Effect of Clostridium butyricum on fecal flora in Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy

AIM: To investigate the effect of probiotic bacterium,Clostridium butyricum MIYAIRI 588 strain (CBM) on the changes of the fecal flora in Helicobacter pylori(H pylori)treatment.METHODS: Thirty-five patients with gastric or duodenal ulcers positive for Hpylori were randomized either to 1 wk amoxicillin, clarithromycin, lansoprazole (Group 1) or to the same regimen supplemented with CBM 7 dahead of the triple therapy (Group 2). Stool samples were collected before and 2, 4, 7, 15, and 22 d after the starting eradication therapy, and were examined intestinal flora. Patients were required to keep a diary record of their condition. RESULTS: Obligate anaerobes decreased significantly on d 2, 4, 8 and 15 in Group 1. On the other hand, they did not decrease significantly in Group 2. The Escherichiacoli was dominant bacterium in Enterobacteriaceae, butthat was replaced by other species such as Klebsiella and Enterobacter after eradication in Group 1. The change was suppressed in Group 2. Abdominal symptoms were less frequent in Group 2 than in Group 1.CONCLUSION: The combined use of CBM reduced the changes in the intestinal flora and decreased the incidence of gastrointestinal side effects.

Importance of adequate immunosuppressive therapy for the recovery of patients with "life-threatening" severe exacerbation of chronic hepatitis B

AIM: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) re-activation often occurs spontaneously or after withdrawal of immunosuppressive therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B. Severe exacerbation, sometimes developing into fulminant hepatic failure, is at high risk of mortality. The efficacy of corticosteroid therapy in "clinically severe" exacerbation of chronic hepatitis B has not been well demonstrated. In this study we evaluated the efficacy of early introduction of high-dose corticosteroid therapy in patients with lifethreatening severe exacerbation of chronic hepatitis B.METHODS: Twenty-two patients, 14 men and 8 women,were defined as "severe" exacerbation of chronic hepatitis B using uniform criteria and enrolled in this study. Eleven patients were treated with corticosteroids at 60 mg or more daily with or without anti-viral drugs within 10 d after the diagnosis of severe disease ("early high-dose"group) and 11 patients were either treated more than 10 d or untreated with corticosteroids ("non-early high-dose"group).RESULTS: Mean age, male-to-female ratio, mean prothrombin time (PT) activity, alanine transaminase (ALT)level, total bilirubin level, positivity of HBeAg, mean IgMHBc titer, and mean HBV DNA polymerase activity did not differ between the two groups. Ten of 11 patients of the "early high-dose" group survived, while only 2 of 11 patients of the "non-early high-dose" group survived (P＜0.001). During the first 2 wk after the introduction of corticosteroids, improvements in PT activities and total bilirubin levels were observed in the "early high-dose"group. Both ALT levels and HBV DNA polymerase levels fell in both groups.CONCLUSION: The introduction of high-dose corticosteroid can reverse deterioration in patients with "clinically lifethreatening" severe exacerbation of chronic hepatitis B,when used in the early stage of illness.

Consensus of primary care in acute pancreatitis in Japan

在日本的尖锐胰腺炎的发生正在增加并且每百万张人口从 187 ～ 347 个盒子。盒子命运是 0.2% 为对温和中等，并且 9.0% 为在在 2003 的日本的严重尖锐胰腺炎。在日本的胰腺炎的专家做了与尖锐胰腺炎在病人的早管理集中于实际方面的这个文件。尖锐胰腺炎和严厉层化的正确诊断应该为尖锐胰腺炎的诊断用标准在所有病人被做并且多，因素得分系统尽早由胰的难处理的疾病的研究委员会求婚了。与尖锐胰腺炎诊断的所有病人应该在医院里被管理。血压监视，脉搏和呼吸率，体温，时时尿的体积，和血氧饱和水平在如此的病人的管理是必要的。早精力旺盛的静脉内的水和具有最前的重要性稳定循环动力学。有鸦片剂的足够的疼痛地势也是重要的。在严重尖锐胰腺炎，在一个早阶段的抗菌素的预防静脉内的管理被推荐。一旦尖锐胰腺炎的诊断被证实，朊酶禁止者的管理应该被开始。如果没有肠塞痛并且胃肠的流血的清楚的症状，从早舞台用非肠道的营养喂的肠内的联合被推荐。有严重尖锐胰腺炎的病人应该尽早被转移到 ICU 执行象朊酶的连续地区性的动脉的注入那样的特殊措施禁止者和抗菌素，和连续牙齿过敏过滤。日本政府为难处理的疾病作为关于措施的研究的工程之一为严重尖锐胰腺炎盖住医疗保健开销。

Doppler study of hepatic vein in cirrhotic patients:Correlation with liver dysfunction and hepatic hemodynamics

AIM: To elucidate the significance of Doppler measurements of hepatic vein in cirrhotic patients and to correlate with liver dysfunction and hepatic hemodynamics. METHODS: One hundred patients with liver cirrhosis and 60 non-cirrhotic controls were studied. Doppler waveforms were obtained from right hepatic vein and flow velocity measured during quiet respiration. Doppler measurements were also obtained from portal trunk, right portal vein and proper hepatic artery. RESULTS: Hepatic vein waveforms were classified into three classical patterns. Flat waveform was uncommon. Mean hepatic vein velocity was significantly higher in cirrhotic patients (12.7 ± 6.4 vs 5.1 ± 2.1 and 6.2 ± 3.2 cm/s; P < 0.0001). The poorer the grade of cirrhosis, the higher was the mean velocity. Maximum forward velocity was never greater than 40 cm/s in controls. Degree of ascites was found to be highly correlated with mean velocity. “Very high” group (≥ 20 cm/s) presented clinically with moderate to massive ascites. Correlations between right portal flow and mean velocity was significant (P < 0.0001, r = 0.687). CONCLUSION: Doppler waveforms of hepatic vein, which is independent of liver dysfunction, should be obtained during normal respiration. Mean hepatic vein velocity reflects the change in hepatic circulation associated with progression of liver cirrhosis. It can be used as a new parameter in the assessment of liver cirrhosis.

Effect of lamivudinein in BeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B: Discordant effect on HBeAg and HBV DNA according to pretreatment ALT level

AIM: To clarify differences in antiviral effect of the drug in patients with different ALT levels, we examined the changes in HBV markers in patients with high or low ALT levels with or without lamivudine treatment. METHODS: Thirty-seven HBeAg-positive patients were studied. Ten patients with ALT levels higher than 200 IU/L (group 1) and 8 patients with ALT below 200 IU/L (group 2) were treated orally with 100 mg/d of lamivudine. As untreated control, 9 patients with ALT above 200 IU/L (group 3) and 10 patients with ALT below 200 IU/L (group 4) were examined. ALT level, HBeAg/HBeAb status, and HBV DNA level were examined monthly for 11.9±0.4 mo.RESULTS: The ALT level normalized in all 10 patients of group 1, 7/8 of group 2, 4/9 of group 3, and 1/10 of group 4 within 6 mo (groups 1 vs 2, P = NS; groups 1 vs 3, P = 0.002; groups 1vs 4, P＜0.0001). HBV DNA fell below the detection limit in all 10 patients of group 1, 7/8 of group 2, 0/9 of group 3, and 0/10 of group 4 within 6 mo (groups 1 vs 2, P = NS). HBeAg became seronegative in 7/10 patients of group 1, 1/8 of group 2, 3/9 of group 3, and 0/10 of group 4 within 12 mo (groups 1 vs2, P= 0.02;groups 1 vs 3, P = NS).CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that HBeAg-positive patients with higher ALT levels can be considered good candidates for lamivudine therapy, probably because lamivudine accelerates the natural seroconversion of HBeAg, accompanied by HBV DNA loss, in these patients.

Significance of a novel sucrose permeability test using serum in the diagnosis of early gastric cancer

AIM: To investigate the usefulness of sucrose permeability test using serum in the diagnosis of gastric diseases, with special reference to early gastric cancer (EGC).METHODS: A total of 63 subjects, including 11patients with gastric ulcer, 20 patients with gastric cancer (13, early; 7, advanced) and 32 healthy controls,were studied. Blood and urine samples were collected repeatedly for 5 h before and after the sucrose loading.Sucrose levels were measured by a newly developed enzymatic method.RESULTS: Serum sucrose levels started to increase15 min after loading, and peaked at 60 min in the gastric disease groups. The levels for gastric ulcer, EGC and advanced gastric cancer (AGC) at 60 min were significantly higher than that in the healthy controls(26.9±2.4, 34.4±5.0, and 71.8±15.6 vs 7.9±0.7 mol/L,respectively, P＜0.01). The cut-off level set at 15.4 mol/L(60 min) offered the best distinction between EGC patients and healthy controls; and the sensitivity and specificity were 92.3% and 93.8%, respectively, while those of the urine method were 76.9% and 93.8%,respectively.CONCLUSIONS: The gastric permeability test using serum is reliable for the detection of EGC, and this test can provide results much earlier than the conventional urine method. This test may offer a useful alternative to more invasive tests for EGC.

Severe hypercholesterolemia associated with primary biliary cirrhosis in a 44-year-old Japanese woman

A 44-year-old woman developed jaundice and was diagnosed as stage II of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). She showed a severely high total cholesterol level. This article focuses on atypical presentations of PBC and the need to test the total cholesterol level of PBC patients.

Signaling pathway of insulin-like growth factor-Ⅱ as a target of molecular therapy for hepatoblastoma

AIM: To address the possibility that insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-Ⅱ is a growth factor and its signaling pathway so as to develop a molecular therapy for hepatoblastoma. METHODS: Huh-6 and HepG2, human hepatoblastoma cell lines, were used. IGF-Ⅱ was added to the medium deprived of serum. Western blot analysis was performed to clarify the expression of IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR). Inhibitors of IGF-IR (piclopodophyllin, PPP), phosphatidyl-inositol (PI) 3-kinase (LY294002 and Wortmannin), or mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase (PD98059) were added to unveil the signaling pathway of IGF-Ⅱ. Cells were analyzed morphologically with hematoxylin-eosin staining to reveal the mechanism of suppression of cell proliferation.RESULTS: IGF-Ⅱ stimulated cells proliferated to 2.7 (269% ± 76%) (mean ± SD) (Huh-6) and 2.1 (211% ± 85%) times (HepG2). IGF-IR was expressed in Huh-6 and HepG2. PPP suppressed the cell number to 44% ± 11% (Huh-6) and 39% ± 5% (HepG2). LY294002 and Wortmannin suppressed the cell number to 30% ± 5% (Huh-6), 44% ± 0.4% (HepG2), 49% ± 1.0% (Huh-6) and 46% ± 1.1% (HepG2), respectively. PD98059 suppressed the cell number to 33% ± 11% for HepG2 but not for Huh-6. When cell proliferation was prohibited, many Huh-6 and HepG2 cells were dead with pyknotic or fragmented nuclei, suggesting apoptosis.CONCLUSION: IGF-Ⅱ was shown to be a growth factor of hepatoblastoma via IGF-I receptor and PI3 kinase which were good candidates for target of molecular therapy.

Objective assessment of the antispasmodic effect of Shakuyaku-kanzo-to (TJ-68),a Chinese herbal medicine,on the colonic wall by direct spraying during colonoscopy

瞄准：客观地在结肠镜检查期间在结肠的痉挛上评估 TJ-68 的效果。方法：受到屏蔽结肠镜检查的 101 个病人随机被分到二个组：在 51 个题目和 saline 的 TJ-68 作为在 50 的控制。内诊镜被插入到 S 字形的冒号，然后，一个痉挛区域被识别，结肠镜的尖端从痉挛区域在大约 10 公里的距离被放。内视镜的看法在 TJ-68 答案的直接喷洒前后被记录或温暖 saline。痉挛区域的管腔内区域连续地用一个计算机图象分析器被测量并且表示了为象素计数。在曲线(AUC ) 下面的区域从象素曲线被计算。统计意义被 Wilcoxon 的测试和 Mann-Whitney U 测试估计。结果：分别地，当时，在喷洒的 TJ-68 前后的痉挛区域的吝啬的 AUC 是 29,128 和 121,943 个象素与 saline，它分别地是 31,635 个象素和 48,617 个象素。因此， AUC 显著地在与喷洒 saline (P【0.001 ) 相比喷洒的 TJ-68 以后增加了。结论：在结肠的粘膜上的 TJ-68 的直接喷洒压制了结肠的痉挛和它当反副交感神经生理的代理人被禁忌时，可能在结肠镜检查期间有用。

Prolonged acute hepatitis A mimicking autoimmune hepatitis

AIM: We report a case with a prolonged course of hepatitisA, with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) higher than 500 IU/Lfor more than 2 mo.METHODS: A middle-aged woman had an elevated IgG level of more than 2 000 mg/dL, positive arti-nudear antibodies (ANA) and anti-smooth muscle antibodies (ASMA), but no evidence of persistent hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection. Liver biopsy findings were compatible with prolonged acute hepatitis, although acute onset of autoimmune hepatitis could not be ruled out.RESULTS: It was assumed that she developed a course of hepatitis similar to autoimmune hepatitis triggered by HAV infection. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) treatment was initiated and a favorable outcome was obtained. CONCLUSION: We describe a case of a middle-aged woman who showed a prolonged course of acute hepatitis A mimicking autoimmune hepatitis. Treatment with UDCAproved to be effective.