Correction to: Diagnostic significance of SPACE for PCIS.

In the original publication of the article, the first sentence of the listed point 2, in page 1 should read as "Advanced pancreatic cancer is diagnosed by pancreatic juice cytology in < 50% of cases."

The overlap of upper functional gastrointestinal disorders with irritable bowel syndrome in Chinese outpatients: A multicenter study.

Background And Aim: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional bowel disease, and the overlap with upper functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) is popular. However, the coexistent upper GI symptom profiles, upper FGID spectra, and related risk factors among IBS subjects remain unclear in mainland of China.

Methods: Consecutive patients from the outpatient gastroenterology clinics of three tertiary hospitals in China were enrolled in this multicenter study.

Comparison in efficacy between pure NOTES peritoneoscopy with small or large endoscope and laparoscopy.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and systematic impact of different sized endoscopes for pure transgastric natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) peritoneoscopy relative to laparoscopy.

Methods: A total of 15 dogs were randomly assigned to the small-sized endoscope (SS), large-sized endoscope (LS) and standard laparoscopy (SL) groups. The procedure time, visualization scores for abdominal organs, gastric incision healing times and procedure-associated complications were recorded.

Verification of the Tokyo guidelines for acute cholangitis secondary to benign and malignant biliary obstruction: experience from a Chinese tertiary hospital.

Background: The lack of widely-accepted guidelines for acute cholangitis largely lags behind the progress in medical and surgical technology and science for the management of acute cholangitis. This study aimed to verify the Tokyo guidelines for the management of acute cholangitis and cholecystitis of 2007 edition (TG07) in patients with obstructive cholangitis due to benign and malignant diseases.

Methods: The patients were retrieved from our existing ERCP database.

Comparison of two editions of Tokyo guidelines for the management of acute cholangitis.

Background: The Tokyo guidelines from 2007 (TG07) and 2013 (TG13) were compared for the management of acute cholangitis (AC).

Methods: We reviewed patients with clinically-proven AC by detecting purulent biles during biliary drainage. TG07 and TG13 were compared regarding diagnosis, severity grading and prognostic values.

Bile acid-induced expression of farnesoid X receptor as the basis for superiority of internal biliary drainage in experimental biliary obstruction.

Aims And Objectives: The aim is to determine the efficacy of internal and external biliary drainage (ED) with special reference to the effect of bile acid on intestinal epithelium during experimental biliary obstruction. Methods. A total of 59 male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned to four groups: (I) sham operation (SH); (II) obstructive jaundice (OJ); (III) OJ and ED; and (IV) OJ and internal biliary drainage (ID).

NOTES: 'pre-dilatation' as a remedy for technical issues during transgastric access.

Objective: To identify and resolve procedural issues during transgastric access for the Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES), where feasibility and safety is established in animals and humans. However, several technical problems during viscerotomy result in considerable delay or procedure failure.

Methods: Gastrotomy was performed under general anaesthesia in survival canine models.

Single-step, natural orifice transluminal endoscopic incision drainage of a pancreatic pseudocyst: can it be simpler, safer and more cost effective?

Conventional endotherapy for pancreatic pseudocyst involves placement of stents in the cyst cavity. We have successfully treated bulging pseudocyst in a 50 year old male by endoscopic incision drainage (EID), without insertion of endoprostheses. The presenting complaints in our patient were epigastric mass and postprandial vomiting.

Current status of cleaning and disinfection for gastrointestinal endoscopy in China: a survey of 122 endoscopy units.

Background: Adequate compliance with the existing guidelines for cleaning and disinfection of gastrointestinal endoscopes and accessories is necessary to obtain high-level disinfection and prevent pathogen transmission.

Aim: To investigate cleaning and disinfection practice in China.

Methods: A questionnaire with 21 questions concerning gastrointestinal endoscopy reprocessing was sent by e-mail to 189 endoscopy units in China.

Cholelithiasis in hepatic cirrhosis: evaluating the role of risk factors.

Objective: To determine the role of risk factors, which promote cholelithasis in Hepatic Cirrhosis (HC).

Methods: A prospective study was conducted on indoor cases with advanced HC. Outpatients with compensated Chronic Liver Disease were used as control.

Non-conventional transmission of hepatitis C: a true possibility ignored.

Objective: The exact mode of hepatitis C virus (HCV) transfer remains elusive in a vast majority of cases. We examined the possibility of non-conventional transmission of HCV by person-to-person contact.

Method: A questionnaire based, prospective study was conducted at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) from July-October, 2006.

Diagnostic transgastric flexible peritoneoscopy: is pure natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery a fantasy?

We present the first transgastric peritoneoscopy in a 20-year-old man. The objectives were to evaluate the impact of the site of viscerotomy on the technical feasibility of natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES), assess transgastric peritoneoscopy as a complementary procedure, determine the safety and efficacy of NOTES, and attempt inspection/biopsy of the gallbladder. The patient was admitted with a benign gastric outlet obstruction, chronic cholecystitis and radiological suspicion of a mass in the gallbladder which was not visualised on diagnostic laparoscopy.