Comparison of diagnostic efficacy between CLE,tissue sampling,and CLE combined with tissue sampling for undetermined pancreaticobiliary strictures: a meta-analysis

Objective: The accurate diagnosis of undetermined pancreaticobiliary strictures remains challenging. Current ERCP-guided tissue sampling methods are of low sensitivity. Confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) is a new procedure and allows real optical biopsies that may improve the diagnosis of undetermined pancreaticobiliary strictures. The aim of this meta-analysis was to determine the diagnostic yield of CLE, tissue sampling, and CLE combined with tissue sampling for undetermined pancreaticobiliary strictures.

Method: Pubmed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library database were reviewed for relevant studies. Pooled estimates of sensitivity and specificity with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using the random-effects meta-analysis model. The summary receiver-operating characteristic (SROC) curve was constructed, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was calculated.

Results: Twelve studies involving 591 patients were enrolled in our analysis. The overall sensitivity and the specificity estimate of CLE for discriminating benign and malignant pancreaticobiliary strictures were 87% (95%CI, 83–91%) and 76% (95%CI, 70–81%), respectively. The AUC to assess the diagnostic efficacy was 0.8705. For tissue sampling, the overall sensitivity and the specificity estimate were 64% (95%CI, 57–70%) and 94% (95%CI, 90–97%), respectively. The AUC to assess the diagnostic efficacy was 0.8040. A combination of both methods increased the sensitivity (93%; 95%CI, 88–96%) with a specificity of 82% (95%CI, 74–89%). The AUC to assess the diagnostic efficacy was 0.9377. There was no publication bias by Deeks’ Funnel Plot with p?=?.936.

Conclusions: Compared with tissue sampling, CLE may increase the sensitivity for the diagnosis of malignant pancreaticobiliary strictures. A combination of both can effectively diagnose malignant pancreaticobiliary strictures.     

Diagnosis of gastric intraepithelial neoplasia by narrow-band imaging and confocal laser endomicroscopy

AIM: To evaluate the diagnosis of different differentiated gastric intraepithelial neoplasia (IN) by magnification endoscopy combined with narrow-band imaging (ME-NBI) and confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE).METHODS: Eligible patients with suspected gastric IN lesions previously diagnosed by endoscopy in secondary hospitals and scheduled for further diagnosis and treatment were recruited for this study. Excluded from the study were patients who had liver cirrhosis, impaired renal function, acute gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, coagulopathy, esophageal varices, jaundice, and GI post-surgery. Also excluded were those who were pregnant, breastfeeding, were younger than 18 years old, or were unable to provide informed consent. All patients had all mucus and bile cleared from their stomachs. They then received upper GI endoscopy. When a mucosal lesion is found during observation with white-light imaging, the lesion is visualized using maximal magnification, employing gradual movement of the tip of the endoscope to bring the image into focus. Saved images are analyzed. Confocal images were evaluated by two endoscopists (Huang J and Li MY), who were familiar with CLE, blinded to the related information about the lesions, and asked to classify each lesion as either a low grade dysplasia (LGD) or high grade dysplasia (HGD) according to given criteria. The results were compared with the final histopathologic diagnosis. ME-NBI images were evaluated by two endoscopists (Lu ZS and Ling-Hu EQ) who were familiar with NBI, blinded to the related information about the lesions and CLE images, and were asked to classify each lesion as a LGD or HGD according to the “microvascular pattern and surface pattern” classification system. The results were compared with the final histopathologic diagnosis.RESULTS: The study included 32 pathology-proven low grade gastric IN and 26 pathology-proven high grade gastric IN that were detected with any of the modalities. CLE and ME-NBI enabled clear visualization of the vascular microsurface patterns and microvascular structures of the gastric mucosa. The accuracy of the CLE and the ME-NBI diagnosis was 88% (95% CI: 78%-98%) and 81% (95% CI: 69%-93%), respectively. The kappa coefficient of agreement between the histopathology and the in vivo CLE imaging was 0.755; between the histopathology and the in vivo CLE imaging was 0.615. McNemar’s test (binomial distribution used) indicated that the agreement was significant (P < 0.05). When patients were diagnosed by ME-NBI with CLE, the overall accuracy of the diagnosis was 86.21% (95% CI: 73%-96%), and the kappa coefficient of agreement was 0.713, according to McNemar’s test (P < 0.05).CONCLUSION: Higher diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of CLE over ME-NBI indicate the feasibility of these two techniques for the efficacious diagnostic classification of gastric IN.     

Endomicroscopy of intestinal metaplasia and gastric cancer

In vivo histologic diagnosis of gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM) and gastric cancer (GC) can be achieved by confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE). This review describes the endomicroscopic features of GIM and GC and reviews their clinical applications. Differentiation of phenotypes of GIM and GC by using CLE is also discussed.     

Light-NBI to identify high-risk phenotypes for gastric adenocarcinoma: do we still need biopsies?

Objective Early diagnosis of gastric cancer may be achieved through surveillance of patients with extensive gastric intestinal metaplasia (eGIM). However, diagnosis of eGIM generally implies histology. We aimed at determining the accuracy of high-resolution endoscopy with light-narrow band imaging (NBI) to assess the presence of eGIM on a per-patient basis. Material and methods Prospective cohort of 60 patients divided into two groups: derivation cohort (n?=?25) to evaluate the reliability and validity, and a real-time validation group (n?=?35). In the derivation group, six endoscopists with two levels of expertise were asked to estimate the grade of GIM based in endoscopic images (white light endoscopy, light-NBI and amplification/near focus). In the real-time validation set, experienced endoscopists were asked to similarly record their real-time optical diagnosis. Histology was then considered as the gold standard. Results In the derivation group diagnosis accuracy was 60% with WLE (non-expert 59% vs. 61% experts), increasing to 73% after NBI magnification (non-expert 63% vs. 83% expert, p?Conclusion For the first time the reliability of high-resolution endoscopy with light-NBI for extension of GIM is described. Our results suggest that more than 90% of individuals at risk could be identified without the need for biopsies, simplifying the current recommendations.     

The diagnostic value of interleukin 6 as a biomarker for gastric cancer: A meta-analysis and systematic review

Background:Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers and a main cause of global cancer death. The expression of interleukin 6 is associated with the risk of gastric cancer. But the diagnostic accuracy of interleukin 6 remains unclear. This study was designed to assess the diagnostic performance of interleukin 6 in gastric cancer diagnosis.Methods:The related data was obtained from Oncomine and studied using bioinformatics analysis. The PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of science databases were searched for related studies published from inception to July 14, 2020. Measuring tools of diagnostic performance including sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratio were pooled using bivariate mixed-effects meta-analysis model. The summery receiver operator characteristic curves were plotted.Results:The result from Oncomine showed that the expression of interleukin 6 in gastric cancer (GC) patients was higher than the normal groups (P < .05). Furthermore, a total of 4 eligible articles were enrolled, containing 390 cases and 404 controls. The diagnostic results were as follows: a sensitivity of 0.80 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.57–0.92), a specificity of 0.86 (95% CI 0.74–0.93), a positive likelihood ratio of 5.76 (95% CI 3.49–9.49), a negative likelihood ratio of 0.23 (95% CI 0.11–0.51) and a diagnostic odds ratio of 24.58 (95% CI 14.14–42.73). The summary area under the receiver operating characteristic curves was 0.90 (95% CI 0.87–0.93).Conclusion:Higher interleukin 6 expression was detected in GC patients, and interleukin 6 could be a helpful indicator of diagnosis of gastric cancer. Further large-scale prospective studies are required for identifying the diagnostic value of interleukin 6 in gastric cancer.     

Colonic lesion characterization in inflammatory bowel disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

AIM To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis for the diagnostic accuracy of in vivo lesion characterization in colonic inflammatory bowel disease(IBD), using optical imaging techniques, including virtual chromoendoscopy(VCE), dye-based chromoendoscopy(DBC), magnification endoscopy and confocal laser endomicroscopy(CLE). METHODS We searched Medline, Embase and the Cochrane library. We performed a bivariate meta-analysis to calculate the pooled estimate sensitivities, specificities, positive and negative likelihood ratios(+LHR,-LHR), diagnostic odds ratios(DOR), and area under the SROC curve(AUSROC) for each technology group. A subgroup analysis was performed to investigate differences in real-time nonmagnified Kudo pit patterns(with VCE and DBC) and real-time CLE.RESULTS We included 22 studies [1491 patients; 4674 polyps, of which 539(11.5%) were neoplastic]. Real-time CLE had a pooled sensitivity of 91%(95%CI: 66%-98%), specificity of 97%(95%CI: 94%-98%), and an AUSROC of 0.98(95%CI: 0.97-0.99). Magnification endoscopy had a pooled sensitivity of 90%(95%CI: 77%-96%)and specificity of 87%(95%CI: 81%-91%). VCE had a pooled sensitivity of 86%(95%CI: 62%-95%) and specificity of 87%(95%CI: 72%-95%). DBC had a pooled sensitivity of 67%(95%CI: 44%-84%) and specificity of 86%(95%CI: 72%-94%). CONCLUSION Real-time CLE is a highly accurate technology for differentiating neoplastic from non-neoplastic lesions in patients with colonic IBD. However, most CLE studies were performed by single expert users within tertiary centres, potentially confounding these results.     

共聚焦激光显微内镜对胃黏膜肠上皮化生的分级诊断

目的 应用共聚焦激光显微内镜对胃黏膜肠上皮化生(GIM)的严重程度进行即时诊断,探讨该内镜对GIM分级诊断的价值.方法 采用Pentax EC3870K共聚焦激光显微内镜对已知GIM患者进行检查,即时判断有无GIM,根据肠化面积及杯状细胞数量,借鉴新悉尼标准,判断严重程度(分为轻、中、重度),以病理诊断为金标准.对轻、中、重度GIM进行分型诊断,判断是否合并异型增生,检测Ki67表达情况.结果 共扫描58例患者的GIM阳性部位151个,有92、34和25个部位分别被诊断为轻、中、重度GIM.经病理证实有146个部位存在GIM,总诊断阳性率96.7%.其中轻、中、重度GIM部位分别有82、36、28个.共聚焦激光显微内镜对轻、中、重度GIM诊断的敏感性和特异性分别是90.2%和73.9%、69.4%和92.2%、71.4 0A和95.9%,与病理诊断一致性的κ值分别是0.65、0.63、0.70.GIM越严重,不完全型GIM的比例、伴异型增生的比例、Ki67的表达强度越高.结论 共聚焦激光显微内镜可在胃镜检查时对GIM的严重程度作出即时、准确的诊断.分级诊断有临床指导意义.     

Endoscopic ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration for the diagnosis of intra-abdominal lymphadenopathy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: It is difficult to diagnose the cause of abdominal lymphadenopathy without determining the primary lesions. With the advent of curved ultrasound endoscopy, EUS-FNA can sample lymph nodes safely, accurately and conveniently. Due to the lack of formal quantitative and comprehensive literature review to determine the diagnostic value of EUS-FNA in the diagnosis of enlarged intra-abdominal lymph nodes of unknown origin, we conducted this study to systematically evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of EUS-FNA in the enlarged intra-abdominal lymph nodes.

Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the accuracy of EUS-FNA for the diagnosis of intra-abdominal lymphadenopathy. We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library to collect related studies and diagnostic performance data. We used a random-effects model to estimate the pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR). Heterogeneity was assessed by subgroup and meta-regression analysis.

Results: Twelve eligible studies involved 774 patients were identified. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of all studies is 94% (95% CI: 91% to 96%) and 98% (95% CI: 96% to 99%), respectively. The pooled positive and negative likelihood ratios are 17.44 (95% CI, 6.50 to 46.79) and 0.09 (95% CI: 0.06 to 0.14). The pooled DOR is 277.82 (95% CI, 97.65 to 790.46).

Conclusions: EUS-FNA is a safe and feasible technique with high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of abdominal lymph node enlargement. Considering the limitations and heterogeneity, high-quality studies are needed to further explore the diagnostic value of EUS-FNA.     

Regular arrangement of collecting venules under endoscopy for predicting a Helicobacter pylori-negative stomach: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background and aimsThe regular arrangement of collecting venules (RAC) refers to the appearance of multiple regular tiny veins in the body of the stomach and is considered to be very effective for identifying gastric mucosa with non-Helicobacter pylori infection. This meta-analysis was conducted to systematically evaluate the value of the sign in predicting a Helicobacter pylori-negative stomach and the relevant factors that may affect the performance of this prediction.MethodsTwo biomedical databases (PubMed and EMBASE) were systematically searched through April 20, 2020. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) and area under the SROC curve (AUC) were calculated.ResultsFourteen articles with 4070 patients were included. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR, DOR and AUC for the RAC in predicting non-Hp infection were 0.80 (0.67–0.89), 0.97 (0.93–0.98), 24.8 (12.2–50.8), 0.21 (0.12–0.36), 120 (47–301) and 0.97 (0.19–1.00), respectively.ConclusionsThe RAC is a valuable endoscopic feature for the prediction of patients without Hp infection.     

Can neopterin be a useful immune biomarker for differentiating gastric intestinal metaplasia and gastric atrophy from non-atrophic non-metaplastic chronic gastritis?

IntroductionHelicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is closely related to pre-neoplastic lesions such as gastric atrophy (GA), gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM) and eventually gastric cancer (GC). The diagnosis of GIM and GA is usually based on endoscopic and histopathological features. Nowadays, there are no recognized good serological markers of GIM and GA. Neopterin is an important marker of cellular inflammation. In this study, we aimed to comparatively evaluate C-reactive protein (CRP) and neopterin levels in patients with GIM, GA and chronic gastritis, and to show the increased serum neopterin levels in GIM and GA according to non-atrophic and non-metaplastic chronic gastritis.Patients and methods98 patients with GIM and 68 patients with GA and 70 patients with non-atrophic non-metaplastic gastritis were included in the study. CRP and neopterin levels were assessed in patients and controls.ResultsCRP and neopterin levels were significantly higher in patients with GIM and GA than in controls (p < 0.05 and p < 0.001, respectively). A multiple logistic regression analysis showed that high levels of serum neopterin were positively correlated with GIM and GA. According to the ROC curve analysis, the best cut-off value to differentiate between patients with GIM and/or GA from controls was ≥10.15 nmol/l (p < 0.001) for serum neopterin levels and ≥1.95 mg/l (p < 0.001) for serum CRP levels.DiscussionCRP and neopterin levels are significantly increased in GIM and GA. Neopterin may be a useful biomarker and diagnostic test for detecting GIM and GA in clinical practice. CRP levels may be helpful for this observation.     

Confocal laser endomicroscopy for diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection: A prospective study

Background and Aim: Confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) is a new endoscopy technique for subsurface analysis of the gastric mucosa and in vivo histology examination during endoscopy. We aimed to compare the clinical applicability and predictive power of CLE with the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection in patients with gastrointestinal symptoms. Methods: A total of 103 consecutive patients scheduled to undergo endoscopy were enrolled. CLE image criteria for H. pylori infection were established in a pilot study of 20 patients, then images for 83 consecutive patients were prospectively evaluated, and data were correlated with the final diagnosis of H. pylori infection in a blinded manner. Results: We found good association between histopathology and CLE findings. H. pylori infection was identified by CLE with any of the following three features: white spots, neutrophils and microabscesses. The accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of CLE diagnosis of H. pylori infection were 92.8%, 89.2% and 95.7%, respectively. The mean κ‐value for interobserver agreement in the prediction of H. pylori infection was 0.78. Neutrophils were the best diagnostic feature and had good sensitivity (83.8%) and specificity (97.8%). H. pylori‐associated changes were more common in the antrum than in the corpus among infected patients (P < 0.001). Conclusions: H. pylori infection can be identified by specific cellular and subcellular changes of the surface gastric mucosa with CLE. CLE is a novel, useful method for predicting H. pylori infection in vivo during endoscopy.     

Diagnostic accuracy of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration for pancreatic cancer: A meta-analysis

Background and objectiveEUS-FNA of pancreatic lesion has been put into clinical use widely in many centers. The present meta-analysis was conducted to study the diagnostic role of EUS-FNA in pancreatic cancer.MethodsA comprehensive review of study on the precision of EUS-FNA in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. A random effects model was used to pool the sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR) and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR). A summary receiver-operating characteristic (SROC) was constructed to summarize the overall test performance.ResultsThirty-one articles were eligible for the meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR and DOR of EUS-FNA in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer were 0.89 (95% CI: 0.88–0.90), 0.96 (95% CI: 0.95–0.97), 16.88 (95% CI: 10.63–26.79), 0.13 (95%CI: 0.10–0.16) and 150.80 (95%CI: 95.94–237.03) respectively. In subgroup meta-analysis of the prospective studies, the pooled sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR and DOR were 0.91 (95% CI: 0.90–0.93), 0.94 (95% CI: 0.91–0.96), 11.19 (95% CI: 6.36–19.69), 0.10 (95% CI: 0.07–0.15) and 125.22 (62.37–251.41). The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.97, indicating a good performance of overall accuracy.ConclusionEUS-FNA has the high sensitivity and specificity in differentiating pancreatic cancer. Moreover, it is also a safe diagnostic modality with little complications.     

Mean platelet volume could be possible biomarker in early diagnosis and monitoring of gastric cancer

Abstract

Gastric cancer is the fourth most frequent cancer and the second cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The early diagnosis of gastric cancer is fundamental in decreasing the mortality rates. It has been shown that MPV level is a sign of inflammation in hepatocellular carcinoma and pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The aim of this study is to examine whether MPV would be a useful inflammatory marker for differentiating gastric cancer patients from healthy controls. Thirty-one gastric cancer patients and 31 age-sexes matched healthy subjects included into the study. Patients with hypertension, hematological and renal disease, heart failure, chronic infection, hepatic disorder and other cancer were excluded from the study. MPV level was significantly higher in pre-operative gastric cancer patients compared to healthy subjects (8.31 fL vs. 7.85; p: 0.007). ROC analysis suggested 8.25 fL as the cut-off value for MPV (AUC: 0.717, sensitivity: 61%, specificity: 81%). Surgical tumor resection resulted in a significant decrease in MPV level (8.31 fL vs. 7.55 fL; p: 0.001). No significant difference was found in MPV level between the post-operative group and control subjects. We did not find statistically significant difference between MPV and TNM stages. In conclusion, changes in MPV values may be used as an easily available biomarker for monitoring the healthy patients for GC risk and may prompt physicians to make an early diagnosis of GC.     

S100A9 as a novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in human gastric cancer

Abstract

Objective: The morbidity and mortality of gastric cancer (GC) is high, but there are lack of the biomarkers for early diagnosis and progression of GC. We aimed to identify a novel biomarker for the growth and progression of GC.

Methods: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database including 352 eligible patients was used to screen candidate genes related to the prognosis of GC. A proteomics analysis of Chinese Human Proteome Sketches (CHPS) including 84 eligible sample tissues was conducted to further identify candidate biomarkers. A series of in vitro assays were performed to investigate the functions of candidate proteins in GC. Next, to verify whether the candidate oncogene was associated with gastric carcinogenesis, we screened its expression levels using samples from 200 patients with chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG), intestinal metaplasia (IM), dysplasia, or GC and healthy controls.

Results: According to the analyses of the TCGA database and CHPS, we found that S100A9 may be associated with the prognosis of GC. The results of proliferation, wound-healing and invasion assays, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and western blot showed that high levels of S100A9 in tissues were significantly associated with GC aggressiveness and a poor prognosis (p?<?.05). Furthermore, we found that the expression of S100A9 increased gradually during the process of gastric carcinogenesis (p?<?.05). The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of S100A9 as a biomarker for early GC were 61.4% and 81.3%, respectively.

Conclusions: This study reveals that S100A9 may be a novel biomarker for the early diagnosis and prognosis of GC patients.     

共聚焦激光显微内镜对胃部溃疡型病变的鉴别诊断价值

目的 评价共聚焦激光显微内镜(confoeal laser endomicroscopy,CLE)对胃部溃疡型病变的鉴别诊断价值.方法 将CLE普通内镜模式下诊断为胃部溃疡型病变的患者纳入研究,转为CLE共聚焦内镜模式.对溃疡边缘和(或)表面黏膜进行扫查.随后对相同部位行黏膜活检.将CLE检查结果 与病理组织学结果 进行对比.结果 共43例患者入选,扫查部位150个,获得图像12 769幅.与病理组织学结果 比较,CLE诊断炎性病变的敏感度为83.54%、特异度为85.92%、阳性预测值为86.84%、阴性预测值为82.43%;诊断上皮内瘤变的敏感度为53.57%、特异度为88.52%、阳性预测值为51.72%、阴性预测值为89.26%;诊断胃癌的敏感度为88.37%、特异度为93.46%、阳性预测值为84.44%、阴性预测值为95.24%.在CLE与病理诊断的一致性检验中,对于炎性病变的κ值为0.69,上皮内瘤变的κ值为0.42,胃癌的κ值为0.81.结论 CLE对于胃部溃疡型病变的组织学类型可作出即刻诊断,其诊断的敏感度、特异度、阳性预测值、阴性预测值均较高,有利于指导靶向活检,提高癌前病变及胃癌的检出率.     

Gastric Juice-Based Genotypic Methods for Diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori Infection and Antibiotic Resistance Testing: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of gastric juice–based genotypic methods for Helicobacter pylori detection and antibiotic resistance testing.Methods: We used electronic databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trial for literature survey using keywords such as “gastric juice,” “Helicobacter pylori,” and their synonyms. The quality of the studies was assessed using QUADAS-2. Summary performance measures (sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values, negative predictive values, diagnostic odds ratio, and area under the summary receiver-operating characteristic curve) and HSROC curves were produced. In addition, Fagan plots were applied to illustrate the relationship among the prior test probability, PLR/NLR, and posterior test probability.Results: Our study cohort comprised eight studies with 1235 participants (617 participants with H. pylori infection and 618 participants with non-H. pylori infection). Pooled sensitivity and specificity with a corresponding 95% CI of gastric juice–based genotypic methods reflected values of 94% (95% CI, 86%-98%) and 98% (95% CI, 85%-100%), respectively. The global sensitivity and specificity of clarithromycin resistance were 92% (95% CI, 85%-96%) and 90% (95% CI, 80%-95%), respectively.Conclusion: Gastric juice–based genotypic methods can be used for diagnostic prediction of H. pylori infection as well as clarithromycin resistance testing.     

A single vial is enough in the absence of endoscopic suspected intestinal metaplasia – less is more!

Background: For the correct staging of chronic atrophic gastritis (AG) and gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM) at least 4 biopsies are recommended: 2 from the antrum/incisura and 2 from the body sent in two different vials. As virtual chromoendoscopy with narrow-band-imaging (NBI) is valid both in the diagnosis and staging of GIM, it is reasonable to question the need to separate biopsy samples in all procedures.

Aims: To evaluate if biopsy samples can be placed in the same vial without implications in the diagnosis and follow-up of the patient, if during gastroscopy no typical endoscopic pattern of GIM with NBI is observed.

Methods: Multicentre prospective study of a consecutive sample of patients (n?=?183) submitted to gastroscopy using NBI with no superficial neoplastic lesions and no suggestive areas of GIM. Biopsies of both antrum/incisure and body were performed in all patients and samples were placed in the same vial for histologic assessment [according to OLGA (operative link for gastritis assessment) and OLGIM (operative link for gastric intestinal metaplasia)], blinded to endoscopic features.

Results: In all patients, OLGA and OLGIM calculation was possible as the pathologists could distinguish biopsy samples from antrum/incisure from those of gastric body. The negative predictive value was 100% for advanced stages of GIM or AG as 179 (98%) patients presented OLGIM 0 and only 4 (2%) presented OLGIM I. Regarding AG, 150 (82%) presented OLGA 0, 23 (13%) OLGA I and 10 (6%) OLGA II.

Conclusion: In the absence of a typical endoscopic pattern of GIM using NBI, it is effective to place biopsies’ specimens in the same vial (for Helicobacter pylori diagnosis) or even to abstain from biopsies as no single patient with significant changes seems to be missed. This change in clinical practice can have a significant impact on endoscopy costs.     

Validity of Self-rating Screening Scales for the Diagnosis of Depression and Anxiety in Adult Patients With Bronchiectasis

BackgroundThere are no previous studies aimed at assessing the validity of the screening scales for depression and anxiety in adult patients with bronchiectasis.AimsTo analyze the psychometric properties of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Hamilton Anxiety Scale and to evaluate the concordance for the diagnosis of depression and anxiety between these screening scales and the structured clinical interview in adult patients with bronchiectasis.MethodCross sectional study. 52 patients with bronchiectasis completed HADS, BDI and Hamilton Anxiety Scale; afterwards, were individually interviewed by a mental health care professional using the structured Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), which evaluates for depression and anxiety according to DSM-IV criteria.ResultsBased on MINI, 18 subjects (34.6%) had a diagnosis of depression and 25 (48.1%) had anxiety. Optimal cut-off values to detect depression were ≥9 for the HADS-D (sensitivity 0.833, specificity 0.971, AUC 0.962 [95% CI 0.918–1]), and 17 for BDI (sensitivity 0.889, specificity 0.912, AUC 0.978 [95% CI 0.945–1]). Optimal cut-off values to detect anxiety were ≥4 for the HADS-A (sensitivity 0.960, specificity 0.593, AUC 0.833 [95% CI 0.723–0.943]), and 17 for Hamilton Anxiety Scale (sensitivity 0.800, specificity 0.852, AUC 0.876 [95% CI 0.781–0.970]).ConclusionThe self-rating screening scales HADS, BDI and Hamilton Anxiety Scale are reliable tools to screen for depression and anxiety in adult patients with bronchiectasis. However, the use of specific cut-off values may improve the diagnostic accuracy of the previous scales in this specific group of patients.     

Diagnostic accuracy of different computer-aided diagnostic systems for prostate cancer based on magnetic resonance imaging: A systematic review with diagnostic meta-analysis

Background:Computer-aided detection (CAD) system for accurate and automated prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis have been developed, however, the diagnostic test accuracy of different CAD systems is still controversial. This systematic review aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of CAD systems based on magnetic resonance imaging for PCa.Methods:Cochrane library, PubMed, EMBASE and China Biology Medicine disc were systematically searched until March 2019 for original diagnostic studies. Two independent reviewers selected studies on CAD based on magnetic resonance imaging diagnosis of PCa and extracted the requisite data. Pooled sensitivity, specificity, and the area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve were calculated to estimate the diagnostic accuracy of CAD system.Results:Fifteen studies involving 1945 patients were included in our analysis. The diagnostic meta-analysis showed that overall sensitivity of CAD system ranged from 0.47 to 1.00 and, specificity from 0.47 to 0.89. The pooled sensitivity of CAD system was 0.87 (95% CI: 0.76–0.94), pooled specificity 0.76 (95% CI: 0.62–0.85), and the area under curve (AUC) 0.89 (95% CI: 0.86–0.91). Subgroup analysis showed that the support vector machines produced the best AUC among the CAD classifiers, with sensitivity ranging from 0.87 to 0.92, and specificity from 0.47 to 0.95. Among different zones of prostate, CAD system produced the best AUC in the transitional zone than the peripheral zone and central gland; sensitivity ranged from 0.89 to 1.00, and specificity from 0.38 to 0.85.Conclusions:CAD system can help improve the diagnostic accuracy of PCa especially using the support vector machines classifier. Whether the performance of the CAD system depends on the specific locations of the prostate needs further investigation.