The effect of probiotics on Helicobacter pylori eradication.

Background/aims: Conflicting results have been reported on the effect of a variety of probiotic strains on Helicobacter pylori (HP) eradication. In this study, we evaluated the outcome of a probiotic strain composed of bacillus subtilis and Streptococcus faecium on HP eradication.

Methodology: We recruited 352 HP infected patients who were randomized into a triple-plus-probiotics group or a triple-only group; the participants received 1 week of PPI-based triple therapy with or without probiotics supplements.

Clinical significance of distal colon polyps for the prediction of an advanced proximal neoplasm: the KASID prospective multicenter study.

Background/aims: The possibility of proximal lesion without distal polyps is a weak point of sigmoidoscopic colon cancer screening, but the clinical significance of distal findings for advanced proximal neoplasm (APN) is uncertain. The aim of this study was to assess the significance of a distal finding as a predictor of APN.

Materials And Methods: Asymptomatic patients > or =50 years old were enrolled from among patients who underwent polypectomy at 11 tertiary medical centers during the Korean Association for the Study of Intestinal Disease prospective study conducted between July 2003 and March 2004.

Abdominal obesity is an independent risk factor for erosive esophagitis in a Korean population.

Background: The relationship between obesity and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is controversial. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential roles of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference on GERD in a Korean population.

Methods: A total of 2457 subjects who visited the Kangbuk Samsung Hospital medical screening center for esophagogastroduodenoscopy from September 2004 to April 2005 were enrolled.

Factors affecting the technical difficulty of colonoscopy.

Background/aims: Colonoscopy is a standard diagnostic tool for screening and surveillance of diseases affecting the colon. Colonoscopy may be painful for patients and difficult for the endoscopist. The aim of this study was to identify the factors affecting the technical difficulty of a colonoscopic examination and to predict potential difficult patients who will undergo colonoscopy.

[Bamboo joint-like appearance of stomach in Korean patients with Crohn's disease].

Background/aims: Bamboo joint-like (BJL) appearance is an endoscopic finding characterized by swollen longitudinal folds transversed by erosive fissures or linear furrows on the lesser curvature side of gastric body and cardia. It has been reported to be associated with Crohn's disease (CD). This study was aimed to evaluate the incidence of BJL appearance in Korean patients with CD.

The association between increased alanine aminotransferase activity and metabolic factors in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been associated with metabolic disorders, including central obesity, dyslipidema, hypertension, and hyperglycemia. Metabolic syndrome, obesity, and insulin resistance are major risk factors in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. The aim of this study was to identify the relative contribution of the metabolic syndrome, obesity, and insulin resistance to alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity in NAFLD.

HER-2/neu overexpression is an independent prognostic factor in colorectal cancer.

Background And Aims: The HER-2/neu protein is intimately involved with normal cell proliferation and tissue growth, as it is extensively homologous and is related to the epidermal growth factor receptor. This phenomenon has been most intensively studied in the context of breast carcinoma, in which its amplification and overexpression correlate with the overall course of disease and poor prognoses, and also constitute a predictive factor of poor response to chemotherapy and endocrine therapy. In this study, we investigated the relationships between the expression of HER-2/neu and the clinicopathological characteristics of colorectal cancer, including survival.

[The relationship between serum adiponectin level and serum alanine aminotransferase elevation in Korean male with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease].

Background/aims: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) comprises a large part of chronic liver diseases. Recently it was reported that adipokines are closely associated with the common risk factors for NAFLD, such as obesity, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance. We aimed to evaluate the changes in serum adiponectin, resistin and leptin concentrations related to alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevations in Korean men with NAFLD.

[Is gastric cancer a new indication for surveillance colonoscopy? Colon cancer is increased in gastric cancer patients].

Background/aims: It has been reported that the risk of gastric polyp is increased in various colonic polyposis syndromes or in series of patients with sporadic colonic polyps. However, there are only a few large case controlled studies of colon cancer incidence in gastric cancer patients who underwent colonoscopy. The aims of this study were to determine the incidence of colorectal neoplasm and to evaluate the necessity of colonoscopic surveillance in patients with gastric cancer.

[Levofloxacin-azithromycin combined triple therapy for Helicobacter pylori eradication].

Background/aims: Antibiotic resistance and poor compliance are the main causes of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication failure. This study evaluated the eradication rate, tolerability, and compliance of levofloxacin- azithromycin combined triple therapy for H.