Our simple and rapid assay system has excellent performance for assessing mucosal inflammation of IBDs and can be replaced for ELISA. Practical application of this assay system enables us to use FC measurement more widely in clinical practice.

BackgroundMore than 90% of gastric cancer cases are caused by Helicobacter pylori infections. To prevent gastric cancer, an H pylori test‐and‐treat strategy targeting young people has been implemented in various places in Japan. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of an H pylori test‐and‐treat strategy for second‐year junior high school students in Takatsuki City.Materials and MethodsIn 2014‐2017, a urine‐based H pylori test was used for initial screening. The final infection status was determined by a 13C‐urea breath test (13C‐UBT). Successful H pylori eradication was confirmed by 13C‐UBT 3 months after treatment. First‐line eradication therapy was changed from 10 mg of rabeprazole, 750 mg of amoxicillin, and 200 mg of clarithromycin twice daily for 7 days in 2014 to 20 mg of vonoprazan, 750 mg of amoxicillin, and 200 mg of clarithromycin twice daily for 7 days in 2015‐2017. Second‐line eradication therapy included 10 mg of rabeprazole, 750 mg of amoxicillin, and 250 mg of metronidazole twice daily for 7 days.ResultsIn total, 8067 of 13 055 students participated this project and 206 students were diagnosed with H pylori infection. The success rate of first‐line therapy was 45.9% in 2014 and 83.8% after the revised first‐line therapy was administered. The final eradication rate was 98.5%. There were no severe side effects.ConclusionOur results support the use of the H pylori test‐and‐treat strategy for junior high school students as a safe approach for the prevention of gastric cancer. H pylori eradication therapy with vonoprazan could be a standard therapy in children.

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Background Small bowel capsule endoscopy (SBCE) for Crohn's disease is useful; however, its use has some limitations, such as invasiveness when endoscopic assistance is required in patients who cannot swallow the capsule, and the burden of interpretation on a physician. In contrast, intestinal ultrasonography (IUS) is a non‐invasive modality for children. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of IUS for pediatric patients with established Crohn's disease. Methods Small bowel capsule endoscopy and IUS findings from the same period in pediatric patients with established Crohn’s disease were analyzed retrospectively. First, we compared the Lewis score (LS), small bowel endoscopic activity, and IUS findings by small bowel wall thickness (SBWT) and mesenteric lymph node size (MLNS). Second, we compared the performance of IUS findings with those of some biomarkers. Results In 22 procedures, SBWT and MLNS were correlated with LS (r = 0.52, P < 0.05, and r = 0.45, P < 0.05, respectively). Small bowel wall thickness, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and fecal calprotectin levels had the highest accuracy (81.8%, 81.8%, and 81.8%, respectively). The combination of SBWT and MLNS had the highest positive predictive value and negative predictive value (100% and 83.3%, respectively). Conclusions Intestinal ultrasonography findings, including SBWT and MLNS, are useful for monitoring small bowel lesions in pediatric patients with established Crohn’s disease. We suggest first evaluating small bowel inflammation by IUS in pediatric patients with Crohn’s disease before SBCE because IUS is less invasive than SBCE.