0000000000020801
AUTHOR
Luca Mastracci
Helicobacter pyloriinfection is not involved in the pathogenesis of either erosive or non-erosive gastro-oesophageal reflux disease
Summary Background : The majority of reflux patients have non-erosive reflux disease. Aim : To evaluate the influence of Helicobacter pylori on oesophageal acid exposure in patients with both non-erosive and erosive reflux disease and in a group of controls. The pattern and distribution of chronic gastritis were also assessed. Methods : One hundred and twelve consecutive patients with symptoms of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease agreed to undergo both upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and 24-h oesophageal pH-metry. Patients were grouped as H. pylori-positive or H. pylori-negative on the basis of both CLO-test and histology, and as cases with or without oesophagitis on the basis of endoscopy…
Carditis in patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease: results of a controlled study based on both endoscopy and 24-h oesophageal pH monitoring
Summary Background : There are conflicting reports on the role of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and Helicobacter pylori infection in the aetiology of carditis. Aim : The role of reflux and H. pylori infection in causing carditis was assessed in 113 consecutive patients with GERD and in 25 controls. Methods : All subjects underwent endoscopy and pH test and carditis was diagnosed on biopsies taken across the squamocolumnar junction. Helicobacter pylori was assessed by histology and rapid urease test. GERD was diagnosed by endoscopic oesophagitis or abnormal pH test. Results : Carditis was detected in 53 of 71 GERD patients and in 15 of 20 controls. Among patients, 18 showed absent…
Residual tumor micro-foci and overwhelming regulatory T lymphocyte infiltration are the causes of bladder cancer recurrence
Bladder cancer has an unexplained, high recurrence rate. Causes of recurrence might include the presence of sporadic tumor micro-foci in the residual urothelial tissue after surgery associated with an inverted ratio between intratumoral effector and regulatory T cell subsets. Hence, surgical specimens of both tumors and autologous, macroscopically/histologically free-of-tumor tissues were collected from 28 and 20 patients affected by bladder or renal cancer, respectively. The frequencies of effector (IFNγ+ and IL17+ T cells) and regulatory (CD4+CD25hiCD127lo and CD8+CD28-CD127loCD39+ Treg) T cell subpopulations among tumor infiltrating lymphocytes were analyzed by immunofluorescence, while …