Autoimmune pancreatitis is a rare, often-missed disease that involves inflammation of the pancreas and strictures of the pancreatic duct. The disease has a varied presentation and often mimics pancreatic malignancy which can make the diagnosis challenging. This study aims to review the clinical manifestations of the two distinct types of autoimmune pancreatitis and provide a concise analysis of the diagnostic approach and latest treatment modalities

The novel spleen-dedicated vibration-controlled transient elastography examination can be used for noninvasive assessment of gastroesophageal varices and hepatic venous pressure gradient in chronic liver disease.

This study aimed to validate the utility of the after direct-acting antivirals recommendation for surveillance (ADRES) score for predicting hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development in patients who had received direct-acting antiviral therapy and achieved sustained virological response. The incidence of HCC differed significantly by ADRES score in this patient population. ADRES score had higher predictive power for the development of HCC than the FIB-4 index and a-fetoprotein according to time-dependent receiver operating characteristic analysis.

This study compares the outcomes of sorafenib and lenvatinib for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma using propensity score matching. Overall survival with sorafenib and lenvatinib was not significantly different. However, patients who received subsequent treatments had longer overall survival than those who received only first-line treatment with sorafenib, whereas lenvatinib did not show this effect.

In this study, we propose the platelet-albumin-bilirubin tumor nodes metastasis score (PALBI-T score) as a prognostic model for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in alcoholic liver disease, and investigate its usefulness. We compared the prognostic prediction abilities of the Japan Integrated Staging (JIS) score, ALBI-T score, and PALBI-T score. Although, in patients with alcoholic HCC, the JIS score is useful for predicting short-term prognosis, the PALBI-T score, which reflects portal hypertension, appears to be a more valid prognostic score for predicting long-term prognosis.

In this study, the degree of fat infiltration in the pancreas was first assessed using EUS, which is the most reliable imaging modality. In the cases of pancreatic cancer and pancreatitis, almost all had a value above the standard value for fatty metamorphosis in the pancreas. This suggests that pancreatic cancer and pancreatitis are strongly associated with fatty conditions in the pancreas.

We compared ulcerative colitis alone (UC) and UC-associated primary sclerosing cholangitis (UC-PSC) using a nationwide database in Japan. The propensity score-matched analysis revealed that the rates of administration of systemic steroid and infliximab in the UC-PSC group were lower than that of the UC group. Our results indicate that UC-PSC patients might have lesser disease activity compared to UC patients.

Our study shows that the push and pull PEG placements are both safe and feasible procedures, with a low PEG-related mortality.

Meckel's diverticulum (MD) is a rare cause of small bowel bleeding in adult patients. Furthermore, it is a clinical challenge because of its endoscopic inaccessibility. Double-balloon enteroscopy is a more powerful modality in diagnosing MD than other conventional modalities.

The prevalence of chronic diarrhea among the participants of a Japanese medical checkup was 3.0%. Our study revealed that male sex, drinking alcohol for more than 5 days per week, not getting adequate sleep, skipping breakfast more than three times a week, and absence of diabetes mellitus were risk factors for chronic diarrhea.

In a cohort of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, at least moderate depression and anxiety were common, but at similar rates to pre-pandemic IBD data, and recent general population data. Accessibility of information regarding COVID-19 risk and reducing that risk appeared protective for depression, anxiety, and stress. There was strong interest in receiving psychological support during and beyond the pandemic.

Enterococcus spp. have higher fitness to survive in pancreatic juice. Enterococcus spp. can colonize pancreatic juice at subphysiological pH levels. Enterococcus spp. are enriched in the pancreatic juice of patients with intact ductal flow.

The MRCP image presents the choledochocele with pancreaticobiliary maljunction. Thickened wall of choledochocele indicates cancer change. Choledochocele-associated cancer infiltrated wide range of duodenum and caused stenosis in the distal duodenum.

Esophageal foreign bodies are common conditions that may lead to serious complications, such as esophageal perforation, neck abscess, mediastinitis, arterial injury, and lung damage. Esophageal foreign bodies are usually managed with surgical removal. We report a rare case of esophageal fish bone impingement on the aorta that was managed safely and uncomplicatedly by endoscopic removal.