Background And Aims: The apolipoprotein B/AI (ApoB/AI) ratio is a strong new risk factor for cardiovascular (CV) disease. Although recent reports have shown the effects of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) on CV disease, NAFLD is under-recognized as a predictable risk factor for CV disease. This study was performed to assess the independent association between ApoB/AI ratio and NAFLD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/aims: Early intestinal mucosal damage plays an important role in severe acute pancreatitis (AP). Previous studies have shown that intestinal permeability (IP), serum endotoxin and cytokines contribute to the early intestinal barrier dysfunction in AP. This study explored the predictive capacity of IP, endotoxemia and cytokines as prognostic indicators in AP patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/aims: The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical impacts of obesity and hazardous alcohol use on the outcome of entecavir (ETV) therapy in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients.
Methods: The medical records of 88 treatment-naïve patients who were diagnosed with CHB and received ETV between March 2007 and September 2009 were analyzed retrospectively. Body mass index (BMI) values and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores were obtained at 6 months after the initiation of ETV (0.
The gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is a mesenchymal tumor of the digestive tract showing differentiation along the line of interstitial cell of Cajal. The most GISTs in the stomach generally show the appearance of submucosal tumors. It is rare for GISTs to appear as a pedunculated polypoid lesion on endoscopy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJejunal diverticula is a rare disease and an unusual cause of obscure gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Obscure gasterointestinal bleeding is difficult to treat because the bleeding site cannot be identified by routine endoscopy and contrast studies. A wireless capsule endoscopy is not invasive and can visualize the entire small bowel.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF