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Background: Early detection of gastric cancer can play a key role in improving prognosis. Recently, light-emitting diodes (LED) have been developed as novel endoscopic systems. However, the differences in the visibility of gastric neoplastic lesions between LED and laser endoscopy remains unclear. We conducted a prospective multicenter trial to evaluate the non-inferiority of LED endoscopy in the visibility of gastric neoplastic lesions undergoing endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) in comparison to laser endoscopy., Methods: A multicenter, prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted in patients undergoing ESD for gastric neoplastic lesions at five hospitals throughout Japan. Seventy patients with 74 lesions were included in this study. The primary endpoint was the non-inferiority of the difference in the individual scores of linked color imaging (LCI) and white-light imaging (WLI) for LED and laser endoscopy for gastric neoplastic lesions., Results: The mean individual score was 2.66 ± 1.02, 3.17 ± 0.83, 2.75 ± 1.05, and 3.21 ± 0.84 in LED-WLI, LED-LCI, laser-WLI, and laser-LCI, respectively. The difference in individual scores of LCI and WLI was 0.51 ± 0.77 and 0.46 ± 0.80 in LED and laser endoscopy, respectively. The mean difference between LED and laser endoscopy was 0.04 (95% confidence interval [CI]: - 0.05 to 0.13, P < 0.001)., Conclusions: This study revealed the non-inferiority of the differences in individual scores between LCI and WLI in the comparison of LED and laser endoscopy for gastric neoplastic lesions., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: Osamu Dohi received research funding from Fujifilm Co. Ltd. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. Fujifilm Co. had no role in the design, conduct, data collection, data interpretation, or reporting of this study. Ethical approval: The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. The study protocol was approved by the institutional review boards of the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine and other hospitals., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Introduction: Scissor-type knives are spreading as safe devises in endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). We evaluated the efficacy of two kinds of scissor-type knives (Clutch Cutter: CC, Fujifilm Co. and SB Knife Jr2: SB, SB-KAWASUMI Laboratories. Inc.) in colorectal ESD., Methods: This single-center retrospective study analyzed 178 ESD cases treated with CC from January 2020 to August 2021 and 91 cases with SB from September 2021 to December 2023. The two groups were compared through propensity score matching. Therapeutic results, such as ESD procedure time, en bloc resection rate, perioperative bleeding frequency, and complications, were analyzed in each group. Risk factors for long ESD procedure time (≥ 90 min) were also examined., Results: After matching, 87 cases in each group were analyzed. There was no significant difference in the ESD procedure time (min, median [interquartile range]) between the CC and SB groups (54.0 [36.0-72.0] vs. 53.0 [39.0-72.0], p = 0.99). Additionally, there were no differences in the en bloc resection (100% vs. 100%, p = 1.00), perioperative perforation (1.1% vs. 1.1%, p = 1.00), or delayed bleeding (1.1% vs. 0.0%, p = 1.00). There was a significant difference in perioperative bleeding frequency (mean ± standard deviation: 1.8 ± 2.6 vs. 3.0 ± 3.5, p < 0.01). The significant risk factors (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]) for long ESD procedure time in patients treated with CC or SB were antiplatelet (7.51 [1.82-31.00]), large lesion size (1.08 [1.05-1.12]), severe fibrosis (24.30 [7.60-77.90]), and perioperative bleeding frequency (1.34 [1.14-1.56])., Conclusions: CC and SB in colorectal ESD enabled high en bloc resection and low complication rates. CC showed significantly less perioperative bleeding than SB., Competing Interests: Declarations Conflict of interest Naohisa Yoshida and Osamu Dohi received the grants for research from Fujifilm. Other authors did not have any conflict of interest. No funding was received for this study., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is widely recognized as a definite carcinogen in gastric cancer (GC). Although H. pylori eradication reduces the risk of GC, GC recurrence has been detected even after successful H. pylori eradication. Recently, the analysis of gut microbiota was reported., Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between gastric mucosa-associated microbiota (G-MAM) and early gastric cancer (EGC) after successful H. pylori eradication., Methods: In this pilot study, G-MAM were collected during the esophagogastroduodenoscopy of 17 patients, receiving H. pylori eradication therapy at least 5 years ago. The patients were divided into those with EGC (the EGC group, 8 patients) and those without EGC (the NGC group, 9 patients). Microbial samples in the greater curvature of the pyloric site were obtained using an endoscopic cytology brush, and the G-MAM profiles of each sample were analyzed using 16S rRNA V3-V4 gene sequencing., Results: Between the two groups, there was no significant difference in the median age, sex, median period after successful eradication of H. pylori, the α diversity, and the average abundance at the phylum level. At the genus level, the average abundance of Unclassified Oxalobacteraceae, Capnocytophaga, and Haemophilus was significantly lower in the EGC group than in the NGC group (0.89 vs. 0.14%, P < 0.01, 0.28 vs. 0.00%, P < 0.01 and 5.84 vs. 2.16%, P = 0.034, respectively)., Conclusions: We demonstrated alternations in the profiles of G-MAM between the two groups. Our results suggest that G-MAM may influence carcinogenesis after successful H. pylori eradication., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Introduction: In light-emitting diode (LED) and LASER colonoscopy, linked color imaging (LCI) and blue light/laser imaging (BLI) are used for lesion detection and characterization worldwide. We analyzed the difference of LCI and BLI images of colorectal lesions between LED and LASER in a multinational study., Methods: We prospectively observed lesions with white light imaging (WLI), LCI, and BLI using both LED and LASER colonoscopies from January 2020 to August 2021. Images were graded by 27 endoscopists from nine countries using the polyp visibility score: 4 (excellent), 3 (good), 2 (fair), and 1 (poor) and the comparison score (LED better/similar/LASER better) for WLI/LCI/BLI images of each lesion., Results: Finally, 32 lesions (polyp size: 20.0 ± 15.2 mm) including 9 serrated lesions, 13 adenomas, and 10 T1 cancers were evaluated. The polyp visibility scores of LCI/WLI for international and Japan-expert endoscopists were 3.17 ± 0.73/3.17 ± 0.79 (p = 0.92) and 3.34 ± 0.78/2.84 ± 1.22 (p < 0.01) for LED and 3.30 ± 0.71/3.12 ± 0.77 (p < 0.01) and 3.31 ± 0.82/2.78 ± 1.23 (p < 0.01) for LASER. Regarding the comparison of lesion visibility about between LED and LASER colonoscopy in international endoscopists, a significant difference was achieved not for WLI, but for LCI. The rates of LED better/similar/LASER better for brightness under WLI were 54.5%/31.6%/13.9% (International) and 75.0%/21.9%/3.1% (Japan expert). Those under LCI were 39.2%/35.4%/25.3% (International) and 31.3%/53.1%/15.6% (Japan expert). There were no significant differences in the diagnostic accuracy and the comparison score of BLI images between LED and LASER., Conclusions: The differences of lesion visibility for WLI/LCI/BLI between LED and LASER in international endoscopists could be compared to those in Japanese endoscopists., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: The therapeutic approach after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) diagnosed as pathological T1a-muscularis mucosa (pT1a-MM) without lymphovascular involvement (LVI) remains uncertain. We aimed to determine whether observation after ESD is acceptable for patients without LVI showing pT1a-MM cancer., Methods: We retrospectively registered 566 ESCC patients who were treated with ESD at ten institutions between January 2007 and December 2015. Of those, 447 cases showing pT1a-epithelium/lamina propria mucosa (EP/LPM) without LVI and vertical margin (VM) (EP/LPM group), and 41 cases showing pT1a-MM without LVI and VM (MM group) were analyzed in this investigation. The clinical outcomes were assessed between the groups., Results: The 5 year cumulative incidence of metastatic recurrence was 0.5% and 3.3% in the EP/LPM and MM groups, respectively (P = 0.121). Two cases showing pT1a-EP/LPM and one showing pT1a-MM experienced lymph node recurrence. The 5 year cumulative incidence of local recurrence was 1.5% and 3.8% in the EP/LPM and MM groups, respectively (P = 0.455). The 5 year disease-specific survival (DSS) rate was 99.3% and 96.6% in the EP/LPM and MM groups, respectively (P = 0.118), whereas the 5 year overall survival rate was significantly higher in the EP/LPM group than in the MM group (92.6% versus 81.1%, respectively; P = 0.021)., Conclusions: As regards metastatic recurrence and DSS, ESCC patients with pT1a-MM without LVI showed favorable outcomes that were equivalent to those with pT1a-EP/LPM, even when they were not treated with additional therapy after ESD., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Introduction: SOUTEN (KANEKA Co., Tokyo, Japan) is a unique snare with a disk tip. We analyzed the efficacy of precutting endoscopic mucosal resection with SOUTEN (PEMR-S) for colorectal lesions., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 57 lesions of 10-30 mm treated with PEMR-S at our institution from 2017 to 2022. The indications were lesions that were difficult for standard EMR due to size, morphology, and poor elevation by injection. Various therapeutic results of PEMR-S such as en bloc resection, procedure time, and perioperative hemorrhage were analyzed, and the results of 20 lesions of 20-30 mm with PEMR-S were compared to those of lesions with standard EMR (2012-2014) using propensity score matching. Additionally, the stability of the SOUTEN disk tip was analyzed in a laboratory experiment., Results: The polyp size was 16.5 ± 4.2 mm and the non-polypoid morphology rate was 80.7%. Histopathological diagnosis included 10 sessile-serrated lesions, 43 low-grade and high-grade dysplasias, and 4 T1 cancers. After matching, the en bloc resection and histopathological complete resection rates of lesions of 20-30 mm between PEMR-S and standard EMR (90.0% vs. 58.1%, p = 0.03 and 70.0% vs. 45.0%, p = 0.11). The procedure time (min) was 14.8 ± 9.7 and 9.7 ± 8.3 (p < 0.01). The en bloc resection (%) and procedure time of expert/non-expert were 89.7/85.7 (p = 0.96) and 6.1 ± 2.2/18.5 ± 7.2 (p < 0.01). The perioperative bleeding and hemostasis success rates with SOUTEN were 43.9% and 96.0%. In the experiment, the SOUTEN disk tip was fixed stably compared to other EMR snares., Conclusions: PEMR-S achieved high en bloc resection of colorectal lesions of 20-30 mm though it leaded to long procedure time., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Introduction: An endoscopic system using 5-color light-emitting diodes (LEDs) (EVIS X1; Olympus Co., Tokyo, Japan), which includes texture and color enhancement imaging (TXI), has been released. In this study, we analyzed the effects of TXI on the visibility of non-polypoid colorectal lesions and its diagnostic accuracy., Methods: We reviewed 101 non-polypoid lesions from 26 patients observed with white light imaging (WLI), narrow band imaging (NBI), and TXI. One representative image of each mode was evaluated by 6 endoscopists using a polyp visibility score of 4 (excellent) to 1 (poor). We calculated the color difference (CD) values for each lesion in the three modes. For tumor characteristics, one representative image of TXI and NBI magnification was evaluated by 3 experts according to a NBI classification., Results: The least squares means [95% confidence interval] of polyp visibility score of TXI (3.42 [3.06-3.77]) was significantly higher than that of WLI (2.85 [2.49-3.20], p < 0.001) but not that of NBI (3.33 [2.98-3.69], p = 0.258). The CD value of TXI (13.3 ± 6.3) was higher than that of WLI (9.7 ± 6.0, p < 0.001) but not that of NBI (13.1 ± 6.8, p = 0.81). For sessile serrated lesions, the CD value of TXI (11.1 ± 4.4) tended to be lower than that of NBI (12.6 ± 6.0, p = 0.07). The diagnostic accuracy and confidence level of magnification for NBI were significantly better than those for TXI (87.1 vs. 80.5%, p = 0.027, 87.5 vs. 62.7%, p < 0.001, respectively)., Conclusion: TXI showed better visibility than WLI in terms of the endoscopist's score and CD value and may improve polyp detection., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Recent progress in ulcerative colitis (UC) treatment has been remarkable, and various medications have been applied. However, some patients with UC are refractory to treatment and convert to surgery., Aim: To investigate the role of colonic mucosal Wnt-5a expression in the pathogenesis of UC and the effect of bioactive Wnt-5a peptide on colitis in mice., Methods: Wnt-5a peptide was intraperitoneally administered to mice every day from the beginning of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) treatment. The severity of colitis was evaluated based on body weight change, colonic length, and histological scores. Colonic mucosal TNF-α and KC mRNA expression levels were measured. This study included 70 patients with UC in clinical remission. Wnt-5a, TNFα, and IL-8 mRNA expression in the rectal mucosa were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction using biopsy materials. Wnt-5a mRNA expression levels were compared between patients who relapsed and those in remission. We examined the correlation of Wnt-5a expression with TNF-α and IL-8 expression., Results: Wnt-5a peptide significantly attenuated the severity of DSS-induced colitis. Moreover, mucosal TNF-α and KC mRNA expression were significantly suppressed by Wnt-5a peptide treatment. Wnt-5a mRNA levels were significantly lower in patients with subsequent relapse than in those who remained in remission. Mucosal Wnt-5a was inversely correlated with TNF α and IL-8 expression., Conclusion: Wnt-5a peptide suppressed colitis in mice, and decreased Wnt-5a expression was strongly associated with relapse in patients with UC. Wnt-5a may have an inhibitory effect on mucosal inflammation in UC, and Wnt-5a peptide could be a new therapeutic strategy., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background and Aims: Recurrence after cold snare polypectomy (CSP) sometimes occurs. We assessed the feasibility of repeat CSP for recurrence after CSP., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed recurrent lesions after CSP which were resected by repeat CSP from 2016 to 2021 in our institution and analyzed clinical outcomes of repeat CSP, comparing those of non-recurrent 454 lesions receiving standard CSP in 2016 and follow-up colonoscopy. We also analyzed the recurrent rate among cases receiving follow-up in both groups. Indication of repeat CSP was lesions diagnosed as benign tumors of ≤ 10 mm., Results: We analyzed 80 lesions receiving repeat CSP. The polyp size (mean ± standard deviation: SD) was 4.1 ± 2.3 mm (range 2-10 mm). The right-sided colon and non-polypoid morphology rates were 66.3% and 43.8%, respectively. Histopathological diagnosis was 66 adenomas, 12 sessile serrated lesions (SSLs), 1 SSL with dysplasia, and 1 high-grade dysplasia. The procedure time (min, mean ± SD) of repeat CSP was 0.9 ± 0.8. Regarding the comparison of repeat CSP/ standard CSP group, the en bloc resection and histopathological complete resection rates were 78.8%/ 98.0% (p < 0.001) and 43.8%/59.6% (p = 0.007) and the rates of perioperative hemorrhage requiring endoscopic clipping were 1.3%/ 1.0% (p = 0.646). There were no postoperative hemorrhage and perforation in both groups (p = 1.0). Among lesions receiving follow-up colonoscopy, the mean recurrence rates (number, median follow-up period: interquartile) of repeat CSP and standard CSP group were 2.0% (1/50, 12 months: 12-24) versus 0.7% (3/454, 12 months: 12-24) (p = 0.862)., Conclusions: Repeat CSP for benign recurrent lesions after CSP was safe and feasible., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Delayed bleeding (DB) rarely occurs after cold snare polypectomy (CSP) for colorectal polyps, but no large-scale studies have investigated this. The present study evaluated the rate, characteristics, and risk factors of DB of CSP., Methods: We conducted a multicenter retrospective study at 10 Japanese institutions. A total of 18,007 patients underwent CSP for colorectal polyps ≤ 10 mm in size from March 2015 to September 2019, and cases of DB (DB group) were analyzed for the rate, antithrombotic drugs, polyp size, morphology, location, and risk factors. As a control, 269 non-bleeding cases (non-DB group) with 606 polyps who underwent CSP at the same 10 facilities in the 2-week study period were extracted., Results: We analyzed 26 DB cases with 28 lesions, and the total DB rate was 0.14% (26/18,007). The DB group had significantly higher rates of using antiplatelets (42.3% vs. 13.0%, p < 0.001) and anticoagulants (19.2% vs. 2.6%, p = 0.002), and significantly higher rates of polyp size ≥ 5 mm (67.9% vs. 45.2%, p = 0.015), rectal lesion (25.0% vs. 6.6%, p = 0.003), and polypoid lesion (89.3% vs. 55.3%, p < 0.001) than the non-DB group. A multivariate analysis (odds ratio; 95% confidence interval) for patient characteristics showed antiplatelet use (4.521; 1.817-11.249, p = 0.001) and anticoagulant use (7.866; 20.63-29.988, p = 0.003) as independent risk factors for DB. Polyp size ≥ 5 mm (3.251; 1.417-7.463, p = 0.005), rectal lesion (3.674; 1.426-9.465, p = 0.007), and polypoid lesion (7.087; 20.81-24.132, p = 0.002) were also risk factors for lesion characteristics., Conclusions: The rate of DB was 0.14% and antithrombotic drug use, polyp size, location, and morphology were related to it., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: In Japan, laser light source (Laser) endoscopy is widely available, and the characteristics of light-emitting diode light source (LED) endoscopy have not been clarified., Aims: We assessed the visibility of early gastric cancers (EGCs) and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)-associated gastritis for LED endoscopy compared with laser endoscopy using white-light imaging (WLI) and linked color imaging (LCI)., Methods: We assessed 99 lesions between February 2019 and March 2020. The visibility was scored from four (excellent visibility) to one (poor visibility) by evaluating videos including EGCs and gastric mucosa captured using WLI and LCI with LED endoscopy (LED-WLI and LED-LCI, respectively) and laser endoscopy (Laser-WLI and Laser-LCI, respectively). The primary end point was the non-inferiority of the visibility of EGCs and H. pylori-associated gastritis between LED-/Laser-WLI and LED-/Laser-LCI., Results: The visibility scores of EGCs for LED-/Laser-WLI and LED-/Laser-LCI were 3.14/2.97 and 3.39/3.35, respectively. The visibility scores of H. pylori-associated gastritis [intestinal metaplasia (IM), diffuse redness (DR), regular arrangement of collecting venules (RAC) and map-like redness (MR)] for LED-/Laser-WLI and LED-/Laser-LCI were 3.05/2.85 and 3.60/3.50 (IM), 2.76/2.50 and 2.96/2.86 (DR), 2.69/2.44 and 2.77/2.62 (RAC) and 2.97/2.75 and 3.39/3.27 (MR). Non-inferiority was demonstrated for visualizing EGCs and H. pylori-associated gastritis., Conclusions: LED-WLI and LED-LCI can be used to visualize EGCs and H. pylori-associated gastritis with non-inferiority to Laser-WLI and Laser-LCI. Furthermore, even with LED, LCI was more effective than WLI for evaluating EGCs and H. pylori-associated gastritis. Therefore, LED endoscopy can be used to detect EGCs and evaluate H. pylori-associated gastritis accurately., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Introduction: Previous narrow-band imaging (NBI) was dark and reported not to be useful for polyp detection. In this study, we analyzed the efficacy of an additional 30-s observation of the right-sided colon with the recent bright high-resolution NBI., Methods: We enrolled patients undergoing colonoscopy from February 2015 to May 2017 in two institutions. All procedures were performed with the latest system (EVIS LUCERA ELITE, Olympus). The cecum and ascending colon were first observed with white light imaging (WLI) in both the NBI and WLI group. Then, the colonoscope was re-inserted, and the cecum and ascending colon were observed for an additional 30 s. In this second observation, NBI was performed for the first 130 patients in the NBI group and WLI for the next 130 in the WLI group. The number of adenoma and sessile serrated polyps (ASPs) in the second observation were examined in both groups. According to our initial pilot study, the sample size was estimated at 126., Results: In the first observation, the number of ASPs was 72 in the NBI group and 72 in the WLI group (p = 1.0). In the second observation, the number of ASPs was 23 in the NBI group and 10 in the WLI group (p = 0.02). The polyp and adenoma detection rates in the second observation were 16.2% and 12.3% in the NBI group and 7.7% (p = 0.03) and 6.2% (p = 0.09) in the WLI group., Conclusions: The additional 30-s observation with recent NBI decreased missed polyps in the right-sided colon.

Introduction: A same-day low-volume 1 L polyethylene glycol (PEG) for bowel preparation before colonoscopy was developed to improve patients' compliance. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of this regimen especially for the elderly and patients with renal dysfunction., Methods: All consecutive patients who underwent colonoscopy in our center from November 2014 to September 2015 were included. Patients undertook a low-residue diet with 10 mL sodium picosulfate 1 day before colonoscopy. Subsequently, they had 1 L low-volume PEG (MoviPrep) and 0.5 L water 4 h before the examination. Clinical outcomes, including cleansing level using the Boston bowel preparation score (BBPS), in the elderly and special-elderly (65-79 and ≥80 years old) were analyzed and compared with the non-elderly (18-64 years old). Additionally, patients with renal dysfunction were analyzed with respect to both complications and changes in blood parameters., Results: A total of 5427 patients (mean age: 64.5 ± 13.8) were analyzed. The rate of BBPS ≥ 6 in the elderly (2761 patients), special-elderly (565 patients), and non-elderly (2101 patients) was 94.1, 91.8, and 94.6 %, respectively. In the special-elderly, the rate of renal dysfunction was 14.8 %, and no severe complications were detected after colonoscopy. Additionally, there were no severe complications in 86 patients with renal dysfunction, though elevation of hematocrit was shown after intake of 1 L PEG (before, 36.7 ± 6.1 vs. after, 39.0 ± 5.7, P = 0.006)., Conclusions: Our study shows the safety and efficacy of same-day low-volume 1 L PEG bowel preparation in colonoscopy for the elderly and patients with renal dysfunction.