The relationship between the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and food intolerance is not clear. We studied the cutaneous response to food antigens in 43 volunteers who were students and employees of the Faculty of Medicine of Universidade Federal Fluminense. Subjects were divided into 3 groups after evaluation for Roma II criteria for functional disease of the gastrointestinal tract: group I, 14 volunteers with IBS; group II, 15 volunteers with functional dyspepsia; group III, 14 volunteers without habitual gastrointestinal symptoms. The subjects were submitted to the skin prick test with 9 food antigen extracts, for a total of 387 skin tests (9 per volunteer). Of the 126 tests applied to group I, 24 (19.4%) were positive (a 3-mm wider papule than the negative control) and of the 135 tests applied to group II, 3 (2.3%) were positive. Of the 126 tests applied to group III, 6 (4%) were positive. The number of positive responses obtained in group I (IBS) differed significantly from the other 2 groups (P < 0.01). None of the volunteers with IBS reported intolerance to any isolated food. The higher reactivity to food antigens in group I compared to groups II and III suggests that intestinal permeability may be increased in patients with IBS.

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FA responses differed significantly from those for the other two groups (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION:Despite the small number of cases studied, the higher reactivity to FAs in GroupⅠcompared to Groups Ⅱ and Ⅲ adds new information, and suggests the presence of a possible alteration in intestinal epithelial function. INTRODUCTIONIrritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is an extremely common disorder that affects about one in every 5-10 persons. Estimates of prevalence range from 9% to 22% depending upon population group studied [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] . The exact pathophysiology of IBS remains unknown, although various mechanisms including gastrointestinal dismotility and visceral hypersensitivity have been well studied in IBS [8][9][10] . Recent interest has also been directed to the possible participation of the mucosa in the pathophysiology of IBS [11][12][13] . Inflammatory mediators cause intestinal dysfunction and a consequent increase in permeability [14][15][16][17] . However the role and interaction of inflammatory mediators with IBS remains to be determined [17] . IBS is defined by symptomatic criteria rather than biological markers.

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Cirrhosis is the most important risk factor associated with HCC and more than 80% of HCC develops in cirrhotic livers. Despite many treatment options, the prognosis of HCC remains dismal. A majority of patients presented with advanced or unresectable disease. Even for those patients who undergo resection, the recurrence rates are high. The aim of this work was to study the clinical and pathological factors influencing the outcome after liver resection of HCC in patients with HCV genotype IV induced cirrhosis The present study was done on 175 patients with HCV genotype iV induced liver cirrhosis who underwent hepatic resection for HCC in GEC, Mansoura University, During the period from October 2000 to June 2010. Results: Recurrence after liver resection occurred in 49.1 % of patients and the overall 5 years survival was 21%. The most important factors affecting the recurrence were cut margin infiltration, vascular invasion, lymph nodes infiltration and absence of capsule while tumor differentiation was the most important factor affecting the survival. Conclusion: Liver cirrhosis has a major impact on the prognosis of HCC patients, and its severity must be considered when selecting treatments that can be tolerated by patients with HCC.Liver resection has been considered a reasonable first-line treatment for cirrhotic patients with HCC and preserved liver function.