Objective This study was conducted to clarify the prevalence of short segment Barrett's esophagus (SSBE) using endoscopic observations with linked color imaging (LCI). In addition, the relationship between the presence of Barrett's epithelium (BE) and the status of H. pylori infection was investigated. Methods The study subjects were 3,353 individuals (2,186 men, 1,167 women; mean age 55.2±9.4 years old) whose status of H. pylori infection had been determined. An endoscopic observation using LCI was performed to examine the distal margin of palisade vessels and confirm the area of BE. The prevalence of BE ≥5 mm in length was investigated. Results BE was diagnosed in 1,884 (56.2%) subjects, with lengths of <10, 10-19, 20-29, and ≥30 mm found in 1,005, 851, 27, and 1, respectively. Its prevalence in H. pylori -negative, H. pylori -positive, and post-eradicated subjects was 41.7%, 64.4%, and 69.9%, respectively (p<0.001). The duration since successful eradication of H. pylori did not affect the prevalence of BE. The degree of gastric mucosal atrophy was higher in cases with BE (p<0.001), although negativity for H. pylori infection and mild gastric mucosal atrophy were significant factors for the development of longer BE. Conclusion A high prevalence of SSBE was noted when LCI was used to determine the area of BE, as the distal end of the palisade vessels was easily visualized. Negativity for H. pylori infection and mild gastric mucosal atrophy were not correlated with SSBE prevalence.

PurposeTo evaluate the effectiveness of high‐dose progesterone supplementation for women who are undergoing a frozen‐thawed embryo transfer (FET).MethodsAmong the 2010 FET cycles that were included in the present study, 1188 were 1200 mg/d of vaginal progesterone, while 822 were 900 mg/d. The dose of progesterone that was used was decided by the treatment period and additional progesterone supplementation was used when the serum progesterone levels were <9 ng/mL on luteal day 5.ResultsThe clinical pregnancy rate was higher in the 1200 mg group than in the 900 mg group. The mean serum progesterone level on luteal day 5 in the 1200 mg and 900 mg groups was 12.6 ng/mL and 13.4 ng/mL, respectively. The rate of additional progesterone supplementation was higher in the 1200 mg group. A logistic regression analysis identified a younger age (≤37 years) and the use of 1200 mg progesterone as independent predictive factors for the clinical pregnancy outcome. The analysis of the infant outcomes revealed no significant difference in the distribution of birth ages and weights.ConclusionHigh‐dose transvaginal progesterone of 1200 mg/d as luteal support contributed to good pregnancy outcomes.

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Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of intrauterine infusion of platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) before embryo transfer (ET) in recurrent implantation failure (RIF) cases. Methods The authors retrospectively analyzed 54 ET cycles involving frozen and thawed high‐quality blastocysts after intrauterine PRP infusion between September 2019 and November 2020. All patients had a history of at least two times of implantation failure on ET. A total of 54 patients were categorized into two groups: thin endometrium (39 patients) and unexplained implantation failure (15 patients). In the thin‐endometrium group, the endometrial thickness (EMT) was <8.0 mm at cycle days 12–14 in the prior ET cycle. Results Among the 54 ET cycles after PRP infusion, 31 (57.4%) were positive for human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and 27 (50%) achieved clinical pregnancy, which was significantly better than that in prior ET cycles without PRP infusion (27.2% and 9.6%, respectively). The EMT was not increased at ET date on the PRP cycle compared with that in the prior ET cycle in both patient groups. Moreover, EMT was not different between the hCG‐positive and hCG‐negative groups. Conclusion Although intrauterine PRP infusion had no superior effect on increasing the EMT than conventional therapeutic agents, it resulted in high pregnancy rates in patients experiencing RIF with or without thin endometrium.

Objective This retrospective study was performed to investigate the anti- Helicobacter pylori IgG antibody serum titers in H. pylori -negative subjects with different degrees of gastric mucosal atrophy including C0 grade atrophy. Methods The absence of H. pylori infection was determined based on both negative serum anti- H. pylori IgG antibody test findings and no endoscopic evidence of that infection. Cases negative for the antibody and with positive endoscopic findings of H. pylori infection were defined as H. pylori -positive. The serum anti- H. pylori IgG antibody titers were analyzed in H. pylori -negative (n=1,087), -positive (n=69), and post-eradicated (n=278) subjects. Results The serum antibody titer in subjects with H. pylori -positive endoscopy findings was significantly higher than that in H. pylori -negative subjects, even when the serum titer indicated a negative result. In addition, the anti- H. pylori IgG antibody serum titer was higher in H. pylori -negative subjects with a greater degree of gastric mucosal atrophy. In a comparison between H. pylori -negative C0 and C1 gastric mucosal atrophy cases, the antibody serum titer in those classified as C0 was significantly lower. An analysis of H. pylori post-eradicated cases showed that the serum antibody titer decreased over time after successful eradication. Conclusion The disappearance of H. pylori infection in H. pylori -negative individuals may occur later in those with a greater degree of gastric mucosal atrophy. The serum antibody titer difference between the H. pylori -negative C0 and C1 groups might have been caused by the differences in distribution between H. pylori -uninfected subjects and those in whom the infection had disappeared, thus additional investigation is needed to clarify the significance of gastric mucosal classification including the C0 grade.