Kazutoshi Amano

Prevalence of endoscopically negative and positive gastroesophageal reflux disease in the Japanese

Objective. The frequency of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has not been fully investigated in the Asian population. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of GERD, endoscopy-negative GERD (NERD), and erosive GERD in Japan, and the factors influencing disease prevalence. Material and methods. A total of 2760 subjects (mean age 50.4 years, range 24–84 years) were prospectively enrolled in this multicenter study. GERD symptoms were assessed with the Japanese version of the Carlsson-Dent self-administered questionnaire (QUEST) and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was performed on all study participants. Results. A total of 495 (17.9%) individuals were diagnosed with GERD by the presence of erosive esophagitis at endoscopy and/or by the presence of GERD symptoms. Erosive esophagitis was diagnosed endoscopically in 195 (7.1%), and symptomatic GERD was diagnosed in 351 (12.7%) based on a QUEST score of over 6. Of these 351 subjects, 300 (10.9%) were considered to have NERD. Male gender, hiatal hernia, and mild gastric mucosal atrophy were significant positive predictive factors of erosive esophagitis by multiple regression analysis. Hiatal hernia was the only significant predictor of GERD symptoms. Traditional Japanese foods, such as sweet cakes and rice cake, frequently exacerbated GERD symptoms. Conclusions. The prevalence of GERD in the Japanese was 17.9% and the prevalence rates of NERD and erosive esophagitis were 10.9% and 8.6%, respectively. The majority of symptomatic patients did not have endoscopically proven esophagitis. Hiatal hernia is the only important predictor of the presence of GERD symptoms.

CYP2C19 genotype status and intragastric pH during dosing with lansoprazole or rabeprazole

CYP2C19 has an important role in the catabolism of several proton pump inhibitors. However, the relative contribution of CYP2C19‐mediated metabolism varies among the different proton pump inhibitors.

Role of hiatus hernia and gastric mucosal atrophy in the development of reflux esophagitis in the elderly

Background and Aims: The pathogenetic mechanism responsible for the increased prevalence of reflux esophagitis in the elderly remains controversial. The aim of this study was to determine if an increased occurrence of hiatus hernia (HH) and/or a lower rate of gastric mucosal atrophy (GMA) are the main causes of the increased prevalence of reflux esophagitis in elderly patients.

Helicobacter pylori infection influences nocturnal gastric acid breakthrough.

Nocturnal gastric acid breakthrough is defined as night‐time periods when gastrin pH falls below 4.0 for greater than 1h during administration of a proton pump inhibitor. This phenomenon is a serious problem for patients who require strict control of their gastric acid secretions.

Prevalence of non-ulcer dyspepsia in the Japanese population

Background : Non‐ulcer dyspepsia (NUD) is one of the most frequently encountered disorders in general practice in Western countries. The prevalence of this disorder in the Japanese, however, has not been fully investigated. This study is designed to clarify the characteristics and prevalence of dyspepsia in the Japanese.

Predictive factors for metachronous recurrence of early gastric cancer after endoscopic treatment

Since endoscopic treatment has been evaluated and become established as treatment for early gastric cancer, metachronous recurrence has become a major problem. In this report, predictive factors for recurrence were studied using the Kaplan-Meier method and Coxs proportional hazards regression model in 76 patients who received endoscopic treatment. There were 48 men and 28 women age 69.6 +/- 8.3 years (mean +/- standard deviation), 5 of whom had synchronous multiple lesions and 71 who had a single lesion found during the initial endoscopic treatment. In all patients, periodic follow-ups were performed by endoscopy for more than 2 years after treatment. Helicobacter pylori infection was assessed in 55 of the 76 patients, and proved positive in 43 and negative in 12. Metachronous recurrence was detected significantly more frequently in patients whose synchronous multiple lesions were found during the initial treatment. In addition, age affected the recurrence positively. However, gender and H. pylori infection had no significant relationship with metachronous recurrence.

Effects of famotidine, mosapride and tandospirone for treatment of functional dyspepsia

Background : An effective therapeutic strategy for functional dyspepsia (FD) has not been well‐established.

Influence of Helicobacter pylori infection on the prevalence of reflux esophagitis in Japanese patients

Reflux esophagitis is caused by esophageal motor dysfunction in patients with sufficient gastric acid secretion. Helicobacter pylori causes atrophic gastritis and influences gastric acid secretion. Hiatus hernia (HH) of the esophagus causes motor dysfunction in the lower esophagus. Therefore, this study aimed to test whether H. pylori infection, gastric mucosal atrophy and HH are predictive factors for reflux esophagitis.

Helicobacter pylori Infection Accelerates Gene Expression of Glicentin in the Gastric Mucosa: Its Association with Intestinal Metaplasia of the Stomach

BACKGROUND Glicentin is an intestinal polypeptide hormone which seems to promote intestinal metaplasia (IM) in the gastric mucosa. The aim of this study was to clarify whether Helicobacter pylori infection accelerates glicentin gene expression. METHOD Glicentin mRNA was investigated by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction using gastric biopsies from 47 patients examined endoscopically and denying IM. RESULTS IM was observed in 18 (38.3%) cases histologically, but not in the other 29 (62.7%). Glicentin mRNA was significantly correlated with histological IM (P < 0.01) and was positively correlated with H. pylori infection (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Our results indicate that H. pylori infection is associated with the induction of glicentin in the gastric mucosa, thus supporting the hypothesis that H. pylori infection accelerates IM of the stomach.

Nonrotation of the midgut with appendiceal mucocele in an adult

Abstract: Nonrotation of the midgut in adults and appendiceal mucocele are both rare pathological conditions. We report here the first case of nonrotation of the midgut associated with appendiceal mucocele. The patient was a 51-year-old man admitted to hospital with ileus. An upper gastrointestinal series and a barium enema revealed nonrotation of the midgut without midgut volvulus and with a mass in the ileocecal area. Laparotomy revealed an appendiceal mucocele adhering to the urinary bladder and the rectum. The mucocele had partly ruptured; yellowish mucinous material had entered the abdominal cavity, resulting in pseudomyxoma peritonei. Histological examination revealed a mucinous tumor of the appendix with borderline malignancy. In this patient, the ileus was caused by the appendiceal mucocele rather than being caused by nonrotation of the midgut.