A Randomized, Double-Blind, Active-Control, Noninferiority, Multicenter, Phase 4 Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Esomeprazole/Sodium Bicarbonate 20/800 mg in Patients with Nonerosive Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.

Background/aims: Efficacy of proton pump inhibitors is limited in patients with nonerosive reflux disease (NERD). The aim of this study was to comparatively evaluate the efficacy and safety of esomeprazole with sodium bicarbonate and esomeprazole alone.

Methods: This was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, active-controlled, noninferiority comparative study.

Treatment of an Adult Patient with Atopic Dermatitis Using Traditional Korean Medicine, Especially Sa-Am Acupuncture.

Atopic dermatitis is known not to respond well to many clinical treatments. In this report, we present the case of an adult woman with atopic dermatitis who was effectively treated by using traditional Korean medicine (TKM). The patient was diagnosed with psoriasis based on lung dryness and heat and heart fire.

Treatment for an Adult Patient With Psoriasis with Traditional Korean Medicine, Especially Sa-Am Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine.

In this clinical study, the author tried to prove that meridians, each having its own characteristics, exist in humans through which skin diseases can be treated. Three meridians, the hand tai-yin meridian, the hand tai-yang meridian, and the shao-yang meridian, were used to control lung dryness and heat and liver fire. By using the LU9 and SP3 acupoints to tonify the hand tai-yin meridian and the SI3 acupoint to tonify the hand tai-yang meridian, we could sedate lung dryness and heat, and by using the TW2 acupoint to sedate the hand shao-yang meridian, we could sedate liver fire.

The Optimal Cut-Off Value of Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio for Predicting Prognosis in Adult Patients with Henoch-Schönlein Purpura.

Background: The development of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) can be a concern in the management of Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP). We aimed to evaluate whether the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is associated with the prognosis of adult patients with HSP.

Methods: Clinical data including the NLR of adult patients with HSP were retrospectively analyzed.

Outcomes of Propofol Sedation During Emergency Endoscopy Performed for Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding.

Background: Although propofol-based sedation can be used during emergency endoscopy for upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB), there is a potential risk of sedation-related adverse events, especially in patients with variceal bleeding.

Aim: We compared adverse events related to propofol-based sedation during emergency endoscopy between patients with non-variceal and variceal bleeding.

Methods: Clinical records of patients who underwent emergency endoscopy for UGIB under sedation were reviewed.

Changes in the seroprevalence of IgG anti-hepatitis A virus between 2001 and 2013: experience at a single center in Korea.

Background/aims: The incidence of symptomatic hepatitis A reportedly increased among 20- to 40-year-old Korean during the late 2000s. Vaccination against hepatitis A was commenced in the late 1990s and was extended to children aged <10 years. In the present study we analyzed the changes in the seroprevalence of IgG anti-hepatitis A virus (HAV) over the past 13 years.

[A case of isolated small intestinal wall calcification on patient with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis].

The metastatic calcification is defined as the deposition of calcium salt in normal tissue with an abnormal serum biochemical environment, such as chronic kidney disease, hyperparathyroidism, and hypercalcemia related with malignancy. Although the metastatic calcification can develop in any organs and tissues, presenting its symptoms and complications are rare. Thus a few cases have been reported.

Xanthogranulomatous inflammation in terminal ileum presenting as an appendiceal mass: case report and review of the literature.

Xanthogranulomatous inflammation (XGI) is a rare benign inflammatory disease characterized by aggregation of lipid-laden foamy macrophages. This disease entity has been described in various organs but most commonly in the kidney and gallbladder. The occurrence of this disease in the lower gastrointestinal tract is extremely rare.

A fatal case of hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation during long-term, very-low-dose steroid treatment in an inactive HBV carrier.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) may be reactivated after chemotherapy or immunosuppressive therapy, and therefore administration of antiviral agents before such treatment is recommended. Most reported cases of reactivation are associated with high doses of immunosuppressive agents or combination therapy. We present a case of a previously inactive HBV carrier with an acute severe flare-up during a long-term, very-low-dose (2.

Hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm caused by acute idiopathic pancreatitis.

Hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm (HAP) is a very rare disease but in cases of complication, there is a very high mortality. The most common cause of HAP is iatrogenic trauma such as liver biopsy, transhepatic biliary drainage, cholecystectomy and hepatectomy. HAP may also occur with complications such as infections or inflammation associated with septic emboli.

The effect of eating lunch before an afternoon colonoscopy.

Background/aims: Traditionally, patients fast from midnight the night before to just prior to the colonoscopy. Many patients find it extremely inconvenient to have to fast for a full day. We sought to compare: a group in which diet was restricted and a group in which diet was not restricted.

[Esophageal sinus formation due to cyanoacrylate injection for esophageal variceal ligation-induced ulcer bleeding in a cirrhotic patient].

Intravariceal injection of N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate is widely used for the hemostasis of bleeding gastric varices, but not routinely for esophageal variceal hemorrhage because of various complications such as pyrexia, bacteremia, deep ulceration, and pulmonary embolization. We report a rare case of esophageal sinus formation after cyanoacrylate obliteration therapy for uncontrolled bleeding from post-endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) ulcer. A 50-year-old man with alcoholic liver cirrhosis presented with hematemesis.

[A case of mucinous gastric adenocarcinoma mimicking submucosal tumor].

A gastric carcinoma with the endoscopic features resembling a submucosal tumor (SMT) is rare, and reportedly accounting for 0.1% to 0.63% of all resected gastric carcinomas in Japan.

[A case of synchronous double primary cancer of gastric adenocarcinoma and diffuse large B cell lymphoma].

The simultaneous occurrence of primary gastric lymphoma and adenocarcinoma is rarely reported. We here report a case of synchronous double primary tumor of advanced gastric cancer and diffuse large B cell lymphoma. A 65-year-old woman underwent an esophagogastroduodenoscopy for the evaluation of abdominal discomfort of two months' duration.

The timing of bowel preparation is more important than the timing of colonoscopy in determining the quality of bowel cleansing.

Aims: We aimed to compare the quality of bowel preparation and cecal intubation rates between morning and afternoon colonoscopies and to evaluate the difference in quality of bowel preparation according to the intervals between starting and ending intake of bowel preparation agent and the initiation of colonoscopy.

Methods: In this prospective study, 300 outpatients were instructed to drink PEG solution starting either at 5:00 a.m.

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Interventional Endoscopy in Bleeding Peptic Ulcer Disease according to the Timing of Endoscopy.

Background/aims: The optimal timing for interventional endoscopy in bleeding peptic ulcer disease is controversial. This study compared the outcomes between early endoscopy and delayed endoscopy in patients with bleeding peptic ulcer disease.

Methods: We conducted a prospective analysis of data from 90 patients with bleeding peptic ulcer disease who visited the emergency room between May 2006 and September 2007.

Pseudoinvasion in an adenomatous polyp of the colon mimicking invasive colon cancer.

Pseudoinvasion or pseudocarcinomatous invasion in an adenomatous polyp of the colon can be unfamiliar to an endoscopist. Pseudoinvasion in an adenomatous polyp represents prolapse of the adenomatous epithelium into its stalk. In most cases its morphology does not differ from of general adenomatous polyps, but in some cases it can morphologically mimic a malignant polyp with submucosal invasion due to mass-like lesioning of its stalk.

[Fulminant hepatic failure with hepatitis B virus reactivation after rituximab treatment in a patient with resolved hepatitis B].

It is well known that the reactivation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) may occur as an acute hepatitis after chemotherapy or immunosuppressive therapy. Although most of these cases have been reported in HBsAg-positive patients, there have been a few reports of HBV reactivation in HBsAg-negative patients. There have been concerns for the need to screen the reactivation as well as anti-viral prophylaxis in HBsAg-negative patients with possible HBV occult infection who are planning to undergo chemotherapy or immunosuppressive therapy.

[A case of pleural effusion associated with acute hepatitis A].

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection is common in developing countries, including Korea. It can be accompanied by extrahepatic complications such as renal failure, arthritis, and vasculitis. Pleural effusion is a very rare complication of HAV infection, which has been reported usually in children, and has benign clinical courses.

[A case of segmental colitis associated with diverticular disease].

Segmental colitis associated with diverticular disease (SCAD) is a colonic inflammatory disorder with localized non-granulomatous inflammation at sigmoid colon, and associated with colonic diverticulosis. SCAD is an apparently uncommon disorder in Western. We experienced a rare case of SCAD in a 46-year-old woman who visited the hospital due to abdominal discomfort.

[Comparison of various noninvasive serum markers of liver fibrosis in chronic viral liver disease].

Background/aims: The aim of this study was to determine the clinical performances of noninvasive serum markers for the prediction of liver fibrosis in chronic viral liver diseases.

Methods: We analyzed a total of 225 patients with chronic viral liver diseases (180 with hepatitis B virus, 43 with hepatitis C virus, and 2 with hepatitis B+C virus) who underwent a liver biopsy procedure at the Hanyang University Guri Hospital between March 2002 and February 2007. Serum was also obtained at the time of liver biopsy.

[Clinical characteristics and changing epidemiology of Clostridium difficile-associated disease (CDAD)].

Background/aims: The spectrum of Clostridium difficile-associated disease (CDAD) ranges from mild diarrhea to life-threatening colitis. Recent studies reported an increase in incidence and severity of CDAD and the presence of severe community-acquired CDAD (CA-CDAD). The aims of this study were to investigate the incidence of CA-CDAD and non-antibiotics-associated CDAD, and to compare the clinical characteristics between hospital-acquired (HA) and CA-CDAD.

Significance of colonoscope length in cecal insertion time.

Background: According to a previous study, a longer insertion time was associated with inadequate bowel cleansing, advanced age, constipation, surgical history, sex, and a low body mass index. However, there are only a few studies on the association between cecal insertion time and colonoscope length (long vs intermediate).

Objective: To assess the association of colonoscope length and cecal insertion time.

[A case of familial Crohn's disease observed in a parent and his offspring].

Crohn's disease (CD), one of the major forms of idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), is thought to be related to genetic susceptibility coupled with environmental factors. A positive family history is the strongest risk factor for the development of CD. The 10-fold increase in the familial risk of CD strongly suggests that these disorders have a genetic background.

[Psoas abscess with hip contracture in a patient with Crohn's disease].

A psoas abscess (PA) is a rare clinical entity but is potentially serious condition which presents diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. The diagnosis is frequently delayed due to its variable and nonspecific features and occult clinical course. The delay in diagnosis and treatment of PA is the major poor prognostic factor.