BACKGROUND: Genetically defined Leigh syndrome (LS) is a rare, fatal inherited neurodegenerative disorder that predominantly affects children. Although mitochondrial dysfunction has clearly been associated with oxidative stress, few studies have specifically examined Leigh syndrome patients' blood glutathione levels. In this study, we analyzed the balance between oxidized and reduced glutathione ...

BACKGROUND: Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are involved in detoxification of xenobiotics such as fumaric acid esters (FAE). OBJECTIVES: To perform GSTT1 geno- and phenotyping in psoriasis patients treated with FAE to find out whether the responder status and/or occurrence of side-effects are associated with allelic variants and enzymatic activity of GSTT1. ...

Background: Glutathione-S-transferase P1 (GSTP1) is an important phase II enzyme that can protect cells from oxidative stress in various human cancers. However, few clinical studies were undertaken on the relationship between GSTP1 and oxidative stress in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The present study was therefore aimed to evaluate the potential associations ...

Background: Prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) has been suggested to play an important role in the pathogenesis of migraine. In the present experiment we investigated if an intravenous infusion of PGE(2) would induce migraine-like attacks in patients with migraine.Methods: Twelve patients with migraine without aura were randomly allocated to receive 0.4 µg/kg/min PGE(2) ...

Background/Aim: Recently, a framework has been presented that links vigilance regulation, i.e. tonic brain arousal, with clinical symptoms of affective disorders. Against this background, the aim of this study was to deepen the knowledge of vigilance regulation by (1) identifying different patterns of vigilance regulation at rest in healthy subjects ...

Chemokines favour leukocyte homing and participate actively in inflammation and accumulation of extracellular matrix. The aim of our work is to assess in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) the serum levels of CC chemokines: CCL2 monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1/CCL2), CCL5 'regulated upon activation, normal T expressed and secreted' (RANTES/CCL5) and ...

BACKGROUND: Initial attention on the pathophysiology of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) has focused on eosinophils. Other immune cells such as mast cells (MCs) have been identified and appear to be elevated in CRS with nasal polyp (NP) patients. MCs are commonly linked to immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated inflammatory changes characterized by elevated ...

ABSTRACT Background: Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) may play a significant role in the development of pancreatic cancer. One of COX-2 main metabolites is prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), which is involved both in inflammation and carcinogenesis. As PGE2 is inactivated in the lungs and the liver we assumed that the best medium to assess ...

Ability to accurately determine time of stroke onset remains challenging. We hypothesized that an early biomarker characterized by a rapid increase in blood after stroke onset may help defining better the time window during which an acute stroke patient may be candidate for intravenous thrombolysis or other intravascular procedures. The ...

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is a major cause for liver disease worldwide, ranking as the first cause for liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Acute-on-chronic hepatitis B liver failure (ACHBLF) is most commonly caused by acute severe exacerbation during CHB virus infection. The pathophysiology of ACHBLF is still poorly understood. Glutathione-S-transferase ...

BACKGROUND: The gut hormones are important in regulating gastrointestinal motility. Disturbances in gastrointestinal motility have been reported in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Reduced endocrine cell density, as revealed by chromogranin A, has been reported in the colon of IBS patients. AIMS: To investigate a possible abnormality in the ...

BACKGROUND: Gastric secretion can provide valuable information especially when Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection results in chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) and intestinal metaplasia (IM) preceding adenocarcinoma (AdCa). AIMS: Looking for a potential biomarker of malignant transformation in the setting of chronic inflammation we studied the levels of prostaglandin E2 (PGE(2)), as ...

Objective. To estimate the impact of obesity on cervical ripening with prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Materials and method. A retrospective study compared the cervical ripening efficiency of PGE2 on patients with BMI above 30 kg/m(2) and normal weight patients with BMI between 20 kg/m(2) and 25 kg/m(2). In case of a Bishop score ...

Our clinical observations proved that the the duodenal ulcer in patients healed without any inhibition of gastric acid secretion (1965), and the healing rates of atropine vs cimetidine vs Carbenoxolone were equal and superior to that of placebo in randomized, prospective and multiclinical study of DU patients (1978). The phenomenon ...

BACKGROUND: Our aim was to assess the relationship between the ileal-pouch microbiota and inflammatory parameters in patients operated on for ulcerative colitis. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 32 consecutive outpatients returning for follow-up endoscopy were recruited. Pouch biopsies were obtained during endoscopy for culture of bacteria adherent to the mucosa, ...

Elderly patients are at increased risk for peptic ulcer and cancer. Predictive factors of relevant endoscopic findings at upper endoscopy in the elderly are unknown. This was a post hoc analysis of a nationwide, endoscopic study. A total of 3,147 elderly patients were selected. Demographic, clinical, and endoscopic data were ...

Idiopathic ulcerative laryngitis (IUL) is a distinct, clinical entity that presents after a prolonged upper respiratory infection with cough. It is characterized by the development of bilateral ulcerations of the mid-membranous vocal folds followed by a protracted course of healing. The purpose of this review was to characterize the typical ...

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the promoter methylation of HLTF in the tissues and plasma of patients with gastric cardia adenocarcinoma (GCA) and dysplasia. DESIGN AND METHODS: Nested MSP approach was used to detect HLTF methylation status. RESULTS: The frequency of HLTF methylation in high grade dysplasia and GCA tumor tissues was ...

Background  Long-term observational studies assessing the incidence of type I gastric carcinoid (typeIGC) in patients with chronic atrophic gastritis are few. Aim  To evaluate the occurrence of typeIGC at diagnosis and during follow-up and to identify patient features associated with the presence of typeIGC in a cohort of chronic atrophic ...

To identify factors predicting the clinical response of ulcerative colitis patients to granulocyte-monocyte apheresis (GMA). Sixty-nine ulcerative colitis patients (39 F, 30 M) dependent upon/refractory to steroids were treated with GMA. Steroid dependency, clinical activity index (CAI), C reactive protein (CRP) level, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), values at baseline, use ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Measurement of amylase level in drainage fluid (D-AMY) is often performed for detection of pancreatic fistula (PF) formation after total gastrectomy. However, PF incidence has decreased and PF formation can be judged by changes in drainage fluid properties. The aim of study is to compare the significance ...

BACKGROUND: An unbuffered postprandial proximal gastric acid pocket (PPGAP) has been noticed in normal individuals and patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The role of gastric anatomy in the physiology of the PPGAP remains unclear. It is also unclear whether change in the PPGAP may contribute to GERD control. This ...

The mechanisms of 'idiopathic' rapid gastric emptying, which are associated with functional dyspepsia and functional diarrhea, are not understood. Our hypotheses were that increased gastric motility and reduced postprandial gastric accommodation contribute to rapid gastric emptying. Fasting and postprandial (300kcal nutrient meal) gastric volumes were measured by magnetic resonance imaging ...

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) polymorphisms are associated with thrombophilia and vasculopathy that may result in cutaneous ulceration. Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a clinical diagnosis that may be made following exclusion of alternate causes of ulceration, including vascular inflammatory or occlusive disease, infection, and malignant neoplasm. We describe 2 patients with MTHFR ...

: A standardized 4-hour gastric-emptying protocol has been recommended by a consensus panel. However, a study length of 4 hours may be inconvenient. The purpose of this investigation was to determine if the percent emptying at 2 hours could predict abnormal or normal results at 4 hours. : Our data ...

OBJECTIVES: Chronic ulcerative stomatitis is a condition characterized by chronic, painful oral ulcers, whose pathogenesis is unknown. Patients demonstrate specific IgG autoantibodies against ΔNp63α, an epithelial nuclear transcription factor. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of patient autoantibodies in the disease pathogenesis. METHODS: Three-dimensional in vitro ...

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the relationship between acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The aim of this study was to investigate the effects on AECOPD of GERD diagnosed by a questionnaire. METHODS: The subjects were 221 consecutive patients with stable COPD who were evaluated using ...

Background and aim: We have reported the characteristics of magnified endoscopic images of gastric MALT lymphoma before and after treatment. In this study, we investigated the diagnostic efficacy of magnified endoscopic images for target biopsy and evaluation of clinical remission. Patients and methods: Twenty-one patients diagnosed with localized gastric MALT ...

INTRODUCTION: The past decade has witnessed a global rise in the prevalence of peptic ulcer disease which is unrelated to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or Helicobacter pylori infection. Although initially recognized in the West, this disease is being increasingly recognized in the Asian population. The higher risk of bleeding and ...

To evaluate the diagnostic values of serum autoantibodies against matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The MMP-7 cDNA was cloned from ESCC tissues, and MMP-7 was expressed and purified from a prokaryotic system. MMP-7 autoantibodies were then measured in sera from 50 patients with primary ...

Chronic nausea and vomiting with normal gastric emptying is a poorly understood syndrome; we analyzed its characteristics. We collected and analyzed data from 425 patients with chronic nausea and vomiting, enrolled at 6 centers by the Gastroparesis Clinical Research Consortium in the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney ...

BACKGROUND: GI neuromuscular diseases (GINMD) can cause severe dysmotility and symptoms. Full-thickness biopsy specimens may help diagnose these disorders histologically. OBJECTIVE: To assess a novel percutaneous endoscopically assisted transenteric (PEATE) biopsy method for obtaining full-thickness gastric tissue in patients with suspected GINMD. DESIGN: Prospective proof-of-concept case series. SETTING: Tertiary care ...

Objective: To determine the clinical profile of carcinoma stomach. Study Design: A case series. Place and Duration of Study: A single unit of the Department of General Surgery, Dow University of Health Sciences and Civil Hospital, Karachi, from April 2006 to April 2010. Methodology: Patients with gastric cancer confirmed on ...

Rome III criteria has modified the description of functional dyspepsia (FD) and divided this into subgroups. However, the discriminative value of Rome III questionnaire-based diagnosis of FD is yet to be determined. Objectives: To evaluate the Rome III questionnaire for the diagnosis of FD and whether it can discriminate between ...

BACKGROUND:: This prospective observational study aimed to assess the feasibility and performance of the ultrasonographic measurement of antral cross-sectional area (CSA) for the preoperative assessment of gastric contents and volume in adult patients and for the diagnosis of risk stomach (defined by the presence of solid particles and/or gastric fluid ...

Reflux esophagitis is a common complication following a distal gastrectomy. Increasingly, Roux-en-Y reconstruction has been used to prevent reflux esophagitis; however, marginal ulcer is a concern in patients with a Roux-en-Y reconstruction after distal gastrectomy. The effect of Roux-en-Y reconstruction on the development of reflux esophagitis and marginal ulcer after ...

Lower extremity ulcers are a recognized complication of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Their prevalence has not been assessed since the advent of more aggressive disease modifying antirheumatic therapies. The purpose of this study was to establish the period prevalence of lower extremity ulcers in a modern-day unselected cohort of patients with ...

Interventions such as gastric surgery and erythromycin result in displacement of solids to the distal stomach and acceleration of overall and proximal gastric emptying. The effect of non-surgical impairment of gastric accommodation on gastric emptying is unclear. Non-surgical impairment of gastric accommodation is associated with accelerated gastric emptying. To compare ...

Abstract Background. We have assessed gastroduodenal, endoscopical and histopathological findings in a series of patients with microscopic colitis (MC). Methods. We studied 75 patients with MC, 27 with collagenous colitis (CC) and 48 with lymphocytic colitis (LC), and 60 controls. Data of endoscopical findings were collected and biopsies were assessed. ...

Background And Aims:  The aims of the present study were to evaluate the role of moderate-to-severe endoscopic gastric atrophy (EGA) on predicting Operative Link on Gastritis Assessment (OLGA) gastritis stage, and to assess the association of high-stage OLGA gastritis with gastric neoplasia in patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia. Methods:  A cross-sectional ...

A gastric intrinsic factor output under 200 U/h after pentagastrin stimulation (N > 2000 U/h) is specific for pernicious anemia. The other findings are either variable or non specific. Serum intrinsic factor antibodies, considered as specific in general practice, are present only in half of the patients with pernicious anemia. ...

Objective We aimed to study 1-, 5- and 10-year risks of peptic ulcer rebleeding among end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients with regular haemodialysis, to identify the high-risk subpopulation, and to estimate the number needed to harm (NNH) to increase a peptic ulcer rebleeding in different periods. Design A nationwide cohort ...

Gastric involvement appears quite commonly in systemic sclerosis (SSc). The aim of this study was to evaluate gastric wall motility using ultrasonography, a noninvasive method able to track both filling and emptying of fundus and antrum. The study was performed in 20 SSc patients and 20 healthy control subjects. Gastric ...

Risk factors for hemorrhage due to gastric and/or duodenal ulcer in patients diagnosed by upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy were investigated in the present study. Medical records of 350 patients (226 males, 124 females) diagnosed as duodenal or gastric ulcers by GI endoscopy in the gastroenterology clinic were scanned retrospectively. Upper ...

The purpose of this study was to evaluate corneal parameters in treated glaucoma patients, nontreated glaucoma patients, and normal subjects using confocal microscopy. Forty patients with primary open-angle glaucoma and 22 untreated controls underwent confocal microscopy of the cornea using the Heidelberg retinal tomograph cornea module. The glaucoma group was ...

Chronic Gastritis is the most common manifestation of infection with Helicobacter pylori. Changes in the gastric mucosa have tendency to progress towards mucosal atrophy, most likely in patients with gastric ulcer. We have explored the frequency of the presence of atrophic gastritis in patients with gastric and duodenal ulcers. We ...

Objective Transnasal endoscopy was conducted to examine gastric mucosal damage in Japanese patients with ischemic heart disease who were receiving low-dose aspirin for preventing the onset or recurrence of cardiovascular disease. Patients and Methods An endoscopist assessed gastric mucosal damage. Furthermore, the MOS 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36(®)) and the ...

An algorithm (GastroPanel) for the non-invasive diagnosis of atrophic gastritis has been previously proposed, based on serum pepsinogen-I, gastrin-17, and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) antibodies. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether serum markers correlate with and predict gastric atrophy in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) patients. The ...

Gastric metaplasia (GM) of the duodenum is difficult to assess because of its patchy distribution, and the role of GM in functional dyspepsia (FD) is not clear. The aims of this study were to determine if endomicroscopy could identify GM of the duodenum and whether GM has associations with FD. ...

To evaluate associations between delayed gastric emptying (GE) assessed by the octanoic acid breath test and upper gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. A historical, prospective study included 111 consecutive symptomatic adults referred for a GE breath test because of upper abdominal symptoms suggestive of delayed GE. Exclusion criteria included underlying organic disease ...