Randomized study of lafutidine vs lansoprazole in patients with mild gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Aim: To compare the clinical efficacy of the second-generation H2RA lafutidine with that of lansoprazole in Japanese patients with mild gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Methods: Patients with symptoms of GERD and a diagnosis of grade A reflux esophagitis (according to the Los Angeles classification) were randomized to receive lafutidine (10 mg, twice daily) or lansoprazole (30 mg, once daily) for an initial 8 wk, followed by maintenance treatment comprising half-doses of the assigned drug for 24 wk. The primary endpoint was the frequency and severity of heartburn during initial and maintenance treatment.

Proton pump inhibitor step-down therapy for GERD: a multi-center study in Japan.

Aim: To investigate the predictors of success in step-down of proton pump inhibitor and to assess the quality of life (QOL).

Methods: Patients who had heartburn twice a week or more were treated with 20 mg omeprazole (OPZ) once daily for 8 wk as an initial therapy (study 1). Patients whose heartburn decreased to once a week or less at the end of the initial therapy were enrolled in study 2 and treated with 10 mg OPZ as maintenance therapy for an additional 6 mo (study 2).

H. pylori decreases gastric mucin synthesis via inhibition of galactosyltransferase.

Background/aims: Alterations of gastric mucin have been postulated as important pathogenic properties of Helicobacter pylori. In this study, we investigated gastric mucin synthesis in H. pylori-infected gastric mucosa by measuring UDP-galactosyltransferase activity, a key enzyme for the synthesis of mucin, and the amount of intracellular mucin in the gastric mucosa.