[Case of ulcerative colitis refractory to intravenous cyclosporine therapy successfully treated with infliximab].

A 26-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with relapse of ulcerative colitis (UC). We diagnosed it as a refractory UC because intravenous corticosteroid therapy had no effect. Intravenous cyclosporine therapy and other conventional therapies did not lead to remission.

Improvement in symptoms after H2-receptor antagonist-based therapy for eradication of H pylori infection.

Aim: To investigate the therapeutic effects of triple therapy combining lafutidine with clarithromycin and amoxicillin on H pylori infection and the resolution of gastroesophageal symptoms after eradication.

Methods: We conducted a randomized, multicenter, open-label controlled trial to compare the effectiveness of a triple therapy of lafutidine, clarithromycin, and amoxicillin (lafutidine group) with that of a triple therapy of lansoprazole, clarithromycin, and amoxicillin (lansoprazole group) in patients with H pylori infection. The study group comprised 22 patients with gastric ulcers and 18 patients with duodenal ulcers who had H pylori infection.

Mutational analysis of beta-catenin and the RAS-RAF signalling pathway in early flat-type colorectal tumours.

Morphologically, early colorectal tumours can be divided into two groups, protruded-type and flat-type. However, little is known about genetic mechanisms of the latter. We investigated mutations of beta-catenin, KRAS, BRAF, and PIK3CA in 310 early colorectal tumours.

Overexpression of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) in the early stage of colorectal carcinogenesis.

Colorectal carcinogenesis is initiated mainly by aberrant activation of the Wnt signaling pathway, caused by mutation of either APC or beta-catenin (CTNNB1) gene. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) is a highly conserved nuclear enzyme, which binds tightly to DNA and plays a role in DNA repair, recombination, proliferation and genomic stability. It has recently been shown that PARP-1 is a novel co-activator of TCF-4/beta-catenin-evoked gene transactivation and may play a role in colorectal carcinogenesis.

Therapeutic efficacy of infliximab on active Crohn's disease under nutritional therapy.

Objective: The aim of this investigation was to elucidate retrospectively the therapeutic effect of infliximab in patients with active Crohn's disease (CD) under nutritional therapy.

Material And Methods: Using a review of the clinical records in 24 nationwide institutions specializing in inflammatory bowel disease, the short-term effect of infliximab in 97 patients with active CD was retrospectively investigated. The Crohn's disease activity index (CDAI) at baseline and after 2 weeks of a single infliximab administration (5 mg/kg) was compared among patients under total parenteral nutrition (TPN group, n=36), those following an elemental or polymeric diet (EN group, n=49) and those without TPN and EN (NN group, n=12).

Mucin phenotype and microsatellite instability in early multiple gastric cancers.

Clinicopathologically, multiple gastric cancers (MGCs) are reported to involve predominantly intestinal-type adenocarcinoma and frequently to be associated with severe intestinal metaplasia. However, there are few reports concerning the characteristic biomarkers of early MGCs. The aim of our study was to identify the cellular lineage defined by mucin phenotypes and the relationships among mucin phenotypes, background mucosa and microsatellite instability (MSI) of early MGCs.