Colorectal Cancer Screening by Fecal Immunochemical Tests (FIT): Considerations on Sampling and Markers (Hb and Hb/Hp Complex) of Fecal Occult Blood (FOB).

Background/aim: Formal demonstration of the efficacy of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening by fecal immunochemical tests (FITs) in reducing CRC incidence and mortality is still missing. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of sampling and FIT marker in the recently implemented CRC screening program in Finland.

Patients And Methods: Because only the index test [FIT hemoglobin (Hb)]-positive subjects are verified by the reference test (colonoscopy), the new screening program is subject to verification bias that precludes estimating the diagnostic accuracy (DA) indicators.

Awareness and Acceptance of Nicotine-free Smoking Intervention Methods (Acetium Lozenge) Increased Among Health Care Professionals by Targeted E-training as Confirmed by Post-training Surveys.

Background/aim: To increase the awareness and acceptance of the new nicotine-free smoking intervention method (Acetium lozenge; Biohit Oyj, Finland), targeted E-Training with accompanying surveys were conducted in 2018, 2020 and 2023.

Patients And Methods: The target groups were derived from the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)-compliant registers of Finnish physicians, pharmacy staff and nurses owned by Success Clinic Oy. The post-training surveys recorded 1) awareness of the responders on Acetium lozenge, 2) their attitude to nicotine-free smoking intervention methods in general as well as 3) their readiness for recommending this new tool to their patients.

Serological Biomarker Test (GastroPanel) in the Diagnosis of Functional Gastric Disorders, and Atrophic Gastritis in Patients Examined for Dyspeptic Symptoms.

Background/aim: The GastroPanel test (Biohit Oyj) is interpreted by the GastroSoft application distinguishing eight biomarker profiles, of which five profiles have a morphological equivalent in the Updated Sydney System (USS) classification of gastritis, and 3 others specify functional disorders of the stomach: 1) high acid output, 2) low acid output, and 3) effects of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) medication. This study evaluated the prevalence of these biomarker profiles in dyspeptic patients.

Patients And Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed to assess the point prevalence of these biomarker profiles in a random sample of 500 subjects derived from our archives of GastroPanel samples.

(Hp) IgG ELISA of the New-Generation GastroPanel® Is Highly Accurate in Diagnosis of Hp-Infection in Gastroscopy Referral Patients.

Background/aim: Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection affects a substantial proportion of the world population and is a major risk factor of gastric cancer (GC). The caveats of common Hp-tests can be evaded by a serological biomarker test (GastroPanel®, Biohit Oyj, Helsinki), the most comprehensive Hp-test on the market. The clinical validation of Helicobacter pylori IgG ELISA of the new-generation GastroPanel® test is reported.

GastroPanel® Biomarker Assay: The Most Comprehensive Test for Infection and Its Clinical Sequelae. A Critical Review.

Background/aim: Several clinical conditions seriously hamper the diagnostic accuracy of the commonly used tests for Helicobacter pylori (Hp), C-urea breath test (UBT) and stool antigen test (SAT). The present communication is a critical review of the potential limitations of UBT and SAT, and describes the approach on how these can be avoided. Drawbacks of the Hp tests: False-negative results are most often due to low bacterial load in the stomach due to: i) use of proton pump inhibitor medication; ii) use of antibiotics; iii) presence of atrophic gastritis and hypoacid stomach; iv); bleeding peptic ulcer; v) gastric cancer (GC) and vi) mucosal-associated lymphatic tissue lymphoma.

Comparison of a New-generation Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) With Guaiac Fecal Occult Blood Test (gFOBT) in Detecting Colorectal Neoplasia Among Colonoscopy-referral Patients.

Background/aim: The aim of the present study was to compare fecal immunochemical tests (FITs) for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening with the traditional guaiac-based FOB tests (gFOBT).

Materials And Methods: A cohort of 368 colonoscopy-referral patients were evaluated by i) the new-generation FIT: ColonView quick test (CV; Biohit Oyj, Finland) and ii) a conventional gFOBT HemoccultSENSA (HS; Beckman Coulter, USA). Three fecal samples were requested for both assays, and all subjects underwent diagnostic colonoscopy with biopsy confirmation.

Slow-release L-Cysteine (Acetium®) Lozenge Is an Effective New Method in Smoking Cessation. A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Intervention.

Background/aim: Because of the major health problems and annual economic burden caused by cigarette smoking, effective new tools for smoking intervention are urgently needed. Our previous randomized controlled trial (RCT) provided promising results on the efficacy of slow-release L-cysteine lozenge in smoking intervention, but the study was not adequately powered. To confirm in an adequately-powered study the results of the previous RCT implicating that effective elimination of acetaldehyde in saliva by slow-release L-cysteine (Acetium® lozenge, Biohit Oyj, Helsinki), would assist in smoking cessation by reducing acetaldehyde-enhanced nicotine addiction.

Elimination of Cigarette Smoke-derived Acetaldehyde in Saliva by Slow-release L-Cysteine Lozenge Is a Potential New Method to Assist Smoking Cessation. A Randomised, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Intervention.

Background/aim: Harmans are condensation products of acetaldehyde and biogenic amines in saliva. Like other monoamine oxidase inhibitors, harmans help maintain behavioral sensitization to nicotine and mediate the addictive potential of cigarette smoke-derived acetaldehyde. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that effective elimination of acetaldehyde in saliva by slow-release L-cysteine (Acetium™ lozenge; Biohit Oyj, Helsinki, Finland) blocks the formation of harmans and eliminates acetaldehyde-enhanced nicotine addiction in smokers.

Diagnosis of atrophic gastritis from a serum sample.

On the basis of the levels of serum pepsinogen I (S-PGI) and gastrin-17 (S-G-17) as well as Helicobacter pylori - antibodies assayed from a blood sample it is possible to establish with high sensitivity and specificity whether the patient has gastritis, whether the gastritis is atrophic or not and in which part of the stomach the atrophic changes are located. The test enables the identification of patients whose risk of gastric cancer, of the consequences of vitamin B12 deficiency (e.g.