Endoscopy and Barrett's Esophagus: Current Perspectives in the US and Japan.

Barrett's esophagus (BE) is a precancerous disease that can lead to esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Recently, the incidence of EAC arising from BE has been increasing, and EAC has now become a threat in many countries. However, there are many gaps among the various countries in terms of definitions and concepts and these gaps prevent discussing BE on the same footing.

Is double-balloon colonoscopy a better aid to unskilled colonoscopists than conventional colonoscopy?

Background And Study Aims: To compare the clinical outcome of double-balloon colonoscopy (DBC) with conventional colonoscopy (CC) for colon evaluation performed by an unskilled colonoscopist.

Patients And Methods: Between June 2008 and November 2008, 1544 colonoscopies were performed in our hospital. Fifty-eight patients, (29 male and 29 female ; 19-86 years; mean age, 63 years) involving 60 intubations, were enrolled in this study and were assigned randomly to the DBC or CC group.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection of a rectal carcinoid tumor using grasping type scissors forceps.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) with a knife is a technically demanding procedure associated with a high complication rate. The shortcomings of this method are the inability to fix the knife to the target lesion, and compression of the lesion. These can lead to major complications such as perforation and bleeding.

The effect of itraconazole on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of bromazepam in healthy volunteers.

Rationale And Objective: Bromazepam, an anti-anxiety agent, has been reported to be metabolized by cytochrome P(450) (CYP). However, the enzyme responsible for the metabolism of bromazepam has yet to be determined. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the inhibition of CYP3A4 produced by itraconazole alters the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of bromazepam.