[Unpleasant Journey from Helicobacter pylori-associated Gastritis to Gastric Cancer: Cancer Prevention by Taking a Detour].

As a commensal or a pathogen, Helicobacter pylori can change the balance of a complex interaction that exists among gastric epithelial cells, microbes, and their environment. Therefore, unraveling this complex relationship of these mixtures can be expected to help prevent cancer as well as troublesome unmet medical needs of H. pylori infection.

Overview of gastrointestinal cancer prevention in Asia.

"War on cancer" was declared through the National Cancer Act by President Richard Nixon in 1971, but cancer statistics from the American Cancer Society and other sources indicated the failure of this war, suggesting instead focus on the message that a "prevention strategy" might be much more effective than cancer treatment. While cancer statistics notoriously showed sharp increases in incidence as well as in mortality concurrent with economic growth in Asia, fortunately Asian countries benefit from plentiful resources of natural compounds, which can prevent cancer. Just like cancer chemotherapeutics targeted to kill cancer cells in Western countries, natural agents activating molecular mechanisms for cancer prevention, reversion of premalignant tumors, and even ablation of cancer stem cells, are very abundant in Asia.

Endogenous conversion of ω-6 to ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in fat-1 mice attenuated intestinal polyposis by either inhibiting COX-2/β-catenin signaling or activating 15-PGDH/IL-18.

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3PUFAs) have inhibitory effects in various preclinical cancer models, but their effects in intestinal polyposis have never been examined. As attempts have been made to use nutritional intervention to counteract colon cancer development, in this study we evaluated the effects of ω-3 PUFAs on intestinal polyposis in the Apc(Min/+) mouse model. The experimental groups included wild-type C56BL/6 mice, Apc(Min/+) mice, fat-1 transgenic mice expressing an n-3 desaturase to enable ω-3 PUFA synthesis, and Apc(Min/+) × fat-1 double-transgenic mice; all mice were 20 weeks of age.

Therapeutic effects of mouse bone marrow-derived clonal mesenchymal stem cells in a mouse model of inflammatory bowel disease.

Mouse bone marrow-derived clonal mesenchymal stem cells (mcMSCs), which were originated from a single cell by a subfractionation culturing method, are recognized as new paradigm for stem cell therapy featured with its homogenous cell population. Next to proven therapeutic effects against pancreatitis, in the current study we demonstrated that mcMSCs showed significant therapeutic effects in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced experimental colitis model supported with anti-inflammatory and restorative activities. mcMSCs significantly reduced the disease activity index (DAI) score, including weight loss, stool consistency, and intestinal bleeding and significantly increased survival rates.

The role of chronic inflammation in the development of gastrointestinal cancers: reviewing cancer prevention with natural anti-inflammatory intervention.

Inflammatory mediators alter the local environment of tumors, known as the tumor microenvironment. Mechanistically, chronic inflammation induces DNA damage, but understanding this hazard may help in the search for new chemopreventive agents for gastrointestinal (GI) cancer which attenuate inflammation. In the clinic, GI cancer still remains a major cause of cancer-associated mortality, chemoprevention with anti-inflammatory agents is thought to be a realistic approach to reduce GI cancer.

Concerted actions of ameliorated colitis, aberrant crypt foci inhibition and 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase induction by sonic hedgehog inhibitor led to prevention of colitis-associated cancer.

The sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling has been known to contribute to carcinogenesis in organ, where hedgehog exerted organogenesis and in cancers, which are developed based on mutagenic inflammation. Therefore, colitis-associated cancer (CAC) can be a good model to prove whether Shh inhibitors can be applied to prevent, as the efforts to discover potent anti-inflammatory agent are active to prevent CAC. Here, under the hypothesis that Shh inhibitors can prevent CAC, mouse model was generated to develop CAC by azoxymethane (AOM)-initiated, dextran sodium sulfate-promoted carcinogenesis.

Dietary prevention of Helicobacter pylori-associated gastric cancer with kimchi.

To prove whether dietary intervention can prevent Helicobacter pylori-induced atrophic gastritis and gastric cancer, we developed cancer preventive kimchi (cpKimchi) through special recipe and administered to chronic H. pylori-initiated, high salt diet-promoted, gastric tumorigenesis mice model. H.

Dietary, non-microbial intervention to prevent Helicobacter pylori-associated gastric diseases.

Since the discovery of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection as the major cause of gastroduodenal disorders including acute and chronic gastritis, gastroduodenal ulcer, chronic atrophic gastritis, and gastric cancer almost three decades ago, the possibility of preventing these clinical diseases through eradicating H. pylori has been the focus of active research, but soon debate in the scientific community, though eradication opens the feasibility of cancer prevention and the removal of bacteria significantly prevents development or recurrence of peptic ulcer diseases and some clinical diseases, was proposed due to uncertainty in either achievement of complete eradication or inefficacy in cancer prevention with eradication alone.

Dietary Intervention of Artemisia and Green Tea Extracts to Rejuvenate Helicobacter pylori-Associated Chronic Atrophic Gastritis and to Prevent Tumorigenesis.

Object: As nonmicrobial dietary approach is capable of controlling Helicobacter pylori infection, we evaluated the efficacy of long-term dietary administration of Artemisia and/or green tea extracts on H. pylori-initiated, high-salt-promoted chronic atrophic gastritis and gastric tumorigenesis mouse model.

Methods: Helicobacter pylori-infected and high-salt-diet-administered C57BL/6 mice were administered with Artemisia extracts (MP group) and/or green tea extracts (GT group) for 36 weeks in addition to the control group (ES group, gastroprotective drug, ecabet sodium 30 mg/kg, diet pellet).

Nrf2-mediated mucoprotective and anti-inflammatory actions of Artemisia extracts led to attenuate stress related mucosal damages.

The aim of this study was to compare biological actions between isopropanol and ethanol extracts of Artemisia including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cytoprotective actions. Antioxidant activities were evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method and confocal microscopy on lipopolysaccharide-induced RGM1 cells, cytoprotection effects evaluated by detecting heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), Nf-E2 related factor2 (Nrf2) and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), and anti-inflammatory effects investigated by measuring inflammatory mediators. Water immersion restraint stress was imposed to provoke stress related mucosal damages (SRMD) in rats.

Anti-fibrogenic effects of the anti-microbial peptide cathelicidin in murine colitis-associated fibrosis.

Background And Aims: Cathelicidin (LL-37 in human and mCRAMP in mice) represents a family of endogenous antimicrobial peptides with anti-inflammatory effects. LL-37 also suppresses collagen synthesis, an important fibrotic response, in dermal fibroblasts. Here we determined whether exogenous cathelicidin administration modulates intestinal fibrosis in two animal models of intestinal inflammation and in human colonic fibroblasts.

Survey of clinical practice for irritable bowel syndrome in East asian countries.

Aim: Sociocultural factors are important because their different effects on the features of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) between countries will provide clues towards solving this problem. The aims of this study were to depict the clinical realities of IBS in East Asian countries and test the hypothesis that the diagnosis and treatment of IBS differ between countries.

Subjects And Methods: Study participants were 251 physicians involved in the clinical practice of IBS at major institutions in Japan, South Korea, China, the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore.

Cathelicidin suppresses colon cancer development by inhibition of cancer associated fibroblasts.

Background: Cathelicidin (LL-37 in humans and mCRAMP in mice) represents a family of endogenous antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory peptides. Cancer-associated fibroblasts can promote the proliferation of colon cancer cells and growth of colon cancer tumors.

Methods: We examined the role of cathelicidin in the development of colon cancer, using subcutaneous human HT-29 colon-cancer-cell-derived tumor model in nude mice and azoxymethane- and dextran sulfate-mediated colon cancer model in C57BL/6 mice.

Development of GI-safe NSAID; progression from the bark of willow tree to modern pharmacology.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been used for analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic actions and recently for cancer prevention, but they carries a risk of major gastroduodenal damages from symptomatic ulcers to serious complications leading to fatal outcomes. Therefore, the novel strategies to rescue long-term NSAID requiring patients from NSAID-associated gastroduodenal damages are essential. Besides of current drugs based on classic damaging mechanisms attributable to the decline of gastric mucosal prostaglandin synthesis, reductions of mucosal blood flow, attenuated bicarbonate secretion and mucus synthesis related with prostaglandin levels, effective therapeutics targeted for update mechanisms of NSAID-induced gastroduodenal damages are introduced in this paper based on recent advances in basic science and biotechnology exploring deeper molecular mechanisms of NSAID-induced gastroduodenal damage beyond COX inhibition.

The Korean perspective of Helicobacter pylori infection: lessons from the Japanese government's policy to prevent gastric cancer.

The guideline of the Korean College of Helicobacter and Upper Gastrointestinal Research group for Helicobacter pylori infection was first produced in 1998, when definite indication for H. pylori eradication is early gastric cancer in addition to the previous indications of peptic ulcer (PUD) including scar lesion and marginal zone B cell lymphoma (MALT type). Though treatment is recommended for the relatives of a patient with gastric cancer, unexplained iron deficiency anemia, and chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, a consensus treatment guideline is the treatment of PUD, MALToma, and gastric cancer in Korea.

MDCT evaluation of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease: what should radiologists know?

As an important tool for diagnosing acute coronary syndrome and stable angina, coronary CT angiography has been increasingly being performed in patients presenting with atypical chest pain. In order to help treating patients more efficiently, it is crucial for radiologists to have a comprehensive understanding about mechanisms and clinical aspects as well as CT findings of coronary atherosclerosis per se. A thorough understanding and optimal performance of coronary CT angiography may lead to reduction of unjustified downstream testing.

A questionnaire-based survey on the diagnosis and management of inflammatory bowel disease in East Asian countries in 2012.

Background And Aim: The prevalence and incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are lower in East Asia than in Western countries; however, marked increases have recently been reported. The clinical diagnosis and medical management of IBD in East Asia differ from those in Western countries. A questionnaire-based survey was performed to gather physicians' current opinions on IBD in different East Asian countries.