Randomised controlled trial of mesalazine in IBS.

Objective: Low-grade intestinal inflammation plays a role in the pathophysiology of IBS. In this trial, we aimed at evaluating the efficacy and safety of mesalazine in patients with IBS.

Design: We conducted a phase 3, multicentre, tertiary setting, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in patients with Rome III confirmed IBS.

Leaky gut, microbiota, and cancer: an incoming hypothesis.

Multigenic disease development is dependent on both missing and overactivated pathways, just as the homeostasis of our body systems is the product of many complex, redundant mechanisms. The goal of finding a common factor in the disease pathogenesis is difficult, as genetic and pathophysiological data are still incomplete, and the individual variability is enormous. Nevertheless, the examination of the role of human microbiota in illnesses using animal models of human diseases reared in defined (gnotobiotic) conditions could allow insight into the unusual complexity of the mechanisms involved in the initiation and maintenance of chronic diseases, including cancer.

Prediction of oesophageal varices in hepatic cirrhosis by simple serum non-invasive markers: Results of a multicenter, large-scale study.

Background & Aims: Preliminary data suggest that non-invasive methods could be useful to assess presence of oesophageal varices (OV) in cirrhotic patients. We aimed to further investigate simple serum non-invasive markers for diagnosing and grading OV.

Methods: A retrospective set of 510 cirrhotics and a prospective set of 110 cirrhotics were enrolled consecutively in five centers.

Probiotics in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) may be diagnosed on the presence of symptoms, according to Rome II criteria, [corrected] and some studies have shown that abnormal colonic fermentation may be an important factor in the development of symptoms in some patients with IBS. Since the fermentation [corrected] of substrates by the intestinal flora may play a key role in the use of probiotics in the treatment of IBS, seventy [corrected] patients (31 [corrected] males, 39 [corrected] females), mean age 40 years (range = 26-64 years) with IBS, according to Rome II criteria, were enrolled into the study after informed consensus. Patients were randomly assigned to receive for 4 weeks [corrected] either the active preparation containing Lactobacillus plantarum LP 01 [corrected] and Bifidobacterium breve BR 03 [corrected] or Lactobacillus plantarum LP 01 and Lactobacillus acidophilus LA 02, all strains at concentrations of 5 x 10(9) CFU/g) [corrected] or placebo powder containing starch identical to the study product [corrected] To evaluate treatment efficacy two different scores were considered [corrected] Pain score in different abdominal locations after treatment decreased in probiotics groups A and B 42% and 49% versus 25% [corrected] (P < 0.

Prevalence of intestinal metaplasia in the distal oesophagus, oesophagogastric junction and gastric cardia in symptomatic patients in north-east Italy: a prospective, descriptive survey. The Italian Ulcer Study Group "GISU".

Background: Incidence of adenocarcinoma of distal oesophagus and gastric cardia, probably arising from areas of intestinal metaplasia, has been increasing rapidly.

Aims: To define prevalence of intestinal metaplasia of distal oesophagus, oesophagogastric junction and gastric cardia and to evaluate potential associated factors, by means of a prospective multicentre study including University and teaching hospitals, and primary and tertiary care centres.

Patients: Each of 24 institutions involved in study enrolled 10 consecutive patients undergoing first-time routine endoscopy for dyspeptic symptoms.

Maintenance therapy with pantoprazole 20 mg prevents relapse of reflux oesophagitis.

Background: Proton pump inhibitors can be effective as maintenance therapy in reducing the relapse rate of reflux oesophagitis at a dose lower than that used for acute healing.

Patients And Methods: Patients (n=396, 18-88 years old) with healed reflux oesophagitis (grade II or III before healing) were included in this multinational, prospective, parallel-group, randomized double-blind study. They took oral pantoprazole 20 mg (n=203) or 40 mg (n=193), once daily for up to 12 months.

Ranitidine bismuth citrate with either clarithromycin 1 g/day or 1.5 g/day is equally effective in the eradication of H. pylori and healing of duodenal ulcer.

Background: No randomized double-blind studies have been performed to compare clarithromycin 1 g/day with higher doses of the macrolide (1.5 g/day) when combined with ranitidine bismuth citrate (RBC).

Aim: To compare H.

A new 1-week therapy for Helicobacter pylori eradication: ranitidine bismuth citrate plus two antibiotics.

Background: One-week triple regimens are currently the most recommended therapy for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori. No previous study has evaluated the efficacy of a short-term regimen combining ranitidine bismuth citrate with two antibiotics.

Methods: Seventy-two consecutive H.

Long-term Effects of Gastric Pacing to Reduce Feed Intake in Swine.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to show the effect of chronic antral gastric electrical stimulation on the feeding behavior of swine. METHODS: Three groups of swine were investigated; first group control-group, second group- 8 months of electrical antral stimulation (10 Volts; 450 micros; Hertz 100; Mode: Cycling; on time 3.25 s; off time 5.

Gastric Peristalsis Control by Mono Situ Electrical Stimulation: a Preliminary Study.

BACKGROUND: This study was initiated 3 years ago when antral gastric stimulation was first used successfully to reduce free feeding in swine. METHODS: Three swine weighing 45 kg each were implanted with one subserosal bipolar electrode, positioned in the antrum, close to the pylorus, at the anterior side of the lesser gastric curvature. RESULTS: During 4 hours of kethamine anesthesia we paced the stomach by various patterns of electrical stimulation and obtained both forward and backward peristalsis, as well as gastric peresis.

Oral cromolyn sodium in comparison with elimination diet in the irritable bowel syndrome, diarrheic type. Multicenter study of 428 patients.

Background: In a significant number of patients affected by the irritable bowel syndrome, an adverse reaction to food is proposed to be a causative factor. A diet that eliminates the offending foods is the obvious treatment for such adverse reactions. Compliance with a dietetic regimen is often poor and sometimes not completely free from risks.

Pathogenesis of gastric ulcer.

The cause of gastric ulcer is still poorly understood, even though a certain number of pathophysiologic abnormalities have been described in subgroups of gastric ulcer patients. It is not known whether these abnormalities lead to ulceration or occur as a result of ulcers. Environmental factors, such as aspirin intake or stressful life events, may be related to gastric ulcer in some patients.

[Evaluation of the cost of maintenance therapy (6 months) with 150 mg ranitidine vs 20 mg omeprazole vs 20 mg omeprazole every other day in duodenal ulcer].

Prevention of ulcer relapse and of its complications is a problem which remains to be solved. Our study involved 250 patients, with healed duodenal ulcer. We evaluated efficacy and costs of three different maintenance therapies: ranitidine 150 mg/day, omeprazole 20 mg/day every other day and omeprazole 20 mg/day.

Efficacy of long-term therapy with low doses of omeprazole in the control of gastric acid secretion in Zollinger-Ellison syndrome patients.

Thirteen patients with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome were investigated: 8 without, and 5 with, previous gastric surgery. After 7-34 months of treatment with famotidine, 8 out of 13 patients were resistant to this drug. Omeprazole 60 mg/day was administered to these 8 patients; after one month, the dose was reduced to 40 mg/day, and after another month to 20 mg/day.

A comparison of nizatidine and ranitidine in the maintenance treatment of duodenal ulcer. A randomized, double blind, multicentre, 2-year study.

Unlabelled: One hundred and eight patients with an endoscopically documented healed duodenal ulcer (DU) participated to a multicentre, randomized, double-blind, long-term study. The study was planned with the aim to compare the efficacy of nizatidine 150 mg with ranitidine 150 mg in preventing relapse during the 2 years following the DU healing. Fifty four patients were assigned to each treatment.

Misoprostol prevents NSAID-induced gastroduodenal lesions in patients with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

The clinical use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is associated with significant adverse effects on the integrity of the gastrointestinal (GI) mucosa. A unique, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, multicentre study investigated the prophylactic co-therapy with misoprostol, a novel PGE1 analog, for the prevention of the NSAID-induced gastric and duodenal mucosal lesions. The study also investigated whether the co-therapy with misoprostol could interfere with the anti-rheumatic action of the NSAIDs using detailed rheumatological assessments.

Treatment and prevention of NSAID induced gastroduodenal mucosal damage.

The use of aspirin and other nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID) is associated with various degrees of gastroduodenal damage. The agents currently available for the treatment of NSAID induced gastric mucosal damage are histamine2-receptor antagonists, antacids, sucralfate and prostaglandin (PG) analogs. Although all of these agents are effective in healing gastric and duodenal injury if NSAID therapy is discontinued, currently available data suggest that there may be significant differences among these drugs in healing or preventing mucosal injury when NSAID therapy is continued.

Comparison of 150 mg nizatidine BID or 300 mg at bedtime, and 150 mg ranitidine BID in the treatment of gastric ulcer--an 8-week randomized, double-blind multicentre study.

One hundred and one active gastric ulcer patients concluded an 8-week, randomized, double-blind multicentre study, planned with the aim to compare the effectiveness of a new H2 blocker, nizatidine, with ranitidine. Thirty-three patients received 300 mg nizatidine at bedtime, 34,150 mg nizatidine b.i.

[Cigarette smoking and group I pepsinogen levels. Study in a normal population].

Several studies have shown an influence of cigarette smoking on serum pepsinogen group I (PGI) levels in duodenal ulcer patients and in control subjects. The elevation of PGI in smokers has just been interpreted as reflecting some degree of smoking-induced inflammation of the gastric mucosa. We have determined fasting serum PGI by radioimmunoassay in 163 healthy subjects investigated by a survey conducted on a sample population of an urban area in the North-East of Italy by means of a random selection based on the public registers of home addresses.

Comparison between single morning and bedtime doses of 40 mg famotidine for the treatment of duodenal ulcer.

The aim of this study was to compare the duodenal ulcer healing effects of morning (08.00 hours) vs. single bedtime (22.

Influence of cimetidine in low doses (less than ED50) on prostanoid production by human gastric mucosa in vitro.

Cimetidine has been defined as a cytoprotective agent and numerous studies have reported that it is able to influence prostaglandin production as well as mechanisms which protect the surface epithelium of the gastric mucosa. However, results have been contradictory and high drug concentrations contrasting the cytoprotection concept have been utilized. The present study tried to evaluate whether low concentrations (less than ED50) of cimetidine in vitro are able to modify prostanoids produced by gastric mucosa fragments.