Background and study aims  Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common neoplasms and endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is an effective treatment for early-stage CRC. However, it has been observed that patients undergoing ESD often complain of pain, even if ESD has been successfully performed. Risk factors for such pain still remain unknown. The aim of this study was to explore the risk factors for post-colorectal ESD coagulation syndrome (PECS). Patients and methods  This was a prospective multicenter observational trial (UMIN000016781) conducted in 106 of 223 patients who underwent ESD between March 2015 and April 2016. We investigated age, sex, tumor location, ESD operation time, lesion size, duration of hospitalization, and frequency of PECS. We defined PECS as local abdominal pain (evaluated on a visual analogue scale) in the region corresponding to the site of the ESD that occurred within 4 days of the procedure. Results  PECS occurred in 15/106 (14.2 %), and 10 were women ( P  = 0.01, OR: 7.74 [1.6 – 36.4]), 7 had lesions in the cecum ( P  < 0.001, OR: 20.6 [3.7 – 115.2]), and 9 in whom ESD operation time was > 90 min ( P  = 0.002, OR: 10.3 [2.4 – 44.6]). Frequency of deviation from the prescribed clinical path was significantly higher (47 % [7/15] vs. 2 % [2/91], P  < 0.001, OR: 38.9 [6.9 – 219.6]), and hospital stay was significantly longer in the PECS group.  Conclusions  Female gender, location of lesion in the cecum, and ESD operation time > 90 minutes were significant risk factors independent of PECS. These findings are important to management of PECS.

This study is the first to assess the clinical utility of cine-MRI in CIPO patients. Cine-MRI clearly detected contractility impairments in CIPO patients. Cine-MRI is noninvasive, radiation-free, and can directly evaluate the entire small bowel peristalsis, and can detect the affected loops at a glance; therefore, it might be extremely useful for the diagnosis and follow-up of CIPO patients in clinical practice.

Nakajima (2020) The protective effect of Bifidobacterium bifidum G9-1 against mucus degradation by Akkermansiamuciniphila following small intestine injury caused by a proton pump inhibitor and aspirin,

Cine-MRI is useful in predicting severe clinical features in patients with CIPO, and in detecting slightly impaired small contractility that cannot be detected on CT.

Introduction: Chronic constipation (CC) is a highly prevalent functional bowel disorder with low treatment satisfaction and impaired quality of life (QOL). However, physicians tend to emphasize only “stool frequency,” and relationship between “stool form” and QOL remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the actual situation of CC treatment in Japan and elucidate the relationship between stool form and QOL in patients with CC. Methods: We conducted an online questionnaire survey in September 2018 targeting Japanese adult patients already diagnosed with CC and taking prescribed drugs. Assessments included the type of drug treatment, treatment duration, frequency of drug use, frequency of bowel movements (BMs), Bristol Stool Form Scale (BSFS), and Japanese version of the Patient Assessment of Constipation QOL (PAC-QOL) scores. Relationship between BSFS and Japanese PAC-QOL scores was analyzed, and most important factor that influences QOL was investigated. Results: A total of 614 subjects were enrolled. Of these, 398 (64.8%) regularly used magnesium oxide and 162 (26.4%) used stimulant laxative, especially 81 (50.0%) used stimulant laxative “everyday.” Mean score of the PAC-QOL was 1.29 ± 0.74, and the lowest score (highest QOL) of 0.94 ± 0.61 was observed in BSFS type 4. Significant difference was seen between BSFS type 4 and all the other types except type 7. Multivariate analysis revealed that normal stool form (BSFS type 4) and BMs ≥3/week are strongly related to decreases of PAC-COL score. In BSFS types 6 and 7, 36% of individuals experienced self-discontinuation of prescribed drugs and 53% self-reduced drug intake because of excessive effects. Conclusions: Stool form and frequency of BMs are relevant to QOL, especially normal stool form (BSFS type 4) is important for improving the QOL in patients with constipation. Physicians should focus on “stool form” and reconsider the prescription especially in BSFS types 6–7 patients.