Relationship of gastric Helicobacter pylori infection to Barrett's esophagus and gastro-esophageal reflux disease in Chinese

AIM:To evaluate the relationship of Helicobacter pyloriinfection to reflux esophagitis (RE),Barrett's esophagus (BE)and gastric intestinal metaplasia (IM).METHODS:RE,BE and gastric IM were determined by upperendoscopy.Patients were divided into 2 groups;those withsquamocolumnar junction (SCJ) beyond gastroesophagealjunction (GFJ)≥3cm (group A),and those with SCJ beyondGEJ<3 cm (group B).Biopsy specimens were obtainedendoscopically from just below the SCJ,gastric antrum alongthe greater and lesser curvature.Pathological changes andH pylori infection were determined by HE staining,Alcianblue staining and Giemsa staining.RESULTS:The prevalence of H pylori infection was 46.93%.There was no difference in the prevalence between malesand females.The prevalence of H pylori infection decreasedstepwise significantly from RE grade Ⅰ to Ⅲ.There was nodifference in the prevalence between the two groups,andbetween long-segment and short-segment BE.In distalstomach,prevalence of H pylori infection was significantlyhigher in patients with IM than those without IM.CONCLUSION:There is a protective role of H pylori infectionto GERD.There may be no relationship between H pyloriinfection of stomach and BE.H pylori infection is associatedwith the development of IM in the distal stomach.     

Barrett＇s esophagus and its correlation with gastroesophageal reflux in Chinese

AIM- To study the prevalence of Barrett‘s esophagus in Chinese and its correlation with gastroesophageal reflux. METHODS: This study was carded out in a large prospective series of 391 patients who had undergone upper endoscopy. The patients were divided into 3 groups according to the position of squamocolumnar junction (SC3). Reflux esophagitis (RE) and its degree were recorded. Intestinal metaplasia (IM) in biopsy specimen was typed according to histochemistry and HE and alcian blue (pH2.5) staining separately. Results correlating with clinical, endoscopic, and pathological data were analysed. RESULTS: The prevalence of IM endoscopically appearing Long-segment Barrett‘s Esophagus (LSBE) was 26.53%, Short-segment Barrett‘s Esophagus (SSBE) was 33.85% and gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) was 34.00%. IM increased with age of above 40 years old and no difference was found between male and female. Twelve were diagnosed as dysplasia (7 low -grade, 5 high-grade), 16 were diagnosed as cardiac adenocarcinoma and 1 as esophageal adenocarcinoma. The more far away the SCJ moved upward above GEJ, the higher the prevalence and the more severe the RE were. CONCLUSION: There was no difference of the prevalence of IM in different places of SCJ, and IM increased with age of above 40 years old. It is important to pay attention to dysplasia in the distal esophagus and gastro-esophageal junction, and adenocarcinoma is more common in cardia than in esophagus. BE is a consequence of gastroesophageal reflux disease.     

Barrett's esophagus and its correlation with gastroesophageal reflux in Chinese

AIM:To study the prevalence of Barrett's esophagus inChinese and its correlation with gastroesophageal reflux.METHODS:This study was carried out in a large prospectiveseries of 391 patients who had undergone upper endoscopy.The patients were divided into 3 groups according to theposition of squamocolumnar junction(SCJ).Refluxesophagitis(RE)and its degree were recorded.Intestinalmetaplasia(IM)in biopsy specimen was typed according tohistochemistry and HE and alcian blue(pH2.5)stainingseparately.Results correlating with clinical,endoscopic,andpathological data were analysed.RESULTS:The prevalence of IM endoscopically appearingLong-segment Barrett's Esophagus(LSBE)was 26.53%,Short-segment Barrett's Esophagus(SSBE)was 33.85% andgastroesophageal junction(GEJ)was 34.00%.IM increasedwith age of above 40 years old and no difference was foundbetween male and female.Twelve were diagnosed asdysplasia(7 low -grade,5 high-grade),16 were diagnosedas cardiac adenocarcinoma and 1 as esophagealadenocarcinoma.The more far away the SCJ moved upwardabove GEJ,the higher the prevalence and the more severethe RE were.CONCLUSION:There was no difference of the prevalenceof IM in different places of SCJ,and IM increased with ageof above 40 years old.It is important to pay attention todysplasia in the distal esophagus and gastro-esophagealjunction,and adenocarcinoma is more common in cardiathan in esophagus.BE is a consequence of gastroesophagealreflux disease.     

Expression of COX-2 proteins in gastric mucosal lesions

AIM:To investigate the expression of COX-2 proteins ingastric mucosal lesions and to assess the relationshipbetween COX-2 expression and type,pathologic stage,differentiation,or lymph node metastasis in gastric cancerand the relationship between COX-2 expression and Hpyloriinfection in gastric mucosal lesions.METHODS:Thirty patients with gastric carcinomaunderwent surgical resection.Samples were taken fromtumor site and paracancerous tissues,and ABCimmunohistochemical staining was used to detect theexpression of COX-2 proteins.H pylori was determined byrapid urea test combined with pathological stating/~(14)C ureabreath test.RESULTS:The positive rate and staining intensity of mutantCOX-2 gene expression in gastric cancer were significantlyhigher than those in paracancerous tissues (66.7% vs 26.7%)(P<0.01,P<0.001).There was a significant correlation betweenCOX-2 and pathologic stage or lymph node metastasis typeof gastric carcinoma (76.0% vs 20.0%,79.2% vs 16.7%)(P<0.05).No correlation was found between COX-2expression and type or grade of differentiation (P>0.05).COX-2 expression of intestinal metaplasia (IM) or dysplasia(DYS) with positive H pylori was significantly higher thanthat with negative H pylori(50.6% vs 18.1%,60.0% vs33.3%) (P<0.05).CONCLUSION:COX-2 overexpression was found in a largeproportion of gastric cancer tissues compared with matchednon-cancerous tissues and was significantly associated withadvanced tumor stage and lymph node metastasis.Overexpression of COX-2 plays an important role in tumorprogression of gastric cancer.COX-2 may also play a role inthe early development/promotion of gastric carcinoma andis associated with H pylori infection.     

Distinction between short-segment Barrett＇s esophageal and cardiac intestinal metaplasia

AIM: To investigate the roles of mucin histochemistry, cytokeratin 7/20 (CK7/20) immunoreactivity, clinical characteristics and endoscopy to distinguish short-segment Barrett's esophageal (SSBE) from cardiac intestinal metaplasia (CIM). METHODS: High iron diamine/Alcian blue (HID/AB) mucin-histochemical staining and immunohistochemical staining were used to classify intestinal metaplasia (IM) and to determine CK7/20 immunoreactivity pattern in SSBE and CIM, respectively, and these results were compared with endoscopical diagnosis and the positive rate of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms and H pylori infection. Long-segment Barrett' s esophageal and IM of gastric antrum were designed as control. RESULTS: The prevalence of type Ⅲ IM was significantly higher in SSBE than in CIM (63.33% vs 23.08%, P<0.005). The CK7/20 immunoreactivity in SSBE showed mainly Barrett's pattern (76.66%), and the GERD symptoms in most cases which showed Barrett' s pattern were positive, whereas H pylori infection was negative. However, the CK7/20 immunoreactivity in CIM was gastric pattern preponderantly (61.54%), but there were 23.08% cases that showed Barrett's pattern. H pylori infection in all cases which showed gastric pattern was significantly higher than those which showed Barrett' s pattern (63.83% vs 19.30%, P<0.005), whereas the GERD symptoms in gastric pattern were significantly lower than that in Barrett's pattern (21.28% vs 85.96%, P<0.005). CONCLUSION: Distinction of SSBE from CIM should not be based on a single method; however, the combination of clinical characteristics, histology, mucin histochemistry, CK7/20 immunoreactivity, and endoscopic biopsy should be applied. Type Ⅲ IM, presence of GERD symptoms, and Barrett's CK7/20 immunoreactivity pattern may support the diagnosis of SSBE, whereas non-type Ⅲ IM, positive H pylori infection, and gastric CK7/20 immunoreactivity pattern may imply CIM,     

Effect of Helicobacter pylori infection on p53 expression of gastric mucosa and adenocarcinoma with microsatellite instability

AIM: To investigate the relationship between Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) infection, microsatellite instability and the expressions of the p53 in gastritis, intestinal metaplasia and gastric adenocarcinoma and to elucidate the mechanism of gastric carcinogenesis relating to H pylori infection. METHODS: One hundred and eight endoscopic biopsies and gastric adenocarcinoma were available for the study including 33 cases of normal, 45 cases of gastritis, 30 cases of intestinal metaplasia, and 46 cases of gastric adenocarcinoma. Peripheral blood samples of these patients were also collected. H pylori infection and p53 expressions were detected by means of streptavidin-peroxidase (SP) immunohistochemical method. Microsatellite loci were studied by PCR-SSCP-CE using the markers BAT-26, D17S261, D3S1283, D2S123, and D3S1611. MSI was defined as the peak shift in the DNA of the gastric tissue compared with that of the peripheral blood samples. Based on the number of mutated MSI markers, specimens were charac-terized as high MSI (MSI-H) if they manifested instability at two or more markers, low MSI (MSI-L) if unstable at only one marker, and microsatellite stable (MSS) if they showed no instability at any marker. RESULTS: H pylori infection was detected in the samples of gastritis, intestinal metaplasia, and gastric adenocarcinoma and the infection frequencies were 84.4%, 76.7%, and 65.2%, respectively, whereas no H pylori infection was detected in the samples of normal control. There was a significant difference in the infection rates between gastritis and carcinoma samples (P= 0.035). No MSI was detected in gastritis samples, one MSI-H and two MSI-L were detected among the 30 intestinal metaplasia samples, and 12 MSI-H and 3 MSI-L were detected in the 46 gastric carcinomas. In those gastric carcinomas, the MSI-H frequency in H pylori-positive group was significantly higher than that in H pylori- negative group. No p53 expression was detected in the normal and gastritis samples from dyspeptic patients. P53-positive immunohistochemical staining was detected in 13.3% of intestinal metaplasia samples and in 43.5% of gastric carcinoma samples. The levels of p53 in H pylori-positive samples were higher than those in the negative group when the carcinoma samples were subdivided into H py/ori-positive and -negative groups (P=0.013). Eight samples were detected with positive p53 expression out of the 11 MSI-H carcinomas with H pylori infection and no p53 expression could be seen in the H pylori-negative samples. CONCLUSION: H pylori affect the p53 pattern in gastric mucosa when MMR system fails to work. Mutations of the p53 gene seem to be an early event in gastric carcinogenesis.     

Helicobacter pylori infection, glandular atrophy and intestinal metaplasia in superficial gastritis, gastric erosion, erosive gastritis, gastric ulcer and early gastric cancer

AIM: To evaluate the histological features of gastric mucosa, including Helicobacter pylori infection in patients with early gastric cancer and endoscopically found superficial gastritis, gastric erosion, erosive gastritis, gastric ulcer. METHODS: The biopsy specimens were taken from the antrum, corpus and upper angulus of all the patients. Giemsa staining, improved toluidine-blue staining, and Hpylori-specific antibody immune staining were performed as appropriate for the histological diagnosis of H pylori infection. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used for the histological diagnosis of gastric mucosa inflammation, gastric glandular atrophy and intestinal metaplasia and scored into four grades according to the Updated Sydney System. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of H pylori infection in superficial gastritis was 28.7%, in erosive gastritis 57.7%, in gastric erosion 63.3%, in gastric ulcer 80.8%, in early gastric cancer 52.4%. There was significant difference (P<0.05), except for the difference between early gastric cancer and erosive gastritis. H pylori infection rate in antrum, corpus, angulus of patients with superficial gastritis was 25.9%, 26.2%, 25.2%, respectively; in patients with erosive gastritis 46.9%, 53.5%, 49.0%, respectively; in patients with gastric erosion 52.4%, 61.5%, 52.4%, respectively; in patients with gastric ulcer 52.4%, 61.5%, 52.4%, respectively; in patients with early gastric cancer 35.0%, 50.7%, 34.6%, respectively. No significant difference was found among the different site biopsies in superficial gastritis, but in the other diseases the detected rates were higher in corpus biopsy (P<0.05). The grades of mononuclear cell infiltration and polymorphonuclear cell infiltration, in early gastric cancer patients, were significantly higher than that in superficial gastritis patients, lower than that in gastric erosion and gastric ulcer patients (P<0.01); however, there was no significant difference compared with erosive gastritis. The grades of mucosa glandular atrophy and intestinal metaplasia were significantly highest in early gastric cancer, lower in gastric ulcer, the next were erosive gastritis, gastric erosion, the lowest in superficial gastritis (P<0.01). Furthermore, 53.3% and 51.4% showed glandular atrophy and intestinal metaplasia in angular biopsy specimens, respectively; but only 40.3% and 39.9% were identified in antral biopsy, and 14.1% and 13.6% in corpus biopsy; therefore, the angulus was more reliable for the diagnosis of glandular atrophy and intestinal metaplasia compared with antrum and corpus (P<0.01). The positivity rate of glandular atrophy and intestinal metaplasia of superficial gastritis with H pyloripositivity was 50.7%, 34.1%; of erosive gastritis 76.1%, 63.0%; of gastric erosion 84.8%, 87.8%; of gastric ulcer 80.6%, 90.9%; and of early gastric cancer 85.5%, 85.3%, respectively. The positivity rate of glandular atrophy and intestinal metaplasia of superficial gastritis with H pylorinegativity was 9.9%, 6.9%; of erosive gastritis 42.5%, 42.1%; of gastric erosion 51.1%, 61.9%; of gastric ulcer 29.8%, 25.5%; and of early gastric cancer 84.0%, 86.0%, respectively. The positivity rate of glandular atrophy and intestinal metaplasia of superficial gastritis, erosive gastritis, gastric erosion, and gastric ulcer patients with H pylon positivity was significantly higher than those with H pylori negativity (P<0.01); however, there was no significant difference in patients with early gastric cancer with or without H pylori infection. CONCLUSION: The progression of the gastric pre-cancerous lesions, glandular atrophy and intestinal metaplasia in superficial gastritis, gastric erosion, erosive gastritis and gastric ulcer was strongly related to H pylori infection. In depth studies are needed to evaluate whether eradication of H pylori infection will really diminish the risk of gastric cancer.     

Gastric mucosa in Mongolian and Japanese patients with gastric cancer and Helicobacter pylori infection

AIM: To investigate the characteristics of gastric cancer and gastric mucosa in a Mongolian populationby comparison with a Japanese population.METHODS: A total of 484 Mongolian patients with gastric cancer were enrolled to study gastric cancer characteristics in Mongolians. In addition, a total of 208 Mongolian and 3205 Japanese consecutive outpatients who underwent endoscopy, had abdominal complaints, no history of gastric operation or Helicobacter pylori eradication treatment, and no use of gastric secretion inhibitors such as histamine H2-receptor antagonists or proton pump inhibitors were enrolled. This study was conducted with the approval of the ethics committees of all hospitals. The triple-site biopsy method was used for the histologic diagnosis of gastritis and H. pylori infection in all Mongolian and Japanese cases. The infection rate of H. pylori and the status of gastric mucosa in H. pylori-infected patients were compared between Mongolian and Japanese subjects. Age(± 5 years), sex, and endoscopic diagnosis were matched between the two countries.RESULTS: Approximately 70% of Mongolian patients with gastric cancer were 50-79 years of age, and approximately half of the cancers were located in the upper part of the stomach. Histologically, 65.7% of early cancers exhibited differentiated adenocarcinoma, where as 73.9 % of advanced can cersdisplayed undifferentiated adenocarcinoma. The infection rate of H. pylori was higher in Mongolian than Japanese patients(75.9% vs 4 8. 3 %, P0.0001). When stratified by age, the prevalence was highest among young patients, and tended to decrease in patients aged 50 years or older. The anti-East-Asian Cag Aspecific antibody was negative in 99.4% of H. pyloripositive Mongolian patients. Chronic inflammation, neutrophil activity, glandular atrophy, and intestinal metaplasia scores were significantly lower in Mongolian compared to Japanese H. pylori-positive patients(P 0.0001), with the exception of the intestinal metaplasia score of specimen from the greater curvature of the upper body. The type of gastritis changed from antrumpredominant gastritis to corpus-predominant gastritis with age in both populations.CONCLUSION: Gastric cancer was located in the upper part of the stomach in half of the Mongolian patients; Mongolian patients were infected with non-East-Asiantype H. pylori.     

Incidence of reflux esophagitis and H pylori infection in diabetic patients

AIM： To investigate the incidence of reflux esophagitis （RE） and Hpylori infection in the diabetic patient. METHODS： The incidence of RE and Hpy/ori infection were investigated in 85 patients with diabetes mellitus and the results were compared with controls. RESULTS： The incidence of RE in diabetic patients was 17.6%. Although this tended to be higher in diabetic patients, there were no statistically significant differences between diabetic patients and controls. The incidence of H pyiori infection in diabetic patients was 53.7% but no statistically significant difference was seen between diabetic patients and controls in the incidence of Hpylori infection. CONCLUSION： No significant differences could be seen between diabetic patients and controls in the incidence of RE and H pldori infection.     

Helicobacter pylori infection in patients with autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura

AIM: To compare the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori(Hpylori) infection in autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura (AITP) patients with that of nonthrombocytopenic controls,and to evaluate the efficacy of the treatment in Hpylori(+)and Hpylori(-) AITP patients.METHODS: The prevalence of gastric Hpyloriinfection in 38 adult AITP patients (29 female and 9 male; median age 27 years; range 18-39 years) who consecutively admitted to our clinic was investagated.RESULTS: Hpyloriinfection was found in 26 of 38 AITP patients (68.5%). Hpyloriinfection was found in 15 of 23 control subjects (65.2%). The difference in Hpyloriinfection between the 2 groups was not significant. Thrombocyte count of Hpylori-positive AITP patients was significantly lower than that of Hpylori-negative AITP patients (P＜0.05).Thrombocyte recovery of Hpylori-positive group was less than that of Hpylori-negative group (P＜0.05).CONCLUSION: Hpyloriinfection should be considerecd in the treatment of AITP patients with Hpyloriinfection.     

Preservation of gastric acid secretion may be important for the development of gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma in Japanese people, irrespective of the H. pylori infection status

BACKGROUND: We have previously reported that Helicobacter pylori infection prevents reflux esophagitis (RE) and Barrett's esophagus (BE) by decreasing gastric acid secretion. Gastroesophageal (GE) junction adenocarcinoma, including Barrett's adenocarcinoma, has been thought to be a complication of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). However, the relationship between H. pylori infection, gastric acid secretion, and GE junction adenocarcinoma has not yet been investigated in Japan. The aim of this study was to evaluate this relationship in the Japanese population. METHODS: A total of 168 Japanese patients (RE alone: 80, short-segment BE (SSBE): 16, long-segment BE (LSBE): 20, GE junction adenocarcinoma: 12, distal early gastric cancer (EGC): 40; male/female = 106/62; mean age 61.5 yr) and 80 Japanese control subjects who had no localized lesions in the upper gastrointestinal tract (male/female = 43/37, mean age 58.1 yr) were enrolled for this study. The prevalence of H. pylori infection was determined by biopsy, the rapid urease test, and measurement of the serum H. pylori IgG antibody. Gastric acid secretion was assessed by the endoscopic gastrin test (EGT). RE was diagnosed according to the Los Angeles classification. RESULTS: The prevalence of H. pylori infection in the patients with RE alone (30%) was significantly lower than that in control subjects (71.2%). There was also a tendency for the prevalence of H. pylori infection to be lower in patients with BE (SSBE, 18.7%; LSBE, 0%) when compared to that in patients with RE alone. On the other hand, while the prevalence of H. pylori infection in patients with GE junction adenocarcinoma (58.3%) was significantly lower than that in patients with EGC (87.5%), it tended to be higher than that in patients with RE alone or BE. The mean EGT value in patients with RE alone (3.74 mEq/10 min) was significantly higher than that in control subjects (1.83). The mean EGT value in patients with BE (SSBE, 4.74; LSBE, 4.76) tended to be even higher than that in patients with RE alone. The mean EGT value in patients with GE junction adenocarcinoma (3.94) was significantly higher than that in control subjects and patients with EGC (0.67), but it was comparable to that independent of the H. pylori infection status in patients with RE alone or BE. CONCLUSION: Preservation of gastric acid secretion may be important for the development of GE junction adenocarcinoma in Japanese people, irrespective of the H. pylori infection status.     

食管末端及胃食管连接处的肠化生、异型增生和肿瘤发病情况

目的 了解我国人食管末端和胃－食管连接处的肠化生（IM）及异型增生和肿瘤的发病状况，齿状线（SCJ）位置和反流性食管炎（RE）的关系。方法 调查记录391例患者的症状，胃镜下RE的表现，并根据SCJ的位置分为3组，其中，胃镜下见齿状线上移≥3cm为A组，＜3cm为B组，齿状线和GEJ同一水平的为C组。每例患者均于齿状线远端活检送病理检查。结果 A，B，C，3组IM发生率分别为26.53%,33.85%,34.00%;IM的发生在40岁以后随着年龄增长逐渐增加，男女之间无差异；361例患者中共诊断异型增生12例（轻度7例，中重度5例），贲门癌16例，食管腺癌1例；A，B，C3组RE的发病率分别为57．14％，22．83％，12．00％。结论 1．胃镜下提示为LSBE，SSBE和GEJ三组间的IM发生率无显著差异；2．应重视食管末端及胃－食管连接处异型增生的诊断；3．贲门癌发病远高于食管腺癌。     

Adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction: could the characteristics of adjacent intestinal metaplasia help in the understanding of biopathogenesis?

We report a case of early adenocarcinoma arising in foci of intestinal metaplasia (IM) at a normal-appearing gastroesophageal junction (GEJ). The tumor infiltrated the submucosa without nodal involvement (T1N0). Non-neoplastic mucosa adjacent to neoplasia had foci of incomplete IM with a band-like CK20 positivity of the surface epithelium and a diffuse CK7 staining of both superficial and deep glands. There were histological features of reflux esophagitis as well as chronic non-atrophic, Helicobacter pylori-related pangastritis, without IM, at the extensively assessed gastric mucosa. In this case, the CK7/20 pattern of IM adjacent to neoplasia, the demonstration of reflux esophagitis, and the absence of IM in the stomach favor the theory that the pathogenesis of IM and associated adenocarcinoma of the GEJ is related to gastroesophageal reflux rather than H. pylori infection.     

Inflammation and intestinal metaplasia at the squamocolumnar junction in young patients with or without Helicobacter pylori infection

BACKGROUND: Intestinal metaplasia (IM) in the oesophagus is a known risk factor for adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus. The incidence of adenocarcinoma of the cardia and oesophagus has increased in Western countries simultaneously with a decrease in Helicobacter pylori prevalence. AIMS: To determine the association of H pylori infection with inflammation and IM at the squamocolumnar junction (SCJ) in young individuals. PATIENTS: A total of 168 (121 women; 72%) consecutive outpatients, 相似文献   

Intestinal metaplasia at the gastroesophageal junction is associated with gastroesophageal reflux but not with Helicobacter pylori infection

Abstract

Objective: Studies of the etiology of intestinal metaplasia (IM) at a normal appearing gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) are conflicting as associations with both H. Pylori (HP) infection and gastroesophageal reflux has been reported. The aim of this study was to investigate whether IM at the GEJ is associated with gastroesophageal reflux or HP infection.

Material and methods: Fifty asymptomatic volunteers and 149 patients with reflux symptoms underwent endoscopy with biopsies obtained from the gastric antrum and the squamocolumnar junction (SCJ). All subjects underwent wireless 48?h pH monitoring with the electrode placed immediately above the SCJ and a fecal antigen test for HP infection. Clinical characteristics and the pattern of reflux were compared in subjects with and without IM.

Results: Three asymptomatic volunteers and 35 patients who had clearly irregular SCJs with short extensions of columnar mucosa were excluded from the study. In the remaining 47 asymptomatic volunteers and 114 patients, variables that reached a significance level of 0.1 or less on univariate analyses were used in a binomial regression analysis to assess their relative importance for the finding of IM. IM at the GEJ was significantly associated with abnormal distal esophageal acid exposure (5.5 (1.2–24.6), p?=?.026), the frequency of reflux episodes/hour (1.5 (1.1–2.2), p?=?.031), and an endoscopic appearance of the SCJ corresponding to ZAP grade I (4.6 (1.4–15.6), p?=?.013). There was no association with HP infection.

Conclusion: The finding of IM at an endoscopically normal-appearing GEJ is associated with gastroesophageal reflux but not with HP infection.     

Chronic inflammation at the gastroesophageal junction (carditis) appears to be a specific finding related to Helicobacter pylori infection and gastroesophageal reflux disease. The Central Finland Endoscopy Study Group

OBJECTIVE: The clinical significance of chronic inflammation at the gastroesophageal junction (carditis) is unknown: it may be associated with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) gastritis or with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). We aimed to examine the association between carditis and H. pylori gastritis and endoscopic erosive esophagitis. METHODS: One thousand and fifty-three patients undergoing gastroscopy were enrolled in the study. Biopsy specimens were obtained from gastric antrum and corpus, immediately distal to normal-appearing squamocolumnar junction and distal esophagus. RESULTS: Chronic inflammation at the gastroesophageal junctional mucosa (carditis) was detected in 790 (75%) of 1053 patients. The male:female ratio of the carditis group was 1:1.5 and of the noncarditis group 1:1.6 (p = 0.6). The mean age of the carditis group was 58.7 yr (95% confidence interval [CI], 57.6-59.9) and of the noncarditis group, 52.6 yr (95% CI, 50.7-54.6, p < 0.001). Of the carditis group (N = 790), 549 (69%) had chronic gastritis (70% H. pylori positive) and 241 (31%) had normal gastric histology. In multivariate analyses, the only risk factor for carditis in subjects with chronic gastritis was H. pylori infection (odds ratio [OR], 2.9; 95% CI, 1.6-5.0), whereas the independent risk factor for carditis in subjects with histologically normal stomach was endoscopic erosive esophagitis (OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.1-3.1). The prevalence of complete intestinal metaplasia (IM) in the gastric cardia mucosa was 7% in the noncarditis group, 19% (p < 0.001) in the carditis group with chronic gastritis, and 10% (p = 0.3) in the carditis group with normal stomach. The respective prevalences of incomplete IM were 3%, 12% (p < 0.001), and 12% (p < 0.001). Among carditis patients with normal stomach histologically (N = 241), those with complete and/or incomplete IM (N = 49) were older than those with carditis only (63.6 yr [95% CI, 59.9-67.2] vs 51.4 yr [95% CI, 48.9-53.9]; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Two dissimilar types of chronic inflammation of the gastric cardia mucosa seem to occur, one existing in conjunction with chronic H. pylori gastritis and the other with normal stomach and erosive GERD. Most cases of chronic gastric cardia inflammation and intestinal metaplasia are detected in patients with chronic H. pylori gastritis.     

Inability to noninvasively diagnose gastric intestinal metaplasia in Hispanics or reverse the lesion with Helicobacter pylori eradication

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori infection has been linked with the development of gastric adenocarcinoma and its precursor lesion, intestinal metaplasia (IM). The presence of gastric IM is not associated with symptoms, which makes identification of individuals with this lesion difficult. It is not clear whether eradication of H. pylori infection leads to reversal of gastric IM or the potential decrease in the risk of cancer in these patients. GOALS: The purpose of this pilot study was to define the prevalence of gastric IM in a population at high risk for gastric cancer (Southwestern Hispanics), examine the ability of noninvasive testing to identify individuals with the lesion, and determine whether eradication of H. pylori infection reverses gastric IM in this population. STUDY: Subjects from the Tucson metropolitan area were recruited, and baseline data, including the presence of upper gastrointestinal (UGI) symptoms, urinary sodium, and serum pepsinogen levels, were obtained. Upper endoscopy was performed and six gastric biopsies from specific anatomic sites were obtained, followed by methylene blue staining with targeted biopsies from blue-stained mucosa. Biopsies were evaluated for the presence of H. pylori infection and gastric IM. A subset of patients with gastric IM were treated to eradicate H. pylori infection. Follow-up exams with methylene blue staining, including biopsies for histology and rapid urease testing, were performed for up to 48 months. RESULTS: There were 84 subjects with a mean age of 53.0 years; 24 (29%) had gastric IM and 65 (77%) had H. pylori. There was no significant association between gastric IM and age, gender, UGI symptoms, H. pylori, or urine sodium. There was an association identified between gastric IM and a decreased pepsinogen I:II ratio (p = 0.03). Of the 11 individuals with gastric IM treated for H. pylori infection, 9 had successful therapy and underwent at least 2 follow-up examinations. The mean length of follow-up was 3.3 years. Eight of the nine (89%) had gastric IM identified histologically at the final endoscopic exam. CONCLUSIONS: H. pylori infection and gastric IM are frequent findings in Southwestern Hispanics, a high-risk population for gastric cancer. Noninvasive testing is not clinically useful in distinguishing individuals within this group who harbor gastric IM. Although eradication of H. pylori infection may lead to a decrease in the amount of gastric IM in some individuals, the lesion may be detected in the majority of individuals after more than 3 years of follow-up. These data suggest that therapy for H. pylori may not eliminate the risk of gastric cancer once IM has developed.     

Intestinal metaplasia of the gastric cardia: a study from Turkey

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We aimed to investigate the prevalence of intestinal metaplasia in the cardia of a patient group with high incidence of Helicobacter pylori infection presenting for elective upper endoscopy. We also re-evaluated the relation between intestinal metaplasia in the cardia and gastroesophageal reflux disease, smoking, alcohol history, H. pylori infection, Barrett's esophagus and intestinal metaplasia elsewhere in the stomach. METHODOLOGY: Sixty patients presenting for elective upper endoscopy were included in this study. Prior to undergoing endoscopy each patient was questioned with regard to the clinical indication and symptoms including heartburn, regurgitation, and dysphagia. In addition, a smoking and alcohol history were recorded. Endoscopic biopsies: 1) one from the midantrum on the lesser curvature, 2) one from the incisura angularis, 3) one from the mid-corpus on the lesser curvature, 4) one from the columnar side of the squamocolumnar junction, 5) one from the squamous side of the squamocolumnar junction, 6) one from 2 cm distal to the esophagogastric junction, 7) one from across the squamocolumnar junction. Slides were stained using a combination of hematoxylin-eosin with Alcian blue at pH 2.5 for intestinal metaplasia. Each specimen was examined for the presence of H. pylori. RESULTS: The prevalence of H. pylori infection was 63%. Prevalence of the H. pylori infection was significantly lower in the patients with intestinal metaplasia of the cardia than in the patients without intestinal metaplasia of the cardia (P = 0.025). There was a positive correlation between the age of the patients and having intestinal metaplasia of the cardia (r = 0.286, P = 0.008). There was no relationship between intestinal metaplasia of the cardia and pyrozis, regurgitation, dysphagia, history of alcohol and smoking esophagitis determined by endoscopy or histopathology, sex, intestinal metaplasia elsewhere in the stomach (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of the intestinal metaplasia of the gastric cardia in Turkey is less than that of western countries. Intestinal metaplasia of the gastric cardia negatively correlates with H. pylori infection. And there was no relationship between gastric cardia intestinal metaplasia and reflux disease. Further investigations are needed for determining the premalign lesion and etiologic factors for cancer of the gastric cardia.     

胃粘膜肠化与幽门螺杆菌分布的关系

目的：探讨胃癌高发地区人群中胃粘膜肠化与幽门螺杆菌（Ｈ．ｐｙｌｏｒｉ）分布的关系。方法：对５３３例胃癌高发地区成年人行内镜及胃粘膜活检组织学检查,Ｗａｒｔｈｉｎ－Ｓｔａｒｒｙ染色阳性定为Ｈ．ｐｙｌｏｒｉ感染。结果：５３３例成年人的Ｈ．ｐｙｌｏｒｉ检出率为６４．５％。Ｈ．ｐｙｌｏｒｉ阳性组肠化检出率为５５．５％,阴性组肠化检出率为３１．８％（Ｐ〈０．０１）。Ｈ．ｐｙｌｏｒｉ阳性组无肠化和轻、中、重度