Seasonal changes in gastric mucosal factors associated with peptic ulcer bleeding.

A close association has been established between climate and peptic ulcer bleeding (PUB). The incidence of PUB in cold climates is significantly higher than that in hot climates. In this study, gastric mucosal damage and its barrier function (through associated barrier factors) in extreme climate conditions were examined to investigate the pathogenesis of PUB in extreme cold climates.

Endoscopy dissection of small stromal tumors emerged from the muscularis propria in the upper gastrointestinal tract: Preliminary study.

Aim: To investigate the feasibility and safety of the treatment of an upper gastrointestinal (GI) submucosal tumor with endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD).

Methods: A total of 20 patients with esophageal and gastric submucosal tumors emerged from the muscular layer identified by endoscopic ultrasonography were collected from January 2009 to June 2010. Extramural or dumbbell-like lesions were excluded by an enhanced computerized tomography (CT) scan.

Is NEDD4-1 a negative regulator of phosphatase and tensin homolog in gastric carcinogenesis?

The expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), a tumor suppressor gene, is frequently down-regulated in gastric carcinomas due to mutation, loss of heterozygosity, and promoter hypermethylation. However, it is unknown if additional mechanisms may account for the down-regulation of PTEN expression. While neuronal precursor cell-expressed developmentally down-regulated 4-1 (NEDD4-1) is believed to be a potential dual regulator of PTEN, there are conflicting reports regarding their interaction.

Reduced expression of PTEN and increased PTEN phosphorylation at residue Ser380 in gastric cancer tissues: a novel mechanism of PTEN inactivation.

Aim: PTEN is a tumor suppressor gene in different cancers. This study was to determine the protein expression of PTEN and phosphorylation of PTEN (p-PTEN) at residue Ser380 in different histology specimens of gastric tissues.

Methods: A total of 179tissue specimens of normal gastric mucosa, chronic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia, dysplasia, and gastric cancer were recruited for immunohistochemical analysis of PTEN and p-PTEN expression.

Risk factors and gene polymorphisms of inflammatory bowel disease in population of Zhejiang, China.

Aim: To identify the risk factors and three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of NOD2/CARD15 gene in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) of the population in Zhejiang, China.

Methods: A case-control study was conducted using recall questionnaire to collect data on demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle characteristics and dietary behaviors from 136 determined IBD patients and 136 paired healthy controls. COX regression method was used to screen the statistically significant risk factors for IBD.