Potential for differential diagnosis of autoimmune pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer using carbonic anhydrase II antibody.

Objectives: Pancreatic ductal epithelia contain an abundance of carbonic anhydrase (CA), and the presence of antibodies to this enzyme has been described in autoimmune disorders. We previously found a small amount of an immunoglobulin G-like material in purchased CAII reagents, which led to pseudopositive reactions.

Methods: We determined the optimum measurement conditions for detecting anti-CAII antibody using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and sera from 140 patients with pancreatic diseases.

Postmarketing surveillance of rabeprazole in upper gastrointestinal peptic lesions in Japanese patients with coexisting hepatic disorders.

Background: Many Japanese patients with hepatic disorders confirmed on diagnostic imaging and coexisting upper gastrointestinal (GI) peptic lesions receive treatment with proton pump inhibitors. Some pharmacotherapies used to treat peptic ulcers have been associated with adverse drug reactions (ADRs), including elevated liver enzyme levels.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the tolerability and effectiveness of rabeprazole sodium in treating peptic lesions in patients with coexisting hepatic disorders.

Detection of autoantibody against carbonic anhydrase II in various liver diseases by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using appropriate conditions.

Background: Immunoglobulin G autoantibody against carbonic anhydrase (CA) II has been detected in the sera of patients with a variety of autoimmune diseases. Antibody against CAII has also been described as a serological marker for distinguishing between cases of autoimmune cholangitis (AIC) and those of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). However, the optimal antibody measurement conditions (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay: ELISA) have not yet been established.

Efficacy of Stronger Neo-Minophagen C compared between two doses administered three times a week on patients with chronic viral hepatitis.

Background: A daily injection of glycyrrhizin (Stronger Neo-Minophagen C (SNMC) containing 40 mg glycyrrhizin in a 20 mL ampoule) lowers alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels in patients with chronic viral hepatitis.

Methods: The therapeutic effects of intermittent administration of SNMC three times a week for 12 weeks were evaluated and compared between two doses (40 and 100 mL) in a randomized clinical trial.

Results: Overall, the therapeutic response was better in the 53 patients allocated 100 mL than the 59 who were allocated to have 40 mL SNMC (P = 0.

Differentiation of subtypes B and E of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 by polymerase chain reaction using novel env gene primers.

Novel sets of env gene PCR primers for distinguishing human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) subtypes B and E were designed. These primers anneal to different regions of the env gene and amplify DNA fragments of distinct sizes in a subtype-specific manner. Blood samples from 11 HIV-1 carriers in Thailand and 46 carriers in Japan were examined by PCR.