Age Matters: Adenoma Detection Rates in Average-risk Screening Patients Aged 45 to 49 Compared With Those Aged 50 to 54.

Goals: This study aims to address gaps in medical knowledge by determining whether adenoma detection rate (ADR) in average-risk screening patients aged 45 to 49 is equivalent to screening patients aged 50 to 54.

Background: Current guidelines recommend initiating colon cancer screening at age 45, yet our understanding of the effects of ADR in average-risk individuals among 45- to 49-year-olds is still limited.

Study: A retrospective analysis was conducted on records of average-risk screening colonoscopies performed on patients aged 45 to 54 from January 2018 to August 2022.

Colonic-enteric lumen-apposing metal stents: a promising and safe alternative for endoscopic management of small-bowel obstruction.

Background And Aims: Lumen-apposing metal stents (LAMSs) have revolutionized the treatment of various gastroenterologic conditions that previously required surgery. The use of LAMSs for the management of small-bowel obstruction (SBO) involves EUS-guided coloenterostomy (EUS-CE) between the colon and a dilated loop of the small intestine proximal to the point of obstruction. This procedure is potentially beneficial for patients with malignant SBO who are poor surgical candidates.

Randomized trial of gastric and colorectal endoscopic submucosal dissection defect closure comparing a novel through-the-scope suturing system with an over-the-scope suturing system (with video).

Background And Aims: Mucosal closure adds time but reduces adverse events associated with endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). We aimed to assess the closure time (CT), technical success, and cost-effectiveness between a novel through-the-scope helix tack suture system (TTSS) and the over-the-scope suturing system (OTSS).

Methods: In this single-center, prospective, randomized trial, all patients undergoing ESD with anticipated closure were randomized 1:1 to TTSS (study group) or OTSS (control group).

Recurrent bleeding duodenal and colonic ulcers due to post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder.

Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a rare complication of solid organ transplantation as the result of immunosuppressant medications. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been implicated in most of these cases, specifically with B-cell predominant lymphoma. This case report describes a 24-year-old female who presented with recurrent GI bleed within 6 months post-orthostatic heart transplant.

External validation of the COVID-19 4C mortality score in an urban United States cohort.

Background: Identifying patients at risk for mortality from COVID-19 is crucial to triage, clinical decision-making, and the allocation of scarce hospital resources. The 4C Mortality Score effectively predicts COVID-19 mortality, but it has not been validated in a United States (U.S.

Comparing reliability of ICD-10-based COVID-19 comorbidity data to manual chart review, a retrospective cross-sectional study.

Unlabelled: International Statistical Classification of Disease and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision codes (ICD-10) are used to characterize cohort comorbidities. Recent literature does not demonstrate standardized extraction methods.

Objective: Compare COVID-19 cohort manual-chart-review and ICD-10-based comorbidity data; characterize the accuracy of different methods of extracting ICD-10-code-based comorbidity, including the temporal accuracy with respect to critical time points such as day of admission.

Prediction and management of bleeding during endoscopic necrosectomy for pancreatic walled-off necrosis: results of a large retrospective cohort at a tertiary referral center.

Background And Aims: Lumen-apposing metal stents (LAMSs) provide an endoscopic method for management of walled-off necrosis (WON) and a gateway for the performance of endoscopic necrosectomy (EN). However, bleeding may occur in up to 20% of EN procedures. Predictive factors for bleeding in this patient population are unknown, and there is no agreed-on algorithm for the management of bleeding.

Association of race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status with COVID-19 30-day mortality at a Philadelphia medical center using a retrospective cohort study.

COVID-19 has disproportionately affected low-income communities and people of color. Previous studies demonstrated that race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) are not independently correlated with COVID-19 mortality. The purpose of our study is to determine the effect of race/ethnicity and SES on COVID-19 30-day mortality in a diverse, Philadelphian population.

Global deletion of NTPDase3 protects against diet-induced obesity by increasing basal energy metabolism.

Background: Ecto-nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase 3 (NTPDase3), also known as CD39L3, is the dominant ectonucleotidase expressed by beta cells in the islet of Langerhans and on nerves. NTPDase3 catalyzes the conversion of extracellular ATP and ADP to AMP and modulates purinergic signaling. Previous studies have shown that NTPDase3 decreases insulin release from beta-cells in vitro.

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided drainage of pancreatic walled-off necrosis using 20-mm versus 15-mm lumen-apposing metal stents: an international, multicenter, case-matched study.

Backgrounds: Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided placement of lumen-apposing metal stents (LAMSs) has gained popularity for the treatment of pancreatic walled-off necrosis (WON). We compared the 20-mm and 15-mm LAMSs for the treatment of symptomatic WON in terms of clinical success and adverse events.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective, case-matched study of 306 adults at 22 tertiary centers from 04/2014 to 10/2018.

Cathelicidin Mediates a Protective Role of Vitamin D in Ulcerative Colitis and Human Colonic Epithelial Cells.

Background: Vitamin D plays a protective role in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients through unclear mechanisms. Cathelicidin is an antimicrobial peptide induced by 1,25(OH)D2. Our goal was to evaluate the link between cathelicidin and vitamin D-associated clinical outcomes in UC patients, explore vitamin D induction of cathelicidin in human colon cells, and evaluate the effects of intrarectal human cathelicidin on a murine model of colitis.

Assessing the role of urologists and general surgeons in the open repair of bladder injuries: Analysis of a large, statewide trauma database.

Background: Bladder injuries often occur in the setting of polytrauma, and if severe, may require open surgical repairs. We assess the role of urologists and general surgeons (GS) in the open surgical management of bladder injuries and their outcomes in a traumatic setting.

Methods: Patients who underwent open bladder injury repair secondary to trauma from 2000 to 2017 by urology or GS were identified in the Pennsylvania Trauma Outcome Study database by International Classification of Diseases-9th Rev.

Prevalence of Chronic Constipation and Chronic Diarrhea in Diabetic Individuals in the United States.

Introduction: Diabetic individuals commonly report disordered bowel habits. This study aims to report the prevalence and associated factors of chronic diarrhea (CD) and chronic constipation (CC) in diabetics using a nationally representative sample of US adults.

Methods: Analyses were performed using data from subjects in the 2009-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) dataset who completed the Bowel Health Questionnaire.

Demographic and Dietary Associations of Chronic Diarrhea in a Representative Sample of Adults in the United States.

Objectives: No studies to date estimate the prevalence of chronic diarrhea in the United States using the Bristol stool form scale (BSFS). This study aims to report the prevalence and associated factors of chronic diarrhea using BSFS scores in a nationally representative sample of US adults.

Methods: We identified 5,246 adult participants (age ≥20 years) who completed the bowel health questionnaire in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009-2010 data set.

Risk Factors for Fecal Urgency Among Individuals With and Without Diarrhea, Based on Data From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Background & Aims: Fecal urgency is a common symptom among patients with gastrointestinal disorders, but can also occur in healthy individuals with normal bowel habits. There have been few studies of fecal urgency in the general population. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to analyze the prevalence of and risk factors for this symptom.

Higher serum vitamin D levels are associated with protective serum cytokine profiles in patients with ulcerative colitis.

Background & Aims: Vitamin D has immune modulating effects on cytokines. Serum vitamin D levels are associated with the risk of relapse in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), through unknown mechanisms. We tested the hypothesis that this beneficial role of vitamin D on UC is mediated through anti-inflammatory serum cytokine profiles.

Distinct roles of ecto-nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase-2 (NTPDase2) in liver regeneration and fibrosis.

Ecto-nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolases (E-NTPDases) are cell surface-located transmembrane ecto-enzymes of the CD39 superfamily which regulate inflammation and tissue repair by catalyzing the phosphohydrolysis of extracellular nucleotides and modulating purinergic signaling. In the liver, NTPDase2 is reportedly expressed on portal fibroblasts, but its functional role in regulating tissue regeneration and fibrosis is incompletely understood. Here, we studied the role of NTPDase2 in several models of liver injury using global knockout mice.

Characterizing Normal Bowel Frequency and Consistency in a Representative Sample of Adults in the United States (NHANES).

Objectives: Our current understanding of normal bowel patterns in the United States (US) is limited. Available studies have included individuals with both normal and abnormal bowel patterns, making it difficult to characterize normal bowel patterns in the US. The current study aims to (1) examine frequency and consistency in individuals with self-reported normal bowel habits and (2) determine demographic factors associated with self-reported normalcy.

Complete deletion of is atheroprotective in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice.

Cd39 scavenges extracellular ATP and ADP, ultimately generating adenosine, a nucleoside, which has anti-inflammatory effects in the vasculature. We have evaluated the role of Cd39 in the development of atherosclerosis in hyperlipidemic mice. KO (/) and double KO (DKO) (/) mice were maintained on chow or Western diet for up to 20 weeks before evaluation of atherosclerotic lesions.

Expression of Ecto-nucleoside Triphosphate Diphosphohydrolases-2 and -3 in the Enteric Nervous System Affects Inflammation in Experimental Colitis and Crohn's Disease.

Objective: Recent studies have suggested that the enteric nervous system can modulate gut immunity. Ecto-nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolases [E-NTPDases] regulate purinergic signalling by sequential phosphohydrolysis of pro-inflammatory extracellular adenosine 5'-triphosphate [ATP]. Herein, we test the hypothesis that E-NTPDases modulate gut inflammation via neuro-immune crosstalk.

Bilirubin suppresses Th17 immunity in colitis by upregulating CD39.

Unconjugated bilirubin (UCB), a product of heme oxidation, has known immunosuppressant properties but the molecular mechanisms, other than antioxidant effects, remain largely unexplored. We note that UCB modulates T helper type 17 (Th17) immune responses, in a manner dependent upon heightened expression of CD39 ectonucleotidase. UCB has protective effects in experimental colitis, where it enhances recovery after injury and preferentially boosts IL-10 production by colonic intraepithelial CD4+ cells.

Luminal Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Exhibit Proinflammatory Effects on Epithelial Cells and Macrophages.

Background: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-enclosed particles released by cells as a means of intercellular communication. They are potential novel biomarkers, as they are readily isolated from body fluids, and their composition reflects disease pathways. Whether these particles are released from sites of intestinal inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has not previously been determined.