Median Nerve Neuropathy Caused by Persistent Median Artery Thrombosis.

Persistent median artery thrombosis mimicking carpal tunnel syndrome is rare. Here, we report the pathological, ultrasonography, and intraoperative findings of a case of persistent median artery thrombosis mimicking carpal tunnel syndrome. A 34-year-old man reported to our clinic with a complaint of numbness in his left thumb, index finger, and middle finger, which are innervated by the left median nerve.

Hematogenous Gastric Metastasis of Pancreatic Cancer.

While the gastric involvement of pancreatic cancer is occasionally observed as the result of direct invasion, hematogenous gastric metastasis is rare. A 72-year-old Japanese male presented with general fatigue, pollakiuria, and thirst. Computed tomography revealed a 4.

[A Case of Esophageal Submucosal Abscess Originating from a Peritonsillar Abscess].

We report the case a 54-year-old male patient who was admitted to our hospital with a sore throat and evidence of a high inflammatory reaction. Computed tomography revealed a peritonsillar abscess extending from the inferior right tonsil to the cervical esophagus, and thickening of the esophageal wall. The pharyngeal abscess was drained through an intraluminal incision in the mesopharynx.

Infliximab extends the duration until the first surgery in patients with Crohn's disease.

Background/aims: While biological drugs are useful for relieving the disease activity and preventing abdominal surgery in patients with Crohn's disease (CD), it is unclear whether the use of biological drugs in CD patients with no history of abdominal surgery is appropriate. We evaluated the effects of infliximab and other factors on extending the duration until the first surgery in CD patients on a long-term basis.

Methods: The clinical records of 104 CD patients were retrospectively investigated.

Back-to-back comparison of auto-fluorescence imaging (AFI) versus high resolution white light colonoscopy for adenoma detection.

Background: Some patients under close colonoscopic surveillance still develop colorectal cancer, thus suggesting the overlook of colorectal adenoma by endoscopists. AFI detects colorectal adenoma as a clear magenta, therefore the efficacy of AFI is expected to improve the detection ability of colorectal adenoma. The aim of this study is to determine the efficacy of AFI in detecting colorectal adenoma.

Competence and sporulation factor derived from Bacillus subtilis improves epithelial cell injury in intestinal inflammation via immunomodulation and cytoprotection.

Introduction: Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host. These probiotic effects are considered to be displayed through the mediation of effective molecules derived from these bacteria because live bacteria as well as their conditioned media exhibit beneficial effects in many cases. However, many of the probiotic-derived molecules which mediate such benefits have so far been poorly characterized.

Autofluorescence imaging and the quantitative intensity of fluorescence for evaluating the dysplastic grade of colonic neoplasms.

Background And Aims: Autofluorescence imaging (AFI) is a novel technology which can capture fluorescence emitted from intestinal tissues. While AFI is useful for detecting colorectal neoplasms, it is unclear whether AFI can facilitate the diagnosis by differentiating the extent of dysplasia of colorectal neoplasms. This study investigated the efficacy of AFI in discriminating high-grade from low-grade adenoma.

A new antimesenteric functional end-to-end handsewn anastomosis: surgical prevention of anastomotic recurrence in Crohn's disease.

Background: Recurrence of Crohn's disease usually occurs at anastomotic sites.

Objective: A new anastomosis technique (Kono-S anastomosis) designed to minimize anastomotic restenosis was compared with conventional anastomoses.

Design And Settings: The Kono-S anastomosis technique was first used for Crohn's disease in 2003 at the Asahikawa Medical University Hospital.

Atypical tumour-like involvement of the colon in secondary systemic amyloidosis which vanished after 1 month of observation.

Amyloidosis occurs as a result of the extracellular deposition of protein fibrils in organs and tissues, thus causing mild to severe pathophysiological changes. The gastrointestinal tract is a common site of amyloid deposition. While intestinal amyloidosis frequently results in polypoid lesions, ulcerations, nodules and petechial mucosal haemorrhage, tumour-like lesions are rarely developed and infrequently diagnosed before the resection because of the difficulty in differentiating them from colon cancer.

Atypical tumour-like involvement of the colon in Henoch-Schonlein purpura successfully treated with the administration of factor XIII.

Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) is a type of systemic vasculitis of the small vessels, which frequently involves the skin, kidney and gastrointestinal tract. While the typical intestinal features of HSP include diffuse mucosal redness, small ring-like petechiae and haemorrhagic erosions, tumour-like lesions are rarely observed. The current study presents a rare case of HSP with an intestinal tumour-like lesion in the caecum.

Endosopic autofluorescence imaging is useful for the differential diagnosis of intestinal lymphomas resembling lymphoid hyperplasia.

Background: A method for the differential diagnosis of intestinal lymphomas resembling lymphoid hyperplasia (LH) by endoscopy remains to be clearly established.

Objective: To evaluate the usefulness of autofluorescence imaging (AFI) in diagnosing intestinal lymphoma.

Setting: Single-center study.

Immunoprecipitation of nucleosomal DNA is a novel procedure to improve the sensitivity of serum screening for the p16 hypermethylation associated with colon cancer.

Background: We developed a novel method of methylation-specific PCR (MSP) using immunoprecipitation with anti-histone antibody (IP-MSP) to efficiently detect serum methylated DNA tightly bound to de-acetylated histones.

Materials And Methods: The detection limit of IP-MSP for p16 methylation was determined with a standard made by cell line (SKCO-1) lysate. p16 methylation of tumor and/or serum of 51 colorectal cancers and 10 adenoma patients, and 10 healthy volunteers was detected with conventional MSP or IP-MSP.

Collagenous colitis appeared after 6-year administration of lansoprazole.

Collagenous colitis (CC) is one of the causes of undefined watery diarrhea, which is histologically accompanied by thickening of the subepithelial collagen layer. CC associated with lansoprazole normally occurs within several weeks after initial administration, but no case presenting after long-term administration of lansoprazole has yet been reported. A 77-year-old male with 6-year history of administration of lansoprazole complained of watery diarrhea and weight loss.

Capsule endoscopy is a feasible procedure for identifying a Diphyllobothrium nihonkaiense infection and determining the indications for vermifuge treatment.

Diphyllobothrium is a member of Cestoda family, which is the largest parasite of humans. The diagnosis of diphyllobothriasis is based on the detection of eggs in the stool. Because the remainder of the scolex causes a relapse in diphyllobothriasis, the scolex must be completely discharged to cure the parasite infection.

A case of small cell carcinoma of the oesophagus treated with endoscopic mucosal resection who remained in clinical remission for 18 months: its endoscopic features with specific light spectra.

Small cell carcinoma of the oesophagus (SCCE) is an infrequent tumour associated with a poor prognosis. We herein propose the first case of SCCE treated by endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) and its endoscopic images with narrow band imaging (NBI) and autofluorescence imaging (AFI). A 63-year-old man complained of a loss of appetite.

[A case report of ball valve syndrome caused by the gastrointestinal stromal tumor arising from the muscularis mucosae in gastric fornix].

An 83-year-old woman who was admitted to other hospital, was consulted us because of continuous tarry stool and abdominal fullness. On upper endoscopy, the submucosal tumor from greater curvature of gastric fornix invaginated into the duodenal bulbus, showing so-called "ball valve syndrome (BVS)". As the tumor incarcerted again on the following endoscoopy, she underwent laparoscopic partial gastrectomy.

Transnasal ultrathin endoscopy for placement of a long intestinal tube in patients with intestinal obstruction.

Background: The technical difficulties related to the insertion of a long intestinal tube into the jejunum under fluoroscopy present a considerable problem in patients with an intestinal obstruction.

Objective: To evaluate the usefulness of endoscopic long intestinal-tube placement with the ultrathin esophagogastroduodenoscope (UT-EGD).

Design: A prospective randomized clinical trial was conducted.

Denatured human alpha-defensin attenuates the bactericidal activity and the stability against enzymatic digestion.

alpha-Defensin is an antimicrobial peptide which plays an important role in innate immunity. Human defensin (HD)-5 is stored in the Paneth cells of the small intestine as a pro-form and is cleaved by trypsin, which is co-secreted from the Paneth cell granules. The mature HD-5 is protected from further digestion by the proteolysis enzyme.

Spontaneous remission of primary diffuse large B-cell gastric lymphoma.

Spontaneous and complete disappearance of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBL) of the stomach is extremely rare. Although regression of gastric DLBL after eradication of Helicobacter pylori has recently been reported, we present two consecutive cases of stage I DLBL of the stomach which disappeared after only nonspecific therapy, including histamine 2-receptor antagonist (H2RA); both cases were documented histologically and endoscopically. Both patients were positive for H.

Reduction of syndecan-1 expression in differentiated type early gastric cancer and background mucosa with gastric cellular phenotype.

Background: Syndecan-1 is known to play a role as a cell adhesion molecule, similar to E-cadherin, and is associated with the maintenance of epithelial morphology. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the role and alterations of syndecan-1 expression in comparison with those of E-cadherin in different cellular phenotypes of differentiated-type gastric cancers (DGCs).

Methods: A total of 80 DGCs at an early stage, and their adjacent mucosa, were evaluated by both immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization.