No abstract

A genome‐wide study performed in a Japanese population identified a strong association between SNP rs2294008 (Met1Thr) in the Prostate Stem Cell Antigen gene (PSCA) and diffuse‐type gastric cancer (GC). This association was validated in different Asian populations, and, very recently, a study has been published in Caucasians. In this study, we analyzed the association between PSCA variation and GC risk in Caucasians from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort. Six tagSNPs covering the PSCA gene region were genotyped in 411 incident gastric adenocarcinoma cases and 1530 matched controls from a nested case–control study in the EPIC cohort. Associations were analyzed by unconditional logistic regression, adjusting for age, sex and country. The T allele of rs2294008 in PSCA was found to be a highly significant risk factor for GC (per allele OR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.23–1.66, p‐value = 6.5 × 10−6), particularly of the noncardia‐type (per allele OR = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.19–1.81, p‐value = 3 × 10−4). At contrast with previous studies, no significant differences were observed between the diffuse (per allele OR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.20–1.96, p‐value = 5 × 10−4) and the intestinal (per allele OR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.20–1.93, p‐value = 5 × 10−4) GC histological subtypes. Although rs12155758 and rs9297976 were also found associated with GC, this association appeared to be due to linkage disequilibrium with rs2294008. Haplotype analysis did not provide additional information. These results confirm the association between variation in the promoter region of PSCA and GC risk in Caucasians and also indicate that the rs2294008 variant is a similar risk factor for both the diffuse and intestinal‐types of GC.

The worldwide incidence of gastric adenocarcinoma (GC) is lower in women than in men. Furthermore, cancer patients treated with estrogens have been reported to have a lower subsequent risk of GC. The authors conducted a prospective analysis of menstrual and reproductive factors, exogenous hormone use, and GC in 335,216 women from the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition, a cohort study of individuals aged 35-70 years from 10 European countries. After a mean follow-up of 8.7 years (through 2004), 181 women for whom complete exposure data were available developed GC. Adjusted hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models. All statistical tests were 2-sided. Women who had ovariectomy had a 79% increased risk of GC (based on 25 cases) compared with women who did not (hazard ratio = 1.79, 95% confidence interval: 1.15, 2.78). Total cumulative years of menstrual cycling was inversely associated with GC risk (fifth vs. first quintile: hazard ratio = 0.55, 95% confidence interval: 0.31, 0.98; P(trend) = 0.06). No other reproductive factors analyzed were associated with risk of GC. The results of this analysis provide some support for the hypothesis that endogenous ovarian sex hormones lower GC incidence in women.

No abstract

Functional dyspepsia is a common disorder in primary care and gastroenterology units; however, the pathophysiology is poorly understood. Delayed gastric emptying is present in nearly 40% of patients. We evaluated the validity of the paracetamol absorption test in comparison with scintigraphy for gastric emptying assessment. Studies comparing scintigraphy with paracetamol absorption were selected through a structured Medline search. A correlation coefficient between scintigraphy and paracetamol absorption over 0.6 was considered good, between 0.45 and 0.6 intermediate, and below 0.45 poor. Feasibility was assessed by studying the administration of paracetamol, frequency of blood sampling, duration of the test period, and parameters used in the analysis. Thirteen studies were identified, eight (127 subjects) found a good correlation between scintigraphy and paracetamol absorption, two studies (28 subjects) found a moderate correlation, and three (25 subjects) found no correlation. Parameters used were area under the curve (N = 9), fixed-time concentrations (N = 6), concentration-max (N = 4) and time-to-concentration-max (N = 5). Repetitive blood samples ranged from 6 to 20 samples. The durations were 1.5-8 h. In conclusion, the paracetamol absorption technique generally correlates well to scintigraphy of liquid phase gastric emptying. The execution and outcome parameters however need further standardization to optimize its' value for clinical use and research purposes.