SUMMARYBackground: Mesalazine as maintenance therapy in ulcerative colitis is used worldwide and has been proven to be effective. However, the optimal dosage remains to be defined. Aim: To establish whether daily treatment with 2.4 g of oral mesalazine is more effective than 1.2 g in preventing disease relapse. Methods: A total of 156 patients with ulcerative colitis in remission were randomly treated for 1 year with 2.4 (n ¼ 80) or 1.2 (n ¼ 76) g/day of mesalazine. Activity of disease was assessed by periodical clinical, endoscopic and histological examinations.

Ulcerative proctitis patients with more frequent relapses who need a longer duration of topical therapy are at higher risk of extension of the disease, while a more prolonged oral mesalazine treatment period protects against the proximal spread of rectal inflammation.

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SUMMARYBackground: Conflicting data have been reported concerning the relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection and coronary heart disease. Aim: To evaluate clotting system activation and plasma levels of tumour necrosis factor-a, a procoagulant cytokine, in patients with H. pylori-positive andnegative gastritis. Methods: Three groups of patients were identified: 38 with H. pylori-positive gastritis, 18 with H. pylorinegative gastritis, and 40 H. pylori-negative controls with normal gastric mucosa. Plasma levels of prothrombin fragment 1 + 2 (F1 + 2) and tumour necrosis factor-a were assayed. Patients were also controlled after 2 and 6 months following standard H. pylori eradication treatment.

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