Liver injury induced by levothyroxine in a patient with primary hypothyroidism.

We report a patient with primary hypothyroidism, who developed hepatocellular injury due to levothyroxine, synthetic thyroxine. A 63-year-old male was admitted to our hospital due to elevation of liver enzymes. The patient was diagnosed as having hypothyroidism and had been treated with levothyroxine for almost two months until admission.

Effect of cigarette smoking on gastric emptying of solids in Japanese smokers: a crossover study using the 13C-octanoic acid breath test.

Background: Cigarette smoking is associated with an increased risk of peptic ulcer and gastroesophageal reflux disease. Gastric emptying disorders may play a role in the development of these upper gastrointestinal diseases. Thus, studies examining a link between smoking and gastric emptying disorders have clinical relevance.

Reliability of urinary tests for antibody to Helicobacter pylori in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.

Aim: Although the quality of currently available urinary tests for detecting antibody to Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) have been proved in some populations, the accuracy has not been studied regarding patients who suffer from pulmonary tuberculosis with multi-drug treatments. The present study was conducted to evaluate the accuracy of these urinary tests for antibody to H pylori in these patients.

Methods: Serum samples from 61 inpatients with pulmonary tuberculosis were tested using enzyme immunoassay, and urine samples were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method (URINELISA) and immunochromatography method (RAPIRAN).

Modified 13C-octanoate breath test and impact of sampling points.

In recent years, the C-octanoate breath test has attracted attention as a simple and noninvasive method of assessing gastric emptying of solids. However, practical procedures for test meals, parameters used, and sampling points have not yet been established. Moving toward a more convenient method, here we examined the influences of sampling interval and duration on the C-octanoate breath test performed on 15 healthy subjects using a commercially-available instant cupcake.