Relationship of Helicobacter pylori to serum pepsinogens in an asymptomatic Japanese population.

A seroepidemiologic study of the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in Japan was performed, and the relationship between serum pepsinogen I and II levels (markers of gastritis and gastric atrophy) and H. pylori infection was investigated. Four hundred and eighteen asymptomatic children and adults were studied. The prevalence of anti-H. pylori immunoglobulin G antibody increased with age. For persons born after 1950, the frequency of H. pylori infection increased at approximately 1% per year; for those born before 1950 the prevalence was high (70%-80%) and relatively constant. Serum pepsinogen I and II levels were significantly higher in H. pylori-infected volunteers than in H. pylori-uninfected volunteers [51.6 +/- 3 vs. 42.9 +/- 2 ng/mL (P less than 0.05) for pepsinogen I; 16.0 +/- 1 vs. 7.5 +/- 0.8 ng/mL (P less than 0.001) for pepsinogen II]. The ratio of pepsinogen I to pepsinogen II was significantly lower in H. pylori-infected volunteers (3.5 +/- 0.2) than in uninfected volunteers (6.3 +/- 0.3; P less than 0.001). The apparent decrease in prevalence of H. pylori accompanying the Westernization of Japan may eventually be accompanied by a reduction in the frequency of atrophic gastritis, the precursor lesion of the epidemic form of gastric carcinoma, and ultimately result in a decrease in the incidence of gastric carcinoma in Japan.     

Soluble c-kit levels in acute GVHD after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation

Serum soluble c-kit concentrations were measured in 11 patients with or without acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. The serum soluble c-kit levels in the patients with moderate to severe acute GVHD (grade II-IV) were significantly lower than those in the patients with no or mild acute GVHD (grade 0-I) following the onset. The data from this study indicate that measurement of serum soluble c-kit concentration is a useful indicator of severe acute GVHD.     

Characteristics of Postural Muscle Activation Patterns Induced by Unexpected Surface Perturbations in Elite Ski Jumpers

[Purpose] This study investigated the characteristics of postural control following postural disturbance in elite athletes. [Subjects] Ten elite ski jumpers and ten control subjects participated in this study. [Methods] Subjects were required to maintain balance without stepping following unexpected horizontal surface perturbation in a forward or backward direction. [Results] A lower and reproducible peak magnitude of the center of mass velocity was shown in the athlete group compared to the control group. Cross-correlation analyses showed longer time lags at the moment of peak correlation coefficient between trunk flexor and extensor muscle activities, and shorter time lags and higher correlations between ankle flexor and extensor muscle activities were shown in the athlete group than in the control group. [Conclusion] The elite ski jumpers showed superior balance performance following surface perturbations, more reciprocal patterns in agonist-antagonist pairs of proximal postural muscles, and more co-contraction patterns in distal postural muscles during automatic postural responses than control individuals. This strategy may be useful in sports requiring effective balance recovery in environments with a dynamically changing surface, as well as in rehabilitation.Key words: Postural reactions, Ski jumpers, Muscle activation pattern     

Efficacy of carbon dioxide-insufflating colonoscopy in patients with irritable bowel syndrome: A randomized double-blind study

Background and Aim: Colonoscopy has the disadvantage of pain and discomfort for patients. It has been shown in randomized controlled trials that carbon dioxide (CO₂) insufflations significantly reduce pain and discomfort in patients undergoing colonoscopy. However, there have been no studies in which CO₂ insufflation in colonoscopy of patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) was investigated. Methods: Randomized double‐blind controlled study was conducted to assess the suffering from colonoscopy in patients with IBS and the efficacy of CO₂ insufflation in colonoscopy for patients with IBS. Patients with IBS and controls who received colonoscopy were randomized into an air or CO₂ insufflation group. Patients' symptoms such as distension and pain were compared using a 10‐cm visual analog scale (VAS). Results: There were 18 patients in the IBS/air group, 19 patients in the IBS/CO₂ group, 25 patients in the control/air group and 26 patients in the control/CO₂ group. The mean value of severity of distension after colonoscopy and the mean value of severity of pain from during examination to one hour after the examination were higher in the IBS group than in the control group. The severity of these symptoms was reduced earlier in the CO₂ group. CO₂ insufflation in colonoscopy was more effective in the IBS group than in the control group from 15 min to one hour after the examination. Conclusion: Regarding colonoscopy‐related suffering, IBS patients showed significant differences from non‐IBS patients. CO₂ insufflation in colonoscopy is effective for IBS patients, particularly for patients who commence activities after colonscopy.     

Effect of the anticomplementary agent, K-76 monocarboxylic acid, on experimental immune complex glomerulonephritis in rats.

We examined the effect of the anticomplementary agent K-76 monocarboxylic acid (K-76COOH), which is known to inhibit C5 activity, on immune complex glomerulonephritis in rats. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) nephritis was induced in rats by subcutaneous immunization and daily intravenous administration of BSA. K-76COOH (30 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally twice daily for 4 weeks. It was shown that K-76COOH would significantly reduce the development of proteinuria in the early stage of BSA nephritis, but it failed to suppress proteinuria in the late stage. There was no significant difference in glomerular changes between treated animals and non-treated controls. These findings suggest that C5, and the terminal complement components may play a significant role in protein excretion in the early stage of immune complex glomerulonephritis.     

Bone metabolism after human parturition and the effect of lactation: longitudinal analysis of serum bone-related proteins and bone mineral content of the lumbar spine.

A prospective study was performed to investigate postpartum changes in human bone metabolism and the effects of lactation on them. The subjects consisted of two groups: 13 women who stopped breast-feeding within 3 months postpartum (short-term group) and 14 women who continued breast-feeding for more than 6 months postpartum (long-term group). Serum carboxyl-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PICP), carboxyl terminal cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP), and bone gla protein (BGP) were measured prepartum, and at 5 days, 1 month, 3 months and 9 months postpartum. Lumbar BMD was measured at 3-7 days, 3 months and 9 months postpartum. Between prepartum and 3 months postpartum, the values and variations in the markers were essentially the same in both groups. PICP was maintained at a constant and significantly higher level than the control value. In contrast, ICTP had increased markedly at 5 days postpartum, gradually decreasing thereafter. BGP was low prepartum and gradually increased. At 9 months postpartum, PICP and ICTP decreased to the control values in the short-term group. The postpartum time course of lumbar BMD showed a significant decrease in both groups at 3 months postpartum. Recovery to the puerperal level was seen at 9 months postpartum in the short-term group but not in the long-term group. In conclusion, bone resorption is stimulated by parturition as well as lactation resulting in postpartum loss of lumbar BMD.