Serial change in gastric motility in eosinophilic gastritis with pyloric stenosis assessment by abdominal ultrasonography.

Eosinophilic gastritis (EoG) is defined as the presence of upper gastrointestinal symptoms combined with histologic findings of > 30 eosinophils/high-power field (eos/hpf) in 5 hpf in any part of the gastric mucosa, except for the secondary causes of gastric eosinophilia. This is the first case report of a serial change in gastric motility in EoG with pyloric stenosis using abdominal ultrasonography. A 56-year-old woman was diagnosed with pyloric stenosis by upper gastrointestinal radiographic examination during a medical checkup. She had nausea and loss of appetite, her gastrointestinal symptom rating scale (GSRS) score was 20, and her F scale score was 20. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) demonstrated pyloric stenosis and multiple superficial ulcerations in the antrum. Histopathological findings of gastric biopsy specimens revealed severe eosinophilic infiltration (100 eos/HPF), and the diagnosis was EoG with pyloric stenosis. Before treatment, the gastric anterior wall thickness was 6.3 mm. The gastric motility in EoG was evaluated by intra-abdominal ultrasonography. Ultrasonography showed low motility in the antrum, especially the amplitude and motility index. After 6 months of steroid treatment, her symptoms improved. Her GSRS score was 13, and her F scale score was 19. Histological eosinophilic infiltration decreased to 50 eos/HPF, showing improvement. On ultrasonography, gastric motility also improved and recovered to normal. After 12 months, several examinations confirmed improvement, including gastric motility by ultrasonography.

Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease.

This JAMA Insights Clinical Update discusses the symptoms, diagnosis, and management of eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases.

Caracterización clínico-histopatológica de la gastritis crónica / Clinical-histopathological characterization of chronic gastritis

La gastritis es una enfermedad con una alta morbilidad a nivel mundial, el principal factor de riesgo es la infección por Helicobacter pylori. Objetivo: Describir las características clínicas, histopatológica y endoscópicas en una población con gastritis crónica. Material y métodos: Se realizó un estudio observacional de tipo descriptivo, retrospectivo, se incluyeron 49 pacientes que acudieron a la consulta externa del área de gastroenterología, de 18 a 65 años, a quienes se realizó el estudio histopatológico y endoscópico en el Servicio de Gastroenterología en el Hospital General Quevedo, de Los Ríos-Ecuador, durante septiembre 2017 ­ septiembre 2018. Resultados: Se observó predominio del género masculino (65%); en mayores de 40 años (55%), la epigastralgía y la sensación de acidez estomacal, 39% y 35% respectivamente, fueron los síntomas más frecuentes, La positividad para Helicobacter pylori, alcanzó el 86%, y la lesión no erosiva un 73%, existió mayor presencia de la forma no atrófica (84%) sobre la atrófica. Conclusiones: La gastritis crónica predominó en el grupo etario mayor a 40 años y de género masculino, siendo los factores de riesgo de mayor prevalencia la infección por Helicobacter pylori y los asociados al consumo de antiinflamatorios no esteroideos, mala alimentación, alcohol y tabaco, los síntomas como epigastralgía y la sensación de acidez estomacal fueron los más frecuentes. El hallazgo endoscópico fue mayor para las formas no erosivas, y de acuerdo a la histopatología la gastritis no atrófica antral moderada fue la más frecuente(AU)

Gastritis is a disease with high morbidity worldwide, the main risk factor is Helicobacter pylori infection. Objective: To describe the clinical, histopathological and endoscopic characteristics in a population with chronic gastritis. Material and methods: An observational, descriptive, retrospective study was carried out, including 49 patients who attended the outpatient consultation of the gastroenterology area, aged 18 to 65 years, who underwent a histopathological and endoscopic study in the Gastroenterology Service at the Quevedo General Hospital, Los Ríos-Ecuador, during September 2017 - September 2018. Results: A predominance of the male gender was observed (65%); In people over 40 years of age (55%), epigastralgia and the sensation of heartburn, 39% and 35% spectively, were the most frequent symptoms, the positivity for Helicobacter pylori, reached 86%, and the non-erosive lesion 73 %, there was a greater presence of the non-atrophic form (84%) over the atrophic one. Conclusions: Chronic gastritis predominated in the age group over 40 years of age and male, the most prevalent risk factors being Helicobacter pylori infection and those associated with the consumption of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, poor diet, alcohol and tobacco. symptoms such as epigastric pain and the sensation of heartburn were the most frequent. The endoscopic finding was greater for non-erosive forms, and according to histopathology, moderate antral non-atrophic gastritis was the most frequent(AU)

Nutritional Aspects of Pediatric Gastrointestinal Diseases.

In the last decade, the role of nutritional management in pediatric gastrointestinal diseases has gained increasing popularity. Disease-specific diets have been introduced as conventional treatments by international guidelines. Patients tend to more willingly accept food-based therapies than drugs because of their relatively "harmless" nature. Apart from a diet's therapeutic role, nutritional support is crucial in maintaining growth and improving clinical outcomes in pediatric patients. Despite the absence of classical "side effects", however, it should be emphasized that any dietary modification might have negative consequences on children's growth and development. Hence, expert supervision is always advised, in order to support adequate nutritional requirements. Unfortunately, the media provide an inaccurate perception of the role of diet for gastrointestinal diseases, leading to misconceptions by patients or their caregivers that tends to overestimate the beneficial role of diets and underestimate the potential adverse effects. Moreover, not only patients, but also healthcare professionals, have a number of misconceptions about the nutritional benefits of diet modification on gastrointestinal diseases. The aim of this review is to highlight the role of diet in pediatric gastrointestinal diseases, to detect misconceptions and to give a practical guide for physicians on the basis of current scientific evidence.

Objective Evidence of Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease is Rare in Patients with Autoimmune Gastritis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Patients with autoimmune atrophic gastritis (AAG) often complain of acid reflux symptoms, despite the evidence of hypo-achlorhydria. Rome IV criteria are used to define functional esophageal disorders. Our aim was to characterize gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) phenotypes in patients with AAG. METHODS: Between 2017-2018, 172 AAG patients were evaluated at Gastro-Oncology outpatient clinic of University of Padua. Of them, 38 patients with reflux symptoms underwent high-resolution manometry (HRM) and multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH monitoring (MII-pH). Seventy-six AAG consecutive patients asymptomatic for gastroesophageal reflux were selected as age and gender matched controls. Serum biomarkers (pepsinogens, gastrin-17 and Helicobacter pylori antibodies), upper endoscopy, histology and clinical data were compared. RESULTS: Out of 38/172 (22%) AAG patients with reflux symptoms, 2/38 had a GERD diagnosis based on abnormal esophageal acid exposure and 6/38 had a major motility disorder (i.e. outflow obstruction). Among the 30/38 patients with normal endoscopic findings, 9/30 had reflux hypersensitivity, 19 functional heartburn, 1 functional globus, 1 functional chest pain according to the Rome IV criteria. Antral atrophy, advanced corpus atrophy and OLGA stage were more frequent in controls than in reflux patients (p=0.01, p=0.031, p=0.01, respectively). No differences were found for serum biomarkers and symptom presentation. Most of the patients received proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) treatment (87%), with a minority (34%) reporting clinical benefit. CONCLUSIONS: Reflux symptoms are relatively common in AAG patients, but a firm diagnosis of GERD is rare (5%), whereas most of the patients have a functional disorder. PPI treatment is mostly clinical ineffective and should not be largely indicated.

Atypical late-onset severe gastritis in immune dysregulation, polyendocrinopathy, enteropathy, and X-linked (IPEX) syndrome: 2 case reports.

RATIONALE: The immune dysregulation, polyendocrinopathy, enteropathy, and X-linked (IPEX) syndrome is a rare disorder that most often manifests in the early stages of life. IPEX syndrome with a late onset, presenting with severe gastritis has rarely been reported. PATIENT CONCERNS: Two male adolescents presented with recurrent vomiting, severe malnutrition, and growth retardation due to severe gastritis. DIAGNOSES: Esophagogastroduodenoscopy of the 2 patients revealed rare presentations of severe gastritis with multiple ulcers and stenosis of the pylorus. Next-generation sequencing revealed 2 novel variants in gene FOXP3 in the patients who were diagnosed with the IPEX syndrome. INTERVENTIONS: Both patients were treated with a high calorie formular enteral nutritional therapy. In addition, the pylorus of patient 1 was enlarged by balloon dilation, while patient 2 was treated with mercaptopurine and low dose prednisone. OUTCOMES: Symptoms and nutritional status of the patients improved after treatment. LESSONS: Chronic severe gastritis with stenosis of the pylorus could be an atypical manifestation of the IPEX syndrome. The use of next-generation sequencing is highly suitable for the diagnosis of atypical IPEX syndromes.

Cytomegalovirus gastritis: Clinicopathological profile.

BACKGROUND: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) gastritis is occasionally reported in case reports and limited case series. Up to now, it is the largest and most comprehensive retrospective study of CMV gastritis. METHODS: All patients who were histologically diagnosed with CMV gastritis at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital between January 2000 and April 2020 were included. Patients were divided into two groups according to immunity. Between-group differences in characteristics, manifestations, endoscopic features, prognostic factors, and outcomes were analyzed. The main endpoint was 3-month mortality. RESULTS: A total of 54 patients (34 immunocompromised, 20 immunocompetent) were enrolled. Common presentations included gastrointestinal bleeding (35.2%), abdominal pain (33.3%) and fever (31.5%). The endoscopic features included ulcer (88.9%) and inflammation (11.1%). The 3-month mortality rate was 20.4% and overall mortality rate was 40.7%. Acute kidney injury was the only independent risk factor for 3-month mortality (OR 53.89, 95%CI 1.56-1861.73, p = 0.027). Anti-viral therapy and host immune status did not affect 3-month mortality. CONCLUSION: Both immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients with CMV gastritis have high mortality rates, without significant between-group differences. Acute kidney injury is the only independent predictive factor for 3-month mortality. Prevention of acute kidney injury may possibly improve the 3-month mortality rate.

Disease Course and Treatment Response of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Diseases in Children With Liver Transplantation: Long-Term Follow-Up.

INTRODUCTION: To describe the clinical and laboratory profile, natural course, treatment outcome, and risk factors of posttransplant esophageal and nonesophageal eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders (EGIDs). METHODS: All children (aged <18 years) who underwent liver transplantation, between 2011 and 2019, in a single transplant center with a follow-up period of 1 year or more posttransplant and with a history of posttransplant endoscopic evaluation were included in this study. RESULTS: During the study period, 89 children met the inclusion criteria. Patients were followed for a median of 8.0 years. A total of 39 (44%) patients were diagnosed with EGID after transplantation. Of these, 29 (33%) had eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), and 10 (11%) had eosinophilic gastritis, gastroenteritis or enterocolitis. In comparison with the non-EGID group, patients with EGID were younger at transplant (P ≤ 0.0001), transplanted more frequently due to biliary atresia (P ≤ 0.0001), and had higher rates of pretransplant allergy (P = 0.019). In the posttransplant period, they had higher rates of mammalian Target of Rapamycin inhibitor use (P = 0.006), Epstein-Barr virus viremia (P = 0.03), post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (P = 0.005), and allergen sensitization (P ≤ 0.0001). In regression analysis, young age at transplant, age at diagnosis, pretransplant atopic dermatitis, and post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease were associated with an increased risk of EGID or EoE. Laboratory abnormalities such as anemia (P = 0.007), thrombocytosis (P = 0.012), and hypoalbuminemia (P = 0.031) were more commonly observed in the eosinophilic gastritis, gastroenteritis or enterocolitis group than in the EoE group. Following treatment, most patients had symptomatic resolution at 3 months and histologic resolution at 6 months postdiagnosis. Among the patients who had 5 years of follow-up, none recurred. DISCUSSION: EGID is a common posttransplant diagnosis, which seems to affect patients who are transplanted earlier and who have pretransplant atopy. Posttransplant EGID is responsive to treatment, but as histologic remission occurs after symptomatic resolution, the decision to perform control endoscopy should be delayed.

Gastric Metabolomics Detects Helicobacter pylori Correlated Loss of Numerous Metabolites in Both the Corpus and Antrum.

Helicobacter pylori is a chronic bacterial pathogen that thrives in several regions of the stomach, causing inflammation that can vary by site and result in distinct disease outcomes. Whether the regions differ in terms of host-derived metabolites is not known. We thus characterized the regional variation of the metabolomes of mouse gastric corpus and antrum organoids and tissue. The uninfected secreted organoid metabolites differed between the corpus and antrum in only seven metabolites as follows: lactic acid, malic acid, phosphoethanolamine, alanine, uridine, glycerol, and isoleucine. Several of the secreted chemicals were depleted upon H. pylori infection in both regions, including urea, cholesterol, glutamine, fumaric acid, lactic acid, citric acid, malic acid, and multiple nonessential amino acids. These results suggest a model in which H. pylori preferentially uses carboxylic acids and amino acids in complex environments, and these are found in both the corpus and antrum. When organoid metabolites were compared to mouse tissue, there was little overlap. The tissue corpus and antrum metabolomes were distinct, including antrum-elevated 5-methoxytryptamine, lactic acid, and caprylic acid, and corpus-elevated phospholipid products. The corpus and antrum remained distinct over an 8-month infection time course. The antrum displayed no significant changes between the time points in contrast to the corpus, which exhibited metabolite changes that were consistent with stress, tissue damage, and depletion of key nutrients, such as glutamine and fructose-6-phosphate. Overall, our results suggest that the corpus and antrum have largely but not completely overlapping metabolomes that change moderately upon H. pylori infection.

Esophageal, Gastric, and Duodenal Histologic Findings in Patients with Feeding Difficulties.

Currently, there are inconsistencies in the recommendations of when to obtain an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) in children with feeding difficulties. The aim of our study was to identify EGD findings in patients presenting to a large, outpatient feeding program. Additionally, we investigated the presence of any relationship between abnormal pathology seen on biopsies (inflammation) and symptoms of feeding intolerance such as vomiting, gagging, retching, or abdominal pain. Retrospective analysis of electronic medical records (EMRs) was conducted for all new patients aged 0-17 years presenting to the Multidisciplinary Feeding Clinic. Three hundred and thirty patients (50.2%) had an EGD with complete biopsies. Of these 330 patients, biopsies revealed esophagitis in 40%, gastritis in 33.6%, and duodenitis in 15.2%. Overall, 61.21% had an abnormal pathology in at least one site. We found that children with feeding disorders commonly have esophagitis, gastritis, and/or duodenitis and that symptoms are poor predictors of pathology. This study underscores the importance of gastrointestinal evaluation as part of a multidisciplinary evaluation in patients with feeding difficulties.

Emphysematous gastritis after metastatic malignant melanoma: a radiological surprise.

Malignant melanoma is cancer of the skin which commonly metastasises to the stomach. There have been no reported cases of emphysematous gastritis secondary to metastasis of malignant melanomas, to date. However, a 61-year-old woman with metastatic malignant melanoma of the left great toe presented to us with symptoms of severe left hypochondrium pain associated with high-grade fever, gross abdominal distension and recurrent vomiting. Two months earlier, metastasis was observed to have spread to the stomach and inguinal lymph nodes. At this stage, the patient opted for traditional medication instead of definitive surgery and chemotherapy. Radiological imaging revealed an emphysematous change to the stomach which was radiologically consistent with gastric malignant melanoma. Unfortunately, the patient succumbed to this rare condition.

Effect of Astaxanthin on Activation of Autophagy and Inhibition of Apoptosis in Helicobacter pylori-Infected Gastric Epithelial Cell Line AGS.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection leads to the massive apoptosis of the gastric epithelial cells, causing gastric ulcers, gastritis, and gastric adenocarcinoma. Autophagy is a cellular recycling process that plays important roles in cell death decisions and can protect cells by preventing apoptosis. Upon the induction of autophagy, the level of the autophagy substrate p62 is reduced and the autophagy-related ratio of microtubule-associated proteins 1A/1B light chain 3B (LC3B)-II/LC3B-I is heightened. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) are involved in the regulation of autophagy. Astaxanthin (AST) is a potent anti-oxidant that plays anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer roles in various cells. In the present study, we examined whether AST inhibits H. pylori-induced apoptosis through AMPK-mediated autophagy in the human gastric epithelial cell line AGS (adenocarcinoma gastric) in vitro. In this study, H. pylori induced apoptosis. Compound C, an AMPK inhibitor, enhanced the H. pylori-induced apoptosis of AGS cells. In contrast, metformin, an AMPK activator, suppressed H. pylori-induced apoptosis, showing that AMPK activation inhibits H. pylori-induced apoptosis. AST inhibited H. pylori-induced apoptosis by increasing the phosphorylation of AMPK and decreasing the phosphorylation of RAC-alpha serine/threonine-protein kinase (Akt) and mTOR in H. pylori-stimulated cells. The number of LC3B puncta in H. pylori-stimulated cells increased with AST. These results suggest that AST suppresses the H. pylori-induced apoptosis of AGS cells by inducing autophagy through the activation of AMPK and the downregulation of its downstream target, mTOR. In conclusion, AST may inhibit gastric diseases associated with H. pylori infection by increasing autophagy through the activation of the AMPK pathway.

How dyspepsia led to the diagnosis of Morbus Crohn.

BACKGROUND: It is well known that Crohn's disease can involve the stomach. However, most often this upper gastrointestinal tract involvement is asymptomatic. Typically, there is involvement of the small intestine with the typical associated symptoms of Crohn's disease: abdominal cramps, diarrhoea and weight loss. METHODS: We report a case of a young woman with complaints of dyspepsia since 2 months. RESULTS: Gastroscopy revealed severe aphthous pangastritis with biopsies showing a focal active and chronic gastritis with presence of granulomas. We therefore performed a coloscopy showing an aphthous terminal ileum. The pathologic report indicated granulomatous reaction concordant with a slightly active, mildly chronic terminal ileitis typical for Crohn's disease. CONCLUSION: The incidence of upper gastrointestinal tract involvement of Crohn's disease is still underestimated, partially due to the asymptomatic nature in two thirds of patients. IBD gastritis should always be included in the differential diagnosis of gastritis, considering the increased risk of a more severe disease course and complications.

Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Diseases in Children: A Practical Review.

Primary eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases (EGIDs) represent a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by eosinophilic inflammation in the absence of known causes for eosinophilia, selectively affecting different segments of the gastrointestinal tract. While pediatric eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a well-defined disease with established guidelines, Eosinophilic Gastritis (EoG), Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis (EoGE) and Eosinophilic Colitis (EoC) remain a clinical enigma with evidence based on limited anecdotal case reports. Large cross-sectional studies in the US defined a prevalence of EoG and EoGE ranging from 1,5 to 6,4/100.000 and from 2,7 to 8,3/100.000 subjects respectively, while the prevalence of EoC ranges from 1,7 to 3,5/100.000 subjects. Regarding the pathogenesis, it is hypothesized that EGIDs result from the interplay between genetic predisposition, intestinal dysbiosis and environmental triggers. Clinically, EGIDs might present with different and nonspecific gastrointestinal symptoms depending on the involved intestinal tract and the extension of eosinophilic inflammatory infiltrate. The diagnosis of EGIDs requires: 1. recurrent gastrointestinal symptoms, 2. increased eosinophils for high power field in biopsy specimens, 3. absence of secondary causes of gastrointestinal eosinophilia. No validated guidelines are available on the clinical management of patients with EGIDs. Evidence from case reports and small uncontrolled case series suggests the use of dietary and corticosteroids as the first-line treatments. Considering the clinical follow-up of EGIDs, three different patterns of disease course are identified: single flare, recurring course-disease and chronic course-disease. This review will focus on pediatric EGIDs distal to esophagus, including Eosinophilic Gastritis (EoG), Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis (EoGE) and Eosinophilic Colitis (EoC).

STATE OF COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS IN CHILDREN WITH PATHOLOGY OF DIGESTIVE ORGANS, WHO LIVE AT RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATED TERRITORIES OF UKRAINE. / STAN KOGNITYVNYKh FUNKTsIY̆ U DITEY̆ Z PATOLOGIIeIu ORGANIV TRAVLENNIa, IaKI PROZhYVAIuT' NA RADIOAKTYVNO ZABRUDNENYKh TERYTORIIaKh UKRAÏNY.

OBJECTIVE: to study the state of cognitive functions in children who were born and permanently live at radioactive contaminated territories (RCT) with pathology of the upper digestive tract, using pathopsychological testing; to increase the effectiveness of treatment and prophylactic measures aimed at preserving and restoring the health of RCT residents. DESIGN, PATIENTS AND METHODS: A randomized blind controlled clinical trial was conducted. There were examined, a total of 90 persons aged 6 to 17 years (35 boys and 55 girls) who were divided into two groups: the control group (I) included 30 persons of the conventional «clean¼ territories, and the main group (II) - 60 patients with patho- logy of the digestive organs who were born and live at the RCT. The study program included: the collection of anam- nesis, complaints; clinical and instrumental examinations. The following tests were applied by us: «What things are hidden in the drawings¼, Toulouse-Pieron, Raven, and Luria testing. For detecting the anxiety level, and the subjec- tive signs of autonomic dysfunctions were used the Spilberg-Hanin self-diagnosis and the Wein questionnaire, respectively. RESULTS: It was shown that in children aged 6-11 years, according to the results of the Toulouse-Pieron test, speed of cognitive information-processing was significantly decreased by 7.17 conventional units, while on the back- ground of the etiopathogenetic treatment of the digestive tract - by 10.24 conventional units relative to the va- lues of the control group. The long-term memory was statistically significantly decreased in the examined children of senior school age (from 12 to 17 years). A significant increase in reactive anxiety and a reverse correlation between the personal anxiety (PA) and speed of cognitive information-processing (r = -0.331) were recorded in patients aged 6-11 years. In older patients, PA was increased.Сonclusions. The obtained results indicate that the state of cognitive functions was characterized by a decrease in speed of cognitive information-processing, long-term memory and a high level of anxiety in children aged from 6 to 17 years residents of RСT with pathology of digestive organs, according to the used testing.

Role of Th22 cells in Helicobacter pylori-related gastritis and peptic ulcer diseases.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) has been shown to be one of the leading causes of peptic ulcer diseases (PUDs) and gastritis. T helper-22 (Th22) cells and its most important cytokine, interleukin-22 (IL-22) are importantly active in inflammation and inflammatory tissues. Since inflammation is one of the main attributes of infection caused by H. pylori and resulting complications (gastritis and gastrointestinal ulcer), this study was designed to evaluate the Th22 cells count and the IL-22 protein expression in people suffering from PUD and gastritis. The present study was conducted on 55 patients with gastritis, 47 patients with PUD and 48 uninfected subjects. After preparation of section and extraction of protein from antral biopsies, immunohistochemistry and western blot methods were used to evaluate the Th22 cells and IL-22 protein expression level, respectively. According to findings, the Th22 cells count and the IL-22 protein expression level in the infected subjects were siginficantly more than in the uninfected subjects. It should be noted that the Th22 cells count and the IL-22 protein expression level in the infected subjects with PUD were significantly greater than those in the infected subjects with gastritis. In addition, the Th22 cells count had positive correlation with the density of H. pylori, chronic inflammation score and acute inflammatory score in the infected subjects with PUD. The Th22 cells count had positive correlation with the Th17 cells count and inverse correlation with the Treg cells count in the infected subjects with PUD and gastritis. Our data demonstrated that abnormal hyper-activation of Th22 cells as well as its correlation with the Th17 cells during infection caused by H. pylori might damage tissues through immunopathological responses.

Endoscopic and Histological Findings among Israeli Populations Infected with Helicobacter pylori: Does Ethnicity Matter?

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori varies geographically by age, race, and socioeconomic status (SES). However, the impact of ethnicity on endoscopic outcomes in infected individuals is not well known. OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of ethnicity among Israelis with biopsy-proven H. pylori infection. METHODS: A retrospective study, including patients who underwent gastroscopy and were diagnosed histologically with H. pylori infection, was conducted. Information on demographics, SES, medications, and co-morbidities were extracted from medical records. Univariate (Student's t-test, chi-square test) and multivariate (multinomial and logistic) regression analysis were conducted to examine the predictors of the clinical outcome. RESULTS: The study included 100 Israeli Jews and 100 Israeli Arabs diagnosed with biopsy-proven H. pylori infection. At univariate analysis, the number of households was higher among Arabs (P < 0.001), whose family income and parental education were lower than among Jews (P < 0.001 for both variables). The response to amoxicillin and clarithromycin differed between the two groups, being higher among Jews (P < 0.001).In clinical outcomes (gastritis severity, gastric and duodenal ulcer, intestinal metaplasia, atrophic gastritis, and MALT), no statistically significant differences could be detected between Jews and Arabs. Concerning intestinal metaplasia, lack of consumption of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs resulted a statistically significant protective factor (odds ratio 0.128, 95% confidence interval 0.024-0.685, P = 0.016). CONCLUSIONS: Although in the literature ethnicity seems to be a risk factor for H. pylori colonization, no statistical significance was detected in various endoscopic and histological findings related to H. Pylori infection between Israeli Arabs and Jews.

Is there a possible relationship between gastric intestinal metaplasia and systemic arterial stiffness?

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is closely associated with pre-neoplastic lesions such as atrophic gastritis (AG) and gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM). The relationshionship between inflammation, hyperhomocysteinemia and arterial stiffness is of pathophysiological relevance for the development of cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between vitamin B12, folic acid, homocysteine (Hcy) and pulse wave velocity (PWV) levels in patients with GIM, AG and non-atrophic non-metaplastic chronic gastritis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: ninety-seven patients with GIM, 67 patients with AG and 69 patients with chronic gastritis were included in the study. Glucose, creatinine, total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, vitamin B12, folic acid and Hcy levels were measured by biochemical methods. PWV and other vascular parameters were measured using the Phsyio-port AS device. MAIN RESULTS: PWV was higher in patients with GIM and AG than in controls (p < 0.05 and p < 0.05, respectively). Vitamin B12 levels were significantly lower in patients with GIM and AG than in controls (p < 0.01 and p < 0.01, respectively). Folic acid levels were significantly lower in patients with GIM than in controls (p < 0.05). Hcy levels were significantly higher in patients with GIM and AG than in controls (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05, respectively). A logistic regression analysis showed that GIM, AG and vitamin B12 deficiency were predictors for arterial stiffness. CONCLUSIONS: PWV values increased in patients with GIM and AG compared to non-atrophic non-metaplastic chronic gastritis, without different conventional cardiovascular risk factors.