Disorder of autonomic nervous system and its vulnerability to external stimulation in functional dyspepsia.

To elucidate the role of autonomic nervous system in functional dyspepsia patients, we examined 24-h heart rate variability: the basal levels, responses after lunch, cold pressor and mental arithmetic tests, and the efficacy of an autonomic drug (tofisopam). The high-frequency component (HF: 0.15-0.

Perfectionism underlying psychological background correlated with the symptoms of functional dyspepsia.

Background: Early satiety, bloating, and postprandial distress are common symptoms in patients with functional dyspepsia (FD) and anorexia nervosa (AN). Perfectionism is known to be associated with AN, accompanied by abnormal eating behavior. We analyzed perfectionism in FD as compared with that in AN, and investigated the correlation of perfectionism with abdominal symptoms.

Concurrent assessment of reservoir and emptying of the stomach for dyspepsia patients.

Background/aims: We simultaneously examined the reservoir function of the stomach as well as emptying by one single assessment for gastric emptying, and investigated their association in patients with functional dyspepsia (FD). Next, we examined the interaction between the association and abdominal symptoms.

Methodology: Sixty-one FD patients according to the Rome III criteria were recruited for this study.

Management of gastric fundal varices without gastro-renal shunt in 15 patients.

Aim: To examine the portal hemodynamics of gastric fundal varices (GV) without gastro-renal shunt (GRS), and to retrospectively investigate the effects of various kinds of treatment on eradication.

Methods: Ninety-four liver cirrhosis patients at high-risk of GV were treated in our hospital and enrolled in this study. We retrospectively examined their characteristics, liver function, and portal hemodynamics of GV.

A case of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma forming multiple lymphomatous polyposis in the small intestine.

A 50-year old woman suffering from diabetes had a CT scan that revealed a diffuse thickening of small intestinal wall and swollen paraaortic lymph nodes. An esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) confirmed multiple polypoid lesions in the duodenum and small intestine, and conventional histological testing revealed non-specific inflammatory changes. Further examinations including the immunohistochemical profiles of the biopsied specimens led us to diagnose the lesion as a marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue type, forming multiple lymphomatous polyposis sequentially spreading from duodenal bulb to terminal ileum.

Feasibility, safety, and efficacy of the Stretta procedure in Japanese patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease: first report from Asia.

Background: In recent years, various endoscopic treatments have become available to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in Western countries. The Stretta procedure, which uses radiofrequency energy, is one type of safe and effective endoluminal treatment for GERD. However, the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of the Stretta procedure in Japanese patients with GERD, who differ from Western peoples in their physiological characteristics, are not known.

What are the risk factors for aggravation of esophageal varices in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma?

Background And Aim: The risk factors for aggravation of esophageal varices (EV) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of HCC on the appearance of the red color (RC) sign on EV and also investigate whether risk factors for the appearance of the RC sign differed between patients with and without HCC.

Methods: A total of 243 patients with cirrhosis (127 with HCC, 116 without HCC) without the RC sign, with no previous variceal hemorrhage, and not on prophylactic treatment for EV were enrolled.

Successful treatment of giant rectal varices by modified percutaneous transhepatic obliteration with sclerosant: Report of a case.

We present a female patient with continuous melena, diagnosed with rectal variceal bleeding. She had a history of esophageal varices, which were treated with endoscopic therapy. Five years after the treatment of esophageal varices, continuous melena occurred.

Risk factors for bleeding after endoscopic mucosal resection.

Aim: To clarify the risk factors for bleeding after endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR).

Methods: A total of 297 consecutive patients who underwent EMR were enrolled. Some of the patients had multiple lesions.