The effect of chronic variable stress on bowel habit and adrenal function in rats.

Background And Aim: Increased colonic motility is a well-known stress response and corticotropin releasing hormone plays an important role in this response, but sequential change of bowel habit and adrenal function during chronic stress has not been reported. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of chronic stress on bowel habit and adrenal function.

Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to chronic variable stress (CVS) for 6 weeks.

[Association between diverticulosis and colonic Neoplasm in Koreans].

Background/aims: Although a few published studies have reported on the relationship between diverticulosis and neoplasia in the west, it is not yet examined in Korea. The aim of this study was to determine whether there is an association between diverticulosis and colonic neoplasia.

Methods: We retrospectely analysed the medical records of 3,007 patients (M:F=1.

Acral metastasis in a patient with ampullary carcinoma.

Although skin metastasis from a malignant tumor of an internal organ usually occurs at an advanced disease stage, there has been no prior report of a cutaneous acral metastasis from ampullary carcinoma to date. We report a 71-year old male patient with cutaneous metastasis from an ampullary adenocarcinoma. The patient had a history of pylorus preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy for carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater two years prior to presentation.

Suppressive effect of non-anaphylactogenic anti-IgE antibody on the development of dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a spectrum of immune-mediated chronic disorders of the intestine. Patients with IBD tend to exhibit significantly elevated levels of IgE in their serum. In general, the pathogenesis of IBD exhibits inflammatory events such as immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated hypersensitivity.

[Primary duodenal choriocarcinoma presenting as massive intestinal bleeding and metastasis to brain].

Duodenal choriocarcinoma, either primary or metastatic, is very rare. Early diagnosis and prompt initiation of chemotherapy improve the prognosis of this neoplasm. We herein present, together with the referred literatures, a case of a 47-year-old female patient who visited to our hospital with upper intestinal bleeding.

[The usefulness of mesalazine suppositories for the treatment of lymphoid follicular proctitis].

Background/aims: Lymphoid follicular proctitis (LFP) is an uncommon inflammatory condition confined to the rectum. Patients with LFP constitute a special group with clinical, endoscopic, and histological features unrelated to other types of inflammatory bowel diseases, and have been reported to be refractory to local steroid and/or oral sulfasalazine therapy. The aim of this study was to clarify whether mesalazine suppositories have a therapeutic effect in LFP.

Effects of ranitidine for exercise induced gastric mucosal changes and bleeding.

Aim: To evaluate the effect of ranitidine on gastric mucosal changes and on GI bleeding in long distance runners.

Methods: Twenty-four long distance runners (M: 16, F: 8, age: 18.2 +/- 1.

Iron chelator induces THP-1 cell differentiation potentially by modulating intracellular glutathione levels.

Iron chelators have been implicated to modulate certain inflammatory mediators and regulate inflammatory processes. Here we report that iron chelator deferoxamine (DFO) induces differentiation of monocytic THP-1 cells into functional macrophages. DFO rapidly phosphorylated both extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and p38 kinase.

Inhibition of trypsin-induced mast cell activation by acanthoic acid.

Acanthoic acid (AA) is a pimaradiene diterpene isolated from the Korean medicinal plant, Acanthopanax koreanum (Araliaceae). In the present study, we examined whether AA has the inhibitory effect on the production of inflammatory mediators and activating signals induced in trypsin-treated human leukemic mast cell-1 (HMC-1). HMC-1 cells were stimulated with trypsin (100 nM) in the presence or absence of AA (1, 10, and 100 microg/ml).

Effect of processed Scutellaria baicalensis on dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in mice.

Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi (Labiatae) has been used in the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Drug processing (Poje) is the process of treating crude drugs by several methods before use. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of processed Scutellaria baicalensis on experimental ulcerative colitis induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS).

[A case of spontaneous biloma complicated with choledocholithiasis and chronic cholecystitis].

A biloma is an encapsulated bile collection outside the biliary tree. Most cases of biloma are caused by iatrogenic injury or trauma. Intrahepatic rupture of the biliary tree due to nontraumatic cause is a rare event.

Effect of itopride, a new prokinetic, in patients with mild GERD: a pilot study.

Aim: Itopride is a newly developed prokinetic agent, which enhances gastric motility through both antidopaminergic and anti-acetylcholinesterasic actions. The importance of esophageal motor dysfunction in the pathogenesis of gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) makes it interesting to examine the effect of itopride on esophageal acid exposure.

Methods: The effect of itopride on esophageal acid reflux variables for 24 h was studied in 26 patients with GERD symptoms, pre-entry total acid exposure time (pH<4) of more than 5% and mild esophagitis (Savary-Miller grades I, II) proven by endoscopy.

Inhibition of interleukin-8 production in the human colonic epithelial cell line HT-29 by 18 beta-glycyrrhetinic acid.

Interleukin (IL)-8 plays a central role in the initiation and maintenance of inflammatory responses in the inflammatory bowel disease. The proinflammatory cytokine-mediated production of IL-8 requires activation of various kinases, which leads to the I kappa B degradation and NF-kappa B activation. We investigated the role of 18 beta-glycyrrhetinic acid (GA), a saponin isolated from licorice roots, on TNF-alpha-induced IL-8 production in human colonic epithelial cells.

Inhibition of trypsin-induced mast cell activation by water fraction of Lonicera japonica.

Lonicera japonica Thunb.(Caprifoliaceae) has long been known as an anti-inflammatory. In the present study, the effect of water fraction of Lonicera japonica (LJ) on trypsin-induced mast cell activation was examined.

Inhibitory effect of luteolin on TNF-alpha-induced IL-8 production in human colon epithelial cells.

Interleukin (IL)-8 plays a central role in the initiation and maintenance of inflammatory responses in the inflammatory bowel disease. The proinflammatory cytokine-mediated production of IL-8 requires activation of various kinases, which leads to the IkappaB degradation and NF-kappaB activation. In this study, we investigated the role of luteolin, a major flavonoid of Lonicera japonica, on TNF-alpha-induced IL-8 production in human colonic epithelial cells.

Acanthoic acid inhibits IL-8 production via MAPKs and NF-kappaB in a TNF-alpha-stimulated human intestinal epithelial cell line.

Background: Intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) can produce cytokines and chemokines that play an important role in the mucosal immune response. Regulation of this production is important to prevent inflammatory tissue damage. The root and stem barks of Acanthopanax species have been used as a tonic and sedative as well as in the treatment of rheumatism and diabetes.

Curcumin inhibits protease-activated receptor-2 and -4-mediated mast cell activation.

Background: Curcumin, a major yellow pigment and active component of turmeric powder extracted from Curcuma longa L. (Gingiberaceae), has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities. Protease-activated receptors (PARs) play a role in inflammation, and human leukemic mast cells (HMC-1) co-express PAR2 and PAR4.

Soluble factor from murine bladder tumor-2 cell elevates nitric oxide production in macrophages and enhances the taxol-mediated macrophage cytotoxicity on tumor cells.

The therapeutic mechanism of taxol is believed to reside primarily in its ability to stabilize microtubules and prevent cell progression through mitosis. Taxol also can activate macrophage-mediated antitumor mechanism through a nitric oxide (NO)-dependent pathway. To address whether any mechanisms account for superficial urinary bladder tumor cell killing, we evaluated the effects of taxol on the growth and viability of murine bladder tumor-2 (MBT-2) cells in vitro, both in the absence and presence of murine macrophages.

Expression of protease-activated receptor 2 in ulcerative colitis.

Although tryptase released from mast cells might play a key role in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC), the role of protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2), tryptase receptor, remains unclear in the pathogenesis of this disease. The expressions of PAR2 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha in nine UC tissues and nine normal tissues were examined by immunohistochemistry. TNF-alpha levels secreted from human leukemic mast cell line (HMC-1) after the treatment of PAR2 agonists were also measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Prognostic potential of glutathione S-transferase M1 and T1 null genotypes for gastric cancer progression.

To improve understanding of glutathione S-transferase (GST) behavior in terms of a development and prognostic factor for gastric adenocarcinoma, we investigated the association between the GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotypes and gastric cancer risk or the prognostic value of the GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotypes was evaluated. Using a polymerase chain reaction-based method, the frequencies of GSTM1 and GSTT1 genotypes and prognostic factors, such as staging, differentiation, and histologic type (intestinal vs. diffuse), were evaluated in 80 patients with curatively resected primary gastric adenocarcinoma.

Trypsin induces tumour necrosis factor-alpha secretion from a human leukemic mast cell line.

Trypsin activating both proteinase-activated receptor (PAR) 2 and PAR4 plays an important role in inflammation. We have investigated the potential of trypsin to induce TNF-alpha secretion from the human leukemic mast cell line (HMC-1). HMC-1 cells co-express both PAR2 and PAR4, and their agonist trypsin signals to HMC-1 cells.

Involvement of p38 MAP kinase during iron chelator-mediated apoptotic cell death.

Iron is an essential element for the neoplastic cell growth, and iron chelators have been tested for their potential anti-proliferative and cytotoxic effects. To determine the mechanism of cell death induced by iron chelators, we explored the pathways of the three structurally related mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase subfamilies during apoptosis induced by iron chelators. We report that the chelator deferoxamine (DFO) strongly activates both p38 MAP kinase and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) at an early stage of incubation, but slightly activates c-Jun N-terminal kinase/stress-activated protein kinase (JNK/SAPK) at a late stage of incubation.

Soluble factor from tumor cells induces heme oxygenase-1 by a nitric oxide-independent mechanism in murine peritoneal macrophages.

Tumor target-derived soluble secretary factor has been known to influence macrophage activation to induce nitric oxide (NO) production. Since heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is induced by a variety of conditions associated with oxidative stress, we questioned whether soluble factor from tumor cells induces HO-1 through NO-dependent mechanism in macrophages. We designated this factor as a tumor-derived macrophage-activating factor (TMAF), because of its ability to activate macrophages to induce iNOS.