Female sex, poor bowel preparation, smaller waist circumference, lower body mass index and older age were associated with a longer insertion time. Waist circumference was a better predictor than body mass index in assessing cecal insertion time.

Backgroud: Patients with alpha-fetoprotein (afp)–producing gastric cancer have a high incidence of liver metastasis and poor prognosis. There is some controversy about clinical manifestations in these patients. Methods: Our study enrolled patients who, before surgery, had gastric cancer with serum afp exceeding 20 ng/mL [afp>20 (n = 58)] and with serum afp 20 ng/mL or less [afp≤20 (n = 1236)]. Clinical manifestations were compared between the groups. Results: Early gastric cancer was more frequent (30.1% vs. 4%) and advanced gastric cancer was less frequent (69.9% vs. 96%) in the afp≤20 group than the afp>20 group (p < 0.001). Liver and lymph node metastasis occurred less frequently in the afp≤20 group (4.4% vs. 27.6%, p < 0.001, and 60.7% vs. 91.4%, p < 0.001, respectively). The 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates of afp≤20 patients were 75.2%, 53.4%, 45.8%, and 34.6% respectively. The 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates of patients with afp greater than 20 ng/mL, but 300 ng/mL or less, were 46.7%, 28.9%, 17.8%, and 13.3% respectively. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates of patients with serum afp greater than 300 ng/mL were 15.4%, 7.7%, and 0% respectively. The independent predictors for survival time were afp concentration, age, peritoneal seeding, liver metastasis, lymph node metastasis, vascular invasion, TNM stage, curative surgery, serosal invasion, and Lauren classification. Conclusions: Patients with high serum afp had a high frequency of liver and lymph node metastasis and very poor prognosis. More aggressive management with multimodal therapy (for example, chemotherapy, radiotherapy) might be needed when treating such patients.

The optimal sequence for same-day bidirectional endoscopy is EGD followed by colonoscopy. In this order, the procedure is better tolerated, and patients require a lower overall dose of propofol.

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For patients with peptic ulcer bleeding, heater probe thermocoagulation offers an advantage in achieving hemostasis than hemoclip. In difficult-to-approach bleeders, heater probe is a more suitable therapeutic modality.

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Background Reports showed adenoma miss rates (AMRs) of 22.5–27% in the right colon and 23.4–33.3% in the proximal colon. Missed lesions could contribute to postcolonoscopy cancers. Water exchange (WE) with near-complete removal of infused water during insertion increased adenoma detection rate but the impact on AMR had not been reported. We hypothesized that WE could reduce AMRs. Study 1 compared the AMRs of WE with literature data. Study 2 developed local AMR data with CO 2 insufflation. Methods The lead author attended a research seminar in 2017 on WE colonoscopy. For performance improvement, study 1 was undertaken. When data in study 1 confirmed WE produced a considerably lower AMRs in the right and proximal colon, study 2 with CO 2 insufflation was performed. Results Eighty-six patients completed each study. In study 1, WE removed 89% of infused water upon arrival to the cecum. The AMRs of right colon (17.5%) and proximal colon (15.5%) were considerably lower than those in the literature. Upon completion of study 2, compared with local data of CO 2 insufflation, WE showed a significantly lower AMR in the right (17.5% vs. 33.8%, P = 0.034) and proximal (15.5% vs. 30.4%, P = 0.018) colon, respectively. The major limitation was that the investigation consisted of two consecutive observational studies, not a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Conclusions WE with near-complete (89%) removal of infused water during insertion significantly decreased AMRs in the right and proximal colon compared with literature data and those of CO 2 insufflation in our hands. The provocative data warrant confirmation in a RCT. Trial registration NCT03832322 (Retrospectively registered on February 2, 2019).

After receiving meperidine injection, patients had better tolerance and less discomfort during diagnostic EGD (NCT01547520).