Key Points Question Is the COVID-19 pandemic associated with the stage at which gastrointestinal cancer is diagnosed in Japan? Findings In this cohort study of 5167 patients, significant decreases were observed for the diagnosis of stage I gastric cancer and stage 0 to II colorectal cancer, whereas a significant increase was observed for the diagnosis of stage III colorectal cancer. Meaning These findings suggest that during the COVID-19 pandemic, there may have been fewer cases of screening-detected gastrointestinal cancer, and colorectal cancer may have been diagnosed at more advanced stages.

Nakajima (2020) The protective effect of Bifidobacterium bifidum G9-1 against mucus degradation by Akkermansiamuciniphila following small intestine injury caused by a proton pump inhibitor and aspirin,

Introduction: Chronic constipation (CC) is a highly prevalent functional bowel disorder with low treatment satisfaction and impaired quality of life (QOL). However, physicians tend to emphasize only “stool frequency,” and relationship between “stool form” and QOL remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the actual situation of CC treatment in Japan and elucidate the relationship between stool form and QOL in patients with CC. Methods: We conducted an online questionnaire survey in September 2018 targeting Japanese adult patients already diagnosed with CC and taking prescribed drugs. Assessments included the type of drug treatment, treatment duration, frequency of drug use, frequency of bowel movements (BMs), Bristol Stool Form Scale (BSFS), and Japanese version of the Patient Assessment of Constipation QOL (PAC-QOL) scores. Relationship between BSFS and Japanese PAC-QOL scores was analyzed, and most important factor that influences QOL was investigated. Results: A total of 614 subjects were enrolled. Of these, 398 (64.8%) regularly used magnesium oxide and 162 (26.4%) used stimulant laxative, especially 81 (50.0%) used stimulant laxative “everyday.” Mean score of the PAC-QOL was 1.29 ± 0.74, and the lowest score (highest QOL) of 0.94 ± 0.61 was observed in BSFS type 4. Significant difference was seen between BSFS type 4 and all the other types except type 7. Multivariate analysis revealed that normal stool form (BSFS type 4) and BMs ≥3/week are strongly related to decreases of PAC-COL score. In BSFS types 6 and 7, 36% of individuals experienced self-discontinuation of prescribed drugs and 53% self-reduced drug intake because of excessive effects. Conclusions: Stool form and frequency of BMs are relevant to QOL, especially normal stool form (BSFS type 4) is important for improving the QOL in patients with constipation. Physicians should focus on “stool form” and reconsider the prescription especially in BSFS types 6–7 patients.

Background: Elobixibat, a novel inhibitor of apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter for treating chronic constipation, increases colonic bile acid concentrations, stimulating bowel function. However, it is not clear which bile acids are altered, or whether altered gut microbiota are associated with functional effects that may alter bowel function. Aims:To investigate the effects of elobixibat on changes in the faecal concentrations of total and individual bile acids and in faecal microbiota.Methods: This was a prospective, single-centre study. After baseline period, patients received 10 mg daily of elobixibat for 2 weeks. We evaluated the effects on bowel function, changes in faecal bile acid concentrations and composition of gut bacteria, before and after elobixibat administration. Results:In the 30 patients analysed, the frequency of pre-and post-treatment bowel movements per fortnight was 7 and 10 (P < 0.001), respectively. The pre-treatment faecal bile acid concentration increased significantly from 10.9 to 15.0 µg/g stool post-treatment (P = 0.030), with a significant increase in faecal deoxycholic acid (pre-treatment 3.94 µg/g stool to post-treatment 5.02 µg/g stool, P = 0.036) and in glycine-conjugated deoxycholic and chenodeoxycholic acids. Shannon index was significantly decreased, but there were no significant changes at the genus and phylum levels.Conclusions: Short term treatment with elobixibat increased the concentrations of total bile acids and deoxycholic acid and decreased the diversity of faecal microbiota.The biological effects of elobixibat are associated with its effects on secretory bile acids, rather than the structural changes of an altered faecal microbiota.

INTRODUCTION: Defecation desire (DD) is an important physiological component of normal defecation. However, knowledge of DD in the general population and in individuals with chronic constipation (CC) is lacking. We aimed to assess the prevalence of DD in the general population and individuals with CC and to understand the impact of treatment on DD among individuals with CC. METHODS: We conducted an online questionnaire survey targeting the Japanese general population in 2019. DD was reported as never, rarely, usually, or always. Individuals who self-reported constipation and met the Rome IV criteria for functional constipation but did not for irritable bowel syndrome were included in the CC group, while the same number of age-/sex-matched controls who met neither functional constipation nor irritable bowel syndrome criteria was included in the non-CC group. Individuals who reported DD as rarely or never were defined as having loss of DD (LODD). RESULTS: Of the 20,986 participants, 2,587 were included in the CC group (12.3%). LODD was significantly higher in the CC individuals than in the non-CC controls (57.4% vs 8.3%, respectively, P < 0.001, odds ratio 14.84 [95% confidence interval 12.65–17.42]). Satisfaction with treatment for constipation was lower in individuals with persistent LODD (25.9%) compared with those with improved LODD (56.5%) on treatment ( P < 0.001, odds ratio 2.48 [1.39–4.43]). DISCUSSION: LODD is common in CC and is associated with decreased satisfaction to treatment. Greater attention should be paid to DD when treating patients with CC.