Clinical Features of Impacted Common Bile Duct Stones at Duodenal Papilla.

Background/aims: Urgent endoscopic removal is required for gallstones impacted at the duodenal papilla. This study compared the clinical features of impacted papillary stones (IPS) with those of common bile duct stones without impaction.

Methods: This study analyzed a common bile duct stone database from 2017 to 2023, identifying patients with IPS.

A population-based cohort study on risk factors for acute pancreatitis: A comparison by age group.

Background: /objectives: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an acute inflammatory disorder that can occur in all age groups. The risk of AP has been shown to increase with age. However, no study has compared risk factors for AP according to age group yet.

High Dose Intramuscular Vitamin D3 Supplementation Impacts the Gut Microbiota of Patients With Infection.

Background And Aim: Current therapeutic strategies for infections (CDI), including oral vancomycin, metronidazole and fecal microbial transplantation, have limited efficacy and treatment failure may occur in as many as one- third of cases. Recent studies have reported that lower concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D are associated with CDI severity and recurrence. However, there have been no studies on microbiota composition after the administration of vitamin D in patients with CDI.

Hypertriglyceridemia is a Risk Factor for Fever in Early Acute Non-biliary Pancreatitis.

Background/aims: Fever is a common symptom of acute pancreatitis (AP). This study examined the factors associated with fever due to pancreatic inflammation in the early stages of non-biliary AP.

Methods: This study analyzed the AP database from Kangwon National University Hospital from January 2018 until April 2021 and identified patients who developed fever within 1 week of hospitalization.

Metachronous squamous cell carcinoma of pancreas and stomach in an elderly female patient: A case report.

Background: Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in pancreas and stomach is a rare histologic subtype with aggressive behavior, poor prognosis, and no standardized therapy. Pancreatic SCC or gastric SCC has been previously reported. However, case of SCC occurring in both the pancreas and the stomach has not been reported yet.

Prostate Cancer Presenting with Pruritus and Cholestasis.

Jaundice is a rare symptom of the paraneoplastic syndrome associated with prostate cancer. We report a case of metastatic prostate cancer that presented as jaundice. There was an absence of biliary obstruction and hepatic metastasis; therefore, the paraneoplastic syndrome was suggested as the etiology of cholestasis.

Cholecystoduodenal fistula presenting with upper gastrointestinal bleeding: A case report.

Background: Cholecystoduodenal fistula is a rare complication of cholelithiasis. Symptoms are usually non-specific and often indistinguishable from those of etiologic diseases, but it rarely presents as severe gastrointestinal bleeding. Bleeding associated with cholecystoduodenal fistula usually requires surgery because significant bleeding from the cystic artery is unlikely to be resolved by conservative management or endoscopic hemostasis.

Triglyceride and glucose (TyG) index is an effective biomarker to identify severe acute pancreatitis.

Background: Early diagnosis of severe acute pancreatitis (AP) is important to reduce morbidity and mortality. We investigated the association between the triglyceride and glucose index (TyG index) and the prognosis of severe AP (SAP).

Methods: The TyG index was calculated as: ln [fasting triglycerides (mg/dL) x fasting plasma glucose (mg/dL)]/2.

Association between interstitial cells of Cajal and anti-vinculin antibody in human stomach.

Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) are known as the pacemaker cells of gastrointestinal tract, and it has been reported that acute gastroenteritis induces intestinal dysmotility through antibody to vinculin, a cytoskeletal protein in gut, resulting in small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, so that anti-vinculin antibody can be used as a biomarker for irritable bowel syndrome. This study aimed to determine correlation between serum anti-vinculin antibody and ICC density in human stomach. Gastric specimens from 45 patients with gastric cancer who received gastric surgery at Kangwon National University Hospital from 2013 to 2017 were used.

Recent 5-Year Trend of Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiography in Korea Using National Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service Open Data.

Background/aims: The utilization of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is variable and largely dependent on a patient's age, sex, and region. Herein we analyzed the publicly available Health Insurance Review and Assessment (HIRA) database with the aim of understanding the current status and trend of ERCP use in Korea.

Methods: Between 2013 and 2017, information regarding ERCP was acquired from the HIRA database using the procedural codes of the Korean Standard Classification of Disease.

Pancreatitis, Panniculitis, and Polyarthritis Syndrome Simulating Cellulitis and Gouty Arthritis.

Pancreatitis, panniculitis, and polyarthritis (PPP) syndrome is a rare but critical disease with a high mortality rate. The diagnostic dilemma of PPP syndrome is the fact that symptoms occur unexpectedly. A 48-year-old man presented with fever and painful swelling of the left foot that was initially mistaken for cellulitis and gouty arthritis.

Colonic Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma Hidden in Actinomycosis.

Actinomycosis can mask malignant diseases. This paper reports a case of colonic diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), which was misdiagnosed as abdominal actinomycosis. A 76-year-old woman presented with right flank pain and weight loss.

Anti-inflammatory effects of apocynin on dextran sulfate sodium-induced mouse colitis model.

Background And Aim: Various drugs have been developed for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but still there are limitations in the treatment due to the insufficient responses and significant adverse effects of immunosuppressant. Apocynin is an NADPH-oxidase inhibitor with established safety profiles. We aimed to investigate the protective efficacy of apocynin in IBD using chemical-induced mouse colitis model.

Pancreatic Metastasis from Adenocarcinoma of the Uterine Cervix.

Pancreatic metastasis from cervical cancer is extremely rare. We report a case of metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas from uterine cervical cancer. A 70-year-old woman was referred because of a pancreatic mass detected by CT.

[Ischemic Necrosis Caused by Retroanastomotic Hernia after Subtotal Gastrectomy].

After gastrojejunostomy, a small space can occur between the jejunum at the anastomosis site, the transverse mesocolon, and retroperitoneum, which may cause an intestinal hernia. This report presents a rare case of intestinal ischemic necrosis caused by retroanastomotic hernia after subtotal gastrectomy. A 56-year-old male was admitted to Kangwon National University Hospital with melena, abdominal pain, and nausea.

Percutaneous cholecystostomy for biliary decompression in patients with cholangitis and pancreatitis.

Objective This study was performed to assess the effectiveness and safety of percutaneous cholecystostomy (PC) for biliary decompression. Methods We retrospectively analyzed our institution's PC database from March 2015 to August 2017 and selected patients with biliary obstruction. The primary outcomes were the technical and clinical success rates.

[Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor Presenting as Acute Pancreatitis].

We report a case of acute pancreatitis secondary to pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor. A 46-year old man presented with upper abdominal pain. The serum amylase and lipase were elevated.

Apocynin Suppresses Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammatory Responses Through the Inhibition of MAP Kinase Signaling Pathway in RAW264.7 Cells.

Apocynin, an inhibitor of NADPH oxidase, exhibits anti-inflammatory properties in ulcerative colitis. However, the underlying mechanism by which apocynin exerts this effect has not been clearly demonstrated. The objective of this study was to elucidate the anti-inflammatory mechanism of apocynin in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged RAW264.

Occult gastric cancer with distant metastasis proven by random gastric biopsy.

Krukenberg tumor, a rare metastatic ovarian tumor arising from gastrointestinal adenocarcinoma mainly, tends to occur in premenopausal females. Finding the origin of a Krukenberg tumor is crucial for determining prognosis. In Eastern countries, the most common origin of Krukenberg tumor is stomach cancer, which is generally diagnosed via endoscopic biopsy to investigate an abnormal mucosal lesion.

The Cytotoxicity of Kahweol in HT-29 Human Colorectal Cancer Cells Is Mediated by Apoptosis and Suppression of Heat Shock Protein 70 Expression.

Although coffee is known to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor properties, there have been few reports about the effect and mechanism of coffee compounds in colorectal cancer. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are molecular chaperones that prevent cell death. Their expression is significantly elevated in many tumors and is accompanied by increased cell proliferation, metastasis and poor response to chemotherapy.

Angiolipoma of the stomach presenting with anaemia.

Angiolipoma is a morphological variation of the lipoma and is a benign tumour that consists of mature adipose tissue and proliferating blood vessels. It occurs very rarely in the digestive tract, especially the stomach. We report a gastric angiolipoma in a 58-year-old woman admitted for anaemia and melena.

Expression of Heat Shock Proteins and Cytokines in Response to Ethanol Induced Damage in the Small Intestine of ICR Mice.

Background/aims: Ethanol administration causes intestinal epithelial cell damage by increasing intestinal permeability and the translocation of endotoxins from intestinal bacterial flora. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are associated with recovery and protection from cell damage. The aim of the current study was to investigate differences in the expression of HSPs in the small intestine and the biochemical changes attributable to ethanol-induced intestinal damage.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is associated with coronary artery disease in Koreans.

Aim: To investigate whether nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects coronary artery disease (CAD) and identify candidate mediators.

Methods: Patients who underwent coronary angiography were consecutively recruited. The patients were classified into four groups by coronary artery stenosis: A, insignificant; B, one-vessel disease; C, two-vessel disease; and D, three-vessel disease.