Immunochemical faecal occult blood tests have superior stability and analytical performance characteristics over guaiac-based tests in a controlled in vitro study.

Aims: The aims of this study were (1) to determine the measurement accuracy of a widely used guaiac faecal occult blood test (gFOBT) compared with an immunochemical faecal occult blood test (iFOBT) during in vitro studies, including their analytical stability over time at ambient temperature and at 4°C; and (2) to compare analytical imprecision and other characteristics between two commercially available iFOBT methods.

Methods: Faecal specimens from healthy volunteers negative for occult blood were spiked with red cell lysate to give concentrations of 0 (A), 2.5 (B) and 4.

Adherence to colorectal polyp surveillance guidelines: is there a 'scope' to increase the opportunities for screening?

Colorectal polyps are usually asymptomatic and are found opportunistically. Individuals with adenomata are at increased risk for cancer and therefore guidelines exist for surveillance of these lesions including those of the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG). Deviation from these guidelines is common and increases the workload of endoscopy.

Helicobacter pylori resistance to metronidazole and clarithromycin in Ireland.

Introduction: Helicobacter pylori eradication rates have fallen considerably in recent years. Antibiotic resistance is thought to be rising.

Objectives: To examine the levels of resistance to metronidazole (MTZ) and clarithromycin (CLA) in H.

The long-term risk of continuous immunosuppression using thioguanides in inflammatory bowel disease.

The efficacy of thiopurine treatment in the induction, and especially maintenance, of remission in inflammatory bowel disease is well proven; however, it is associated with side effects in both medium and long-term use. The potential harmful effects may be anticipated and minimised by due diligence prior to commencing these drugs followed by close monitoring of haematological and biochemical parameters once started. Careful clinical examination and history taking are also essential.

Concept of chemoprevention in colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. The incidence of colorectal cancer is nearly four-fold higher in more-developed as compared with less-developed regions of the world. At present an early detection of colorectal cancer remains a crucial step in determining the therapeutic outcomes.

Primary prevention of colorectal cancer: are we closer to reality?

Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. An early detection of colorectal cancer determines therapeutic outcomes, while primary prevention remains a challenge. Our aim was to review the dietary, geographical and genetic factors in the causation and their possible role in the primary prevention of colorectal cancer.

Pylera for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection.

An ideal antibiotic regimen for Helicobacter pylori should achieve eradication rates of approximately 90%. Current 7-day triple therapy is successful in about two-thirds of patients. A novel treatment is required to achieve higher eradication with minimal induction of bacterial resistance.

Colonic adenoma patients have higher incidence of hyperplastic polyps on surveillance colonoscopy.

Objectives: To determine the incidence of hyperplastic polyps in patients undergoing surveillance colonoscopy and to compare with the prevalence in individuals undergoing index colonoscopy.

Patients And Methods: This prospective observational study included patients with index colonoscopy findings of adenomas, adenoma with concomitant hyperplastic polyps and advanced neoplasia who subsequently underwent surveillance colonoscopy. Patient characteristics, indications for colonoscopy, interval between examinations and findings were recorded.

Clinical conditions and patient factors significantly influence diagnostic utility of D-dimer in venous thromboembolism.

Determining D-dimer levels remains important in the diagnostic algorithms for venous thromboembolism (VTE). The present study aimed to identify factors influencing D-dimer utility in diagnosing VTE. Consecutive symptomatic medical patients, who attended our emergency department from 1 November 2006 to 31 December 2006, had D-dimer levels measured as fibrinogen equivalent units (FEU), following clinical risk assessment.

Helicobacter pylori eradication: role of individual therapy constituents and therapy duration.

Treatment of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection has become a key factor in the management of dyspepsia and is the treatment of choice for peptic ulcer disease. First-line eradication regimens combining a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) with clarithromycin and amoxicillin or metronidazole are considered most effective when given for a minimum period of 1 week.

Efficacy and safety of 6-thioguanine in the management of inflammatory bowel disease.

Objective: 6-Thioguanine has been used as an alternative immunomodulator in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease but data on its efficacy and safety are limited. The aim of this study was to analyse our experience of the efficacy and safety of 6-thioguanine in inflammatory bowel disease.

Material And Methods: Patients attending the inflammatory bowel disease clinic who were started on 6-thioguanine therapy were included in this prospective observational study.

Rifabutin- and furazolidone-based Helicobacter pylori eradication therapies after failure of standard first- and second-line eradication attempts in dyspepsia patients.

Background: Optimal management approach is not well defined for subjects who fail initial first- and second-line Helicobacter pylori eradication attempts and are dealt on a case-by-case basis by the specialists.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of standard and 'rescue' eradication therapies at primary and secondary care levels.

Methods: H.

Treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection.

Review of the recently published data on Helicobacter pylori management highlights various interesting aspects. Current H. pylori eradication guidelines generally suggest a noninvasive 'test and treat' strategy for all dyspeptic patients with certain age limits depending on the local gastric neoplasia risk.

Motion--Helicobacter pylori worsens GERD: arguments for the motion.

There are several reasons for eradicating Helicobacter pylori in patients with chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Perhaps the most compelling is the evidence that chronic acid suppression therapy can lead to the development of atrophic gastritis, a premalignant condition, in patients with H pylori infection. Epidemiological data that suggest that H pylori is less prevalent in GERD patients than in control subjects may be susceptible to publication bias, and confounding social and environmental factors may also be involved.