The clinical significance of biliary findings in magnetic resonance enterography of patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Purpose: Given the association of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), we aimed to investigate the clinical relevance of abnormal hepatobiliary findings on magnetic resonance enterography (MRE) of IBD patients considering the risk of over- or underestimation of PSC at MRE.

Material And Methods: Using the MRE dataset of patients referring to a tertiary hospital and the National Registry of Crohn's and Colitis, 69 MREs, including 23 IBD-PSC, 23 IBD-without PSC, and 23 healthy controls (HC), were retrospectively reviewed by 2 experienced radiologists blinded to the clinical data, to evaluate hepatobiliary abnormalities. Sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios were calculated.

The Circulating Midkine in the Newly Diagnosed Celiac Disease: Clinical Implications.

Background: Celiac disease (CeD) is a chronic inflammatory small intestine disorder caused by an abnormal immune response to an array of the epitopes of the wheat gluten and related proteins of rye and barley in genetically susceptible individuals. Midkine (MK) is an angiogenic cytokine, chemotactic in the direction of polymorphonuclear neutrophils and macrophages, and a T-regulatory cell suppressor. So far, a possible relationship with CeD has not yet been explored.

Listeria monocytogenes infection in inflammatory bowel disease patients: case series and review of the literature.

Background: Listeria monocytogenes (LM) is a gram-positive intracellular bacillus that in immunodeficient patients, children, geriatric patients, pregnant women, and even in healthy individuals can cause central nervous system infection, bacteremia, and other clinical manifestations, becoming a relevant pathogen.

Materials And Methods: From the Microbiology Service data of 'Gregorio Marañón' Hospital, we selected all positive biological sample cultures for LM from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients, from January 1986 until January 2011. These cases were included in an SPSS database, analyzing several basal clinical characteristics and factors related to the infection.

Clinical feature of intrahepatic B-lymphocytes in chronic hepatitis B.

Humoral immunity constitutes major defense mechanism against viral infections. However, the association of hepatic injury and B-cells population in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers has not been studied well. In this study, fifty seven hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive and HBeAg negative patients were studied to determine the expression of CD20, a cell surface marker expressed on B-cells, in liver biopsy sections using immunohistochemistry.

Prevalence and risk factors of asymptomatic hepatitis C virus infection in bangladesh.

Objectives: There are paucity of information about prevalence and risk factor of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in Bangladesh.

Methods: Blood was collected from 1018 randomly selected subjects from a semi-urban area of Bangladesh. Anti-HCVs were checked in the blood twice using a third-generation commercial kit.

Critical role of Helicobacter pylori in the pattern of gastritis and carditis in residents of an area with high prevalence of gastric cardia cancer.

We have investigated the role of Helicobacter pylori infection and of other risk factors of gastritis and carditis in residents of a high-risk area for gastric cardia cancer. During a national population-based endoscopic survey, 508 randomly-selected participants aged > or =40 were enrolled. Mucosal biopsies were obtained from six standard sites.

Bacterial infections of the gut (excluding enteric fever).

Bacterial enteric infections are still a major cause of morbidity and mortality, and many challenges lie ahead in understanding and managing these conditions. Clostridium difficile remains the most important nosocomial infection. Antibiotic resistance makes the treatment of shigella infections increasingly difficult.

Water and electrolyte absorption and secretion in the small intestine.

The use of gene-knockout mice permits an increased insight into the role of specific transport proteins and membrane receptors in epithelial water and electrolyte transport. Data on the secondary coupling of water transport to Na-glucose cotransport and the mechanism of action of a number of prosecretory and proabsorptive enteric neurotransmitters are reviewed. Nitric oxide and some experimental treatments with therapeutic potential for cholera toxin-induced water and electrolyte secretion are discussed.

The effect of H2 antagonists on proliferation and apoptosis in human colorectal cancer cell lines.

Cimetidine is known to enhance the survival of gastro-intestinal cancer patients, though the mechanisms involved are incompletely understood. Postulated modes of action include blocking the proliferative effect of tumors and inhibiting T suppressor cell activity, both of which are thought to be mediated by histamine type 2 receptors. Apoptotic cell death may offer an alternative explanation for reduced cell growth.

Protection against the early acute phase of Cryptosporidium parvum infection conferred by interleukin-4-induced expression of T helper 1 cytokines.

Immunity to Cryptosporidium parvum infection involves a T helper (Th) 1 response with interferon (IFN)- gamma and interleukin (IL)-12 activity, but the role of Th2 cytokines, such as IL-4, is unclear. Around the peak of infection, production of oocysts in IL-4-deficient and IL-4 receptor alpha -deficient neonatal BALB/c mice was greater than that in wild-type (wt) mice. Susceptibility to infection was increased or decreased, respectively, in wt mice treated with anti-IL-4 neutralizing antibodies or recombinant IL-4.

Impaired rejection and mucosal injury of small intestinal allografts lacking the interferon-gamma receptor.

Small intestinal mucosal T cell activation results in villous atrophy and crypt hyperplasia. There is conflicting evidence as to whether a Th1 IFN-gamma response may be involved. Using a murine intestinal transplant model of T cell-mediated enteropathy we aimed to study the role of IFN-gamma on the development of villous atrophy and crypt hyperplasia.

Direct measurement of acid permeation into rat oesophagus.

Background And Aims: The early responses of the oesophageal mucosa to acid perfusion may predict subsequent pathology. Mucosal responses to luminal acid may result either from acid permeating through the mucosa or from other unknown transduction mechanisms. In order to better understand the dynamics of acid permeation into the oesophageal mucosa, we measured interstitial pH (pH(int)) of the oesophageal basal epithelial layer, pre-epithelial layer thickness, and blood flow in rats in vivo during luminal acid challenge.

Tuberculous peritonitis in an endemic area.

Background: Tuberculous peritonitis is a fatal disease if not diagnosed in time.

Aims: To identify the clinical, laboratory, and diagnostic features of tuberculous peritonitis in Iranian patients.

Patients: Included in the study were all cases of tuberculous peritonitis with a definite diagnosis confirmed by pathology in four referral University Hospitals in Tehran between 1989 and 1999.

Delayed puberty associated with inflammatory bowel disease.

Delayed puberty frequently complicates the clinical course of young patients with inflammatory bowel disease, more often in Crohn's disease than ulcerative colitis. Undernutrition has been thought to be the main reason for delayed puberty in these patients. However, puberty may be delayed despite a normal nutritional status.

Endothelin content, expression, and receptor type in normal and diseased human gallbladder.

The aims of this study were to characterize the endothelin (ET) system in human gallbladder by determining (1) the tissue content of ET-1 and ET-2 by ELISA; (2) the expression of mRNA of the ET precursors preproendothelin-1, -2, and -3; and (3) mRNA expression for the ETA and ETB receptors. Median content of ET-1/2 was significantly reduced in severely inflamed gallbladders compared to gallbladders with mild inflammation. There was an inverse correlation between content of ET-1/2 and inflammation score.

Endothelin in human inflammatory bowel disease: comparison to rat trinitrobenzenesulphonic acid-induced colitis.

There have been suggestions that endothelins (ET-1, ET-2, ET-3) are involved in the pathogenesis of human inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Furthermore, the non-selective endothelin receptor antagonist, bosentan, ameliorates colonic inflammation in TNBS colitis in rats. However, no studies have measured the tissue expression and release of endothelins in human IBD in direct comparison to experimental TNBS colitis.

Role of Helicobacter pylori and p53 in regulation of gastric epithelial cell cycle phase progression.

H. pylori disrupts gastric mucosal homeostasis by altering gastric epithelial cell cycle distribution, and this may contribute to the diverse disease outcomes associated with this infection. The effect of H.

The role of cytokines in the pathogenesis of Cryptosporidium infection.

First described in 1912, the importance of the coccidian parasite Cryptosporidium parvum as an enteropathogen in humans was not recognized until the early 1980s, when it was found to be a common opportunistic infection in AIDS. Infection with this organism triggers a complex array of innate and cell-mediated immune responses within the intestinal mucosa. How cytokines and chemokines interact to regulate these responses in order to achieve clearance of the parasite yet preserve the integrity of the intestinal mucosa is still being unravelled.

Orlistat: its current status as an anti-obesity drug.

Orlistat is a non-centrally acting anti-obesity agent that acts locally in the gastrointestinal tract to inhibit lipase, an enzyme that is crucial for the digestion of long-chain triglycerides. At the recommended dose of 120 mg three times daily, orlistat inhibits dietary fat absorption by about 30%. Over a 1-year period, obese patients taking orlistat in combination with a hypocaloric diet show a reduction of 2-5 kg over the weight decrease with placebo.

Role of the neuroendocrine system in pathogenesis of gastroenteritis.

The concept of neuroendocrine modulation of infectious gastroenteritis adds another dimension to the pathophysiology of diarrhoeal diseases. Furthermore it opens up new avenues for therapeutic intervention. Until now, most interest has been directed at enterotoxin-producing bacteria, notably Vibrio cholerae and the enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.

Effect of physiological concentrations of vitamin C on gastric cancer cells and Helicobacter pylori.

Background: Gastric juice vitamin C may be protective against gastric carcinogenesis but concentrations are significantly reduced by Helicobacter pylori infection. We investigated the in vitro effects of vitamin C at concentrations comparable with those found in gastric juice on gastric cancer cells and H pylori.

Methods: Gastric cancer cell lines and various H pylori strains were treated with L-ascorbic acid for up to 72 hours.

Tropical enteropathy: a T-cell-mediated crypt hyperplastic enteropathy.

Objective: Tropical enteropathy is widespread throughout the tropics, but its pathogenesis is unknown. T-cell activation has been demonstrated to result in enteropathy in vitro and in animal models, and occurs in untreated patients with coeliac disease. We have therefore examined the hypothesis that T-cell activation is important in the pathogenesis of tropical enteropathy.

Treatment of gastrointestinal viruses.

The most common enteric viruses responsible for diarrhoea are rotavirus, enteric adenoviruses, caliciviruses including the Norwalk agent and astrovirus. These infections are usually mild to moderate in severity, self-limiting and of short duration and thus, specific antiviral therapy is not recommended. The standard management of these infections is restoration of fluid and electrolyte balance and then maintenance of hydration until the infection resolves.

Lack of evidence for small intestinal mucosal T-cell activation as a pathogenic mechanism in African HIV-associated enteropathy.

The role of mucosal T-cell activation in HIV-associated enteropathy is uncertain. Twenty Zambian patients with AIDS and chronic diarrhea were studied, as were nine controls. Distal duodenal biopsies were taken at endoscopy.