Gastric polypoid intramucosal carcinoma and an adjacently located leiomyoma at the cardia.

We report a 65-year-old patient with a gastric polyp of 2.5 cm in diameter located at the cardia on upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy. Pathological examination of the excised polyp showed intramucosal carcinoma.

The acute effect of oral ethanol intake on gastric myoelectrical activity in healthy volunteers.

Unlabelled: The acute effect of ethanol intake on the upper gastrointestinal system is not clearly known. Animal studies have shown that ethanol inhibited the antral muscle fiber contractions and slow wave activity.

Background/aims: To show the acute effect of oral ethanol intake on gastric myoelectrical activity in healthy volunteers.

Endoscopic submucosal resection of a rectal carcinoid tumor by cap aspiration - snare resection method.

We report a 55-year-old man with a white plaque-like lesion 4 mm in diameter located in the rectum on colonoscopic examination. Biopsy specimens showed carcinoid tumor. Endoscopic submucosal resection (ESMR) of the lesion was successfully performed by using cap aspiration-snare resection method.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha gene promoter polymorphism in patients with familial Mediterranean fever.

The proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) plays an important role on the course of disease in familial Mediterranean fever (FMF). TNF-alpha gene promoter polymorphism may be a marker of susceptibility and severity of FMF. The aim of this study is to evaluate both TNF-alpha/238 and TNF-alpha/308 genotypes and allelic distribution in patients with FMF.

Sjögren's syndrome in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

There are few reports about the coexistence of Sjögren's syndrome (SS) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). To evaluate the frequency of SS in patients with AS. We studied 70 patients with AS presenting to the university outpatient clinic between January 2002 and November 2003.

Ochronotic arthropathy: disappearance of alkaptonuria after liver transplantation for hepatitis B-related cirrhosis.

The deficiency of homogentisic acid oxidase, an enzyme that is mainly found in hepatocytes, is associated with alkaptonuria and ochronosis. We report a patient with clinical and radiologic findings of ochronotic arthropathy in whom alkaptonuria disappeared and the progressive course of the disease stopped after liver transplantation for hepatitis B-related cirrhosis.

Two-year interferon therapy with or without ribavirin in chronic delta hepatitis.

Unlabelled: The only beneficial agent for the treatment of chronic delta hepatitis (CDH) is interferon (IFN). However, there is no consensus on the best dosage or duration of IFN therapy. As ribavirin (RBV) increases the sustained response when added to IFN in chronic hepatitis C, probably because of its immunomodulatory effect, we aimed to investigate the efficacy of 2-year IFN treatment and whether RBV had any additive effect to IFN in CDH.