BackgroundThe best sites for biopsy-based tests to evaluate H. pylori infection in gastritis with atrophy are not well known. This study aimed to evaluate the site and sensitivity of biopsy-based tests in terms of degree of gastritis with atrophy.MethodsOne hundred and sixty-four (164) uninvestigated dyspepsia patients were enrolled. Biopsy-based tests (i.e., culture, histology Giemsa stain and rapid urease test) and non-invasive tests (anti-H. pylori IgG) were performed. The gold standard of H. pylori infection was defined according to previous criteria. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive rate and negative predictive rate of biopsy-based tests at the gastric antrum and body were calculated in terms of degree of gastritis with atrophy.ResultsThe prevalence rate of H. pylori infection in the 164 patients was 63.4%. Gastritis with atrophy was significantly higher at the antrum than at the body (76% vs. 31%; p<0.001). The sensitivity of biopsy-based test decreased when the degree of gastritis with atrophy increased regardless of biopsy site (for normal, mild, moderate, and severe gastritis with atrophy, the sensitivity of histology Giemsa stain was 100%, 100%, 88%, and 66%, respectively, and 100%, 97%, 91%, and 66%, respectively, for rapid urease test). In moderate to severe antrum or body gastritis with atrophy, additional corpus biopsy resulted in increased sensitivity to 16.67% compare to single antrum biopsy.ConclusionsIn moderate to severe gastritis with atrophy, biopsy-based test should include the corpus for avoiding false negative results.

Keywordsgastric mucosal injury, Helicobacter pylori, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, pulse methylprednisolone therapy, systemic lupus erythematosus ---------------------------------------------------------------------- WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT• Whether glucocorticoids induce gastric mucosal injury remains uncertain, and Helicobacter pylori infection in steroid users has not been well evaluated in the past.• Pulse methylprednisolone therapy with the very high dose of steroid that is 100 times larger than the physiological dose will be a special model to evaluate whether glucocorticoids induce gastric mucosal injury. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS• Use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs/aspirin, but not H. pylori infection, increases gastric mucosal injury in systemic lupus erythematosus patients receiving pulse methylprednisolone therapy.• Very high-dose steroids de novo seem not to induce gastric mucosal injury in these patients.• However, a larger, case-controlled study enrolling a heterogeneous population is needed to clarify the role of glucocorticoids in gastric mucosal injury. AIMSWhether glucocorticoids induce gastric mucosal injury remains uncertain. We investigated whether very high-dose steroids caused gastric mucosal injury in systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) patients and evaluated the possible risk factors for mucosal injury. METHODSIn this prospective paired study, 67 SLE patients who had received pulse methylprednisolone therapy were enrolled. Each patient underwent endoscopic examination and tissue and blood sampling before and after pulse steroid therapy. Mucosal injury was diagnosed if the follow-up injury scale was higher than the initial scale. Examined parameters included Helicobacter pylori infection, cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and COX-2 activity, and current nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) usage including aspirin. RESULTSEleven (16.4%) of 67 cases who developed gastric mucosal injury after pulse therapy had significantly higher rates of peptic ulcer history, NSAID/aspirin use, lower gastric thromboxane B2 and prostaglandin E2 levels when compared with cases without gastric mucosal injury (P < 0.05).Infection by H. pylori was not a risk factor for gastric mucosal injury. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that NSAID/aspirin use was the only risk factor for gastric mucosal injury in these patients (odds ratio 26.99, 95% confidence interval 4.91, 148.57, P < 0.0001). Pulse steroid therapy alone did not induce gastric mucosal injury in fifty SLE patients without taking any NSAID/aspirin. CONCLUSIONSUse of NSAIDs/aspirin, but not H. pylori infection, increases gastric mucosal injury in SLE patients receiving pulse methylprednisolone therapy. Very high-dose steroids de novo seem not to induce gastric mucosal injury in these patients. A larger case-controlled study enrolling a heterogeneous population is needed to clarify the role of glucocorticoids in gastric mucosal injury.

Background/AimsAntispasmodics including otilonium bromide (OB) are recommended to treat irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). However, reports about OB experience in Asia is sparse. The purpose of present study was to provide the efficacy of OB in treating Asian IBS patients.MethodsOverall, 117 IBS patients meeting Rome II criteria were enrolled in an 8-week, double-blind, active-controlled and single center trial. Randomized participants received either OB 40 mg or mebeverine 100 mg 3 doses daily. The primary endpoints were to evaluate the net changes of abdominal pain/discomfort frequency score (APDFS) and safety profile, while the secondary endpoints were to assess the changes in abdominal pain/discomfort intensity, flatulence, abdominal bloating, satisfied stool frequency etc.ResultsFinally, 49 OB and 52 mebeverine subjects were eligible for efficacy analysis. Compared to baselines in per protocol populations, the reduced APDFSs in OB and mebeverine were 0.55 ± 1.20 (P = 0.011) and 0.37 ± 1.11 (P = 0.042), respectively, to show similarly reduced scores. The most reported side effects included dry mouth, nausea and dizziness. Besides, the improved APDFSs at 4th week visit, final alleviations in abdominal pain intensity, flatulence, abdominal bloating and satisfied stool frequency with global assessments filled by both patients and investigators were significantly achieved by both treatments, and OB was not inferior to mebeverine in treating these parameters.ConclusionsIn Orientals, OB is as effective as mebeverine for alleviating IBS symptoms in terms of abdominal pain, flatulence, abdominal bloating etc. However, obvious side effects are also observed. A large-scaled trial and post-marketing surveillance are recommended to confirm its efficacy and safety.

1 The e ect of amphetamine on gastrointestinal (GI) transit and the plasma levels of cholecystokinin (CCK) were studied in male rats. 2 Gastric emptying was inhibited both acutely and chronically by the administration of amphetamine. GI transit was decreased by the acute administration of amphetamine but not a ected by the chronic administration of amphetamine. 3 Plasma CCK levels were increased dose-dependently by amphetamine. 4 Proglumide, a CCK receptor antagonist, prevented amphetamine-induced inhibition of gastric emptying and the decrease in GI transit in male rats. 5 The selective CCK A receptor antagonist, lorglumide, dose-dependently attenuated the amphetamineinduced inhibition of gastric emptying in male rats. In contrast, the selective CCK B receptor antagonist, PD 135,158, did not reverse the e ect of amphetamine on gastric emptying. 6 Both lorglumide and PD 135,158 reversed the inhibitory e ect of amphetamine on GI transit in male rats. 7 These results suggest that amphetamine-induced inhibition of gastric emptying and intestinal transit is due in part to a mechanism associated with the hypersecretion of endogenous CCK.

The clinical significance of high levels of antibody against Helicobacter pylori is still unclear. We sought to evaluate whether the serum antibody levels could predict the presence of macroscopic gastroduodenal disease, to identify factors that correlate with antibody levels in a multivariate context, and to determine the predictive value of antibody levels for diagnosing H. pylori infection. The grades of gastritis and density of H. pylori colonization were scored separately using the updated Sydney system for antral and body mucosa. An enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the quantitative detection in serum of IgG antibodies to H. pylori was performed. Of the 170 dyspeptic patients, 105 (62%) had H. pylori infection. There was no difference in antibody levels among endoscopic findings of normal mucosa, chronic gastritis, and duodenal ulcer. On multivariate linear regression analysis, the status of H. pylori infection, mononuclear cell infiltration of body mucosa, and age correlated with antibody levels. The negative predictive value for antibody levels of <30 U/ml is 94%, and the positive predictive value of antibody levels of >70 U/ml is 98%. We conclude that serum antibody levels do not predict the severity of gastroduodenal diseases or the density of H. pylori colonization in H. pylori-infected dyspeptic patients. Higher levels are associated with the presence of H. pylori infection, the chronic gastritis score of the corpus, and older age. Setting a gray zone is necessary for ELISA, since the accuracy in this zone does not allow a precise determination of H. pylori status.Helicobacter pylori has been established as an important etiological factor for chronic gastritis and duodenal ulcer (10,15,16). It is also associated with gastric ulcer and gastric cancer (4). As the test-and-treat policy for H. pylori infection is gradually being accepted by general practitioners, a simple, reliable, and noninvasive diagnostic test for H. pylori has become essential in clinical practice (5, 12). An easier and cheaper way to diagnose H. pylori infection noninvasively is to test for antibodies to the infection. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been the most commonly used serological test because it is suited for screening large populations (11, 13). Clinically, some patients are very concerned about contracting H. pylori infection when they are told they have high antibody levels. However, the clinical significance of the levels is still unclear. The correlation between anti-H. pylori antibody levels and the severity of histological gastritis or H. pylori density has been studied with conflicting results (8,9,14,18,19,21). This discrepancy in results may arise from differences in classification and grading of gastritis, the numbers of subjects, consideration of confounding factors, and statistical methods. One study reported that immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody levels correlated with the grades of antral polymorphonuclear leukocyte infiltration and antral bacterial density (8), while another study de...