal surveillance interval to prevent metachronous CRC.