A new mechanism for diverticular diseases: aging-related vagal withdrawal

Impact of periampullary diverticula on technical success and complications of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography

AIM

To investigate the association of periampullary diverticula (PAD) with pancreaticobiliary diseases as well as the impact of PAD on the technical success and complications of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).

METHODS

A total of 1455 consecutive patients who underwent ERCP from January 2016 to December 2016 at The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into a PAD group (n = 293) and a non-PAD group (n = 1162) according to the presence or absence of PAD. The rate of pancreaticobiliary diseases was analyzed and compared between the PAD group and non-PAD group, and the technical success rate of ERCP and the incidence of postoperative complications were also compared.

RESULTS

The rate of PAD increased with age (P < 0.05). The incidence rates of suppurative cholangitis and acute pancreatitis (AP) and carcinoma of the pancreatic head in patients with PAD were significantly higher than those in patients without (P < 0.05). The rates of postoperative complications, such as hemorrhage, perforation, post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP) and hyperamylasemia, were significantly higher in patients with PAD (P < 0.05). No significant differences was observed in the success rate of ERCP (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

PAD is associated with an increased rate of pancreaticobiliary diseases as well as the occurrence of postoperative complications of ERCP. However, the presence of PAD dose not affect the technical success rate of ERCP.

Review article: the pathogenesis of diverticular disease--current perspectives on motility and neurotransmitters

BACKGROUND

Low-fibre diet, structural abnormalities and ageing are traditional aetiological factors implicated in the development of diverticular disease. More recently, motility disorders are implicated in its causation leading to speculation that neurotransmitters play a role in mediating these disturbances.

AIMS

To draw together studies on the role of neurotransmitters in the development of diverticular disease and its symptoms.

METHODS

Medline, GoogleScholar and Pubmed were searched for evidence on this subject using the terms neurotransmitters, motility, diverticular disease and pathogenesis. Articles relevant to the subject were cited and linked references were also reviewed.

RESULTS

Serotonin, which has been found to be an excitatory colonic neurotransmitter, has been found in early studies to be increased in colonic enterochromaffin cells. Acetylcholine, which is thought to be an excitatory neurotransmitter and cholinergic activity, has also seen to be increased in diverticular disease. These findings may suggest that an increase in excitatory neurotransmitters may result in the hypersegmentation thought to cause pulsion diverticula. Similarly, a decrease in nitric oxide which is inhibitory is found.

CONCLUSIONS

There is some evidence that neurotransmitters may play a role in the motility disturbances seen in diverticular disease; however, a clear role is yet to be ascertained.

Relationship between periampullary diverticulum and recurrent bile duct stones after endoscopic surgery

AIM: To study the relationship between periampullary diverticulum and recurrent bile duct stones after endoscopic surgery.

METHODS: One hundred and eighty-five patients with periampullary diverticula were divided into two groups: 96 with peripapillary diverticula and 89 with direct opening of biliary duct into the diverticula. Ninety-five patients with non-diverticular disease were used as controls. After 8 years of follow-up, the recurrence rates of bile duct stones were compared among the three groups of patients.

RESULTS: The recurrence rates of bile duct stones at 8 years after endoscopic surgery were 26.32% in patients with periampullary diverticula, 34.83% in patients with direct opening of biliary duct into the diverticula, and 9.47% in controls. Significant differences were noted in the recurrence rates of bile duct stones between controls and the two groups of patients with periampullary diverticula (χ² = 8.78, 17.15, P < 0.05) though there was no statistical difference between the latter two groups (χ² = 1.71, P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION: Periampullary diverticula is closely related to the recurrence of bile duct stones after endoscopic surgery. There is no obvious relationship between the location of diverticula and the recurrence of bile duct stones. Periampullary diverticulum may be an important risk factor for recurrent bile duct stones.

Rectal mucosal prolapse syndrome as an unusual gastrointestinal manifestation of Sjögren's syndrome: a case report

Introduction

Rectal mucosal prolapse syndrome, histologically characterized by fibromuscular obliteration in the lamina propria, hyperplastic glands and thickened muscularis mucosa, causes rectal bleeding. Sjögren's syndrome is an autoimmune exocrinopathy that chiefly destroys the salivary and lacrimal glands by lympho-plasmacytic infiltration. Although various gastrointestinal manifestations have been reported in patients with Sjögren's syndrome, there have not been to our knowledge any case reports to date of rectal mucosal prolapse syndrome in association with Sjögren's syndrome.

Case presentation

A 68-year-old Japanese woman with Sjögren's syndrome and long-term constipation consulted our hospital because of rectal bleeding. Because of dysphagia and xerostomia, she had consistently refused recommendations to take oral medicines including cathartics. Therefore, she frequently strained excessively during defecation. Colonoscopy and radiological examinations disclosed eroded flat protrusions of the rectum. Microscopic examination demonstrated inflamed mucosa with elongated tortuous glands and fibromuscular obliteration. Based on these findings, a diagnosis of rectal mucosal prolapse syndrome was made. Prohibition of straining during defecation and sulfasalazine suppository use were effective.

Conclusion

This case highlights the importance of defecation control in patients with Sjögren's syndrome. In the case presented, rectal mucosal prolapse syndrome following long-term excessive straining during defecation caused rectal bleeding. Clinicians should consider rectal mucosal prolapse syndrome as a gastrointestinal manifestation of Sjögren's syndrome.

Diet, ageing and genetic factors in the pathogenesis of diverticular disease

Diverticular disease (DD) is an age-related disorder of the large bowel which may affect half of the population over the age of 65 in the UK. This high prevalence ranks it as one of the most common bowel disorders in western nations. The majority of patients remain asymptomatic but there are associated life-threatening co-morbidities, which, given the large numbers of people with DD, translates into a considerable number of deaths per annum. Despite this public health burden, relatively little seems to be known about either the mechanisms of development or causality. In the 1970s, a model of DD formulated the concept that diverticula occur as a consequence of pressure-induced damage to the colon wall amongst those with a low intake of dietary fiber. In this review, we have examined the evidence regarding the influence of ageing, diet, inflammation and genetics on DD development. We argue that the evidence supporting the barotrauma hypothesis is largely anecdotal. We have also identified several gaps in the knowledge base which need to be filled before we can complete a model for the etiology of diverticular disease.

Paradoxical strategy for treating chronic diseases where the therapeutic effect is derived from compensatory response rather than drug effect

Reversing chronic conditions remains an elusive goal of medicine. The modern medical paradigm based on blocking overactive pathways or augmenting deficient pathways offers symptomatic benefit, but tolerance to therapy can develop and treatment cessation can produce rebound symptoms due to compensatory mechanisms. We propose a paradoxical strategy for treating chronic conditions based on harnessing compensatory mechanisms for therapeutic benefit. Many current drugs may be repurposed for a paradoxical indication where the therapeutic effect is derived from compensatory response, rather than drug effect. For example, although exercise is associated with acute adrenergia, paradoxical downregulation of baseline sympathovagal ratio occurs as a remodeling response. For conditions that manifest chronic sympathetic bias such as cardiovascular diseases, judicious administration of adrenergic agonists may induce compensatory downregulation of baseline sympathovagal ratio. The concept may generalize to many other diseases, especially those involving pathways which exhibit strong homeostatic tendencies such as the neurologic, immune, and endocrine systems. Careful consideration of chronobiologic features is necessary to optimize dosing strategies for modulating compensatory responses, and eccentric dosing schedules, shorter-acting formulations, or pulsatile delivery may be desirable in some cases. To what extent the effect of desensitization to current therapy is mistaken for disease progression in conditions such as diabetes, myopia, depression, and hypertension warrants investigation. The merits of combining behavioral and drug therapies such as diet-insulin therapy for diabetes and exercise-beta-blockade for cardiovascular disease should be revisited since there is a risk for exacerbating the underlying dysfunction. The reduced dynamic range of various environmental experiences and the tendency to revert to the mean through medical intervention, thermoregulation, and other modern lifestyle changes may play under-recognized roles in human diseases. Perhaps alternating agonists and antagonist may exercise the entire dynamic range of pathways and improve health.