Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy outcome according to clarithromycin susceptibility testing in Japan.

Background: Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection increases the risk of gastric cancer. Therefore, eradication is a global goal, which requires continuous monitoring of therapeutic regimens and effectiveness. Clarithromycin resistance is an important contributor to eradication failure, and metronidazole is recommended as second-line treatment in such cases.

Phase II trial of combined regional hyperthermia and gemcitabine for locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Purpose: Despite advances in cancer therapy, treating pancreatic cancer remains one of the major challenges in the field of medical oncology. We conducted this phase II study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of regional hyperthermia combined with gemcitabine for the treatment of unresectable advanced pancreatic cancer.

Methods: Eligibility criteria included histologically proven, locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer.

A case of inoperable duodenal cancer achieving long-term survival after multidisciplinary treatment.

A 50-year-old female became aware of skin yellowing and consulted another hospital where she was diagnosed intraoperatively with duodenal cancer because of lymph node metastases around the aorta. Endoscopy revealed type IIa + IIc cancer distal to the duodenal papilla, and biopsy allowed a diagnosis of well-differentiated adenocarcinoma. Computed tomography revealed a large number of lymph node metastases around the aorta and in the left supraclavicular cavity.

Synergistic effect of HLA class II loci and cytokine gene polymorphisms on the risk of gastric cancer in Japanese patients with Helicobacter pylori infection.

It has been reported that polymorphisms of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes and several cytokine genes are associated with an increased risk of developing gastric cancer (GC). However, the results of studies from different geographic regions, ethnic groups and study groups are inconsistent. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of H.

Prevention of Indomethacin-Induced Gastric Mucosal Injury in Helicobacter pylori-Negative Healthy Volunteers: A Comparison Study Rebamipide vs Famotidine.

The clinical efficacy of gastroprotective drugs or low-dose H(2) receptor antagonists in the prevention of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-induced gastropathy is limited. The aim of the present study was to investigate efficacy of rebamipide and famotidine in Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)-negative healthy volunteers taking NSAID.

[Effect of clinical pathway in the treatment of inpatients with ischemic colitis].

Based on the results of a retrospective review of clinical data on inpatients with ischemic colitis treated at our hospital, we created a clinical pathway and evaluated its usefulness. We used the clinical pathway for 21 inpatients, and the patient who fulfilled the criteria consisted of 18 inpatients. The fasting period after the onset and the duration of hospitalization were compared with those of 60 patients before implementation of the clinical pathway.

Hypoxia-reoxygenation enhances interleukin-8 production from U937 human monocytic cells.

Hypoxia--reoxygenation (H/R) occurs in both inflammatory spots and tumor tissues, sites in which damage is amplified either acutely or chronically through the infiltration of inflammatory cells. Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is a cytokine with chemotactic and angiogenic properties. This study was designed to investigate the effects of H/R on IL-8 production in the U937 human monocytic cell line.

Anoxia/reoxygenation down-regulates the expression of E-cadherin in human colon cancer cell lines.

The E-cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesiveness is a critical factor for carcinoma cell invasion and metastasis. Anoxia/reoxygenation is known to occur in cancer tissues. In this study, we investigated whether anoxia/reoxygenation induces the down-regulation of E-cadherin expression in the human colon cancer cell lines HT-29, and SW1116.

Inhibitory effect of pioglitazone on expression of adhesion molecules on neutrophils and endothelial cells.

The interaction between leukocytes and the vascular endothelial cells (EC) via cellular adhesion molecules plays an important role in various inflammatory and immune diseases. It has been suggested that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma, a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily of transcription factors) might be involved in the control of inflammation and in modulating the expression of various cytokines. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory properties of PPAR-gamma activators, as well as the inhibitory effect of PPAR-gamma on the expression of adhesion molecules on leukocytes and vascular endothelial cells.

Edaravone, a newly developed radical scavenger, protects against ischemia-reperfusion injury of the small intestine in rats.

Although edaravone (3-methyl-1-phenyl-pyrazolin-5-one), a newly developed radical scavenging agent, has been widely used for protection against ischemia-reperfusion (I-R) injury in patients with cerebral infarction, its effects on gastrointestinal I-R injury have not been evaluated. In the present study, we examined the effects of edaravone on experimental intestinal I-R damage in rats. In male Wistar rats with and without edaravone treatment, intestinal damage was induced by clamping the superior mesenteric artery for 30 min, followed by reperfusion.

Hyperthermia enhances tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced apoptosis of a human gastric cancer cell line.

We have investigated the effects of hyperthermia on the apoptosis induced by tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). Confluent monolayers of human gastric cancer cell line MKN45 were either treated or untreated with hyperthermia for 1 h. The cells were subsequently stimulated with TNF-alpha.

Blocking of NF-kappaB activation enhances the tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced apoptosis of a human gastric cancer cell line.

The transcription factor NF-kappaB is constitutively activated in many human cancers and induces the expression of multiple genes, including those of anti-apoptotic proteins. This study investigated the mechanism by which human gastric cancer cells (MKN45) are resistant to apoptosis induced by tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). Confluent monolayers of MKN45 cells were either pretreated or not for 60 min with PSI, a peptide aldehyde known to specifically inhibit the chymotrypsin-like activity of 26S proteasome.

Suppression of intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury by a specific peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma ligand, pioglitazone, in rats.

Neutrophil activation and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) induction play a critical role in ischemia-reperfusion-induced intestinal inflammation. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma), a member of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily, has recently been implicated as a regulator of inflammatory responses. The aim of the present study was to determine whether pioglitazone, a specific PPAR-gamma ligand, can ameliorate reperfusion-induced intestinal injury in rats, and whether the agent can inhibit the increase in neutrophil accumulation associated with TNF-alpha expression.