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Aim: “iEat” is support food for recovery of eating function that was developed to evoke appetite. This study aimed to investigate the clinical usefulness of “iEat” for patients with masticatory dysfunction.
Subjects and methods: Twenty-seven patients with masticatory dysfunction, who underwent orthognathic surgery, were enrolled in the study. They were divided into the 2 groups; A group (12 patients) was provided “iEat”, and C group (15 patients) was provided conventional meal, such as boiled rice and chopped soft side dishes. In each group, 9 meals were intended, and the 9-item questionnaire with visual analogue scale including “visuality”, “taste”, “quantity”, “easiness to eat”, “ pain level at eating” and “intra-oral leftover after eating” was filled out after every meals. Moreover, we calculated the feeding rate and intake of nutrient. All investigated data were compared between the A and C groups.
Results: The assessments of A group for “visuality”, “taste” and “quantity” of the rice, “easiness to eat” of the side dishes and “intra-oral leftover after eating”, were higher than those of C group. The mean of feeding rate, and intake of nutritional energy and protein were also higher in the A group.
Conclusion: It was suggested that “iEat” is useful as an appetizing support food for patients with masticatory dysfunction.

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Aim: The primary aim of this study was to consider gastro-esophageal reflux in the patients with percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG), and the usefulness of performing contrast studies from the gastrostomy.
Subjects and Methods: Subjects comprised 216 patients who had undergone PEG at our hospital between April 2009 and March 2014. We examined contrast studies by X-ray, after injecting 250 ml of water mixed with 50 ml of contrast medium from the gastrostomy after PEG.
Results: Gastro-esophageal reflux was observed in 37 patients (17.1%), of whom 6 patients showed no symptoms associated with the gastro-esophageal reflux. Of the 176 patients (82.9%) with no gastro-esophageal reflux observed in contrast studies, 7 patients experienced vomiting or aspiration pneumonia. Thirty-eight patients (17.6%) had symptoms associated with gastro-esophageal reflux after injection of nutrients. Contrast study from gastrostomy offered 81.6% sensitivity and 96.6% specificity for symptoms of gastro-esophageal reflux.
Conclusions: Contrast studies from the gastrostomy after PEG appear very useful, with very high sensitivity and specificity for symptoms of the gastro-esophageal reflux.

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Background & aims: Changes in the microbiota composition are able to affect nutrient absorption and energy metabolism, but there are few human studies. The aims were to analyze fecal constituents quantitatively and compare them with liver dysfunction in hepatic cancer patients and to evaluate the relationships among intestinal microbiota, fecal organic acids and plasma lipid composition.
Methods: Fecal samples collected from 46 hepatic cancer patients (with liver cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis or liver fibrosis and normal liver) were evaluated for fecal constituents. Blood organic acid, lipid and fatty acid concentrations were analyzed.
Results: Fecal microbiota and organic acids showed no significant differences among different liver dysfunction patients. In normal liver patients, fecal Candida was positively correlated with plasma phospholipid while Bifidobacterium was negatively correlated with plasma eicosapentaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid/arachidonic acid ratio (all p < 0.05). In cirrhotic liver patients, positive correlations were noted for Lactobacillus and docosahexaenoic acid and Candida and eicosapentaenoic acid or eicosapentaenoic acid/arachidonic acid ratio (all p < 0.01). It was suggested that intestinal biota affected serum fatty acid metabolism and w ere modified by liver disorders.
Conclusions: Intestinal microbiota and organic acid concentrations in hepatic cancer patients had positive and/or negative correlations with serum lipid levels.

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