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BACKGROUND/AIMS The administration of liquid nutrients to patients is often accompanied by complications such as gastroesophageal reflux. To prevent gastroesophageal reflux, high-viscosity liquid meals are used widely, however, it still remains controversial whether high-viscosity liquid meals have any effect on the rate of gastric emptying. The present study was conducted with the aim of determining whether high-viscosity liquid meals had any effect on the rate of gastric emptying and mosapride might accelerate the rate of gastric emptying of high-viscosity liquid meals. METHODS Six healthy male volunteers underwent 3 tests at intervals of > 1 week. After fasting for > 8 hours, each subject received one of three test meals (liquid meal only, high-viscosity liquid meal [liquid meal plus pectin] only, or high-viscosity liquid meal 30 minutes after intake of mosapride). A (13)C-acetic acid breath test was performed, which monitored the rate of gastric emptying for 4 hours. Using the Oridion Research Software (β version), breath test parameters were calculated. The study parameters were examined for all the 3 test conditions and compared using the Freidman test. RESULTS Gastric emptying was significantly delayed following intake of a high-viscosity liquid meal alone as compared with a liquid meal alone; however, intake of mosapride prior to a high-viscosity liquid meal was associated with a significantly accelerated rate of gastric emptying as compared with a high-viscosity liquid meal alone. CONCLUSIONS This study showed that high-viscosity liquid meals delayed gastric emptying: however, mosapride recovered the delayed rate of gastric emptying by high-viscosity liquid meals.

Microalbuminuria, for which hypertension and diabetes are well-known risk factors, has recently been used to detect individuals at risk for cardiovascular and chronic kidney diseases in the general population. We aimed to determine the thresholds of blood pressure or blood glucose concentration at which the odds ratio of having microalbuminuria begins to increase. An annual public health checkup was conducted on 3166 participants aged 29-84 years (mean, 61±11 years; 40% men) living in Watari town, Japan. We studied their demographic data, medical history of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, sitting blood pressure and fasting blood samples. Urinary albumin excretion was examined in terms of the albumin/creatinine ratio in spot urine samples. Microalbuminuria was defined as 30-299 mg albumin per gram creatinine. Final analyses included 2133 participants under no anti-hypertensive or anti-diabetic medication. Microalbuminuria was detected in 118 subjects (5.5%). We used the adjusted odds ratios for microalbuminuria in different blood pressure and blood glucose groupings as the reference. The adjusted odds ratio increased linearly with increase in systolic blood pressure. A similar trend, although not as linear, was observed with diastolic blood pressure. The odds ratio increased significantly with high-normal levels of both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. For blood glucose, the adjusted odds ratio increased significantly from the impaired fasting glucose level. Therefore, the odds ratio for microalbuminuria begins to increase from high-normal blood pressure and impaired fasting glucose levels in comparison with the reference. Early intervention in such cases may be useful for reducing cardiovascular and renal risks.

The role of gastric acid reflux is difficult to separate from that of pancreatic-biliary reflux in the pathogenesis of erosive esophagitis (EE) and Barrett's esophagus (BE). Gastric surgery patients provide a good model for both significant pancreatic-biliary reflux and marked gastric acid inhibition. We assessed the risk of EE and BE after distal gastrectomy in a case-controlled study.One hundred and sixty patients (121 men, 39 women; median age 68 years; range 32-86 years) with distal gastrectomies (Billroth-I) and 160 sex- and age-matched controls with intact stomachs were enrolled. The presence of EE and BE were diagnosed based on the Los Angeles Classification and the Prague CM Criteria, respectively. A conditional logistic regression model with adjustments for potential confounding factors was used to assess the associations.According to the multivariate analyses, patients with distal gastrectomies tended to have inverse associations with the risks of EE and BE, and the inverse association with the risk of BE reached a significant level.Distal gastrectomy is not a risk factor for the development of EE and BE. This lack of a positive association between distal gastrectomy and EE and BE may suggest that pancreatic-biliary reflux with a limited amount of acid is not sufficient to damage the esophageal mucosa.

Purpose To determine the prevalence and progression of Barrett’s epithelium and associated risk factors in Japan. Methods The study population comprised 869 cases. Endoscopic Barrett’s epithelium was diagnosed based on the Prague C & M Criteria. The correlations of clinical factors with the prevalence and progression of endoscopic Barrett’s epithelium were examined. Results Endoscopic Barrett’s epithelium was diagnosed in 374 cases (43%), in the majority of which the diagnosis was short-segment Barrett’s esophagus. The progression of Barrett’s epithelium was identified in 47 cases. In univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses, aging, smoking habit, and erosive esophagitis were significantly associated with the prevalence of Barrett’s epithelium, whereas aging and erosive esophagitis, especially severe erosive esophagitis, were significant contributing factors to the progression of Barrett’s epithelium. Conclusions Forty-three percent of the total study population was diagnosed as having endoscopic Barrett’s epithelium. During the follow-up period, 12.6% of the cases with Barrett’s epithelium exhibited progression which was associated with aging and severe erosive esophagitis.

Life style-related diseases are associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). Recently, an association has been demonstrated between obesity and CRC. CRC has been associated with markers of insulin or glucose control, and insulin resistance might be the unifying mechanism by which several risk factors affect colorectal carcinogenesis. We evaluated the association between the number of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and obesity, insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, and other factors of life style-related disease. As a result, age, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and visceral fat obesity were significantly associated with the number of ACF. These results suggest that visceral fat obesity is an important target for CRC prevention. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) is a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily and is highly expressed in CRC. PPARγ ligand administration for 1 to 8 months significantly reduced the number of ACF in human subjects. PPARγ ligand is a promising candidate as a chemopreventive agent. Further investigation is needed to elucidate these mechanisms. Keywords:: life style-related disease, colorectal cancer, chemoprevention, aberrant crypt foci (ACF), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between gastrointestinal symptoms and diet therapy.The subjects comprised of 8 patients who attended the diabetes division at Fujisawa City Hospital between April and June 2007. The subjects were diagnosed as having diabetes mellitus based on the results of a blood analysis. The body weight of the subjects was measured, and the subjects were asked to score their gastrointestinal symptoms according to the Frequency Scale for the Symptoms of GERD (FSSG) before and after diet therapy for 9 to 14 days.Diet therapy for diabetic subjects was effective for weight reduction. The total FSSG score was decreased, and the reduction in dysmotility-like symptoms was greater than the reduction in acid-reflux-related symptoms.Diet therapy for mild diabetic patients also improves gastrointestinal symptoms.

The change of angle and the shift of frequency of light by an ultrasonic light diffractor are used for real time realization of a holographic superresolution system. A TV system and an electrical filter are used to pick up the desired image hologram from the superposed, images, which are obtained by a number of object-beam lights and reference beams. For two-dimensional as well as one-dimensional objects, images superresolved three to five times are displayed on a TV monitor in real time.

Coffee is one of the most popular beverages worldwide, however, few studies have examined the effects of coffee on the gastrointestinal system. The aim of this study was to determine whether there was a correlation between coffee intake and gastric emptying using a novel non-invasive technique for measuring gastric emptying with a continuous real time 13C breath test (BreathID system: Oridion, Israel).Six healthy male volunteers participated in this randomized, two-way crossover study. The subjects were randomly assigned to receive a test meal (200 kcal per 200 mL) plus postprandial 190 mL black coffee or the test meal alone after fasting overnight. A 13C-acetic acid breath test was continuously performed using the BreathID system, which monitors gastric emptying, for 4 hours after the administration of the test meal. Using Oridion Research Software (beta version), the time for emptying of 50% of the labeled meals (T 1/2) and the analog to the scintigraphy lag time for 10% emptying of the labeled meal (T lag) were calculated. The parameters between two occasions were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.After coffee intake the T 1/2 and T lag constant were significantly decreased.The decrease in the T 1/2 and T lag suggests the acceleration of gastric emptying. This study showed that postprandial coffee intake enhances gastric emptying, suggesting the potential use of coffee in clinical settings for patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders.

The ideal medication for treatment of acid related diseases should have a rapid onset of action to promote hemostasis. The aim of our study was to investigate the inhibitory effects on gastric acid secretion after single intravenous administrations of lansoprazole 30 mg and famotidine 20 mg.Twelve Helicobacter pylori-negative male subjects participated in this randomized, two-way crossover study. Intragastric pH was monitored continuously for 4 hours after single intravenous administration of lansoprazole 30 mg or famotidine 20 mg.The average pH during the 4-hour period after administration of famotidine was higher than after lansoprazole (median: 5.15 versus 3.55, respectively; p = 0.0376). During the 4-hour study period, famotidine 20 mg provided a longer duration of pH3, 3.5, 4, 5, 6 and 7, compared to lansoprazole 30 mg (median: 73.6% versus 57.0%; p = 0.0414, 66.8% versus 47.8%; p = 0.0281, 60.8% versus 38.8%; p = 0.0150, 55.7% versus 29.7%; p = 0.0281, 45.0% versus 23.1%; p = 0.0414 and 23.9% versus 3.65%; p = 0.0076).In Helicobacter pylori-negative healthy male subjects, an intravenous dose of famotidine 20 mg more rapidly increases intragastric pH than lansoprazole 30 mg.

In contrast to Western countries where erosive esophagitis (EE) is more prevalent in males, there is a high incidence of EE in elderly females in Japan. We aimed to examine the gender differences in the age-stratified prevalence of EE and Barrett's epithelium.The study population comprised 869 cases (463 men and 406 women) who had undergone an upper endoscopy at the Gastroenterology Division of Yokohama City University Hospital between August 2005 and July 2006. EE was graded according to the Los Angeles Classification. Barrett's epithelium was diagnosed based on the Prague CM Criteria.In contrast to the decrease of the proportion of EE with aging in males, that in females remained constant. The results suggest that the suppressive effect of the increased gastric mucosal atrophy associated with aging was wiped out by the age-related effect of the increased incidence of hiatal hernia. The proportions of Barrett's epithelium in both males and females increased with aging.In Japan, the prevalence of elderly females complicated with hiatal hernia, which was partly due to osteoporosis and kyphosis, may affect the proportion of EE and probably Barrett's epithelium.

The aim of this study was to determine whether there was a correlation between body positions and gastric emptying, using a novel non-invasive technique for measuring gastric emptying with a continuous real time 13C breath test (BreathID system).Ten healthy male volunteers participated in this randomized, two-way crossover study. On both occasions, the 13C breath test was performed for 4 hours using the BreathID system with a liquid meal (200 kcal per 200 mL) containing 100 mg 13C-acetic acid. Subjects were randomly assigned to sit comfortable (the sitting position) or to lie supine (the lying position).In the lying position, T 1/2 and T lag were significantly delayed. The gastric emptying coefficient was also decreased in lying position.This study showed that gastric emptying following a liquid meal was significantly delayed in the lying position compared to the sitting position, suggesting the potential use of these findings in the clinical setting for patients receiving enteral nutrition via the stomach.

Barrett's epithelium is currently believed to be related to acid gastroesophageal reflux. The aim was to determine the role of pancreatic-biliary reflux in the genesis of Barrett's epithelium.The study population comprised 1055 cases (606 men and 449 women; median age, 67 years) who had undergone an upper endoscopy at the Gastroenterology Division of Yokohama City University Hospital between August 2005 and July 2006. The study population was composed of 869 cases with intact stomachs and 186 cases with distal-gastrectomies. The presence and the progression of Barrett's epithelium were diagnosed based on the Prague CM Criteria. The correlations of clinical factors, including distal-gastrectomy, with the presence and the progression of Barrett's epithelium were examined.The study demonstrated that 42.2% of the total population was diagnosed to have Barrett's epithelium and, in 12.6% of the cases with Barrett's epithelium, the progression of Barrett's epithelium was observed during the median 72 month followup. A distal gastrectomy was not significantly correlated with either the incidence or progression of Barrett's epithelium.This lack of association between gastric surgery and Barrett's epithelium suggests that pancreatic-biliary reflux with limited acid is not sufficient for the genesis of Barrett's epithelium.

Summary. Insulin resistance (IR) is known to be associated with the visceral adipose tissue area. Elucidation of the relationship between hepatitis C virus (HCV) and IR is of great clinical relevance, because IR promotes liver fibrosis. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that HCV infection by itself may promote IR. We prospectively evaluated 47 patients with chronic HCV infection who underwent liver biopsy. Patients with obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), or a history of alcohol consumption were excluded. IR was estimated by calculation of the modified homeostasis model of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index. Abdominal fat distribution was determined by computed tomography. Fasting blood glucose levels were within normal range in all the patients. The results of univariate analysis revealed a significant correlation between the quantity of HCV-RNA and the HOMA-IR (r = 0.368, P = 0.0291). While a significant correlation between the visceral adipose tissue area and the HOMA-IR was also observed in the 97 control, nondiabetic, non-HCV-infected patients (r = 0.398, P