A multicenter controlled study was performed to evaluate the effect of high doses of the low molecular weight protease inhibitor gabexate mesilate on mortality and complications associated with moderate and severe acute pancreatitis.

Fiber and water-holding agents are used for the treatment of constipation. In what may appear to be a paradox, they are sometimes also used for the treatment of diarrhea; it has been proposed that they sequester water from liquid stools and/or increase the ratio of fecal solids to fecal water and thereby improve stool consistency. The purpose of the present study was to test the validity of this hypothesis in normal subjects in whom secretory diarrhea was induced by phenolphthalein.

A microwave generator and delivery system for endoscopic use was built. Using a 650-W, 2450-MHz magnetron, 0-160 W were generated from the tip of a 180-cm flexible coaxial cable (2.1 mm diameter).

Hepatic histological responses described in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection include bile duct damage, lymphoid follicles and/or aggregates in portal tracts, large- and small-droplet fat, Mallory body-like material in hepatocytes, liver cell dysplasia and multinucleation, and activation of sinusoidal inflammatory cells. The specificity of these lesions for HCV infection is uncertain.

In cirrhotic patients with ascites, captopril has deleterious effects on renal function, which have been referred to as captopril-induced arterial hypotension. The effects of this drug on renal function in cirrhosis were evaluated using low-dose captopril, thereby avoiding any change in arterial pressure.

Effective treatment for primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) resulting in slower progression and improved survival remains elusive. Cyclosporin A (CyA), which has been so effective in preventing human allograft rejection, has shown promise in small numbers of patients in early studies.

Mesalamine provides a new therapeutic approach in treating Crohn's disease.

The acute effects of cigarette smoking on gastric emptying are controversial, whereas its effects on the intragastric distribution of solids and liquids are not established.

Pruritus is a severe and troublesome symptom in patients with cholestasis and is often difficult to treat. Propofol was recently shown to be efficient in relieving pruritus secondary to spinal morphine administration. The efficacy of propofol was therefore investigated in patients with pruritus associated with liver disease.

Surface hydrophobicity of the gastric mucosa is reduced in peptic ulcer disease and Helicobacter pylori infection. This abnormality may be caused by H. pylori or may be an inherent defect. The aim of the present study was to clarify the relationship between H. pylori infection and mucosal hydrophobicity by examining the effect of eradication of the organism. H. pylori-positive patients with (n = 42) or without (n = 42) duodenal ulcer were randomized to receive ranitidine, bismuth, or bismuth plus antibiotics. Surface hydrophobicity of gastric mucosa was assessed by measurement of plateau-advancing contact angle. Measurements were performed at presentation, end of treatment, and 1 month later. Contact angle was unchanged after ranitidine (55 degrees vs. 56 degrees) but increased with bismuth (57 degrees-62 degrees; P < 0.05) and bismuth plus antibiotics (56 degrees-67 degrees; P < 0.0001). One month after treatment ended, contact angles in patients in whom H. pylori was not eradicated were not different from those before treatment (56 degrees vs. 56 degrees) but increased to a value similar to H. pylori-negative controls in patients in whom H. pylori was eradicated (56 degrees-69 degrees; P < 0.0001). It is concluded that reduced mucosal hydrophobicity in peptic ulcer disease is secondary to H. pylori infection and that this impaired mucosal defense provides a possible mechanism whereby H. pylori infection predisposes to acid/peptic digestion.

To assess the efficacy of selective intestinal decontamination with norfloxacin in the prevention of bacterial infections in cirrhotic patients with gastrointestinal hemorrhage, 119 patients were included in a prospective randomized study. Group 1 (n = 60) received norfloxacin orally or through a nasogastric tube, 400 mg twice daily for 7 days beginning immediately after emergency gastroscopy; group 2 (n = 59) was the control group. We found a significantly lower incidence of infections (10% vs. 37.2%; P = 0.001), bacteremia and/or spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (3.3% vs. 16.9%; P less than 0.05), and urinary infections (0% vs. 18.6%; P = 0.001) in patients receiving norfloxacin, as a consequence of decrease in the incidence of infections caused by aerobic gram-negative bacilli. The decrease in mortality observed in the treated group (6.6% vs. 11.8%) did not reach statistical significance. The cost for antibiotic treatment showed a 62% reduction in the treated group compared with the control group. The results show that selective intestinal decontamination with norfloxacin is useful in preventing bacterial infections in cirrhotics with gastrointestinal hemorrhage.