Impact of cap-assisted colonoscopy during transendoscopic enteral tubing: A randomized controlled trial

Fecal microbiota transplantation through transendoscopic enteral tubing for inflammatory bowel disease: High acceptance and high satisfaction

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been shown to positively affect the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, the safety and efficacy of FMT may depend on the route of microbiota delivery. This study investigates the acceptance, satisfaction, and selection preference of a new delivery route, transendoscopic enteral tubing (TET), for treating IBD.

METHODS

A survey was conducted among patients with IBD from five medical centers across China. The objective was to assess their acceptance, subjective feelings, and major concerns regarding two types of TET: colonic TET and mid-gut TET. In addition, the survey also analyzed the factors affecting the selection of TET and TET types among these patients.

RESULTS

The final analysis included 351 questionnaires. Up to 76.6% of patients were willing to accept TET and preferred to choose colonic TET when they first learned about TET. Patients with longer disease duration, history of enema therapy, or enteral nutrition were more open to considering TET among IBD patients. After treatment, 95.6% of patients were satisfied with TET, including colonic TET (95.9%) and mid-gut TET (95.1%). Patients with a history of enema therapy and ulcerative colitis preferred colonic TET. In contrast, those with a history of enteral nutrition and Crohn's disease were willing to choose mid-gut TET. However, some patients hesitated to accept TET due to concerns about efficacy, safety, and cost.

CONCLUSIONS

TET was highly accepted and satisfied patients with IBD. Disease type and combination therapy influenced the choice of colonic or mid-gut TET.

Colonic Transendoscopic Enteral Tubing Is a New Pathway to Microbial Therapy, Colonic Drainage, and Host-Microbiota Interaction Research

The limitation of traditional delivery methods for fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) gave birth to colonic transendoscopic enteral tubing (TET) to address the requirement of frequent FMTs. Colonic TET as a novel endoscopic intervention has received increasing attention in practice since 2015 in China. Emerging studies from multiple centers indicate that colonic TET is a promising, safe, and practical delivery method for microbial therapy and administering medication with high patient satisfaction. Intriguingly, colonic TET has been used to rescue endoscopy-related perforations by draining colonic air and fluid through the TET tube. Recent research based on collecting ileocecal samples through a TET tube has contributed to demonstrating community dynamics in the intestine, and it is expected to be a novel delivery of proof-of-concept in host-microbiota interactions and pharmacological research. The present article aims to review the concept and techniques of TET and to explore microbial therapy, colonic drainage, and microbial research based on colonic TET.

Fecal microbiota transplantation as a promising treatment option for osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a systemic metabolic bone disease characterized by the descending bone mass and destruction of bone microstructure, which tends to result in the increased bone fragility and associated fractures, as well as high disability rate and mortality. The relation between gut microbiota and bone metabolism has gradually become a research hotspot, and it has been verified that gut microbiota is closely associated with reduction of bone mass and incidence of osteoporosis recently. As a novel "organ transplantation" technique, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) mainly refers to the transplantation of gut microbiota from healthy donors to recipients with gut microbiota imbalance, so that the gut microbiota in recipients can be reshaped and play a normal function, and further prevent or treat the diseases related to gut microbiota disorder. Herein, based on the gut-bone axis and proven regulatory effects of gut microbiota on osteoporosis, this review expounds relevant basic researches and clinical practice of FMT on osteoporosis, thus demonstrating the potentials of FMT as a therapeutic option for osteoporosis and further providing certain reference for the future researches.

Washed preparation of faecal microbiota changes the transplantation related safety, quantitative method and delivery

The safety, quantitative method and delivery of faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) vary a lot from different countries in practice. Recently, the improved methodology of FMT based on the automatic filtration, washing process and the related delivery was named as washed microbiota transplantation (WMT). First, this study aimed to describe the methodology development of FMT from manual to washing preparation from 2012 to 2021 in China Microbiota Transplantation System (CMTS), a centralized stool bank for providing a national non‐profit service. The secondary aim is to describe donor screenings, the correlation between faecal weight and treatment doses, incidence of adverse events and delivery decision. The retrospective analysis on the prospectively recorded data was performed. Results showed that the success rate of donor screening was 3.1% (32/1036). The incidence rate of fever decreased significantly from 19.4% (6/31) in manual FMT to 2.7% (24/902) in WMT in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), which made UC a considerable disease model to reflect the quality control of faecal microbiota preparation. We defined one treatment unit as 10 cm³ microbiota precipitation (1.0 × 10¹³ bacteria) based on enriched microbiota instead of rough faecal weight. For delivering microbiota, colonic transendoscopic enteral tube is a promising way especially for multiple WMTs or frequent colonic administration of drugs combined with WMT. This study should help improve the better practice of FMT for helping more patients in the future.

Colonic Transendoscopic Enteral Tubing: Route for a Novel, Safe, and Convenient Delivery of Washed Microbiota Transplantation in Children

Aim

Colonic transendoscopic enteral tubing (TET) has been used for delivering fecal microbiota transplantation by washed preparation since 2015, which was recently named as washed microbiota transplantation (WMT). However, there are few reports available regarding the feasibility and safety of these studies in low-age population. This study is aimed at evaluating the safety, feasibility, and value of colonic TET in 3-7 years old children.

Methods

All patients aged 3-7 years who underwent colonic TET in our center for WMT or medication were prospectively evaluated. The feasibility and safety of TET were evaluated. A questionnaire was completed by the children's parents to evaluate the children's response to the colonic TET as well as the parent's satisfaction.

Results

Forty-seven children were included (mean age 5 years). TET was implemented into the colon of all the patients, and the success rate of the procedure was 100%. The median retention time of TET tube within the colon was 6 (IQR 5-7) days in 45 patients with tube falling out spontaneously, and the maximum retention time was up to 21 days. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that endoscopic clip number (P = 0.009) was an independent contributing factor for the retaining time of tube. With increase in the number of large clips, the retention time of TET tube was prolonged. No discomfort was reported during injection of the microbiota or medication suspension through the TET tube. During the follow-up, no severe adverse events were observed. All children's parents were satisfied with TET. Interestingly, the proportion of children's parents choosing TET as the delivery way of WMT increased from 29.79% before to 70.21% after TET (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

This study, for the first time, demonstrates that colonic TET is a novel, safe, and convenient colonic delivery way for WMT and medication in children aged 3-7 years.