Gastroenterology
Background & Aims: Clostridium difficile toxin B (TxB) mediates acute inflammatory diarrhea characterized by neutrophil infiltration and intestinal mucosal injury. In a xenograft animal model, TxB was shown to induce interleukin (IL)-8 gene expression in human colonic epithelium. However, the precise mechanisms of this TxB response are unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the TxB-mediated...
Background & Aims: Colchicine improved survival and reversed cirrhosis in several small clinical trials. We compared the efficacy and safety of long-term colchicine, as compared with placebo, in patients with advanced alcoholic cirrhosis. Methods: Five hundred forty-nine patients with advanced (Pugh B or C) alcoholic cirrhosis were randomized to receive either colchicine 0.6 mg twice per day (n...
Epidemiologic and experimental reports suggest that female hormones protect against the development of colorectal cancer, but studies are limited. We describe a patient in the placebo arm of a 4-year primary chemoprevention trial who developed adenomatous polyps and then had eradication of polyps after the administration of oral contraceptives. No change in the prostaglandin levels in the colonic...
Background & Aims: Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is a promising therapeutic agent for various diseases. It remains unclear, however, whether bFGF is effective for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of bFGF on 2 experimental murine colitis models and to investigate its molecular mechanisms. Methods: We evaluated the effects of...
Background & Aims: Hepatic stellate cell (HSC) proliferation is a key event in the development of liver fibrosis. In many liver diseases, HSCs are exposed to inflammatory cytokines, reactive oxygen species, and bile acids. Although inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species are known to promote proliferation of HSCs, nothing is known about the effects of bile acids on HSC proliferation...
Background & Aims: Standard care for prevention of first esophageal variceal hemorrhage is β-blockade, but this may be ineffective or unsafe. Our purpose was to compare endoscopic banding with propranolol for prevention of first variceal hemorrhage. Methods: In a multicenter, prospective trial, 62 patients with cirrhosis with high-risk esophageal varices were randomized to propranolol (titrated...
Background & Aims: Identification of a disease-specific H pylori virulence factors predictive of the outcome of infection remains unachieved. Methods: We used the polymerase chain reaction and Southern blot to compare the presence of 14 vir homologue genes with clinical presentation of H pylori infection, mucosal histology, and mucosal interleukin (IL)-8 levels. Results: We examined 500 H pylori...
Adverse reactions to food that result in gastrointestinal symptoms are common in the general population; while only a minority of such individuals will have symptoms due to immunologic reactions to foods, gastrointestinal food allergies do exist in both children and adults. These immune reactions are mediated by immunoglobulin E-dependent and -independent mechanisms involving mast cells, eosinophils,...