Compared with air, CO2 insufflation during colonoscopy reduced postcolonoscopy abdominal discomfort and improved patients' satisfaction. It was safe to use CO2 insufflation in deeply sedated colonoscopy.

BackgroundGastric epithelial hyper-proliferation was reported in patients with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)–infected gastric mucosa with intestinal metaplasia (IM) changes. In patients with gastric ulcer (GU) and IM, the GU may have a different healing rate in comparison to patients without IM. This study aimed to compare the difference in GU healing between H. pylori–infected patients with IM and those without IM.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed patients at the Keelung Chung Gung Memorial Hospital during the period from March 2005 to January 2011. The inclusion criteria were: 1) endoscopic findings of GU and biopsy histological examination plus rapid urease test indicating H. pylori infection; 2) gastric IM adjacent to a GU but with no atrophic gastritis changes; 3) patients receiving H. pylori eradication triple therapy and 8 weeks of maintenance therapy with a proton pump inhibitor; and 4) patients receiving follow-up endoscopy within the 3rd and the 4th months after treatment.ResultsIn total, 327 patients with GU and H. pylori infection (136 with IM and 191 without IM) were included. Patients with IM had a higher GU healing rate than those without IM (91.9% vs. 84.3%, P = 0.040). Multivariate logistical regression analysis revealed that failure of H. pylori eradication (Odds = 4.013, 95% CI: 1.840–8.951, P < 0.001) and gastric IM (Odds = 0.369, 95% CI: 0.168–0.812, P = 0.013) were the predictors of non-healing GU following treatment.ConclusionsPatient with gastric IM change may have a higher GU healing rate than those without gastric IM. However, successful H. pylori eradication is a more important factor for GU healing than gastric IM.

Background An accurate and comprehensive anthropometric measure for predicting type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has not yet been depicted. Methods A total of 8450 nondiabetic participants were recruited during 2000–2010 in Taiwan. The cohort was followed up to the end of 2013, over an average of 8.87 years. At recruitment, participants completed a questionnaire related to basic demographics, lifestyle variables, personal disease history, and family disease history. 3D body surface scanning was used to obtain 35 anatomical measurements. A Cox proportional hazard model was used to conduct multivariable analyses. Results A total of 2068 T2DM cases at an incidence rate of 27.59 × 10−3 (year−1) were identified during the follow-up period. Multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) demonstrated that neck circumference (NC) (HR = 1.048; 95% CI = 1.033–1.064), waist width (WW) (HR = 1.061; 95% CI = 1.040–1.081), and left thigh circumference (TC) (HR = 0.984; 95% CI = 0.972–0.995) were significant predictors of the occurrence of T2DM. While dividing body measurement into median high/low groups, an increased risk of T2DM was observed among participants with a larger NC and smaller TC (HR = 1.375; 95% CI = 1.180–1.601) and a larger WW and smaller TC (HR = 1.278; 95% CI = 1.085–1.505) relative to other participants. Conclusions This study suggests that as well as using traditional waist and TC measurements, NC can be used as an indicator to provide an early prediction of developing T2DM, while providing clues for future mechanistic investigations of T2DM.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed type of cancer worldwide. The mechanisms leading to the progression of CRC are involved in both genetic and epigenetic regulations. In this study, we applied systems biology methods to identify potential biomarkers and conduct drug discovery in a computational approach. Using big database mining, we constructed a candidate protein-protein interaction network and a candidate gene regulatory network, combining them into a genome-wide genetic and epigenetic network (GWGEN). With the assistance of system identification and model selection approaches, we obtain real GWGENs for early-stage, mid-stage, and late-stage CRC. Subsequently, we extracted core GWGENs for each stage of CRC from their real GWGENs through a principal network projection method, and projected them to the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways for further analysis. Finally, we compared these core pathways resulting in different molecular mechanisms in each stage of CRC and identified carcinogenic biomarkers for the design of multiple-molecule drugs to prevent the progression of CRC. Based on the identified gene expression signatures, we suggested potential compounds combined with known CRC drugs to prevent the progression of CRC with querying Connectivity Map (CMap).

Aim: This case–control study aimed to investigate the interrelations of body measurements and selected biomarkers in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Methods: We recruited 98 patients with T2DM and 98 controls from 2016 to 2018 in Taiwan. Body measurements were obtained using a three-dimensional body surface scanning system. Four biomarkers related to insulin resistance, adipokines, and inflammation were assayed. A multiple logistic regression model was used to perform multivariable analyses.Results: Four body measurements, namely waist circumference (odds ratio, OR = 1.073; 95% confidence interval, CI = 1.017–1.133), forearm circumference (OR = 1.227; 95% CI = 1.002–1.501), thigh circumference (OR = 0.841; 95% CI = 0.73–0.969), and calf circumference (OR = 1.25; 95% CI = 1.076–1.451), were significantly associated with T2DM. Leptin (OR = 1.09; 95% CI = 1.036–1.146) and adiponectin (OR = 0.982; 95% CI = 0.967–0.997) were significantly associated with T2DM. Six body measurement combinations, namely body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, waist-to-height ratio, waist-to-thigh ratio, forearm-to-thigh ratio, and calf-to-thigh ratio (CTR), were significantly associated with T2DM. CTR had the strongest linear association with T2DM. Moderating effects of significant biomarkers, namely leptin and adiponectin, were observed. Participants with high leptin-to-adiponectin ratios and in the fourth CTR quartile were 162.2 times more prone to develop T2DM.Conclusions: We concluded that a combination of leptin and adiponectin modulated the strength of the association between body measurements and T2DM while providing clues for high-risk group identification and mechanistic conjectures of preventing T2DM.