Endoscopic Submucosal Tunneling Techniques versus Flexible Endoscopic Septotomy for Zenker's Diverticulum: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background And Aims: Zenker's diverticulum (ZD) is the most common type of esophageal diverticulum. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis aiming to compare the effectiveness and safety of endoscopic submucosal tunneling techniques (ESTT) and flexible endoscopic septotomy (FES) for treating patients with ZD, including subgroup analyses by follow-up duration (<12 months and ≥12 months), diverticulum size (<2.5cm and ≥2.

Novel regimen for colonoscopy bowel preparation with oral lactulose: a prospective comparative study.

Background/aims: Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is considered the gold standard regimen for bowel preparation; however, due to the necessity of a large volume, patient tolerance is impaired. Therefore, lactulose is a novel alternative for colonoscopy preparation. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of lactulose-based bowel preparations in comparison with PEG for colonoscopy.

Use of N-acetylcysteine plus simethicone to improve mucosal visibility in upper digestive endoscopy via systematic alphanumeric-coded endoscopy: a randomized, double-blind controlled trial.

Background: The use of antifoaming and mucolytic agents prior to upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy and a thorough systematic review are essential to optimize lesion detection. This study evaluated the effect of simethicone and N-acetylcysteine on the adequate mucosal visibility (AMV) of the upper GI tract by an innovative systematic method.

Methods: This randomized, double-blind controlled trial included consecutive patients who underwent diagnostic upper GI endoscopy for screening for early neoplasms between August 2019 and December 2019.

Management of esophageal neoplasms by endoscopic submucosal dissection: experience over 100 consecutive procedures.

Background/aims: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is currently considered the first-line treatment for the eradication of superficial neoplasms of the esophagus in Eastern countries. However, in the West, particularly in Latin America, the experience with esophageal ESD is still limited because of the high technical complexity required for its execution. This study aimed to present the results of the clinical application of ESD to manage superficial esophageal neoplasms in a Latin American center in over 100 consecutive cases.

Deep Q-network for social robotics using emotional social signals.

Social robotics represents a branch of human-robot interaction dedicated to developing systems to control the robots to operate in unstructured environments with the presence of human beings. Social robots must interact with human beings by understanding social signals and responding appropriately to them. Most social robots are still pre-programmed, not having great ability to learn and respond with actions adequate during an interaction with humans.

Clinical effectiveness of short course oral prednisone for stricture prevention after semi-circumferential esophageal endoscopic submucosal dissection.

Esophageal strictures (ES) occur frequently after semi-circumferential endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for the eradication of superficial esophageal neoplasms and negatively impact a patient's quality of life. Oral corticosteroids have been shown to be clinically effective, but the most appropriate drug, dose and duration is yet to be determined. The aim of the study was to investigate the clinical effectiveness and safety of 30 mg prednisone with a shortened tapering schedule on ES after semi-circumferential ESD.

South-to-north migration preceded the advent of intensive farming in the Maya region.

The genetic prehistory of human populations in Central America is largely unexplored leaving an important gap in our knowledge of the global expansion of humans. We report genome-wide ancient DNA data for a transect of twenty individuals from two Belize rock-shelters dating between 9,600-3,700 calibrated radiocarbon years before present (cal. BP).