Overview of Current Concepts in Gastric Intestinal Metaplasia and Gastric Cancer.

Gastric intestinal metaplasia is a precancerous change of the mucosa of the stomach with intestinal epithelium, and is associated with an increased risk of dysplasia and cancer. The pathogenesis to gastric cancer is proposed by the Correa hypothesis as the transition from normal gastric epithelium to invasive cancer via inflammation followed by intramucosal cancer and invasion. Multiple risk factors have been associated with the development of gastric intestinal metaplasia interplay, including infection and associated genomics, host genetic factors, environmental milieu, rheumatologic disorders, diet, and intestinal microbiota.

Meta-analysis of patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 6: 48 weeks with pegylated interferon and ribavirin is superior to 24 weeks.

Background: Hepatitis C virus genotype 6 (HCV-6) is common in patients from Southeast Asia and the surrounding regions. Optimal treatment duration for HCV-6 is unknown given the inconclusive evidence from studies with varying methodologies and small sample sizes.

Methods: A literature search for 'genotype 6' in MEDLINE and EMBASE in October 2013 produced 161 and 251 articles, respectively.

Sustained virologic response to standard interferon or pegylated interferon and ribavirin in patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 5: systematic review and meta-analysis of ten studies and 423 patients.

Background: Interferon (IFN)-free therapy has vastly improved therapeutic options for those with hepatitis C virus infection (HCV). However, the lack of data and the expense limit its use for lesser known genotypes such as HCV-5, especially in countries with financial limitations. Previous reports estimate sustained virologic response (SVR) rates in HCV-5 to be ~40-70%.

Meta-analysis: superior treatment response in Asian patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 6 versus genotype 1 with pegylated interferon and ribavirin.

Objective: Our goal was to systematically and quantitatively assess treatment response between Asian patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 6 (HCV-6) and hepatitis C virus genotype 1 (HCV-1) treated for 48 weeks with pegylated interferon and ribavirin.

Methods: We performed a literature search in MEDLINE and EMBASE for 'genotype 6' in August 2013. Additional abstracts from major international scientific conferences from 2012 to 2013 were reviewed.