Recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) depends on tumor size and number; the accuracy of radiology in detecting HCC is uncertain. This study compared tumor size at radiological and pathological examination in 30 patients with HCC who underwent OLT.

Acute diarrhea after marrow transplant is usually ascribed to acute graft-vs.-host disease (GVHD) or infection, with a reported 40%-50% incidence of infection. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of acute diarrhea after transplantation, its causes, and its outcome.

Blood glucose concentration has been shown to be an important factor in gastric motility. However, the effect of hyperglycemia on gastric myoelectrical activity has not yet been studied in patients with diabetes.

The precise relationships among colonic motor patterns, depth of sleep, and awakening are incompletely understood. The aim of this study was to correlate human colonic motor patterns with sleep stage, nocturnal arousals, and waking.

We have previously shown that patients with functional dyspepsia are hypersensitive to gastric distention. The aim of this study was to establish whether this sensory disturbance was confined to the stomach and whether it was associated with gut reflex dysfunction.

Dilatation combined with subsequent pharmacological control of gastroesophageal reflux represents a logical but poorly documented approach to the management of benign esophageal stricture. This large trial (366 patients) aimed to assess whether omeprazole as the most effective available medication for gastroesophageal reflux disease prevents recurrent stricture formation.

Patients with reflux esophagitis have rapid relapses after treatment withdrawal. This study was designed to investigate the relapse rate of symptomatic esophagitis during maintenance treatment with omeprazole or ranitidine.

Because the precancerous significance of gastric epithelial dysplasia (GED) is still under debate, this study attempts to ascertain whether a prospective follow-up of GED can contribute to clarifying its clinical and pathological relationships with gastric cancer (GC).

Scintigraphic studies give detailed information on colonic transit. In this study, several methods of presenting such data were compared and discussed. The aim of the study was to evaluate the role of geometric center (GC) and parametric images in interpretation of colonic transit studies.

Non-A, non-B acute hepatitis progresses to a higher incidence of chronicity and hepatocellular carcinoma. To avoid the development of chronic liver disease, resolution of acute hepatitis C might be most effective. The aim was to establish the effect of interferon in disturbing progression to chronicity and to determine the most appropriate treatment protocol.

In chronic hepatitis C, interferon alfa (IFN-alpha) therapy fails to achieve a sustained response in approximately 75% of patients. Similarly, ribavirin induces only a transient response. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether ribavirin and IFN-alpha in combination could be effective in IFN-alpha-resistant chronic hepatitis C.

Several uncontrolled trials suggest that lymphapheresis improves the clinical course of patients with Crohn's disease; this study was designed to assess the efficacy of lymphapheresis in preventing early relapses of Crohn's disease in patients in clinical remission after steroid treatment for an acute attack.

Previous studies have shown that psychological factors play a role in symptom perception among patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease. This report describes the first controlled study showing the effects of relaxation training on symptom reports and esophageal acid exposure in patients with reflux disease.

Interstitial pneumonitis is an uncommon complication of low-dose methotrexate therapy in patients with psoriasis but occurs in 3%-5% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. We found a higher incidence of interstitial pneumonitis in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (14%) and describe its clinical manifestations, treatment, and possible etiology. Blood tests, arterial blood gas determinations, chest radiographs, bronchoscopy, tear production, autoantibody tests, and serum immunoglobulin levels were obtained in six women who developed interstitial pneumonitis while receiving methotrexate in a double-blind prospective trial of methotrexate vs. colchicine in 87 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis. Six of 43 patients (14%) who received methotrexate compared with no patients receiving colchicine developed interstitial pneumonitis 19-61 weeks after starting treatment. The pneumonitis was characterized by dyspnea, hypoxemia, and bilateral lung infiltrates, all of which responded within 24 hours to the administration of intravenous glucocorticoids. There was no correlation between the pneumonitis and pre-existing lung disease, the severity of the primary biliary cirrhosis, the titer of antimitochondrial antibody, or other diseases associated with primary biliary cirrhosis. Patients with primary biliary cirrhosis receiving low-dose methotrexate (15 mg/wk) are more susceptible to interstitial pneumonitis than patients with psoriasis or rheumatoid arthritis. The pneumonitis appears to be a hypersensitivity reaction and responds rapidly to intravenous glucocorticoid therapy.

Uncontrolled studies suggest that cyclosporine administered as an enema may be of benefit for left-sided ulcerative colitis and safer than intravenous or oral administration. The efficacy and safety of cyclosporine enemas for left-sided ulcerative colitis in a placebo-controlled trial was assessed.

A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) was conducted in 180 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) to define the efficacy and safety of UDCA. Efficacy was assessed by time to treatment failure defined as death; liver transplantation; histological progression; development of varices, ascites, or encephalopathy; doubling of total serum bilirubin levels; progression of fatigue or pruritus; drug toxicity; or voluntary withdrawal.

Carcinoid patients show a hypertonic colonic motor response postprandially. Ondansetron reduces postprandial colonic tone in health. It was hypothesized that ondansetron, a selective 5HT3 antagonist, corrects the colonic motor response to eating in carcinoid diarrhea.

Bombesin and gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) are closely related peptides. Both have been proposed to serve as a satiety signal in animals.

Fatty acids and bile acids are tumor promoters of experimental colon cancer in rats. Calcium can inhibit their effects. After intestinal bypass (IB), fecal bile acid and lipid levels increase markedly. In rats, IB increases colonic cell proliferation and carcinogen-induced colon tumor incidence. Whether fecal bile acids and lipids influence rectal epithelial proliferation in humans is uncertain. This study compared rectal epithelial proliferation in IB subjects and in controls matched for age, sex, and body mass index and investigated the effects of calcium carbonate supplementation (2400 or 3600 mg Ca2+/day for 12 weeks) on proliferation indices in IB subjects.